SONOMA, California There will certainly be a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup flavor on Saturday, June 25, when the Blue Lizard Australian Suncream 200 takes the green flag at Infineon Raceway.
Five NEXTEL Cup drivers are slated to compete in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series event, highlighted by Michael Waltrip, a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (2001, 2003).
Other NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers scheduled to compete include Kyle Busch, Travis Kvapil, Boris Said and Hermie Sadler. This will mark the first Southwest Series event for four of the five drivers at Infineon Raceway — Said has competed a number of times, including a 25th –place effort in last year’s Snap-on Tools 200.
“We’re looking forward to getting some track time in the Southwest Series,” Kvapil said. “This will be my first race in Sonoma so I’ll need to get as many laps in as I can.”
Busch will drive for the same team that saw David Gilliland take the checkered flag at Infineon Raceway in 2004 (MRG Motorsports). Kyle’s brother, Kurt Busch, won the Southwest Series race in the Sonoma Valley in 1999. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup regular Kevin Harvick also won the event in 2003.
Jim Pettit II tops the standings after five events in the Southwest Series this season with one victory and five top-10 finishes. West Sacramento’s Burney Lamar is just 12 points back (794-782) in second place.
Practice and qualifying for the Blue Lizard Australian Suncream 200 takes place on Friday, June 24, with the green flag set to drop on the 64-lap feature on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Pacific). For ticket information, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
