CupScene.com

(By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service)

Posted: Saturday,June 25th, 2011

SONOMA, Calif.—Jeff Gordon would prefer not to think about the target that’s on his back.

After last year’s bull-in-a-china-shop performance at Infineon Raceway, Gordon would like to concentrate on racing and not on the revenge some of the drivers he angered last year might be contemplating.

“Disaster,” Gordon said Friday when asked about last year’s race. “It was just one of those terrible days where Imade a lot of mistakes—no doubt made a lot of people unhappy and been trying to move on ever since. Thanks for bringing it up, though.”

Jeff Gordon talks with the No. 24 crew during practice at Infineon Raceway on Saturday. (Getty Images)

Kurt Busch dubbed Gordon “Bulldozer” after the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet ran him off the 1.99-mile road course. Martin Truex Jr. was particularly angry after Gordon knocked him for a loop and spoiled a promising run.

“I’ve tried to apologize to the ones that I really made mistakes with,” Gordon said. “There were some racing incidents that went on that day, too, that were just racing and that you just move on and race one another however you race one another.

“I have to approach the race the same way I do any other race and just go out there and do everything I can to get the best finish I can—not put too much effort into thinking about what those guys have planned or whatever. I’m sure if they’re in a position to kind of get back (for) what happened, then I’m sure they will.

“My goal this weekend is not to allow myself to get in that position.”

As luck would have it, however, Gordon qualified 13th on Friday and will start Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 on the seventh row—right beside 14th-place qualifier Truex.

Ambrose struggles in practice

Before Marcos Ambrose can be considered a favorite in Sunday’s race, he and his No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports team will have to find a way to make his car work.

“The car’s not turning at all,” a frustrated Ambrose radioed to crew chief Todd Parrott during Saturday’s final practice. “Work on those front-tire pressures. … I’ve got no (expletive) idea what to do here, mate. It’s just not working.”

Ambrose, who was 12th fastest in Saturday’s first practice session and 15th fastest in Happy Hour, had reason to be agitated. He expects to contend for the win at Sonoma, where he led 35 laps last year before his car failed to re-fire on the uphill section leading to Turn 2 during a botched attempt to save fuel late in the race.

Ambrose also has extra incentive. His sponsor, Stanley Tools, will donate $1 million to the Children’s Miracle Network if Ambrose wins on Sunday.
As final practice progressed, Ambrose couldn’t improve on the speed of 90.981 mph he posted early in the session. He ran 15 laps in Happy Hour, spending most of the 75-minute session in the garage as his crew tried a succession of adjustments.

In contrast, Brad Keselowski paced final practice with a fast lap at 91.725 mph and completed 31 circuits at the 1.99-mile road course.

Realistic Vickers keeping options open

The announced withdrawal of Red Bull from NASCAR ownership has placed driver Brian Vickers in a delicate situation—as it has with more than 150 other employees at the race team.

Make no mistake, Vickers has been happy with his association with Red Bull—the company—and with Red Bull Racing. With the future of the organization in doubt, however, as general manager Jay Frye seeks investors to assume an ownership role, Vickers realizes he has to be realistic.

“I’m going to keep all my options open,” Vickers said Friday at Infineon Raceway. “Like I said, I’ve built a home here for five years. I’m really happy here. “There’s a lot of great people at Red Bull Racing, and it’s special to me. I feel (like) part of the team. I was one of the first employees, and I’ve watched it grow from the beginning. …

“Yeah, there’s a huge part of me that wants to stay, but there’s so many other dominoes that have to fall first. I’m going to keep all my options open, look at every opportunity. Hopefully, the right thing will come along here, and it will all work out.”

Vickers, who was sidelined in mid-May last year by blood clots in his legs and lungs, didn’t return to the track until 2011. Though he’s loyal to Red Bull, he understands that other employees may feel compelled to find work in more stable situations.

“They have their own lives and their own family and their kids to worry about,” Vickers said. “No one is going to fault them if an opportunity comes along and they have to take it because of the uncertainty going on right now.

“I do believe that most of them feel at home at Red Bull, as I do. I think they’re going to be as patient as they can. I think they’re going to wait and see how this unfolds—I think it’s going to unfold rather quickly. I think we’ll have an answer long before the end of the season. And most of the team will stay intact.”

Why No. 11 is better than No. 1

At an oval track, it’s a no-brainer that the top qualifier will choose pit stall No. 1, closest to the exit from pit road.

So why did Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for polesitter Joey Logano, choose pit stall No. 11—just short of the start/finish line—for Sunday’s race?

Quite simply, there are considerations at the 1.99-mile road course that don’t apply at an oval track. Here’s the explanation:

Given the likelihood of green-flag pit stops and the danger of running out of fuel, Zipadelli opted for a pit stall that gives the team room to push-start the car in a situation where it’s out of gas. There’s a small opening in front of pit stall No. 11, which would give the team room to push the car without rolling through another team’s pit box.

AJ Allmendinger’s crew chief, Mike Shiplett, chose pit stall No. 1 with the seventh pick. Yes, there’s a clear exit from pit road, but there’s also a risk. If Allmendinger happens to run out of fuel, his team won’t be able to push-start the car, because of the proximity of pit stall No. 1 to the racing surface.

That’s why the first 10 stalls at Infineon aren’t popular picks with most crew chiefs