Gordon leads way in both Saturday practices

SONOMA, Calif. -- Jeff Gordon backed up Friday's Bud Pole-winning effort at Infineon Raceway by pacing both practice sessions Saturday morning, proving the three-time Sears Point winner is once again the man to beat at the 1.95-mile road course.

Gordon's 76.066-second quick lap during Happy Hour, posted with just three minutes remaining in the session, bested Rusty Wallace's effort by one-tenth of a second. Wallace, who will start alongside Gordon on the front row Sunday, improved significantly from a morning session in which he ranked 19th.

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Jamie McMurray was third in Happy Hour, followed by road racing specialist and former track speed record holder Boris Said in fourth. Points leader Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five. Johnson's improvement since Friday is substantial. Having gotten loose during his qualifying run, he will start 34th in the Dodge/Save Mart 350.

Defending Dodge/Save Mart 350 champion Robby Gordon posted the sixth-quickest time in Happy Hour, improving from 11th in the morning. He also got loose during his qualifying effort Friday and will start 24th.

Bobby Labonte was seventh, German road racer Klaus Graf eighth, Tony Stewart ninth and Mark Martin 10th. Stewart is a man to watch Sunday, as well. In five career starts here, he boasts an average finish of eighth, has one victory (2002) and has only finished outside the top-five once (last year, 10th).

Third-place qualifier Kurt Busch and eighth-place qualifier Kevin Harvick both fell off in Happy Hour. Second and third in the first session, respectively, Busch fell to 14th and Harvick to 15th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., meanwhile, was 12th in both sessions.

Fifth-place qualifier Matt Kenseth was involved in an accident during Saturday's first practice, forcing him into a backup car for Sunday's race. He was Saturday's lone casualty, though Sterling Marlin and Earnhardt, Jr. both spun out, as well.

Kenseth, who ranked 27th during Happy Hour in the backup car, will move to the rear of the field Sunday, joining Michael Waltrip and Jeremy Mayfield, both of whom blew engines Friday.

	Matt Kenseth

"I got a flat tire or something because the car just went straight," Kenseth said. "It really didn't do anything funny. It either had a flat tire or something broke in the front straight because the car never turned."

Kenseth's Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle qualified the National Guard Ford seventh Friday afternoon, then flew to Milwaukee to participate in Saturday's Busch Series race, thus disallowing the No. 16 Ford any practice time in the morning.

Road racing ace Tom Hubert got in the car during Happy Hour, but managed just the 41st quickest time. Crew chief Doug Richert knew Biffle's double duty would pose problems, and feels the team prepared accordingly.

"That was the main reason why we did test here, because we knew this was coming," Richert said. "We made a lot of laps and we've got a good idea of what we want in the car.

"Our biggest plan is to really concentrate and listen to see what our other teammates are doing, how they're adjusting to the racetrack and actually monitor real closely each team and see how they change and end up with springs and bars and shocks.

"I've already talked to Greg this morning a little bit and got his thoughts on what we're gonna put in the car if we didn't have anything else to go off of. It's a little difficult right now."