SONOMA, CALIF. — As if Infineon Raceway didn't pose enough unique challenges for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series drivers, NASCAR has tossed in another one.
The series is back here for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the twisty Infineon road course and Sunday's race will feature NASCAR's newly implemented "double-file restarts."
The change means race leaders will now line up two-by-two at the front of the pack to take the green flag after a caution period, just as they do at the start of a race.
In the past, the leaders had lined up single file on the outside row for restarts, and cars that were down one lap or more to those leaders lined up on the inside line. So at a track such as Infineon, where passing already was a tall order on the serpentine, 10-turn, 1.99-mile layout that has a narrow racing surface surrounded by dirt, the old format made it tough for the top cars to catch up to the lead after a restart.
Now, the leaders will be bunched together in front on restarts in what amounts to a shootout and everyone is bracing for the tangles bound to happen.
"There's probably going to be guys going off in each direction and running into the back of you," defending race winner Kyle Busch said Thursday. "I'm sure later in the race people aren't going to be so patient, they're going to want to get going."
Qualifying to set the race's 43-car field is today.
After four months of strictly turning left on oval tracks, NASCAR Cup drivers will have to maneuver their 3,400-pound stock cars through left and right turns at Infineon. They also face major changes in elevation at the track, which is nestled in the hills next to Napa Valley wine country.
The 110-lap race also means each driver has to make 1,100 turns and shift gears at least that many times, which is why some teams hire experienced road racers just for this event.
One is Patrick Carpentier, who is scheduled to drive the No. 55 Toyota normally driven by Michael Waltrip.
The race also requires only a few pit stops for fuel, which often prompts teams to gamble and pit early in hopes of keeping valuable track position under a later caution period, such as for a crash.
And the potential for wrecks jumped with the arrival of double-file restarts, some drivers said.
"It's going to create some havoc," said Jeff Gordon, a native of nearby Vallejo, and he should know. The four-time Cup champion has the most wins at Infineon with five for his team Hendrick Motorsports.
