Road racers finally have a major impact at Sonoma

Just when "have at it, boys" was really hitting its stride, I'll be danged if the Cup Series doesn't head to New Hampshire.

For sure, I'm not knocking the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and its possibilities for excitement, drama and yes, maybe even a little payback. Have at it, indeed, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr.

But look at it this way: a double-handful of guys who were making it happen last weekend at Infineon won't be at New Hampshire. And that's nothing but a big, fat shame.

Last weekend, for the first time in quite some time, a group of drivers with strong road racing backgrounds had a big impact on a Cup road race.

Those impacts ranged from psychological to emotional to physical, as for the first time in a long time -- maybe ever -- four different drivers with veteran road racing credentials: Robby Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Boris Said and Mattias Ekstrom led the race.

And again, for the first time ever, they made some real noise in the final results, as the most road racers ever -- four -- finished in the top 10.

Two-time Cup road race winner Gordon finished second to race winner Jimmie Johnson, "sure-winner" Ambrose seemed on his way to his first Cup victory before a fuel-saving glitch relegated him to seventh, Said rallied to eighth and Juan Montoya, who won here as a rookie, finished 10th-- his second top-10 in his past three races.

And don't forget about the rapid Dane Jan Magnussen, who took an open-minded approach and wide-open strategy to put himself in a position to come towards the top 10 before the laps ran out and he ended up 12th.

The biggest contribution to the bottom line might have been their effect on the show -- and it was a lollapalooza, without question.

"Wild. Fun," Said said as he sat in his BMW SUV before leaving the track. "It was a blast." (Continued)