• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

  for this game

Toyota/Save Mart 350 Preview

June 24, 2007 
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California 
Race 16 of 36 on Nextel Cup circuit

TV: TNT, 2:00 p.m. EDT

Laps: 110 laps 
Track length: 1.99 miles 
Race length: 219 miles

Qualifying record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 94.325 mph, 2005
record: Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet, 81.413 mph, 1992


DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Jeff Burton 
Team: Richard Childress Racing 
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala 
2007 Earnings: $3,156,533

Finished 24th last Sunday at Michigan yet remained fifth in the
standings, 473 points behind leader Jeff Gordon; has struggled
over his last eight races, failing to place higher than 10th
after finishing sixth or better in six of the first seven events
this season; ran 12th at Dover and has five top-five finishes
and seven top-10s this season; captured his first victory of the
season at Texas; ran seventh in this event last season and has
four top-10 finishes in 13 career starts at this track.

Clint Bowyer 
Team: Richard Childress Racing 
Car: No. 07 Chevrolet Impala 
2007 Earnings: $1,653,844

Dropped one spot to ninth in the standings after a 16th-place
finish last week in Michigan; has four top-10 finishes over his
last six races, including a 10th-place finish at Pocono; is in
the top-10 in the standings thanks to seven top-10 finishes
overall this season; recorded his two best performances of the
campaign with a pair of sixth-place finishes at California and
Atlanta; made his first appearance in this event last year and
finished 16th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 
Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc. 
Car: No. 8 Chevrolet Impala 
2007 Earnings: $2,278,080

Ran fifth last weekend at Michigan to move up two spots to 12th
in the standings in his first race since signing a five-year
contract to drive for Hendrick Motorsports after this season;
has fared well since announcing his intention to leave DEI,
placing inside the top 12 in four of his last five races; has
not won a race since Richmond in May 2006, a drought of 41
consecutive events without a checkered flag; recorded his best
performance this season at Martinsville, where he ran fifth; ran
26th in this race last year; still seeking his first top-10 at
this track after seven races.

Carl Edwards 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $1,868,207

Won last week in Michigan to end a 52-race winless drought; his
last win came on November 11, 2005 in Texas; moved up to sixth
in the standings, 487 behind Gordon with his fifth career win;
the win gave Roush Racing its second win of the season; has
three top-5 finishes over his last five races, including a third
place showing in Dover; finished sixth in this event last year.

Jeff Gordon 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala 
2007 Earnings: $3,496,991

Finished ninth in Michigan last week and now holds a 264-point
lead in the series standings; has four checkered flags this
season and 79 career, just four shy of tying Cale Yarborough for
fifth place all-time; endured a crash four weeks ago at 
Charlotte en route to finishing 41st, his worst showing of the
year; reached a landmark milestone at Talladega, recording his
77th career victory to pass the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth
all-time; has completely dominated the circuit this season and
is on pace to capture his fifth career title, leading the series
in poles (6), top-five finishes (10) and top-10s (13); won this
race last season and has won five times at this track, and has
finished out of the top-10 just four times in 14 career starts.

Denny Hamlin 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 11 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $2,251,460

Finished 14th at Michigan to climb to second in the standings,
264 points behind Gordon; ran fourth at Dover, one of five
top-five finishes over a span of nine races; rebounded from a
21st-place showing at Darlington to finish ninth at Charlotte;
has six top-five finishes and nine top-10s this season; clearly
has avoided a sophomore slump, placing inside the top 15 in 12
of the last 14 events; ran 12th in this event last season, his
first career start at Infineon Raceway.

Jimmie Johnson 
Team: Hendrick Motorsports 
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $3,376,840

Ran out of gas with seven laps remaining to wind up 19th last
week; still managed to climb one spot to third in the standings,
337 behind teammate Jeff Gordon; had a season-worst 42nd-place
finish at Pocono after pitting just two laps before the race was
called due to rain; captured his fourth victory of the season
at Richmond and finished second at Talladega to continue his
fast start to the season; despite collecting eight top-five
finishes, has been hurt by three finishes outside the top 35;
also has captured checkered flags at Las Vegas, Atlanta and
Martinsville; ran 10th in this event last season.

Matt Kenseth 
Team: Roush Fenway Racing 
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $2,959,053

Finished 42nd at Michigan after being involved in an early
accident to drop to fourth in the standings, 348 points behind
Gordon; placed fifth at Dover, his sixth top-five finish of the
season; had been outstanding since struggling to 27th place at
Daytona, running inside the top 11 over the next seven races;
captured his only victory of the season in the campaign's second
race at California; ran 17th in this event last season; has not
finished in the top-10 in seven starts at this track.

Tony Stewart 
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing 
Car: No. 20 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $2,746,020

Ran third at Michigan but still dropped a spot to seventh in 
the standings; has finished in the top-10 in five of his last
six races, with a 40th at Dover serving as the lone blemish over
that span; has yet to record a win this season and collected
just three top-five finishes over the first 14 races; one of the
circuit's most inconsistent drivers, collecting 10 top-10
finishes while placing 25th or worse in the other five events;
finished 28th in this race last year after winning it in 2005.

2006 Top 10
-----------
 1. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
 2. Ryan Newman (12), Dodge
 3. Terry Labonte (96), Chevrolet
 4. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
 5. Kurt Busch (2), Ford
 6. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
 7. Jeff Burton (99), Chevrolet
 8. Elliott Sadler (38), Ford
 9. Boris Said (60), Ford
10. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet

Past Champions
--------------
2006  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 73.953 mph
2005  Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 72.845 mph
2004  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 77.456 mph
2003  Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 73.814 mph
2002  Ricky Rudd, Ford, 81.007 mph
2001  Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 75.889 mph
2000  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 78.789 mph
1999  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 70.001 mph
1998  Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 72.387 mph
1997  Mark Martin, Ford, 75.788 mph
1996  Rusty Wallace, Ford, 77.673 mph
1995  Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 70.681 mph
1994  Ernie Irvan, Ford, 77.458 mph
1993  Geoffrey Bodine, Ford, 77.014 mph
1992  Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet, 81.413 mph
1991  Davey Allison, Ford, 72.970 mph
1990  Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 69.245 mph
1989  Ricky Rudd, Buick, 76.088 mph