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Last year at this time Jeff Gordon and Ingrid Vandebosch were celebrating a victory; this year they are celebrating the birth of a baby girl.By the Numbers: Infineon
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Jeff Gordon will be the talk of Sonoma this week when the Nextel Cup Series goes road racing for the first time this season.
Not because he leads the points. He's been in that position since the fifth week of the season. (Power Rankings)
Partly because he just became a father for the first time. Wife Ingrid Vandebosch gave birth to daughter Ella Sofia Gordon on Wednesday morning. (Garage Pass)
But mostly because Gordon is the king of the road. His nine career road-course victories are the most of all time. (Shop Talk)
Gordon has five career wins at Infineon Raceway, all coming in the past nine races. He is the only driver in the track's 18-race history to win in consecutive years, which he did from 1998-2000. In 14 career starts at Infineon, Gordon has nine top-fives and 10 top-10s.
On the other end of the spectrum, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth each have made seven starts at Infineon without a top-10 finish.
For Junior, it's just one of only two tracks that hold such a distinction in his career (Homestead-Miami). His 23.3 average finish at Sonoma is the worst of any current track at which he has competed.
Infineon is the only track where Kenseth have never finished in the top 10 and only of of two (Homestead-Miami) at which he has failed to lead a lap.
Interesting Fact
1,658Laps completed, out of a possible 1,664, at Infineon by Michael Waltrip, more than any other driver. Waltrip will give way to Terry Labonte this week, ensuring the No. 55 Toyota's participation in the race.
Fun Fact
3NASCAR drivers who have been inducted into the Infineon Raceway Wall of Fame: Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon. Ricky Rudd, who won the inaugural race at Sonoma in 1989 and set the track record with his victory in 2002, will join that group in 2007. In 17 starts Rudd has 11 top-10s including 10 top-fives, more than any driver.
All the Facts
1Wins on road courses by Dale Earnhardt in 47 career starts: Infineon (1995). Earnhardt had nine top-10s in 12 career starts at Sonoma.
2Laps led at Infineon in seven career starts for Boris Said, the road-course specialist who has finished in the top 10 in three of the past four starts there.
2Drivers who have combined to win half of the 18 poles at Infineon: Jeff Gordon (5); Ricky Rudd (4). Rusty Wallace (2) is the only other driver with multiple poles at Sonoma.
3Drivers to win at Infineon from the pole: Jeff Gordon 3 (1998, 1999, 2004); Ernie Irvan (1994); Mark Martin (1997).
3Place of finish at Infineon in 2006 for Terry Labonte in the No. 96 Chevy. Labonte, who has six top-fives and eight top-10s in 18 races at Sonoma, will come out of retirement and make his first start of the year again filling in for Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota.
4Times a driver has swept Infineon and Watkins Glen in the same season: Jeff Gordon 2 (1998, 1999); Robby Gordon (2003); Tony Stewart (2005).
5Drivers with multiple victories at Infineon: Jeff Gordon (5); Ricky Rudd (2); Rusty Wallace (2); Ernie Irvan (2); Tony Stewart (2).
6Drivers currently in the top 12 in points who have a career average finish of 20th or worse at Infineon: 3. Jimmie Johnson (20.6); 4. Matt Kenseth (22.0); 5. Jeff Burton (20.6); 6. Carl Edwards (22.0); 11. Kyle Busch (25.5); 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (23.3).
7.8Career average finish at Infineon for Ryan Newman, who has never finished worse than 14th, which accounts for his only non top-10 in five starts there.
8Drivers to finish in the top 15 only to have started 16th or worse in the 2006 race: Terry Labonte (3-37); Carl Edwards (6-20); Elliott Sadler (8-24); Jimmie Johnson (10-16); Kyle Busch (11-19); Denny Hamlin (12-40); Brian Vickers (14-42); Martin Truex Jr. (15-39).
12Times the driver who has led the most laps at Infineon has won the race.
13Top-10 finishes at Infineon Raceway for Mark Martin, more than any driver.
15Times Infineon has been won from a top-10 starting position. Davey Allison won in 1991 from the 13th starting position, the farthest back of any winner in track history.
17Place of finish for Klaus Graf in the 2004 race at Infineon, his only NASCAR start to date. The native of Germany is entered in the No. 49 Dodge this week.
32Place of finish for P.J. Jones in the 2005 race at Infineon, his best in the past three years at the track that includes two DNFs (rear end). Jones will sub for David Reutimann in the No. 00 Toyota.
76Starts made by a Dodge, without a victory, at Infineon since re-entering the Cup Series in 2001.
107Laps led by Robby Gordon at Infineon, best of any track.
1,514 Laps completed, out of a possible 1,516, at Infineon by Kyle Petty, who will analyze the race for TNT from the cockpit of his No. 45 Dodge.
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Infineon Raceway
Winners
| Year | Driver | Make | Start | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | R. Rudd | Buick | 4 | 61 |
| 1990 | R. Wallace | Pontiac | 11 | 42 |
| 1991 | D. Allison | Ford | 13 | 2 |
| 1992 | E. Irvan | Chevy | 2 | 8 |
| 1993 | G. Bodine | Ford | 3 | 30 |
| 1994 | E. Irvan | Ford | 1 | 68 |
| 1995 | D. Earnhardt | Chevy | 4 | 2 |
| 1996 | R. Wallace | Ford | 7 | 36 |
| 1997 | M. Martin | Ford | 1 | 69 |
| 1998 | J. Gordon | Chevy | 1 | 48 |
| 1999 | J. Gordon | Chevy | 1 | 80 |
| 2000 | J. Gordon | Chevy | 5 | 43 |
| 2001 | T. Stewart | Pontiac | 3 | 11 |
| 2002 | R. Rudd | Ford | 7 | 3 |
| 2003 | R. Gordon | Chevy | 2 | 81 |
| 2004 | J. Gordon | Chevy | 1 | 92 |
| 2005 | T. Stewart | Chevy | 7 | 39 |
| 2006 | J. Gordon | Chevy | 11 | 44 |
• Infineon: Track Page | Race Page
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