SONOMA'S BEEN GOOD TO GORDON.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK MOTOR SPORTS

Sonoma's been good to Gordon

There was a time when Jeff Gordon was all but unbeatable at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. Probably more so when it was Sears Point Raceway. It's the same track, only the name has changed over the years.

Gordon has a Cup record four wins at the road course in northern California, site of Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.

But Gordon points to last year's race at Sonoma as one of the reasons why he didn't qualify for the Chase for the Championship, the 10-race playoff to determine the Nextel Cup Series champion.

``It played a big role,'' said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports. ``But there were other tracks that played a big role as well.''

Gordon led the first 32 laps of the Sonoma race, only to have his transmission fail, and he ended up with a 33rd place finish. He had too many finishes like that last year, and it cost him when the Chase started.

The frustrating thing for Gordon was that he said the car he took to Sonoma was painstakingly prepared for that race.

``We had tested that transmission for two years,'' Gordon said. ``I felt there was speed in that transmission and it took me two years until we fine-tuned it enough to get comfortable with the shifts to be able to take it to the race track and it still failed.''

Gordon finds himself in a similar position this year in the Chase standings. He is 11th in points, 11behind 10th-place driver Greg Biffle, and fighting for a spot in the top 10.

Sonoma is a welcome sight, despite the poor result from a year ago. Gordon won the Sonoma race in 2004, leading 92 of 110 laps.

But Tony Stewart has won the past three road course events and has emerged as the road course favorite on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. It wasn't that long ago when Gordon was the driver to beat at places like Sonoma and Watkins Glen International in New York.

Gordon is quite aware that Stewart has become his biggest competition at road course races.

``Stewart had us beat at Watkins,'' Gordon said. ``He was definitely going to be a real threat at Sonoma.''

Mechanical failures and mistakes are the things that took Gordon out of the Chase last year. Races like Sonoma were reflective of his whole season.

``Those are the things that we can't have happen to us if we want to be in the Chase,'' Gordon said. ``The one thing that's kept us in the top 10 this year is that we've had some consistency.''

He has six top-10 finishes and has led in nine of the first 15 races. He has posted four top 10s in his past 10 races and has finished second twice this year.

``We haven't had the best performances at some of the intermediate tracks, but we have had some consistency,'' Gordon said. ``And that's what we've got to get back on top now.''

Three is not a crowd for Waltrip

Things are falling into place nicely for Michael Waltrip and his new Toyota race team.

Waltrip announced plans at Michigan International Speedway last weekend for, at worst, a two-car team and perhaps a three-car team to compete at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series level next year.

``We want three teams. That is our goal,'' said Waltrip, whose Michael Waltrip Racing already has Dale Jarrett lined up to drive one of the new Toyota Camrys, which will make their debuts in the Busch and Cup series in 2007. ``We feel that the business model we put together at MWR allows us to have three Cup Series teams. We also feel that this is the best way to make the NAPA car and the Burger King/Domino's car faster, as well as a third team and sponsor.''

Burger King and Domino's Pizza will combine to sponsor one of Waltrip's Toyotas, the No. 00 Camry. NAPA will sponsor a second Waltrip car.

``We have not determined who will drive the No. 00 Toyota Camry,'' Waltrip said. ``All I have to say is the driver we select better be hungry with Domino's and Burger King as his primary sponsors.''

Waltrip has yet to line up any sponsors for his third team, but it looks like he is proceeding as though the money will be there in the near future.

``There are a couple companies interested in sponsoring this team and we set a deadline on ourselves on making a decision,'' Waltrip said. ``We are building all the cars we possibly can for 2007 right now, so nothing will change at this point if we go to three cars.

``So mid-July is our personal deadline to decide if we will indeed have a third Cup team. I would say that it is better than maybe that we will have it.''

NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle: Apparently, the second time is the charm for Matt Smith, who defeated Karen Stoffer, a St. Geneveive High of Sun Valley graduate, in the finals of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey on Sunday.

It was the first win of Smith's career. He was initially awarded a win at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis last year, but officials reversed the result when video showed that he had crossed the finish line second.

``The first thing I asked them at the top end was, `Are you guys absolutely sure I've won this race?' '' Smith said. ``I guess this one was legit. Even Karen came over and said she saw that I was ahead of her at the stripe.''

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

no caption (Burger King/Domino's cars)

Box:

(1) THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

(2) Etc.