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Here is the starting lineup for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350K

1 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford Stanley 95.262 75.203
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Drive to End Hunger 95.067 75.357
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 94.795 75.574
4 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M / US Stationary 94.722 75.632
5 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 94.686 75.661
6 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5-hour Energy 94.679 75.666
7 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 94.632 75.704
8 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet Phoenix Construction Services 94.557 75.764

THE FINAL LAP WEEKLY – SONOMA PREVIEW SHOW

9 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Ford EcoBoost 94.524 75.790
10 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet Quicken Loans / Childrens Tumor Foundation 94.509 75.802

PHOTO CREDIT: NASCAR MEDIA

Continue reading “2012 Cup Series At Sonoma Starting Lineup Marcos Ambrose On Pole”

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Gordon: Road Course Racing Changes For The Better
Jeff Gordon is a five-time Sonoma winner but that doesn’t mean he’s got the keys to the Northern California course in his pocket. Far from it. Gordon last won in 2006 – the season before the current NASCAR Sprint Cup chassis was introduced. The new car has evened the playing field and brought more contenders into the mix. No longer do many teams bring older, short track cars to the road courses. And, Gordon added, double-file restarts have made the road races more like Martinsville’s slamming and shoving than traditional, follow the leaders and hit your marks affairs.

Continue reading “Jeff Gordon Heads Home, Hopes For Road Course Win”

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Roush Fenway Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports. Ford vs. Chevrolet. What’s not to like about that? The two organizations/manufacturers share the top four spots in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with RFR’s Matt Kenseth holding a four-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. Greg Biffle, who led the points for much of the year, is third followed by five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Not to rule out anyone among the top 10 – or Wild Card possibles as well – but the four leaders are red hot. They claimed all but one top five positions in Michigan.

Kenseth, Earnhardt and Biffle have yet to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup road race.

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Ending a 143-race winless streak at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday just whetted Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s appetite. Junior obviously wants to join his late father Dale Earnhardt as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. First, he wants a road course victory and he’ll get his next opportunity at Sonoma on Sunday. Junior has yet to finish in the top 10 at the 1.99-mile layout but has a pair of top-five finishes at Watkins Glen International, the other left and right turn course on the schedule.

“We have to go to Sonoma and figure out how to get around there and how to get my first top-ten at that place. We have a lot (left) to accomplish this year,” he said. Accident damage and overheating relegated Junior to a 41st-place finish at Sonoma in 2011.

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Who’s Next To Join Road Race Winners’ List?
If there’s an eighth different Sonoma winner he could be Clint Bowyer or Brad Keselowski. Both are battling to retain top-10 points positions and each has a knack for turning left and right. Bowyer, ninth in the standings, finished seventh in Michigan. He owns the third-best average finish among active drivers (11.2) at Sonoma trailing only Jeff Gordon (8.7) and Juan Pablo Montoya (9.0). Keselowski is a relative newcomer to NASCAR Sprint Cup road racing but finished 10th in last year’s Sonoma race and was second at Watkins Glen after Marcos Ambrose initiated a pass two laps from the checkered flag. Keselowski stands 10th – three points ahead of another non-road race winner Carl Edwards.