SB Nation Bay Area - NASCAR at Sonoma Toyota/Save Mart 350 Schedule: Sprint Cup Drivers Head To NorCalhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2011-06-27T03:01:00-07:00http://bayarea.sbnation.com/rss/stream/20072092011-06-27T03:01:00-07:002011-06-27T03:01:00-07:00NASCAR At Sonoma's Infineon Raceway Results: Kurt Busch Wins, Jeff Gordon Sneaks In At Second
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<p>The 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway went down Sunday afternoon and after multiple wrecks that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/6/23/2238901/nascar-infineon-raceway-sonoma-news-results-2011-marcos-ambrose-juan-pablo-montoya-jeff-gordon">left most of the drivers just a little bit steamed</a>, Kurt Busch emerged with his first win of the 2011 season. The victory also marked his first ever win on a road course. Busch started the race 11th but quickly climbed to the front of the pack and dominated from there. He raced so well he was able to lead for 76 of the 110 laps and secure the five bonus points for most laps led, along with 48 points for the victory.</p>
<p>Vallejo-native Jeff Gordon was the top racer with Bay Area ties as he came out of nowhere to finish in second place. Although Gordon left Vallejo at a young age and now resides in North Carolina, he still takes his daughter to Infineon Raceway for her birthday and has friends in the region. Gordon began the race in 13th but seemed like he was going to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/6/26/2245524/jeff-gordon-carl-edwards-finish-second-third-infineon-raceway-nascar-2011">end the race in the middle of the pack</a>.</p>
<p>However, Tony Stewart's wreck on lap 87 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/6/26/2245524/jeff-gordon-carl-edwards-finish-second-third-infineon-raceway-nascar-2011">put Gordon in a position to leap</a> into the top three. Gordon's patience allowed him to emerge with a second place showing and make a big jump in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Gordon climbed from 12th place to 9th place with the second place showing. He only gained a point on Carl Edwards since Edwards finished third, but getting back into the Sprint Cup Chase standings was a strong step for Gordon.</p>
<p>The other Bay Area driver was A.J. Allmendinger who finished the race in 13th place. He started the race in seventh and seemed to settle into the top ten. Unfortunately he struggled late and before long found himself pushing further back in the pack. The finish equaled his 2010 showing in Sonoma.</p>
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<p><i>Check out our <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger" target="_blank">news updates and results from the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a target="new" href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a target="new" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/27/2246013/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-results-kurt-busch-wins-jeff-gordon-second-toyota-save-mart-350-2011David Fucillo2011-06-26T03:00:41-07:002011-06-26T03:00:41-07:00NASCAR Infineon Raceway TV Schedule: TNT Provides Extensive TV, Online Coverage
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<p>The 2011 Sprint Cup Series arrives in Sonoma, California on Sunday at Infineon Raceway with the <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger">Toyota/Save Mart 350</a> live on TNT. The race will kick off at noon pacific and TNT will be blowing out the doors with its coverage both on television and via a variety of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/webcast/tnt_racebuddy/">live online streams on their RaceBuddy Webcast</a>.</p>
<p>TNT's coverage is led by veteran NASCAR broadcaster Adam Alexander who is joined by analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach. TNT will have three pit reporters available throughout the race in the form of Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider and Matt Yocum. Pre-race coverage will be provided on TNT's Countdown to Green at 11am pacific, hosted by Lindsay Czarniak and joined by Larry McReynolds and Kyle Petty.</p>
<p>For those with a computer near by, or those who will not be at a television during the race, TNT will continue its use of the <a href="http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/webcast/tnt_racebuddy/" target="_blank">RaceBuddy Webcast</a>. RaceBuddy coverage begins an hour before the race and will provide ten different live race views. RaceBuddy will provide DVR options and race highlights, a live 360 degree video option, a live chat, and of course a live leaderboard. Jim Noble will provide analysis as the RaceBuddy-only pit reporter.</p>
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<p><i>We'll be here all weekend providing <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger" target="_blank">news updates and results on the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a target="new" href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a target="new" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/26/2244256/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-tv-schedule-2011-toyota-save-mart-350-tnt-live-online-streamDavid Fucillo2011-06-25T13:23:59-07:002011-06-25T13:23:59-07:00AJ Allemdinger Looks To Secure First Win Of Season At Sonoma's Infineon Raceway
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<p>NASCAR returns to California on Sunday as the Toyota/Save Mart 350 kicks off at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway. One driver who <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/6/25/2243896/aj-allmendinger-nascar-infineon-raceway-california-sonoma-2011" target="_blank">welcomes the return to Northern California</a> is Los Gatos native AJ Allmendinger who will start in the seventh position. While Jeff Gordon might be the <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/25/2244069/jeff-gordon-sixth-victory-sonoma-infineon-raceway-nascar-2011" target="_blank">slightly more famous Northern California native</a>, Allmendinger has a stronger claim to the region. Gordon was born in Vallejo, just down the road from Infineon, but left when was still young and was raised in Indiana. Allmendinger on the other hand was born in Los Gatos and <a href="http://www.montereyherald.com/localsports/ci_18344675" target="_blank">stayed in Northern California as he learned the art of driving</a>.</p>
<p>Allmendinger has much more limited experience than Gordon when it comes to racing in general and road courses in particular. Allmendinger has six road courses under his belt, three of which came at Infineon. He has finished 7th, 13th, and 37th in Sonoma and also claimed a top five finish and a top ten finish in other road courses.</p>
<p>Allmendinger will be looking to build on what has been arguably his most successful season to date. He is currently 17th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and is 53 points back of the top ten who earn a bid in the Chase For The Sprint Cup. A solid finish at Sonoma would get Allmendinger a little bit closer to securing a spot in the Chase as he continues his quest for his first career victory.</p>
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<p><i>We'll be here all weekend providing <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger">news updates and results on the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/" target="new">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar" target="new">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/25/2244107/aj-allemdinger-sonoma-infineon-raceway-nascar-2011David Fucillo2011-06-25T12:52:13-07:002011-06-25T12:52:13-07:00Jeff Gordon Looks For Sixth Victory At Sonoma's Infineon Raceway
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<p>Vallejo native Jeff Gordon returns to Infineon Raceway on Sunday looking for his sixth victory on the road course. Gordon has had a lot of success in Sonoma as he has 14 top ten finishes in 18 career starts at the track. He <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/6/25/2243637/jeff-gordon-looking-to-avoid-payback-at-infineon-raceway">ran into a mess of trouble in 2010</a> as he cost numerous drivers a shot at strong finishes. However, he is otherwise on a bit of a hot streak at Infineon as he finshed in the top ten five straight races.</p>
<p>Infineon is basically Gordon's home track as he grew up less than 15 miles from the Sonoma raceway. In fact, Gordon <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Jordon-Comes-Home-to-Infineon-124435774.html">holds his daughter's birthday at Infineon each year</a> and the return gives him a chance to catch up with a variety of old friends.</p>
<p>Gordon is currently 12th in the Sprint Cup Series standings 94 points back of first place Carl Edwards. More importantly, Gordon is 17 points back of Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin for the cut-off in the "Chase For The Sprint Cup." There is still time for him to climb into the top ten and he's been performing well lately. He finished 17th in the recent Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400, but before that he won the 5-Hour Energy 500 and finished fourth in the STP 400. A strong finish on Sunday could vault him back into the top ten in the standings.</p>
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<p><i>We'll be here all weekend providing <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger">news updates and results on the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/" target="new">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar" target="new">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/25/2244069/jeff-gordon-sixth-victory-sonoma-infineon-raceway-nascar-2011David Fucillo2011-06-25T03:00:44-07:002011-06-25T03:00:44-07:00NASCAR Infineon Raceway Starting Lineup: AJ Allmendinger, Jeff Gordon Starting No. 7 and No. 13
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<p>NASCAR drivers completed their qualifying runs at Infineon Raceway Friday night and the starting lineup for the <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger" target="_blank">2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a> is officially set. Joey Logano claimed his first pole of the 2011 race season as he looks to secure his second career NASCAR win. In his two previous starts in Sonoma, Logano finished 33rd (2010) and 19th (2009). In those respective races he started 20th and 12th.</p>
<p>Los Gatos native AJ Allmendinger secured the highest spot among Bay Area drivers as he will be starting in the seventh position. In three previous races at Infineon he had never started higher than 15th. He'll look to surpass his 2009 finish of seventh place. He's found a little bit of success on road courses in general with a pair of top-ten finishes to his credit.</p>
<p>Vallejo native Jeff Gordon will start the race 13th. In 18 career races at Infineon Raceway, Gordon has five victories to his credit. It's interesting to note that of his five victories, only one came with a start outside the top five. He started 11th in 2006 but emerged victorious in the end. Overall he holds nine victories on road courses with 23 top-ten finishes.</p>
<p>Here is the entire starting lineup for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350:</p>
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<li>Joey Logano</li>
<li>Jamie McMurray</li>
<li>Paul Menard</li>
<li>Denny Hamlin</li>
<li>Ryan Newman</li>
<li>Kasey Kahne</li>
<li>AJ Allmendinger</li>
<li>Marcos Ambrose</li>
<li>Clint Bowyer</li>
<li>Brian Vickers</li>
<li>Kurt Busch</li>
<li>Jimmie Johnson</li>
<li>Jeff Gordon</li>
<li>Martin Truex Jr.</li>
<li>Brad Keselowski</li>
<li>Mark Martin</li>
<li>Juan Pablo Montoya</li>
<li>Dale Earnhardt Jr.</li>
<li>Kyle Busch</li>
<li>Tony Stewart</li>
<li>Bobby Labonte</li>
<li>Greg Biffle</li>
<li>Carl Edwards</li>
<li>Regan Smith</li>
<li>Jeff Burton</li>
<li>Kevin Harvick</li>
<li>Casey Mears</li>
<li>Robby Gordon</li>
<li>Boris Said</li>
<li>David Gilliland</li>
<li>Joe Nemechek</li>
<li>David Reutimann</li>
<li>Matt Kenseth</li>
<li>David Ragan</li>
<li>P.J. Jones</li>
<li>Dave Blaney</li>
<li>Mike Skinner</li>
<li>David Mayhew</li>
<li>Terry Labonte</li>
<li>Brian Simo</li>
<li>Andy Lally</li>
<li>Chris Cook</li>
<li>Andy Pilgrim</li>
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<p><i>We'll be here all weekend providing <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger">news updates and results on the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/" target="new">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar" target="new">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/25/2243239/nascar-infineon-raceway-starting-lineup-qualifying-results-2011-aj-allmendinger-jeff-gordonDavid Fucillo2011-06-24T21:30:34-07:002011-06-24T21:30:34-07:00NASCAR At Infineon Raceway, Race Odds: Jeff Gordon Among Favorites In Sonoma
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<p>NASCAR pulls into Sonoma for one of the annual road course races at Infineon Raceway and a Bay Area native will be among the favorites. As the drivers prepare for the <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger" target="_blank">2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>, Vallejo native Jeff Gordon is among the race favorites heading into Sunday's 110 lap race. Doc Sports put out some <a href="http://www.docsports.com/2011/nascar-odds-toyota-save-mart-350-predictions-107.html" target="_blank">basic odds for the race</a> and they have Gordon at +700 to win the race and +200 to finish in the top three.</p>
<p>For comparison's sake, Doc Sports has Marcos Ambrose installed as the race favorite at +375. After Ambrose, Tony Stewart is +600 and Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Busch all equal Gordon at +700. Johnson won last year's race while Marcos Ambrose blew a late opportunity to secure a victory.</p>
<p>Jeff Gordon currently sits in 12th place in the Sprint Cup Series, 94 points behind first place Carl Edwards. Gordon will be looking to secure his sixth victory at Infineon Raceway.</p>
<p>Los Gatos native AJ Allmendinger comes in at +5000, which makes him a bit of a long shot in the race. Allmendinger is making his fourth start at Infineon. He finished 13th in 2010, 7th in 2009, and 37th in his rookie season of 2008.</p>
<p>Here's a full rundown of <a href="http://www.docsports.com/2011/nascar-odds-toyota-save-mart-350-predictions-107.html" target="_blank">Doc Sports' odds to win the race</a>:</p>
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AJ Allmendinger +5000 <br>Andy Lally +6000 <br>Boris Said +2000 <br>Brad Keselowski +10000 <br>Brian Vickers +10000 <br>Carl Edwards +2000 <br>Clint Bowyer +5000 <br>Dale Earnhardt Jr +4500 <br>David Ragan +10000 <br>Denny Hamlin +3000 <br>Greg Biffle +5000 <br>Jamie McMurray +3500 <br>Jeff Burton +10000 <br>Jeff Gordon +700 <br>Jimmie Johnson +700 <br>Joey Logano +10000 <br>Juan Pablo Montoya +700 <br>Kasey Kahne +3500 <br>Kevin Harvick +1200 <br>Kurt Busch +1500 <br>Kyle Busch +700 <br>Marcos Ambrose +375 <br>Mark Martin +10000 <br>Martin Truex Jr +10000 <br>Matt Kenseth +10000 <br>Paul Menard +5000 <br>Robby Gordon +2000 <br>Ryan Newman +3500 <br>Tony Stewart +600 <br>Field +3000</p>
<p><i>We'll be here all weekend providing <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger" target="_blank">news updates and results on the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a target="new" href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a target="new" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243222/nascar-at-infineon-raceway-race-odds-jeff-gordon-among-favorites-inDavid Fucillo2011-06-24T21:15:58-07:002011-06-24T21:15:58-07:00NASCAR at Sonoma Toyota/Save Mart 350 Schedule: Sprint Cup Drivers Head To NorCal
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<p>The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series arrives in Northern California as drivers get to deal with a rare mix of right turns at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The race kicks off at noon pacific on TNT and features a mix of NASCAR favorites and the proverbial "road course ringers." Road courses are not the norm in NASCAR and so certain drivers have a tactical advantage they don't normally hold in the traditional left turn only races.</p>
<p>As would be expected, former open-wheel stalwart Juan Pablo Montoya is a favorite in the race having won it in his Sonoma debut and following that with consistent Top 10 finishes. Marcos Ambrose will be a more subtle favorite after a near victory in 2010. And, of course, other recent winners will be right in the thick of things. That means you can expect to see Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Jimmie Johnson near the front of the pack on Sunday.</p>
<p>As the Sprint Cup Series heads into race sixteen here in the middle of the summer, the Bay Area will have its usual representatives in the form of Vallejo-native Jeff Gordon and Los Gatos-native A.J. Allmendinger. Gordon will be a favorite in Sonoma while Allmendinger will be more of a long shot to end up in Victory Lane.</p>
<p>This week's schedule of events will include qualifying on Friday, practice on Saturday, and then the 110-lap race itself at noon on Sunday. We'll be here to provide results and news updates along the way.</p>
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<p><i>We'll be here all weekend providing <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2243168/nascar-sonoma-infineon-raceway-2011-tv-schedule-sprint-cup-results-jeff-gordon-aj-allmendinger" target="_blank">news updates and results on the 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350</a>. For more NASCAR coverage, check out <a target="new" href="http://www.4ever3blog.com/">NASCAR Ranting and Raving</a> as well as <a target="new" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a>.</i></p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/24/2337031/nascar-at-sonoma-toyota-save-mart-350-schedule-sprint-cup-driversDavid Fucillo