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Despite the hype road-course specialists get, it's tough for them to break the top five.

By the Numbers: Infineon

Road-course ringers steal headlines, just not on race day

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
June 20, 2008
11:05 AM EDT

type size: + -

If all goes well, it will be seven times each lap that a driver will turn his steering wheel right on Sunday. The race is 110 laps, resulting in 770 right-hand turns.

With 12 total turns listed as the official count for Infineon Raceway, it's clear this is not like anything else on the schedule. The list of winners is a who's who of Cup drivers who have mastered not just stock cars, but racing in general. Rudd, Wallace, Irvan, Gordon -- they've all won in Sonoma multiple times. Former open-wheeler Juan Montoya will try to add to that list of repeat winners.

But as unique as the course's layout is, so is the entry list. Ringers and hired guns traditionally float into Sonoma, pick up a ride and are expected to shine with their road-course backgrounds.

Problem is, the results don't always show it.

1.5Percent of time that a road-course ringer has finished in the top five.

6.3Percent of time that a road-course ringer has finished in the top 10. Irv Hoerr was the first to score a top-10 finish at Infineon, eighth in 1990 driving the No. 0 Oldsmobile.

Road-Course Ringers

Career Infineon stats for hired guns

Driver	Starts	Top-5	Top-10	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish

Brandon Ash	2	0	0	40.0	39.5
Ron Fellows	6	0	2	17.7	21.7
Terry Labonte	19	6	8	15.8	18.9
Max Papis	--	--	--	--	--
Scott Pruett	6	1	1	13.3	24.8
Boris Said	8	0	4	13.5	17.6
Brian Simo	3	0	1	23.7	29.3
Totals	44	7	16	20.7	25.3

Back in Time

June 9, 1991Tommy Kendall leads with three laps remaining, but he and Mark Martin tangle, resulting in a spin for Martin and cut tire for Kendall. Davey Allison assumes the lead and gets spun by Ricky Rudd with two laps to go. With one to go, Rudd gets the black flag and is penalized five seconds, handing the victory to Allison, his only road-course win.

10 Key Facts

0Top-10 finishes for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Infineon. His career best at the track is 11th, which he placed in 2003 and again in 2004 when he led nine laps.

3Top-10 finishes in 10 starts at Infineon for Robby Gordon, including a victory in 2003. Since then, his best finish is 16th (twice).

3Victories by Jeff Gordon from the pole position at Infineon. He has five victories at the track and nine road-course triumphs.

4Finishes of ninth or higher for Boris Said in the last five races at Infineon. His other finish was a 17th in 2005. He has scored more points (698) in the last five Infineon races than any other driver.

7Drivers entered at Infineon who do not compete full time: Brandon Ash (No. 02 Dodge), Ron Fellows (No. 01 Chevrolet), Terry Labonte (No. 45 Dodge), Max Papis (No. 70 Chevrolet), Scott Pruett (No. 41 Dodge), Boris Said (No. 60 Ford) and Brian Simo (No. 34 Chevrolet).

25.3Average finish at Sonoma for the seven road-course specialists hired this weekend, slightly worse than Matt Kenseth (23.5) but better than Joe Nemechek (26.9) and J.J. Yeley (27.0).

31.5Average finish for Kasey Kahne at Infineon, the worst among drivers ranked inside the top 12 in points. Kahne's finishes there are 31st, 41st, 41st and 23rd.

32Starting position for Juan Montoya last year when he won at Infineon, the only time a driver has won at the road course and started worse than 13th.

60Laps led by Kurt Busch at Sonoma, more than any other driver who has not won at the road course. Busch's best finish in seven starts at Sonoma was a third-place showing in 2005.

1973Last time a road-course ringer won a road-course race: Mark Donohue at Riverside International Raceway, driving the No. 16 Matador for Roger Penske. Donohue had six career Cup starts.