Ron Fellows knew the No. 32 Chevrolet needed road-course adjustments. Credit: Autostock

Fellows looking for very good finish at Sonoma

Road-course specialist lobbied for different chassis for car

SONOMA, Calif. -- Ron Fellows treats both Nextel Cup road-course events as his own personal Daytona 500, so when he struggled last year with Cal Wells he went to work to fix the problem.

Practice Speeds Dodge/Save Mart 350 Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. J. Gordon 93.555 76.575 2. Ku. Busch 93.072 76.973 3. R. Gordon 92.985 77.045 4. B. Said 92.782 77.213 5. G. Biffle 92.654 77.320 6. R. Fellows 92.644 77.328 7. B. Vickers 92.599 77.366 8. K. Schrader 92.518 77.434 9. R. Newman 92.405 77.528 10. J. Johnson 92.169 77.727 • Complete 1st speeds, click here • Starting lineup, click here FedEx PreviewNBC/TNT's Marty Snider previews the action at Infineon NASCAR TodayStrategies change this week as teams head for Sonoma SonomaWatch all the videos from Infineon Raceway Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

On paper, Fellows didn't do badly. He was eighth at Sonoma and 25th at Watkins Glen. But the cars didn't feel right. In fact, they weren't even close.

Fellows immediately began calling his various contacts throughout General Motors and eventually convinced Pratt and Miller, a GM contactor, to build him a road-course chassis more to his specifications.

Fellows knew the type of car that he was looking for. He had driven it while driving at Sonoma in 2003, a race he still feels he should have won. He finished seventh that year, but Fellows says that a different pit strategy was the key to winning. Fellows spent all week watching his well-worn tape of that race.

"That is as dominant of a car I have had in Cup," Fellows said. "I feel like this is as well-prepared as I have been in a couple of years. Certainly, this is similar to the level of preparation that we had in 2003 with DEI."

The preparation didn't come easily. Fellows had to convince GM -- and its contactors -- that the current chassis used for Nextel Cup road courses could use some tweaking. By August, he had convinced them, giving PPI Motorsports nearly a full year to get ready for Sonoma. The team had showed up last year with an ill-prepared car, and it showed on the track.

"It was a matter of making it happen, and it took me a couple of months to convince [Pratt and Miller] that [it was] not going to lose too much money," Fellows said.

"The conversation started after Sonoma last year and it built steam after Watkins Glen. It just seemed like the thing to do, talking to them."

After Pratt and Miller agreed to help build Fellows and PPI a different road-course chassis, several top Chevrolet teams went to Michigan to see the new car. Most of them passed on using the chassis, but Jimmie Johnson's team elected to try it.

Inside the Numbers Ron Fellows at Sonoma Year Start Finish Status 2001 13 38 crash 2002 19 25 running 2003 3 7 running 2005 43 8 running Fellows at Watkins Glen Year Start Finish Status 1995 36 35 cylinder 1998 2 42 running 1999 7 2 running 2000 40 43 engine 2001 6 42 axle 2003 18 38 handling 2004 43 2 running 2005 37 25 running

PPI Motorsports helped place regular driver Travis Kvapil in the No. 78 Chevrolet for Sonoma with the underdog outfit of Furniture Row Racing. That team will also use the Pratt and Miller chassis, giving GM three teams with the alternate car.

Fellows qualified 17th for Sunday's race and joked that he didn't initiate the process only to have Jimmie Johnson -- who qualified one spot ahead in 16th -- use the chassis.

"Jimmie and [crew chief Knaus] Chad have liked theirs so far, but hopefully not too much," Fellows said. "So far, so good. It tested well at VIR [Virginia International Raceway]. VIR is a far different surface but hopefully the things we learn we can adjust."

Fellows, who turns 47 in September, knows that his twice-a-year Nextel Cup road-course excursions are in the finals laps. He badly wants to show that he can beat the regulars head-to-head, something no road-course specialist has done in decades. He came close in 1999 -- he finished second at Watkins Glen.

Fellows still laments the 2003 race here, when he lost track position early and never recovered despite a perfect-handling car.

"The mistake was pitting soon enough under green and I think that is the key," Fellows said. "If you have a good car that is consistent in a long run, that is the key."