JEFF GORDON
ROLLING ALONG

Sonoma, CA: Who said road racing was boring? There was so much going on at the Infineon Raceway, it was hard for the FOX commentators to keep up. One driver no one could keep up with was Jeff Gordon. He won from the pole for the 11th time, his 4th win at this track.

Jeff broke a track record at qualifying on Friday and continued to shine all weekend as he won the Dodge/Save Mart 350, the 8th road course win of his career. Jeff kept a huge lead throughout the race, only allowing Jamie McMurray and Scott Pruett to get close near the end. He triumphed over extreme heat when the cooling system in the #24 DuPont Chevrolet failed. Jeff moved back into 4th place in the points standings.,

Jamie McMurray had an exceptional day bringing the #42 Havoline Dodge in 2nd. He had tested in Sonoma with hopes of improving his road course finishes. He qualified well and stayed in the top 10 all day. He got by team mates Scott Pruett and Casey Mears and began to close in on Jeff Gordon. With 4 laps remaining, Jamie was within 1.2 seconds, but could not get by Jeff.

Battling for the lead with Jeff Gordon early in the race, Scott Pruett ended the race 3rd. He only runs road courses in NASCAR, but he normally finishes well. His assistance with Jamie McMurray while testing has proven invaluable to team owner, Chip Ganassi. We'll see Scott in the #39 Target car again at Watkins Glen.

After starting the race at the rear of the field, Michael Waltrip made his way through traffic and brought the #15 NAPA Chevrolet in 4th. Engine problems at qualifying on Friday caused Michael to move to the rear. But, he was able to power his way past cars in the corners as he moved his way to the front. This was his 4th top 10 finish in the last 5 races.

Another driver starting deep in the field, Jimmie Johnson showed how he had improved his road course driving. He finished 5th in the #48 Lowes Chevrolet. He also retained his lead in the Chase for the Championship.

Road course Ringer, Boris Said had another top 10 finish bringing the #36 Centrix Financial Chevrolet in 6th. He would like to run more Nextel Cup races, but feels he may be too old for most of the owners to give him a try. He finished 10th in the Bud Shootout at Daytona this year.

Able to use a pit stop to gain position, Casey Mears ended the race 7th. When Casey realized a caution was going to be thrown on lap 66, he ducked onto pit road with Kasey Kahne in the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge. After the remaining cars pitted, the #41 Target Dodge was in the lead. He was able to stay out front for 5 laps before Jeff Gordon got past him. He then held Rusty Wallace back for several laps before Rusty banged past him to resume 2nd place. The car got very loose for Casey and he was passed by the other cars before he settled in 7th. This was Casey's 5th top 10 finish of the season.

Two Rousch drivers finished in the top 10. Mark Martin had qualified 4th and stayed in the top 10 all day. He brought the #6 Viagra Ford in 8th. Jeff Burton had gone of the track early in the race. He recovered and came in 9th with his unsponsored #99 Ford. Elliott Sadler bounced around for most of the race. He finished 10th in the #38 M&Ms Ford.

The driver experiencing the largest disappointment of the day was Rusty Wallace. After running in 2nd for most of the race, Rusty ran out of gas on lap 109. He finished 28th in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge.

Road Warrior Robby Gordon had an extremely frustrating race. After sweeping both road courses last season, Robby did not qualify well. He had several disasters all involving tires. On lap 15, the left front tire of the #31 Cingular Chevrolet came off. Apparently, the lug nuts were not tightened. He suffered major damage to the left front of the car. Then, on lap 51, he lost the right front tire. He now had severe damage to the right front of the car. The final blow came when he ran over debris on the track and lost the right front tire again. He stayed in the race and came in 34th.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also experienced an eventful day. He lost the rear of the car as he passed over some rumble strips on lap 9. The car spun around and brushed the inside wall. After leading the race for 8 laps, he spun again on lap 51. He worked his way back up to finish 11th in the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet. He is now 27 points behind Jimmie Johnson in the Championship standings.

Article by S. Kipple
06/27/04

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