NASCAR?s road warriors
Tony Stewart, meet Jeff Gordon. Jeff, Tony.
These two NASCAR stalwarts had better get used to each other?s company. They?re tied atop the odds list at +450 for Sunday?s Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. None of the familiar Nextel Cup names are anywhere close. The reason is simple: This Sunday?s event is a road race, and nobody dominates this discipline more than Stewart and Gordon. They?ve claimed 13 of the last 20 road races between them.
Gordon?s dominance at Infineon (formerly the Sears Point Raceway) is especially striking. He has four wins and eight Top-5 finishes in 13 races there, winning the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2004. But these are tough times for Gordon. The four-time Winston Cup champion hasn?t won a race all year; he?s currently in 11th place in the drivers standings, threatening to miss the Chase for the Cup for the second year in a row.
Stewart?s in a much better position these days. He?s the reigning Nextel Cup champion, and he?s in sixth place in the standings. However, Stewart has just one good finish in his past six races, a third at the Pocono 500. He?s been saddled by a broken shoulder blade, which he says has returned to 100 percent health. A strong result at Sonoma would be just the tonic for Stewart. He won this event in 2001 and in last year?s championship season, two of four Top-10 finishes came in Stewart?s seven appearances at Infineon.
What makes these two drivers so tough on road courses? In Gordon?s case, sheer determination. He was considered a so-so road racer until 1997, when his diligent study and practice paid off with a win at Watkins Glen. Former crew chief Ray Evernham (now the owner of Evernham Motorsports, home of drivers Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield) also played a role in ensuring Gordon?s vehicle could do more than just turn left.
Stewart has assumed Gordon?s mantel as the king of road races thanks to his versatility. The Indiana native was the Indy Racing League champion in 1997 before picking up his Cup victories in 2002 and 2005. He was also a go-kart and sprint car champion before making his NASCAR debut in 1996. We?ll see Sunday if his shoulder is indeed 100 percent; Infineon has 10 turns in all during NASCAR events, and no banks.
Because the Dodge/Save Mart 350 is such a challenge for the left-turn set, ?ringers? populate the upper reaches of the odds list. Scott Pruett, for example, will replace David Stremme for Chip Ganassi Racing. Pruett is listed at +1600 alongside Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson and eighth-place Kevin Harvick. Pruett has yet to win a NASCAR event in his career, but he does have three Trans-Am titles and 145 Champ Car races under his belt.
The ringers with the shortest odds Sunday are Ron Fellows and Boris Said at +800. Fellows has been involved with Corvette Racing since 1998, while Said, a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona event, picked up a win at Infineon in 1998 as part of the Craftsman Truck Series. It should be noted, however, that a ringer has yet to win a Cup race ? they tend to nestle in or near the Top 10, picking up valuable points for their teams. Keep an eye out as well for ringer Brian Simo. He drove the No. 33 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing last year and finished in 10th place. If he appears again, he?ll be available as part of the field at +1800.
The other familiar name in road racing is Robby Gordon at +800. He won Sunday?s event in 2003 (also taking the checkered flag at Watkins Glen that year) and has three Top-10 finishes in eight races at Sonoma. Gordon is another multi-talented driver with experience in Trans-Am and IndyCar, nearly winning the Indy 500 in 1999. But as a driver-owner for Robby Gordon Motorsports, and with his interest in off-road racing, Gordon?s ability to focus on Sunday ? in his native California ? is a question mark.
Infineon?s twists and turns are enough to keep the usual left-turn suspects well down the odds list for Sunday. Some of the bigger-name drivers available on the cheap include Kurt Busch (+1400), Mark Martin (+2000, with a win at Sonoma in 1997), Greg Biffle (+3000) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at +3500. Kahne, coming off a win at last week?s 3M Performance 400, joins Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch way down the list at +5000.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
Tony Stewart, meet Jeff Gordon. Jeff, Tony.
These two NASCAR stalwarts had better get used to each other?s company. They?re tied atop the odds list at +450 for Sunday?s Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. None of the familiar Nextel Cup names are anywhere close. The reason is simple: This Sunday?s event is a road race, and nobody dominates this discipline more than Stewart and Gordon. They?ve claimed 13 of the last 20 road races between them.
Gordon?s dominance at Infineon (formerly the Sears Point Raceway) is especially striking. He has four wins and eight Top-5 finishes in 13 races there, winning the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2004. But these are tough times for Gordon. The four-time Winston Cup champion hasn?t won a race all year; he?s currently in 11th place in the drivers standings, threatening to miss the Chase for the Cup for the second year in a row.
Stewart?s in a much better position these days. He?s the reigning Nextel Cup champion, and he?s in sixth place in the standings. However, Stewart has just one good finish in his past six races, a third at the Pocono 500. He?s been saddled by a broken shoulder blade, which he says has returned to 100 percent health. A strong result at Sonoma would be just the tonic for Stewart. He won this event in 2001 and in last year?s championship season, two of four Top-10 finishes came in Stewart?s seven appearances at Infineon.
What makes these two drivers so tough on road courses? In Gordon?s case, sheer determination. He was considered a so-so road racer until 1997, when his diligent study and practice paid off with a win at Watkins Glen. Former crew chief Ray Evernham (now the owner of Evernham Motorsports, home of drivers Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield) also played a role in ensuring Gordon?s vehicle could do more than just turn left.
Stewart has assumed Gordon?s mantel as the king of road races thanks to his versatility. The Indiana native was the Indy Racing League champion in 1997 before picking up his Cup victories in 2002 and 2005. He was also a go-kart and sprint car champion before making his NASCAR debut in 1996. We?ll see Sunday if his shoulder is indeed 100 percent; Infineon has 10 turns in all during NASCAR events, and no banks.
Because the Dodge/Save Mart 350 is such a challenge for the left-turn set, ?ringers? populate the upper reaches of the odds list. Scott Pruett, for example, will replace David Stremme for Chip Ganassi Racing. Pruett is listed at +1600 alongside Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson and eighth-place Kevin Harvick. Pruett has yet to win a NASCAR event in his career, but he does have three Trans-Am titles and 145 Champ Car races under his belt.
The ringers with the shortest odds Sunday are Ron Fellows and Boris Said at +800. Fellows has been involved with Corvette Racing since 1998, while Said, a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona event, picked up a win at Infineon in 1998 as part of the Craftsman Truck Series. It should be noted, however, that a ringer has yet to win a Cup race ? they tend to nestle in or near the Top 10, picking up valuable points for their teams. Keep an eye out as well for ringer Brian Simo. He drove the No. 33 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing last year and finished in 10th place. If he appears again, he?ll be available as part of the field at +1800.
The other familiar name in road racing is Robby Gordon at +800. He won Sunday?s event in 2003 (also taking the checkered flag at Watkins Glen that year) and has three Top-10 finishes in eight races at Sonoma. Gordon is another multi-talented driver with experience in Trans-Am and IndyCar, nearly winning the Indy 500 in 1999. But as a driver-owner for Robby Gordon Motorsports, and with his interest in off-road racing, Gordon?s ability to focus on Sunday ? in his native California ? is a question mark.
Infineon?s twists and turns are enough to keep the usual left-turn suspects well down the odds list for Sunday. Some of the bigger-name drivers available on the cheap include Kurt Busch (+1400), Mark Martin (+2000, with a win at Sonoma in 1997), Greg Biffle (+3000) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at +3500. Kahne, coming off a win at last week?s 3M Performance 400, joins Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch way down the list at +5000.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
