Replacements and road-ringers at Infineon
As always, we will see several new drivers behind the wheel of some high-profile cars at Infineon Raceway this weekend for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Here is a quick glance at the changes:
No. 01 - Ron Fellows in for Regan Smith
No. 8 - Aric Amirola in for Mark Martin (planned)
No. 21 - Marcus Ambrose
No. 34 - Brian Simo
No. 41 - Scott Pruett in for Reed Sorenson
No. 45 - Terry Labonte in for Kyle Petty
No. 66 - Max Papis (Scott Riggs will drive the No. 70)
No. 102 - Brandon Ash
No. 160 - Boris Said
CHP to sponsor Kvapil at Infineon
The California Highway Patrol will sponsor Travis Kvapil and the No. 28 Yates Racing Ford Fusion in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway this weekend. The paint scheme will resemble the CHP cars that patrol the freeways of California.
Ron Fellows to drive No. 01 Chevy at Infineon
Ron Fellows will replace Regan Smith in the No. 01 DEI Chevy for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway this weekend.
Comments (5)Ambrose to drive the No. 21 Wood Bros. Fusion at Sonoma
Australian NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose has completed his first test with Wood Brothers Racing in preparation for his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. in three weeks. Ambrose drove the famous 21 Wood Brothers Ford in an open test at Virginia International Raceway which was attended by the majority of the Sprint Cup field. Ambrose will make his debut in NASCAR’s top ranks in a Little Debbie-backed Wood Brothers Ford Fusion at Sonoma on June 22. He will then run a further seven events for Wood Brothers at New Hampshire, Watkins Glen, Michigan, California, Dover, Texas and Phoenix. "The whole Wood Brothers team made me feel extremely welcome and everyone was certainly open to ideas and direction as we progressed throughout the day," Ambrose said. “We certainly have a reasonable package underneath us for qualifying at Sonoma in three weeks time.” In the meantime Ambrose will continue his NASCAR Nationwide campaign in the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. this weekend. (From AutoRacingDaily.com)
Almirola, Menard and Smith test at Infineon Raceway
Tags: aric almirola, infineon raceway, regan smith, paul menard
Three DEI drivers visited Infineon Raceway on Wednesday to hone their skills on the challenging 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. NASCAR drivers Aric Almirola, Regan Smith and Paul Menard came to the track for a one-day test session before the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in the Sonoma Valley, June 20-22.
The drivers piloted GT America stock cars supplied by Pioneer Motorsports out of Lake Oroville. They were coached by road-course veteran Chris Cook and completed approximately 100 laps combined in the full-day test.
Smith is the only driver among the three with any Cup Series race experience at Infineon Raceway. He finished 30th in last year's event. "I raced here last year, so it's nice to come back here and get in that road-racing mentality again," said Smith. "It's a totally different approach than an oval, and it's nice to come here and refresh your memory."
"I've been road racing since I was eight years old, so I'm more comfortable on road courses than on ovals. It was a good day, and it's a great facility to be at," said Menard, who is in his second year of full-time Cup Series competition piloting the No. 15 Menards Chevrolet. He failed to qualify for the Sonoma race in 2007.
Almirola, who shares driving duties with veteran Mark Martin in the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, is currently in his second partial season of Sprint Cup Series competition. This marked his first visit to the Sonoma Valley road course. "This track is tough, but it's fun," said Almirola. "The elevation changes and blind turns make it really difficult. It's definitely something different."
Cook said all of the drivers took well to the road course, and he enjoyed working with all three teammates. "I think Aric was most focused being his first time here, and he made big gains by the end of the day," said Cook. "Paul and Regan were a lot more disciplined with the track, and we worked on shifting points and braking points." (From InfineonRaceway.com)
Comments (9)Almirola and Menard to test at Infineon Raceway April 9
April 7, 2008 // SONOMA, Calif. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Aric Almirola and Paul Menard will come to Infineon Raceway on Wednesday, April 9, for a one-day test session.
Almirola, who shares driving duties with veteran Mark Martin in the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, has never competed on the Sonoma Valley road course in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Neither has Menard, who drives the No. 15 Menards Chevrolet.
Almirola and Menard are expected to test the challenging 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in late-model stock cars provided by a Northern California-based race team. They will be coached by road-course veteran Chris Cook, who has also worked with NASCAR drivers David Reutimann, Johnny Sauter and AJ Allmendinger. (From InfineonRaceway.com)
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