NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350
The 16th Sprint Cup race of the 2010 NASCAR season takes us to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 set to get underway on Sunday, June 20th 3:00 P.M. (ET). As a change of pace from the traditional oval, Infineon Raceway is a 1.99 mile road course.
Last week in Michigan, Denny Hamlin won for the second week in a row to notch his fifth Sprint Cup points race victory of the year. Kevin Harvick remained in the top spot in the Sprint Cup standings with 2169 points. Given the fact that this week’s race is on a road course, Jeff Gordon is one of the odds-on-favorite to win this week, but there are a few other drivers that might have something to say about that. The following is a preview of the top seven drivers in the Sprint Cup point standings along with their current odds to win this week.
Last week at Michigan, Harvick finished 19th but was still able to hold onto the lead in the Sprint Cup points standings with 2169. Last year in this race he started 16th and finished 29th. His best effort in this race was in 2007 when he started 22nd and finished second. In nine career races at this track he has finished in the top 10 twice.
Despite a 20th place finish last week, Busch is still in second place with 2147 points, just 22 out of the lead. Last year in this race he started second and finished 22nd. Kyle won this race in 2008 after starting from the 30th position. In five career races here he has two top 10 finishes.
As the hottest driver in NASCAR, Hamlin has won the last two races and now has five victories this season. He is only 47 points out of the lead with 2122 total points. Last year in this race he started 24th and finished fifth. He has only raced at Sonoma four previous times and has two top 10 finishes.
With another strong showing last week; a third place finish at Michigan, this Busch is currently in fourth place with 2051 points, 118 out of first. Last year in this race he started 27th and finished 15th. His best finish at this track was in 2005 when he took third place after starting sixth. In nine career races at this track he has finished in the top 10 three times.
Kenseth finished 14th last week and currently has 2019 points, 150 back. Last year in this race he started 10th and finished 18th. His best finish ever was in 2008 when he started all the way back in 33rd position and managed to finish eighth. This was his only top 10 finish at this track in 10 career starts.
Johnson is slowly working himself back into the thick of things and now has 1999 points after a sixth place finish last week. He is currently 170 points in back of Harvick. Last year in this race he started 11th and finished fourth. This is one race that Johnson has never won but he does have three top 10 finishes in eight career starts.
With a fourth place finish last week, Gordon now has 1987 points and is 182 points out of the lead. Last year in this race he started 13th and finished 9th. He has actually won this race five times in his career; 2006 starting 11th, 2004 starting from the pole, 2000 starting fifth, 1999 starting from the pole, and 1998 starting from the pole as well. He has also finished in the top 10 eight other times.
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