Around the Track: Infineon Raceway

Nextel Cup rookie Clint Bowyer fell two spots to 18th in the point standings after finishing 39th in the rain-shortened race at Michigan.

It was his fifth consecutive finish of 17th or worse and second-worst finish of the season that began with three consecutive finishes inside the top 15.

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Now he heads to Infineon Raceway for his first race at the 1.99-mile road course in Sonoma, Calif. Although he's never competed at Infineon, Bowyer recently tested a Grand National Division AutoZone West Series car there.

Bowyer: My first impression of Infineon Raceway is it's a great track to watch a race as a fan, something you can't say about most road courses.

The road courses at Watkins Glen and Mexico City you basically watch them go by on the straightaway and wait a minute and a half for them to come back by. At Infineon you can see most of the track.

As a driver, I like the elevation changes in the track. It's more technical to drive than Watkins Glen. You have to hit your marks.

The most challenging part of the course is the S's setting up for Turn 10. You've got to get through there good or you'll run off the track and bust your butt. You can run off the road pretty quick there.

My favorite part of the track is going up the hill in Turn 1 and then back down the hill. It's a lot of fun with blind corners and things like that.

If I could cut a section out of Infineon it would be Turns 10 and 11. You've got to respect that corner, but if you don't get through it fast you're going to be slow.

Credit: Autostock

Clint Bowyer 2006 Nextel Cup stats Track St. Fin. Laps Status Daytona 37 6 203 running Fontana 32 14 251 running Las Vegas 20 15 270 running Atlanta 16 27 324 running Bristol 27 29 495 running Martinsville 42 22 496 running Texas 12 19 333 running Phoenix 8 5 312 running Talladega 15 40 16 crash Richmond 20 10 400 running Darlington 3 23 365 running Lowe's 15 19 399 running Dover 22 17 400 running Pocono 42 21 200 running Michigan 9 39 86 running MORE ABOUT CLINT •   10 Questions: Clint Bowyer

I'd like to replace it with the last turn at Mexico City, the big long right-hand sweeper. It's similar to what we do on most tracks turning left. It's a long corner. You've got to let it roll for a while, get to the gas and be on the gas hard coming off the turn.

I'm very fortunate to have two teammates in Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton who run well on road courses. Kevin grew up around that track, and I definitely pick his brain every chance I get.

Flying back and forth between California and Milwaukee for the Busch Series race I'll be asking him a lot of questions. Unfortunately, I'll have to leave a little early from practice at Infineon to get to Milwaukee on time.

My back is going to be against the wall, as it will be for all of the rookies running both the Cup and Busch Series. This will be our third straight week of having those events in different cities and it will be fun to see who prevails.

I'm not complaining. I enjoy it. You don't get too many opportunities to fly cross country in nice jets doing what you love to do.

Kenny Wallace drove with us from the airport to the racetrack last week in Michigan. I told him this kind of feels like back home, coming home at 2 or 3 in the morning. You're tired and pull in the gas station and get you a worn out burrito or hotdog that has been on the grill all day.

I don't really sleep well on airplanes, but I can promise you I crash pretty hard once I get on the bed.

It'd be nice to have my own airplane one day. Obviously, if you set your goal to get an airplane you must be running pretty darn good. A couple of years ago I was like, "I'll never have one of those stupid things. I'll never spend money like that for one of those things.''

But they're just so handy in the business we're in. To be home that extra three or four or five hours is a luxury. The teams have to leave at three or four in the afternoon to make sure they get there on time and get settled in their room.

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If you have your own plane you can afford to leave at 7 or 8 at night and have that whole day to get things done and be at home.

I'll need all the extra time I can get at Infineon. I haven't run many road courses outside of Watkins Glen and Mexico City. So far I'd have to say Mexico City is my favorite because I ran a lot better there than Watkins Glen.

I don't know why I have struggled at Watkins Glen. I enjoy road racing until everybody is out there and you find yourself a second off the pace. As long as you can run comfortably it's a lot of fun.

When there are other guys that have been doing this a long time, and you have to drive over your head to keep up with them, that's how you get in trouble.

Running laps where you're comfortable, unfortunately you're about a second off the pace.

You definitely race the racetrack, and pit strategy goes a long way. Above that, you've got to be capable of running the speed of the top guys or they're going to go right back around you.