SPRINT Toyota/SaveMart 350
Final
for this game
Toyota/Save Mart 350 Preview
Jun 22, 2008 - 10:20 AMJune 22, 2008
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California
Race 16 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: TNT, 3:30 p.m. EDT
Laps: 110 laps
Track length: 1.99 miles
Race length: 219 miles
Qualifying record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 94.325 mph, 2005
Race record: Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet, 81.413 mph, 1992
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,517,083
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished 15th at
Michigan and sits second in the standings, just 32 points behind
Kyle Busch; won at Bristol for first win of the season; finished
13th in the Daytona 500 and eighth at California; was fifth in
Las Vegas and 10th at Atlanta; has 10 top 10s through first 14
races; finished eighth in last season's standings, one year
after placing seventh; finished in the top 10 in half of the
races last season, including nine top fives; lone win of the
2007 season came in April at Texas; finished the season strong
with five top 10s over the final six races; ran third in this
race last season.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $3,428,413
Is in the midst of a stellar first season with Joe Gibbs Racing,
winning four races and posting nine top-fives through 14
races; had lead trimmed to just 21 points over Burton after
running dead last at Pocono; finished 17th at Bristol after
power steering failed and transmission issues relegated him to
38th at Martinsville; won at Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington and
Dover; runner-up finish at Richmond was marred by a late-race
incident with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; had the dominant car and led
the most laps at the Daytona 500; was strong at Las Vegas early,
but struggled late and wound up 11th; is looking to build off a
sensational run at Hendrick Motorsports as he moves to JGR and
Toyota; finished fifth in the final 2007 standings after
qualifying for the Chase for the second consecutive season; had
20 top-10 finishes in 36 races last season, including 11
top fives; lone win came during the first Bristol race - the
inaugural Car of Tomorrow event; ran eighth in this race last
year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,475,295
The circuit's most popular driver snapped a 76-race winless
stretch by winning at Michigan on fumes; nearly snapped skid but
was involved in a late-race incident with Kyle Busch at Richmond
and wound up 15th; sits third in the standings with 11 top 10s
through 15 races; ran fifth at Bristol after a third at Atlanta
and second at Las Vegas; was the top finishing Hendrick car at
the Daytona 500 with a ninth-place showing; was involved in an
early race crash at California and finished 40th; made the move
from his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he won 17 Cup
events, to Hendrick Motorsports; got off to a good start with
his new team by winning the Bud Shootout; suffered through a
tough final season at DEI, finishing 16th in the standings; had
12 top 10s last season, but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or
worse; finished 13th in this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $3,512,500
Won at Texas for his third win of the season; was docked 100
points and fell from the top spot in the standings after being
penalized after his win at Las Vegas; victory at Texas was his
10th career Cup win; had the dominant car again at Atlanta, but
blew an engine and finished 42nd; ran 19th in the Daytona 500;
qualified for the Chase last year and won at Dover after placing
12th at New Hampshire, but failed post-race inspection and was
docked 25 points and fined; penalty dropped him from third to
sixth in the standings and he never recovered; won the 2007
NASCAR Busch Series championship; finished with 11 top fives
and 15 top 10s last year; also won at Michigan and Bristol; was
second to Kyle Busch at Darlington and Dover; finished 18th at
this race last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,572,544
Finished 18th at Michigan and sits ninth in the standings; ran
second at Martinsville; rebounded to finish fifth at Atlanta
after being involved in a scary late-race crash at Las Vegas
where he finished 35th; bounced back with a third at California
after opening his 2008 season with a disappointing 39th in the
Daytona 500; already has three DNFs this season after posting
just one last year; only a dominant finish by teammate Jimmie
Johnson kept him from capturing a fifth championship last season;
finished with 10 top-10 finishes in the final 11 races - the
other finish in that span was an 11th at Dover; totaled a
remarkable 30 top-10 finishes and 21 top fives in 36 races last
year; spun with less than two laps remaining at Watkins Glen
while leading, costing him another potential win - still managed
to finish ninth; had six checkered flags last season and 81
career, just two shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place
all-time; had 10 poles last season - double that of Ryan Newman
who had five; finished seventh at this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,932,510
Two-time defending series champion blew a motor at Lowe's and
finished in 39th place; bounced back with three top-10s,
including a sixth at Michigan; picked up his first win of the
season at Phoenix, then ran 13th at Talladega and 30th at
Richmond; finished second at Texas following a fourth at
Martinsville; had a disappointing three-race stretch at Las
Vegas, Atlanta and Bristol when his average finish was 20th;
ran second at California after starting this campaign with a
27th at the Daytona 500; battled teammate Gordon for the top
spot in the Chase early last season, then took off - winning
four straight races over the second half of the Chase; suffered
through an up-and-down season before the Chase, finishing 39th
at the Brickyard after a fiery crash on the heels of a 37th at
Chicago; finished the season with 10 wins, 20 top-fives, 24 top
10s, yet failed to finish four races; finished 17th in this race
last year.
Kasey Kahne
Team: Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Car: No. 9 Dodge
2008 Earnings: $3,645,053
Jumped up to seventh in the standings after finishing second to
Earnhardt at Michigan; won at Pocono from the pole; had a
stellar two weeks at Lowe's, winning the Sprint All-Star
Challenge then snapping a 52-race winless skid by taking the
checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600; has eight top 10s this
season; after winning six races in 2006, struggled in 2007 when
he finished 19th in the standings with just one top five and
eight top 10s; also had six DNfs and dipped as low as 36th in
the standings at one point; took on the famed Budweiser
sponsorship after Dale Earhnardt Jr. moved to Hendrick
Motorsports; finished 23rd in this race last year.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,454,903
Continued his charge up the standings by finishing third at
Michigan - his fifth consecutive top-10 result; is just 14
points out of the 12th place; finished 38th at Richmond and 41st
at Talladega; ran 38th at Phoenix following a ninth at Texas and
30th at Martinsville; had consecutive top 10s at Bristol and
Atlanta; was 20th at Las Vegas due to a late-race incident with
Jeff Gordon; ran fifth at California, fresh off a disappointing
35th place showing at the Daytona 500; last season had a
late-Chase surge with a win at the season-ending race at
Homestead, following a third at Phoenix and a second at Texas;
finished fourth in the final standings; had 13 top five finishes
and 22 top 10s last season; won the series championship in 2003
despite capturing only one checkered flag, prompting NASCAR to
change to its current Chase format; enters this season without
long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop
the box by Chip Bolin; ran 34th in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $3,044,476
Finished fifth at Michigan to snap rough stretch; is now in 11th
place, just 20 points inside the Chase cutoff; was involved in
an early crash at Dover and finished 41st; came close to winning
at Lowe's, but cut down a tire with three laps remaining while
leading and finished 18th; with rumors swirling about his future
at JGR, finished 38th at Talladega; bounced back to finish
fourth at Richmond; ran 14th at Phoenix following back-to-back
top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas; finished second to
teammate Kyle Busch at Atlanta, but was vocal about the poor
Goodyear tire quality; suffered a hard crash at Las Vegas,
injured his ankle and finished last; had another disappointment
at Daytona, finishing third despite having the lead with one lap
to go; moved within two points of the points lead after the first
two Chase races last year, but could not keep pace with Johnson
and Gordon and faded to sixth in the final standings; ran sixth
in this race last year.
2006 Top 10
-----------
1. Juan Pablo Montoya (42), Dodge
2. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
3. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
4. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
5. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
6. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
7. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
8. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
9. Boris Said (60), Ford
10. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 74.547 mph
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
