Infineon Toyota / Save Mart 350 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Jeff Gordon – Jeff Gordon is a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the Infineon Toyota / Save Mart 350. The case could be made that this is his best track. In 21 races at Sonoma he has 5 wins, 5 poles and an 8.2 average finish. Also at Infineon his top five finish percentage is 62% percent and his top ten finish percentage is 81% percent. Compared to other venues on the circuit his top five percentage ranks as his 2nd best (1% percent behind Martinsville) and his top ten finish percentage ranks as the best, minus Kentucky where the sample size is too small. Currently at Sonoma Jeff Gordon has 8 consecutive top ten finishes. Since 1995 he’s only finished outside the top ten twice and in both of those races he had some sort of problem. Last season at Infineon Jeff Gordon had a great car that came on strong at the end. In the race he started in 10th, led 4 laps and finished 2nd. His second place result didn’t come easy. On lap 25 while he was running in 9th he got penalized for pitting too early under caution and as a result it dropped him all the way back to 39th. In 2012 Gordon started in 2nd and finished 6th. Also in that race he led 13 laps and had a 6th place average running position. In the race Jeff Gordon had a very good car. It remained strong in runs for about 25 laps before it started to fall off. In that race Jeff Gordon’s car was better than 6th. What happened is that during a long green flag run around the mid-point of the race he ran out of gas while he was running in second. After that pit cycle was completed he was back in about 15th in the running order. In 2011 Gordon finished second. Look for Jeff Gordon to be very strong on Sunday in the Sonoma Toyota / Save Mart 350. I predict lots of fantasy NASCAR experts will pick him to win. (Yahoo A Driver)

[box type=”tick”]Desperate fantasy racers do desperate things. Smart fantasy racers get the ifantasyrace Advantage. Join now and read all of our full exclusive content[/box]

Kurt Busch – Kurt Busch has been extremely competitive at Infineon in recent years in sub-par equipment. Imagine what he can do now with a team who has resources. His performance in 2013 at Sonoma was more than impressive. In the race he started in 7th and on lap 19 he passed Marcos Ambrose for the lead. His race was far from incident free. On lap 36 while he was running in 2nd he got caught speeding on pit road. The following lap while he was serving his penalty he was once again busted for speeding on pit road. The end result of his problems was that he was in 38th place one lap down. Later in the race when Danica Patrick spun he got the “Lucky Dog” and was once again on the lead lap. After that point in the race he used some pit strategy and drove his guts out to a 4th place finish. Also in the race last year he led 15 laps. In 2012 Kurt Busch willed his car to a third place finish. In that race he started in 8th, had a 4th place average running position and earned the second best driver rating. If the late Green-White-Checker didn’t come out he would’ve finished second. What also makes his finish so remarkable is that something was clearly wrong with his car’s rear end. In 2011 Kurt Busch dominated this race. In that event with Penske Racing he led 76 laps, had the best driver rating and took home the trophy. (Yahoo A Driver)

Recommended Reading – Infineon Front Runner Rankings, Infineon Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Fantasy Scouting Report – Infineon, Who will win the Toyota Owners 400?

Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson has strong fantasy NASCAR potential at Infineon and he’s a driver who you definitely want on your radar for the Toyota / Save Mart 350. Currently at Infineon Johnson has 5 straight top ten finishes. The only driver who has a longer streak is Jeff Gordon. Last season at Infineon Johnson drove a solid race. He started in 19th and drove up into the top five around the mid-point. Late in the race Johnson was at a tire disadvantage but he still finished 9th. Also in the race last season Johnson earned the 8th best driver rating and had an 11th place average running position. In 2012 Johnson had one of the strongest cars over long runs. At the mid-point he was running in 2nd and for the event he had a 3rd place average running position (second best). When the checkered flag waved he finished 5th and earned the 4th best driver rating. In 2010 at Infineon Johnson went to victory lane. In that event he didn’t have the best car and was the beneficiary of Marcos Ambrose shutting off his engine coasting up hill and not being able to get it restarted. (Yahoo A Driver)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Infineon Toyota / Save Mart 350 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > Yahoo C List Preview