Thirty minutes away from the Golden Gate Bridge, you’ll find yourself in the Sonoma wine valley and at Infineon Raceway. This is the first road course we’ll see this year, and it is a sight different than what we usually see on race day: left turns and right turns. The COT will be making its road course debut here, as well.

There is more to racing than meets the eye on any track, but it is more important here on the road course. Strategy is needed on the track and in the pits. Fuel mileage and pit strategy can take a car that may not be the best or the fastest and put them in the winner’s circle.

Passing here will not be easy, nor will it be done in the same manner as you would see at an oval track. On an oval track, you can fight side-by-side for a position; on a road course – you have to take it.

If you want to pass here, it will need to be in the turns, and it’s done by knowing when to break. You have to have a good run and outbreak the other guy so you come out ahead and in the clear. The trick is knowing when to break, and the drivers who have figured this out are the ones who excel on road courses.

There may be a few names you aren’t used to seeing moving across the ticker at the top of your television this Sunday. These are the ringers. There are a few drivers who specialize in road racing, and they are called in to get behind the wheel and try to give an owner a place in the race, or possibly a win.

I was going to be picking Jeff Gordon for the win this weekend, but after the fiasco of Friday, I am going to steer clear of doing so. Friday at inspection, the 24 and 48 car failed to pass. As a result of this, they missed practice and did not get a chance to qualify – they start forty-first and forty-second respectively. I don’t think this is necessarily going to stop him from possibly winning, but he won’t make my top five.

Also making my ‘not going to pick him’ list is Denny Hamlin. Maybe now he’ll get his win.

Tony Stewart has won here at Infineon twice and has five wins at road courses altogether. He is an aggressive driver, which will serve him well here. He has the experience and the ability to make the pass and know how to play the fuel-mileage game. He is also, much like his teammate Denny Hamlin, overdue for a win.

I’m going to pick a Roush-Fenway driver who has run well in the COT and has not been a steady road course driver, Jamie McMurray. He might need a little luck on his side to pull off the win, but I believe he has a viable chance at it.

Juan Pablo Montoya – he won the Busch race in Mexico City on the road course there and is familiar with right and left turns. Knowing when to break and make the pass should come easily to him, although he will need to watch out who he ‘takes’ a position from and try not to do it in such a controversial style like he did in Mexico. The NEXTEL cup drivers will not be as forgiving if he gets too aggressive.

If there is one driver who it totally irritates me to pick, it is my next pick. However, I cannot do this article correctly without doing so. Robby Gordon is an excellent road course racer. He will, and does, race anything with wheels and I think this experience is what helps him run so well on road courses. 

As always, I have one spot and two drivers I’d like to pick: Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both qualified within the top ten and they are both smart drivers with the ability to bring in at least a top five finish. I’m going to go with my gut and pick Jr.

My dark horse this week is going to be one of the ringers – the one who has a legitimate chance of winning. Boris Said excels in road course racing and even runs on the ovals on occasion. Said knows what it takes to win and has found a niche for himself within the Nascar community even though he is not a full time driver. He’s a ‘ringer’ who has been close a few times before and would not surprise me with the win on Sunday.

Have a question or comment for Jennifer? Email her at jenniferpatterson@sportsgrumblings.com.