Sonoma Raceway, Toyota/Save Mart 350

Congratulation to Joey Logano, who picked up his first win of the season and is now qualified for the Chase. There are now eleven races left before the Chase begins and we have ten different drivers with wins who are virtually qualified for the Chase and six spots that can be filled by new winners.

SONOMA RACEWAY

After a much deserved week off, the series heads back out west to Sonoma Raceway for the running of the Toyota/SaveMart 350. This is the first of two road course races that appear on the schedule before the Chase and we very well could see our eleventh different driver in victory lane this season. This is a slightly longer than two-and-a-half-mile track that features twelve turns and one hundred sixty feet of elevation change in the Sonoma Mountains in Sonoma, CA.

Kurt Busch: Kurt is my pick to win this week’s race. He has one win, seven top five finishes, and has led more laps here than any other active driver. This team has the power it needs to get the job done on a road course and Kurt has the mentality it takes to be patient and use the bumper when he needs to, which is something you need to do to pick up positions.

Tony Stewart: Tony has won two races at this track and looked very good at Michigan a couple of weeks ago. That is so much better than he has run the past two seasons and this is the type of track he can use the momentum from Michigan on to get a win and be eligible to make the Chase if he can move into the top thirty in points which I think he can do. If it wasn’t for Kurt needing a win, he might let his boss take this one away from him but, Tony is going to have to fight for this win.

AJ Allmendinger: The two road course races are AJ’s best chance to make the Chase. He won the race at Watkins Glen two years ago to get qualified for the Chase that time and these are the races this team prepares for all year. AJ is probably the best road course driver in the series as far as true road course racers can be considered. It is nice to see a team like this make the Chase, but once the Chase starts there odds of moving on round by round diminish because they don’t have the resources to compete on every track every week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has one win and nine top ten finishes in his fourteen career starts. Jimmie has taken what he has learned from off-road racing and what he has learned from Jeff Gordon in the past all the way to being one of the better road course racers in the series. Jimmie really likes to run these races because it reminds him of his early career to a certain extent. Look for this team to be solid once again this weekend.

Clint Bowyer: Clint has really struggled for most of the year and that isn’t because of his driving ability. This is one of those weekend’s where Clint is going to be someone to take a chance on because speed isn’t a factor in this race as much as handling and hitting your marks is. Clint has one win, six top five, and eight top ten finishes in only ten starts here. Those are impressive numbers that tell me he knows how to run these races. Take a chance on him this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl won this race two years ago and has been having a very good season so far with two wins which has guaranteed him a spot in the Chase. Any more wins gives him some bonus points once the Chase starts and another trophy for his collection. Still, Carl likes to run the road course races and he also loves to compete with the best in the sport. Look for Carl to push it to the limit this week and maybe take a few chances to try and pick up his third win of the season.

Kyle Busch: Kyle is tied with Tony Stewart with the most wins, with two, of all active drivers at Sonoma. I don’t know what to think of Kyle’s chances this week after having problems in every race over the past month. Is he going to come into the weekend thinking that something is going to break on his car again or is he happy that he has three wins on the season and this is a good time for bad luck? I can see this going either way but, the frustration has to be building.

Ryan Newman: Ryan always runs well at the road courses but, he is still looking for his first win at Sonoma. This team would love to get a win and break a long winless streak and make their way into the Chase with a win instead of fighting to get in on points. I think they will have another great road course run this weekend and could surprise folks by taking the checkered flag.

Greg Biffle: Greg has struggled the past two seasons because the Roush teams just haven’t been able to get the speed and aerodynamics of their cars figured out. They have been getting a little better though lately and he is another driver who knows how to run on this course. He is another driver who could surprise here and can be used in most leagues as an inexpensive driver or a surprise driver others in your league might not have on their roster.

Brad Keselowski: Brad doesn’t have the finishes here that he could have. He always seems to have a great handling car but, he doesn’t seem to have the patience when it comes to passing people. The result is he is either causing a wreck or is getting wrecked by someone he has had a run in with earlier in these races. If he can stay a little patient early in the race he could have a shot at the end when there are no drivers on the track who are looking to get a little payback from an early incident in the race.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie is another driver whose results here don’t mirror his race. He usually is very good early in the race but, something breaks on his car, he has a poor pit stop, or he gets caught up in some type of accident on the track. He knows how to get around these tracks fast enough and just needs to have all of his luck to be good to get the finish he deserves.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR SONOMA RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kurt Busch
• Jimmie Johnson

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Tony Stewart
• Ryan Newman
• Clint Bowyer
• Greg Biffle

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chris Buescher
• Chase Elliott

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT SONOMA RACEWAY

1. Kurt Busch
2. Tony Stewart
3. Carl Edwards
4. AJ Allmendinger
5. Jimmie Johnson

Dark Horse: Clint Bowyer

Stay Away From: Matt Kenseth

Big 18: Ryan Newman