In 12 road-course starts, Elliott Sadler has two top-10s and an average finish of 21.7. Credit: Autostock

Yates duo prepared to make a run at Sonoma

Road course another barometer to judge team's improvements

Through 15 races, the 2005 Nextel Cup point standings closely parallel many of the season's events: Leader, second place is close (but not too close) and then there's a bunch fighting for position. Entering Sonoma, series leader Jimmie Johnson is 49 points ahead of Greg Biffle and then there are only 124 points separating third place from 11th.

Robert Yates Racing's Elliott Sadler is the first driver in the "bunch fighting for position," currently third in points, 250 behind. He has eight top-10 finishes, including his first at Richmond. Last week at Michigan, Sadler was eighth -- his second top-10 in 13 races at that track.

Inside the Numbers Elliott Sadler at Sonoma Year Start Finish Result 2004 16 10 running 2003 24 22 running 2002 40 6 running 2001 27 17 running 2000 32 38 running 1999 32 18 running Dale Jarrett at Sonoma Year Start Finish Result 2004 23 18 running 2003 29 42 trans 2002 37 15 running 2001 35 26 running 2000 18 7 running 1999 29 6 running 1998 3 15 running 1997 8 4 running 1996 20 12 running 1995 9 23 running 1994 20 12 running 1993 32 13 running 1992 23 39 trans 1991 21 41 ignition 1990 10 14 running 1989 33 42 trans FedEx PreviewNBC/TNT's Marty Snider previews all the action at Infineon Sign up for TrackPass now and earn Fan Miles BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

"I'm with a great, great race team," Sadler said. "Have we peaked yet? No. Are we getting there? I think so. We're running good at a lot of places we didn't run well at last year, so to come to a track like Michigan and have a great car on a long run is a good, good feeling."

Now comes the road course at Infineon Raceway, site of two top-10 runs by Sadler in six starts.

"I think that's where we've improved as a team this season," he said. "We're competitive at every track we go to, whether it's Martinsville, Charlotte or Talladega. We've really stepped our program up a notch.

Robert Yates Racing has three road-course victories in 50 starts, but none since Ricky Rudd won at Sonoma in 2002. Davey Allison (1991) and Ernie Irvan (1994) had the team's other wins, also at Sonoma.

"Road courses haven't necessarily been our strength," Sadler said, "so we tested VIR [Virginia International Raceway], not just to help the car but the driver as well.

"DJ [teammate Dale Jarrett] and I will spend some time at Bondurant in Phoenix before jumping over to Sonoma so hopefully all of those things will have us in good shape for this weekend."

In 12 starts on serpentine tracks -- Sonoma and Watkins Glen -- Sadler has only two top-10s, one DNF and an average finish of 21.7.

"We're really proud as a team of the success we've had so far this season," Sadler said, "especially at tracks where we didn't run so well in the past.

"You look at championship-caliber teams and they don't just run well at only short tracks or only the mile-and-a-half tracks; they're consistent across the board. Those teams have cars capable of running well at every type of track on the circuit and their drivers are able to adapt and perform well at every track."

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For his part, Jarrett says adding a road-course victory to his resume is a goal. "That is something I would like to be able to accomplish," he said. "With the road racers we have in the series these days and then the road racing aces, if you will, that come in to run those events, I don't know how feasible an accomplishment that is."

Jarrett is one of eight drivers to have started all 16 Cup races at Sonoma. He has three top-10 finishes, including a career-best fourth-place run in 1997.

"If we can get our car set up to where it handles right and I do my job as the driver we could [win]," Jarrett said.

"Certainly, strategy has come into play at the road races in the past and if the circumstances were right with our strategy then we might would be in position to make that happen. I'm not saying it's impossible because you never know what could happen but I also take a realistic look at it too."

• Jarrett will be racing the No. 88 UPS/Herbie: Fully Loaded Ford this weekend, commemorating the release of the new Disney film starring Lindsay Lohan.