Nextel Cup points leader Jeff Gordon says he has his priorities straight, and the most important thing on his mind has nothing to do with racing.
The four-time series champion said he would rather witness the birth of his first child than compete in Sunday’s race in Sonoma, Calif.
Gordon has hired Mark Martin to drive the No. 24 Chevrolet in the road-course race at Infineon Raceway, should Gordon’s wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, go into labor Friday or Saturday. The couple are expecting a daughter, due any day.
“If she is born (today), then I’ll have a day-and-a-half with her and Ingrid before heading west,” Gordon, who lives in North Carolina, said in a release. “If she is born on Thursday or Friday, then that would change things significantly. If she’s born during the race on Sunday, then I’ll see her when I get home. There’s not a lot I can do about that, but I hope that doesn’t happen.”
If anybody could afford to miss a race and remain in playoff contention, it’s Gordon, who leads second-place Denny Hamlin by a whopping 264 points. The maximum amount of points a driver can get for one race is 195, and that’s for winning and leading the most laps, so Gordon is assured of maintaining the lead heading into the July 1 race in New Hampshire.
But for Gordon, missing this weekend’s race would be like Dale Earnhardt Jr. not competing in Daytona, Fla., or Talladega, Ala., or Tony Stewart missing the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
Gordon grew up in nearby Vallejo, Calif., and is the defending champion and all-time winningest Cup driver at Infineon.
In 11 starts, Gordon has nine top-10 finishes, including a record five wins and five poles. He also holds the record for laps led (437).
A year ago, Gordon won the Cup race after getting engaged to Vandebosch.
“To announce my engagement to Ingrid and then to win the race was amazing, but this weekend could be even more special, and it won’t even take a win to do that,” Gordon said.
Road warrior weekend
This weekend will be the first road-course event in a stock car for Cup rookies Juan Pablo Montoya, a former Formula One and CART star, and A.J. Allmendinger, a former Thornton resident and winner of the 2006 Grand Prix of Denver.
Allmendinger grew up in Los Gatos, Calif., just outside of San Jose, and the former Champ Car star has qualified for the past six Cup races after missing seven of the first nine.
“I’m looking forward to getting to turn right again,” Allmendinger said in a release. “Road-course racing is what I’ve grown up doing and what I am most comfortable doing.”
Eight other “road warriors” will attempt to qualify for the race. Those subbing for full-time drivers are P.J. Jones (for David Reutimann), Klaus Graf (for Mike Bliss), Terry Labonte (for Michael Waltrip) and Ron Fellows (for Tony Raines).
Road-course veterans Butch Leitzinger, Brian Simo, Boris Said and Marc Goossens will attempt to qualify for part-time teams.
Footnotes
Penske Racing hired Pat Tryson to replace Troy Raker as crew chief of the No. 2 Dodge driven by Kurt Busch. Tryson was the crew chief for Martin and Roush Racing during the three previous years, and most recently with Roush’s No. 16 Ford driven by Greg Biffle. … The Kyle Busch-driven Hendrick Motorsports crew that Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to inherit next year captured Sunday’s pit-crew challenge at Michigan. Busch spent a race-low 200.13 seconds on pit road en route to a sixth-place finish.
SPOTLIGHT: CARL EDWARDS
NASCAR’s best athlete flips again
The driver who was recently featured on the cover of “Men’s Fitness” is doing backflips again. Edwards’ 52-race drought ended Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, where he did his celebratory backflip after taking the checkered flag. Edwards’ victory snapped a 12-race winning streak for Chevrolet drivers. Edwards, who drives a Ford, is sixth in the standings and ranks second among non-Chevy drivers.
ON THE MOVE: CASEY MEARS
Hendrick’s fourth driver improving
Mears, who is in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, is finding his niche with the powerhouse team. He has gained 16 spots during the past four races, going from 35th to 19th. He finished fourth Sunday in Michigan for his third top-four finish in the past five races. Mears’ climb in the standings began with his May 27 victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
THIS WEEK’S RACE: TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
Wine country course on tap
1:30 p.m. Sunday, TNT
Where: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (12-turn, 1.99-mile road course, slight banking)
Distance: 219 miles, 110 laps
Qualifying: Friday, 5 p.m., Speed Channel
Last year: Jeff Gordon captured the first of his two 2006 wins.
Infineon ratings
The 10 best driver ratings – the formula that combines wins, finishes, average running position, average speed under green, fastest lap and most laps led – during the past two years at the road course in Sonoma, Calif.
(Driver, Rating)
1. Kurt Busch 121.1
2. Tony Stewart 119.1
3. Ryan Newman 117.6
4. Jeff Gordon 107.1
5. Rusty Wallace 104.4
6. Boris Said 104.3
7. Ricky Rudd 103.6
8. Greg Biffle 94.4
9. Jeff Burton 93.8
10. Terry Labonte 91.7
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
