Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin join Bruton Smith on Friday at Infineon Raceway. Credit: Autostock

Notes: Wallace, Martin first Wall of Famers

Veterans honored in ceremony at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. -- Infineon Raceway president and general manager Steve Page and Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith were on hand Friday morning as Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin were honored in Victory Circle as the first inductees into the track's "Wall of Fame."

Each driver was presented with granite plaques etched with their respective likeness. Both plan to retire from full-time Nextel Cup competition at year's end.

Copies of the plaques will be displayed in the Wall of Fame, behind Infineon's main grandstand.

"To be put on the Wall of Fame here at Infineon Raceway is really cool," Wallace said. "I've won here a couple of times, and this has always been one of my best tracks -- I've always qualified well and run up front.

"Every time I get to come out here I'm always really excited about it (so) for Bruton and his staff to take care of us like this and recognize us like this means a lot."

Martin concurred.

"One thing I can say about Sears Point (Infineon) is I have more vivid memories of all kinds of different things that have happened here than anywhere else I go," Martin said. "This is a place I'll always remember."

Ringers have mixed results in qualifying

Boris Said and Scott Pruett were the only road-course "ringers" that qualified in the top 10 Friday, and both said conservative strategies led to them lining up fourth and ninth, respectively.

	Boris Said will start fourth Sunday. Credit: CIA Stock Photo
	Lineup Dodge/Save Mart 350 Pos. Driver Make 1. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 3. Mark Martin Ford 4. Boris Said Chevrolet 5. Robby Gordon Chevrolet Complete lineup, click here

"People don't understand that when you're not in that top 35, you don't have that mulligan," Said said. "You have that one (qualifying) lap and if you screw up, you're going home. I couldn't take that chance."

His crew's hard work was also fresh in his mind.

"Frankie Stoddard (crew chief) and everyone at CENTRIX gave me a car capable of the pole, but I could have screwed that up. I ran about 90 percent and left a little bit on the table.

"That's hard for me, because I'm normally my own worst enemy. I like to overdrive cars -- that's when you get scared and that's when it's fun."

Pruett also said he took things easy.

"If I were here week in and week out we'd qualify a lot different than we did," Pruett said. "But if we're going home and packing up, we have no chance to win the race -- and we want to win.

"We focused on the racecar earlier today. For us, the race is everything. It takes time to get used to these cars again [so] we'll get comfortable with it in practice tomorrow and go for it on Sunday. That's the plan."

The other notable road course veterans who made the race included former SCCA Trans-Am champion Brian Simo in 22nd, driving instructor Chris Cook in 28th and Ron Fellows in 43rd.

Fellows, whose No. 32 Tide Chevrolet team would have gone home if he was .032 seconds slower, had a great second half to his lap to save his starting spot.

"Fortunately, it got better in the faster stuff (because) I over-drove it all the way to Turn 4," Fellows said. "We're a lot farther back than we need to be, but these guys need a decent finish and I'm going to do my best on Sunday to get them one."

Bobby Labonte wrecked his primary car in practice. Credit: Autostock

Bobby Labonte recovers from practice crash

Veteran Bobby Labonte was the major victim in practice when he crashed his No. 18 Chevrolet, which his Joe Gibbs Racing team had tested recently at Virginia International Raceway.

Crew chief Steve Addington unloaded the untested back-up car and in its first lap on the racetrack, Labonte put it in the show in 33rd.

Turn 10 gives Biffle, Sadler reprieves

The high-speed Turn 10 at the end of Infineon's long and twisting backstretch usually swallows cars that spin out there, with the tire barrier on the outside of the turn a favorite catcher's mitt.

In qualifying, Elliott Sadler spun his Ford and last week's winner Greg Biffle sailed his Ford off the track sideways -- but both will start their primary cars Sunday in 42nd and 41st, respectively.

Biffle particularly had a wild trip through the "esses" as he hopped a curb at the far end and got off track once before finally missing his turn-in point and sliding off-track.

"I wasn't that loose -- I was actually a little bit tight coming over the hill into the esses and shoved the nose a little bit," Biffle said. "Then I got off the track just a little and I think I got some stuff on my tires. Then it was a long corner and I didn't have a chance to get that stuff off.

"When I turned back to the right again, I was on those tires and she took off. I'm just thankful that I've got the same car back because it was close -- real close."

"I was inside there going, 'whoa.' I think it would have been fifth or so without that -- I don't know -- but I'm not worried about it. We've got a great car (and) we stand a solid chance of running top-five still."

Gordon under fire

Faster than fastGordon sets course record on way to Bud Pole Sign up for TrackPass now and earn Fan Miles BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Jeff Gordon eased some of the pressure on him to right Hendrick Motorsports' listing No. 24 Chevrolet -- but he acknowledged feeling the strain of expectations to break out of a five-race slump this weekend at Infineon.

"It is pressure," Gordon said after practice. "I feel like we're always kind of a target when we come to road courses because we've had such success here, so I'm trying not to put too much emphasis on that.

"I just want to go out there and think about driving the car, hitting my marks and giving good information back to the team."

Said leads two-timers

Six of the seven drivers who attempted to do double duty in Saturday's Blue Lizard Suncream 200 for the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series as well as the Dodge/Save Mart 350 successfully achieved it, again led by Boris Said.

Said put Ken Schrader's No. 99 Chevrolet into the field in eighth -- eight-tenths of a second behind pole winner Eric Holmes.

Other two-timers included Travis Kvapil in 11th, Kyle Busch in 13th, Dave Blaney in 16th, Michael Waltrip in 25th and Chris Cook in 30th.

"I like road racing," Kvapil said after he qualified his Dodge 39th for the Nextel Cup race. "I'm having a good time. It's totally new for me. It's something I'll learn and get better at as time goes on (but) we're gaining on it."

Bill Davis Racing's shop foreman Tom Hubert, who made the Cup race in Kirk Shelmerdine's Ford in 35th, did not post a qualifying speed for the Southwest Series race and failed to qualify.