NASCAR At Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway: Kurt Busch Wins As Driver Tempers Flare

When it comes to NASCAR at Sonoma, rain is one thing you don’t think about – and we won’t have to think much about it this weekend. The only exception is a small chance of a sprinkle or light shower today.

I’ve been tracking a coastal storm system that will keep some morning fog, drizzle and dreary cloud cover overhead for a good portion of the day. Although slim, there’s a chance of a few rain drops in the form of sprinkles. It may look dark and threatening, but I expect qualifying to go off later in the afternoon.

For much of Sunday’s 110-lap race at Infineon Raceway, it appeared five-time Sonoma winner Jeff Gordon and Spring Cup Series points leader Carl Edwards were going to finish mid-pack without much attention.

Yet when the checkered flag fell, Gordon and Edwards battled for the second spot with the No. 24 Chevrolet getting the advantage through the final corner.

Tony Stewart was tired of Brian Vickers blocking him on lap 38 of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

So he wrecked him. On purpose.

Robby Gordon may be looking for someone to hold his watch.

Gordon, upset at being dumped by Joey Logano during Sunday’s NASCAR race at Infineon Raceway, said Logano needs to look over his shoulder in the coming weeks.

AJ Allmendinger can’t help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction when he races near his hometown of Los Gatos, Calif., which is located about 90 miles south of Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway.

In fact, he describes his feeling as, “What’s up now, bitches?!”

Since the implementation of the new chassis in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the amount of abuse the body of the car can take has increased. Long gone are the days when a simple fender rub means the end of a good day, and as a result the aggressiveness of the guys behind the wheel has picked up.

Perhaps there is no better example of an increased aggressiveness throughout the day than at Infineon Raceway. The increased beating and banging has also led to an even higher premium on qualifying and track position.

Marcos Ambrose seemed a bit uptight during his Infineon Raceway media availability on Friday, though his demeanor could also be interpreted as focused.

Ambrose didn’t appear quite as jovial as usual, though he insisted he was relaxed instead of feeling the immense pressure of being Sunday’s heavy favorite here.