Raceway Rant
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Countdown Has Begun
Lynne Tibbet
The countdown has begun for the big race weekend of the year, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22.
It's a special weekend in a lot of ways, most notably it's the 20th anniversary of NASCAR Cup racing in the Sonoma Valley. A lot has happened over the last 20 years at Infineon Raceway:
- Dale Earnhardt posted the only NASCAR road-course win of his career here back in 1995. Who will forget that thrilling pass of Mark Martin in the Carousel? That was good stuff.
- Jeff Gordon, the local boy from Vallejo, has owned this place with five wins. It was also the site of his engagement announcement to his wife, Ingrid, and his daughter, Ella, was born during race week last year.
- Ernie Irvan, after sustaining a penalty before the start of the race, passed all 42 cars in front of him and won the event by nearly 10 seconds in 1994. It was an incredible run through the field by the Modesto native.
- Juan Pablo Montoya becoming just the third foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup race last year in Sonoma. It was something else to see all of those Colombian flags hanging from the main grandstand. It almost had the feel of a Formula One race.
Yep, there have been some incredible moments. We'll see how if more will be made once the green flag drops on Sunday, June 22. Do you have a favorite moment? Send it our way at The Rant!
See you soon
