Road courses are not the norm when it comes to NASCAR racing. One of the more popular jabs at the motor sports organization is that its drivers only need to know how to turn one direction, left.
Jokes aside, on Sunday the Sprint Cup Series will be visiting the first of the two short tracks that grace its annual calendar of races: Sonoma. The annual June road course race, referred to this year as the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will kick off at 2 pm EDT.
Road course races are far less rare in other forms of auto racing, especially outside of the United States. Car owners often opt to bring in mercenary drivers referred to as "road course ringers" to excel on these special types of tracks. Boris Said has been unable to keep a permanent ride on the Sprint Cup circuit, but often participates at Sonoma and the Watkins Glenn course.
Juan Pablo Montoya, who currently sits at 19th in points, is a road course specialist. His only Sprint Cup victory came at Sonoma in 2007.
Former Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon has collected 9 of his 85 career wins on a road course. Currently, stuck at 20th in points standings, a victory Sunday is a borderline necessity if Gordon intends to make a run at the title in 2012.