2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350: Difference between revisions
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===Background=== |
===Background=== |
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[[File:Infineon (Sears Point) with emphasis on NASCAR track.svg|thumb|left|200px|[[Infineon Raceway]], the road course where the race was held.]] |
[[File:Infineon (Sears Point) with emphasis on NASCAR track.svg|thumb|left|200px|[[Infineon Raceway]], the road course where the race was held.]] |
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Prior to the race, [[Richard Childress Racing]] driver [[Kevin Harvick]] led the [[List of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions|Drivers' Championship]] with 2,169 points, and [[ |
Prior to the race, [[Richard Childress Racing]] driver [[Kevin Harvick]] led the [[List of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions|Drivers' Championship]] with 2,169 points, and [[Kyle Busch]] of [[Joe Gibbs Racing]] stood in second with 2,147 points. [[Denny Hamlin]] was third in the Drivers' Championship with 2,122 points in a Toyota, Kyle Busch's brother [[Kurt Busch|Kurt]] was fourth with 2,051 points, and [[Matt Kenseth]] was in fifth with 2,019 points.<ref name="driver">{{cite web|title=Driver's Championship Classification|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2010/15/data/standings_official.html|location=NASCAR.com|accessdate=19 June 2010}}</ref> In the [[NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship|Manufacturers' Championship]], Chevrolet was leading with 103 points, six points ahead of their rival Toyota, which had been closing the gap between the two teams in the four previous races. Dodge, with 65 points, was tied with Ford in the battle for third.<ref name="manufacturer">{{cite web|title=Manufactures' Championship Classification|url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2010/manu2010.htm|location=Jaski.com|accessdate=20 June 2010}}</ref> |
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Two teams chose to temporarily replace their regular drivers with [[road course ringer]]s. Because of |
Two teams chose to temporarily replace their regular drivers with [[road course ringer]]s. Because of an accident at the [[2010 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400|previous race]] in between [[Scott Speed]] and [[Casey Mears]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Mears and Speed (Michigan)|url=http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/06/14/sspeed.upset.cmears.michigan/index.html|location=NASCAR.com|accessdate=24 June 2010}}</ref> [[Red Bull Racing Team]] chose to replace Mears with [[Mattias Ekström]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Ekstrom Replaces Casey Mears|url=http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/06/19/red.bull.sonoma.mekstrom/index.html|location=NASCAR.com|accessdate=24 June 2010}}</ref> while [[Phoenix Racing]] chose [[Jan Magnussen]] to replace [[Landon Cassill]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Phoenix Racing Changes Driver|url=http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100612/NASCAR/100619958|work=AutoWeek|accessdate=24 June 2010}}</ref> |
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The course, [[Infineon Raceway]], is one of two road courses to hold [[NASCAR]] races, the other being [[Watkins Glen International]].<ref name="foxsportsroad">{{cite web|last=White|first=Rea|title=Road course races challenge the specialsts|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/road-course-races-measure-competitive-ability-061710|publisher=Fox Sports|accessdate=10 July 2010|date=18|month=June|year=2010}}</ref> The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is {{convert|2.52|mi|km}} long;<ref name="searspoint">{{cite web|title=Sears Point|url=http://www.gt-racing.co.uk/circuits/northamerica/searspoint.html|publisher=www.gt-racing.co.uk|accessdate=10 July 2010}}</ref> the track was modified in 1998, adding ''the Chute'', which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to {{convert|1.95|mi|km}}.<ref name="searspoint" /> The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.<ref name="chronicle chute">{{cite web|title=Passing is tough in Chute|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1998/06/28/oth_232051.shtml|publisher=[[The Augusta Chronicle]]|accessdate=10 July 2010|date=28|month=June|year=1998}}</ref> In 2001, it was replaced with a 70 |
The course, [[Infineon Raceway]], is one of two road courses to hold [[NASCAR]] races, the other being [[Watkins Glen International]].<ref name="foxsportsroad">{{cite web|last=White|first=Rea|title=Road course races challenge the specialsts|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/road-course-races-measure-competitive-ability-061710|publisher=Fox Sports|accessdate=10 July 2010|date=18|month=June|year=2010}}</ref> The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is {{convert|2.52|mi|km}} long;<ref name="searspoint">{{cite web|title=Sears Point|url=http://www.gt-racing.co.uk/circuits/northamerica/searspoint.html|publisher=www.gt-racing.co.uk|accessdate=10 July 2010}}</ref> the track was modified in 1998, adding ''the Chute'', which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to {{convert|1.95|mi|km}}.<ref name="searspoint" /> The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.<ref name="chronicle chute">{{cite web|title=Passing is tough in Chute|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1998/06/28/oth_232051.shtml|publisher=[[The Augusta Chronicle]]|accessdate=10 July 2010|date=28|month=June|year=1998}}</ref> In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-[[Degree (angle)|degree turn]], 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of {{convert|1.99|mi|km}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingwest.com/news/story.php3/2094/index.htm |title=Sears Point Breaks Ground On Modified Chute |publisher=Racingwest.com |date= |accessdate=10 July 2010}}</ref> |
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===Practice and qualifying=== |
===Practice and qualifying=== |
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Revision as of 00:58, 17 July 2010
| Race details[1][2][3][4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 36 in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
| File:Toyota-SaveMart 350 race logo.png | |||
| Date | June 20, 2010 | ||
| Official name | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | ||
| Location | Infineon Raceway Sonoma, California | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.99 mi (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 110 laps, 220 mi (350 km) | ||
| Weather | Sunny with a high around 85; wind out of the SW at 13 mph. There was a 10% chance of precipitation. | ||
| Average speed | 74.357 miles per hour (119.666 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:16.30 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 54 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Turner Network Television | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach, Jr. and Kyle Petty | ||
The 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 20, 2010 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Contested over 110 laps, it was the sixteenth race of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season and the first of two road course competitions on the schedule. The race was won by Jimmie Johnson, for the Hendrick Motorsports team. Robby Gordon finished second, and Kevin Harvick, who started fourth, clinched third.
Pole position driver Kasey Kahne maintained his lead into the first corner to begin the race, but Johnson, who had started in the second position on the grid, took the lead before the second lap. Kahne suffered an ill-handling car during the beginning of the race, causing him to fall to seventh by the sixth lap. Seven laps before the finish, race leader Marcos Ambrose, turned his car off to try to save fuel, but he could not refire the engine and subsequently stalled. He dropped back from the lead to sixth place with seven laps remaining, allowing Kahne to finish fourth and Jeff Gordon fifth.
There were eight cautions and twelve lead changes among eight different drivers throughout the course of the race, Johnson's fourth win of the season and his first ever at Infineon. The result moved him up four spots to second in the Drivers' Championship, 140 points behind of leader Kevin Harvick and one ahead of Kyle Busch. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, nine points ahead of Toyota and forty-three ahead of Dodge, with twenty races remaining in the season.
Report
Background
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Prior to the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick led the Drivers' Championship with 2,169 points, and Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing stood in second with 2,147 points. Denny Hamlin was third in the Drivers' Championship with 2,122 points in a Toyota, Kyle Busch's brother Kurt was fourth with 2,051 points, and Matt Kenseth was in fifth with 2,019 points.[5] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 103 points, six points ahead of their rival Toyota, which had been closing the gap between the two teams in the four previous races. Dodge, with 65 points, was tied with Ford in the battle for third.[6]
Two teams chose to temporarily replace their regular drivers with road course ringers. Because of an accident at the previous race in between Scott Speed and Casey Mears,[7] Red Bull Racing Team chose to replace Mears with Mattias Ekström[8] while Phoenix Racing chose Jan Magnussen to replace Landon Cassill.[9]
The course, Infineon Raceway, is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International.[10] The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[11] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km).[11] The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[12] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[13]
Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday, and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes. The Saturday afternoon session lasted 45 minutes, and the evening session lasted 65 minutes. In the first practice session, which was held in dry conditions, Toyota's Marcos Ambrose was quickest, ahead of the Chevrolets of Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman in second and third.[14] Kasey Kahne was fourth quickest.[14] In the second practice session, Ambrose was fastest with a time of 1:16.40, less than seven-tenths of a second quicker than second-placed Jeff Burton.[15] A. J. Allmendinger took third place, ahead of Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex, Jr., Harvick, Hamlin and David Ragan.[15] Jamie McMurray only managed ninth place, ahead of Newman in tenth.[15] There were two cautions in the second session, one because Kevin Conway stopped on track, and the other for Sam Hornish, Jr., who had spun and collided in the wall.[15] The Saturday evening session was held around the same time of day the race would start.[16] Ambrose was again quickest, posting a time of 1:16.82, narrowly faster than both McMurray and Burton.[16] Johnson, Harvick, and Truex, Jr. rounded out the top six positions.[16] Juan Pablo Montoya, who won this race in 2007, only managed twelfth.[16]
During qualifying, forty-six cars were entered, but only forty-three was able to race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[17] Kasey Kahne clinched his seventeenth pole position, with a time of 1:16.30.[18] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Johnson.[18] Kurt Busch qualified third after having problems through the esses; Childress's Kevin Harvick qualified fourth.[18] Jeff Gordon started fifth, after being quickest earlier in the session.[18] Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Greg Biffle and Truex Jr. rounded off the top ten.[18] The three drivers that did not qualify were Brian Simo, Brandon Ash, and Michael Waltrip.[18]
Race
The race, the sixteenth out of a total of thirty-six in the season, began at 3 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on TNT.[1] Conditions were sunny with a high 80 °F (27 °C), making the track potentially slippery.[19] Infineon Raceway volunteer coordinator Tim Boeve[20] began the pre-race ceremonies by giving the invocation. Afterward, Robin Meade performed the national anthem while Roger Craig and Northern California Toyota Dealer Association's Henry Hansel gave the command for drivers to start their engines. On the pace laps, Sam Hornish, Jr. and David Ragan had to go to the rear of the field of driver because of changing to back-up cars from accidents during practice and qualifying.[19]
Kasey Kahne held the lead going through the first corner, while Jimmie Johnson stayed behind him. Going through turn seven, Kurt Busch went three-wide with Kahne and Johnson for the lead, making Kahne to become slower as Johnson went into the lead.[21] On lap two, Juan Pablo Montoya moved to tenth as Greg Biffle moved into the eighth position. Kahne's vacated third position was filled by Kevin Harvick, as Marcos Ambrose moved into fifth, passing Jeff Gordon on the sixth lap. After starting in the pole position, Kahne lost six positions in the first seven laps. Johnson continued to increase his lead over Kurt Busch to 3.17 seconds. On lap 11, the first caution came out for an accident involving Clint Bowyer, A. J. Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, and Jamie McMurray.[21] Four laps later some teams decided to pit as Kyle Busch went to the garage for repairs. Johnson made a good start, retaining the first position, as Ambrose passed Kurt Busch for the second position.[19]
Tony Stewart also improved his position by passing Harvick for fourth while McMurray spun on the restart. After two laps since the restart, Johnson had a lead of one second over Ambrose. On lap 17, Jeff Gordon improved his position to sixth after passing Martin Truex, Jr. Johnson was still pulling away with a three second lead after lap 21. On lap 23, Denny Hamlin reported that he was struggling because of damage on the hood of his race car. A lap later, Biffle passed Ryan Newman for ninth while Jeff Gordon emerged third after passing Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch. On lap 27, green flag pit stops began as Marcos Ambrose came to pit road for fuel and four new tires. A few laps later, Kurt Busch came to pit road as Bobby Labonte received drive-through penalty for exiting pit lane too fast.[21][19]
On lap 35, Johnson went to pit road and received four new tires and fuel, as Stewart moved into the lead. Debutant Mattias Ekström gained the lead as Stewart went to pit lane. Several lap later, Johnson was catching Ekström, but he stayed in the second position until Ekström pitted. On lap 44, Denny Hamlin had even more troubles, as his hood started to cover his windshield under green flag conditions. Afterward, Johnson had a 1.58 second lead over second place Ambrose. Denny Hamlin was then given a pit lane speeding penalty and would have to come back to pit lane. On lap 51, Jeff Gordon gained another position to be scored in third. One lap later, Ambrose came to pit lane because of their three pit stop strategy.[19]
Johnson's lead—13 seconds over Truex, Jr. by lap 54 reduced to nothing when the safety car was deployed on the fifty-eighth lap. Dave Blaney had spun and his car stopped in the middle of the track. After pit stops were completed the top-five positions were filled by Boris Said in first, Stewart in second, Ambrose in third, Ekström in fourth, and David Ragan in fifth. Said made a good restart, but because of his older tires, Ambrose passed him. One lap later, Johnson had all ready passed four cars and was in the third position while Truex Jr. spun going through turn eleven. Afterward, the third caution came out because Brad Keselowski turned sideways in turn ten; he had major damage to the splitter from going through the dirt. Said made a slow restart, making the cars collide with each other which made the red flag to be displayed on lap 67.[19][22]
After twenty-two minutes, drivers restarted their engines as cleanup crews were still working. Ambrose made a good restart on lap 70 to keep Johnson behind him. Six laps later, Stewart went to pit lane as Johnson was catching Ambrose. On lap 79, Johnson went to pit lane for fuel and four new tires; he was scored in seventeenth afterward. On the following lap, Ambrose went to pit lane for new tires and fuel as Clint Bowyer became the leader. The next couple laps, pit stops were finishing as Elliott Sadler and Boris Said were leading. The fifth caution came out soon after because Juan Pablo Montoya and Joey Logano collided, and made Logano spin through the dirt. Boris Said led them on the restart, but he went off track in turn two and fell to the fifth position as Ambrose, Johnson, Robby Gordon and Biffle passed him. Shortly after the restart, the sixth caution came out because Ekstrom and David Gilliland had both spun. Ambrose made a good restart to maintain the first position, as Johnson was trying to keep the second position.[19]
On lap 100, Bowyer and Sadler had both spun because Jeff Gordon went through the corner faster than normal. Three laps later, the seventh caution came out because Keselowski had fluid coming out of his race car from being spun by Gilliland. While under caution, Ambrose turned off his engine to save fuel, and came to a stop going up a hill; he lost six positions and would restart in seventh while Johnson was the leader. Johnson made a good restart, to maintain the first position while Robby Gordon was battle with Kevin Harvick. On the final lap (110), Matt Kenseth spun and collided with the tire barriers after his brakes failed. Jimmie Johnson crossed the finish line in first to take his fourth win of the season, but his first at a road course. Robby Gordon followed in second, ahead of Harvick and Kahne in third and fourth and Jeff Gordon in fifth.[19][23] The race had a total of eight cautions and twelve lead changes among eight different drivers.[3]
Post-race
"My bad, I'm disappointed. It's NASCAR's house and I'll always play by the rules. I don't agree with it, I don't like it and that's only because I lost the race because of it. I had the motor turned off trying to save a bit of fuel and just had trouble getting it fired again. That's it."
Marcos Ambrose, speaking after the race.[24]
Jimmie Johnson appeared in victory lane after his victory lap to start celebrating his fourth win of the season, and his first on a road course.[24] Before the race, he had stated, “I have a lot of confidence but at the same time, after eight years of trying, I’m hopeful we have overturned a stone that we have missed in the past. I don’t think we have forgotten any area or missed something, but we’ll go out and give it a shot and see what we can do and I am ready mentally, physically and we did some testing. I think we found a couple of small things that will bring speed to the cars.”[10]
Although Marcos Ambrose was leading near the end of the race, he stalled his car while going uphill when coasting in order to conserve fuel.[24] NASCAR ruled that he had failed to maintain reasonable speed under the caution which caused him to drop to seventh.[24] In the subsequent press conference, Johnson said, "I feel bad for him. It was definitely a gift kind of handed to us."[24] Johnson expressed his enjoyment of winning the race, but he also stated:
"Normally, you shut off the car downhill to save fuel. I don’t think you do that going up the hill – that’s the last place to do it. I thought he was out of fuel, or it was electrical. His car came to a stop and I just thought, ‘Wow.’ I know he is kicking himself for whatever happened there. It’s the last type of mistake I would expect to see. I was just hoping that I could stay alongside of him. You can count on some guys making mistakes, but I didn’t think Marcos would make one. To see him make that was totally off the wall."[25]
Johnson said that this win was important, but it’s not what it’s going to take to win a championship.[25] Martin Truex, Jr. was furious because of the accident involved himself and Jeff Gordon. Gordon apologized for the collision, but Truex was still saying "We’ll get him."[25] From a second place finish, Robby Gordon said, "My team needs a little bit of morale here and there" and "This will be a morale boost back at the workshop."[25] The race result left Kevin Harvick leading the Driver's Championship with 2,334 points.[26] Johnson, who failed to finish three of the past six races, was second on 2,194, one point ahead of Kyle Busch and eleven ahead of Denny Hamlin.[26] Jeff Gordon was fifth with 2,142 points.[26] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet maintained their lead with 112 points.[6] Toyota remained second with 103 points.[6] Ford followed with 69 points, one point ahead of Dodge in fourth.[6]
Classification
Qualifying
Race Results
Standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
- ^ a b "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Kahne edges Johnson to capture Sonoma pole". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ a b c "Race Information". FoxSports.com. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ^ "Johnson Gets First Career Road Course Victory". NBC Sports: Jenna Fryer. 20 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "Driver's Championship Classification". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Manufactures' Championship Classification". Jaski.com. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "Mears and Speed (Michigan)". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ "Ekstrom Replaces Casey Mears". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ "Phoenix Racing Changes Driver". AutoWeek. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ a b White, Rea (18). "Road course races challenge the specialsts". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ "Passing is tough in Chute". The Augusta Chronicle. 28. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Sears Point Breaks Ground On Modified Chute". Racingwest.com. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Second Practice Session Results". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Final Practice Results". speedtv.com. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ "Qualifying Order". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Qualifying Results (Race Lineup)". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Race Summary". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "Tim Boeve Named Volunteer Coordinator at Infineon Raceway". Motorsports Journal. 30. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b c "NASCAR Race Review". NASCAR-EUROPE: Sheila Hawley. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ "The Fourth Caution". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ^ "Race Rewind Video". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Johnson Claims Victory". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Marcos Ambrose Makes Mistake". News & Observer. David Scott. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ a b c d "Point Standing". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ^ "Official Race Results". Sporting News. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ^ "Results (2)". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 22 June 2010.