Stewart: The Glen vs. Infineon:

Tony Stewart is a good person to talk about the difference between the two road courses on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. He took his first road-course victory at Infineon Raceway in 2001, and has four victories at Watkins Glen International.

“It’s horsepower and aerodynamics just like it is anywhere else we go,” Stewart said. “It just happens to be in the form of a road course. Sonoma has a lot less grip in the racetrack. You have to really be careful with the throttle there, and that puts more of the race in the driver’s hands. If anything, Sonoma is probably more technical than Watkins Glen because there’s hardly any time where you get a chance to rest. You’re always either shifting or accelerating or braking or turning or doing something. At Watkins Glen, at least on the frontstretch and on the backstretch, there are three straightaways where you get a little bit of time to take a break.

“Watkins Glen seems to be more in the crew’s hands and the engine builder’s hands. Obviously, there’s still a job that I need to do in the race car, but I’m relying on the equipment and the crew a lot more at Watkins Glen.”