Toyota/Save Mart 350
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| Venue | Infineon Raceway |
| Corporate sponsor | Toyota and Save Mart |
| First race | 1989 |
| Distance | 219 miles (352.2 km) |
| Number of laps | 110 |
| Previous names | Banquet Frozen Foods 300 (1989-1991) Save Mart 300K (1992) Save Mart Supermarkets 300K (1993) Save Mart Supermarkets 300 (1994-1997) Save Mart/Kragen 350 (1998-2000) Dodge/Save Mart 350(2001-2006) |
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event held at Infineon Raceway. This race is one of the only two Nextel Cup races each year that is run on a non-oval track, with 12 turns over the 1.99 mile (3.22 km) track. Due to its unique layout, it creates a discussion each time it comes, with people both in favor and against racing this race. Also due to its unique layout, you can find so called "Road Course Ringers", that is, drivers that appear on the NASCAR circuit only for the road course races. It was held for the first time in 1989, and underwent name and length changes since then. (see infobox)
In the 1991 race, the first car to cross the finish line, Ricky Rudd, was black flagged and penalized five seconds for running into the back of, and spinning out Davey Allison with a little over one lap to go. The controversial penalty relegated him to second place, and gave Allison the victory.
In 1998, the circuit for the NASCAR event was shorted from the full 2.52 mile road course to a 1.99 mile road course with the addition of the Chute from turn 4 to turn 7, bypassing turns 5 and 6.
In 2001 the Chute was modified to such that the NASCAR circuit measured 2.0 miles long.
From 1989 to 2001, the pit road could only accommodate 34 pit stalls. In the early years, some teams were required to share pit stalls. When cars dropped out of the race, their pits were reassigned to cars who were sharing. After a few years, a makeshift pit road was constructed inside the Hair Pin (turn 11) nicknamed Gilligan's Island. Cars that had qualified 36th-43rd were assigned these pit stalls. Since the length of the auxiliary pit road was significantly shorter than the main pit road, the cars that pitted there were held from 15-20 seconds to make up for the time that would had been spent if the cars had traveled the entire main pit road.[1] Pitting on Gilligan's Island had other inconveniences as well. The area was landlocked by the race course, and crew members were unable to leave once the race began. All repairs had to be in the area, as crews could not access the garage area. Crew members were also unable to return to the garages or their transporter for spare parts. If a team pitting on Gilligan's Island dropped out of the race, the crew was unable to pack up their supplies and prepare to leave (a common practice at other tracks) until the race was over. In 2002 the main pit road was reconfigured to handle all 43 cars, and Gilligan's Island was abandoned. Along with the pit road reconfiguration, the frontstretch was separated from the drag strip in 2002, shortening the track distance to 1.99 miles.
Fox has broadcast the race between 2001-2006. Until 2014 the race will be on TNT. It was ranked as one of the top ten annual NASCAR races by Maxim.[2]
See also: List of current NASCAR races
[edit] Past Winners
| Season | Date | Course Length | Official Race Name | Winning Driver | Car # | Sponsor | Make | Avg Speed | Margin of Victory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | June 11th | 2.520 mi | Banquet 300 | Ricky Rudd | 26 | Quaker State | Buick Regal | 76.088 mph | 1.1 sec |
| 1990 | June 10th | 2.520 mi | Banquet 300 | Rusty Wallace | 27 | Miller Genuine Draft | Pontiac Grand Prix | 69.245 mph | UC |
| 1991 | June 9th | 2.520 mi | Banquet 300 | Davey Allison* | 28 | Havoline | Ford Thunderbird | 72.97 mph | 1.0 sec |
| 1992 | June 7th | 2.520 mi | Save Mart 300 | Ernie Irvan | 4 | Kodak | Chevrolet Lumina | 81.413 mph | 3.6 sec |
| 1993 | May 16th | 2.520 mi | Save Mart 300 | Geoffrey Bodine | 15 | Motorcraft | Ford Thunderbird | 77.013 mph | 0.53 sec |
| 1994 | May 15th | 2.520 mi | Save Mart 300 | Ernie Irvan | 28 | TexacoHavoline | Ford Thunderbird | 77.458 mph | 9.56 sec |
| 1995 | May 7th | 2.520 mi | Save Mart 300 | Dale Earnhardt | 3 | Goodwrench Service | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 70.681 mph | 0.32 sec |
| 1996 | May 5th | 2.520 mi | Save Mart 300 | Rusty Wallace | 2 | Miller | Ford Thunderbird | 77.637 mph | 0.46 sec |
| 1997 | May 5th | 2.520 mi | Save Mart 300 | Mark Martin | 6 | Valvoline | Ford Thunderbird | 75.788 mph | 0.563 sec |
| 1998 | June 28th | 1.949 mi | Save Mart/Kragen 350 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont Automotive Finishes | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 72.387 mph | 2.748 sec |
| 1999 | June 27th | 1.949 mi | Save Mart/Kragen 350 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont Automotive Finishes | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 70.378 mph | 0.197 sec |
| 2000 | June 25th | 1.990 mi | Save Mart/Kragen 350K | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont Automotive Finishes | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 78.789 mph | 4.101 sec |
| 2001 | June 24th | 2.000 mi | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Home Depot | Pontiac Grand Prix | 75.889 mph | 1.746 sec |
| 2002 | June 23rd | 1.990 mi | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Ricky Rudd | 28 | Havoline | Ford Taurus | 81.007 mph | 2.487 sec |
| 2003 | June 22nd | 1.990 mi | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Robby Gordon | 31 | Cingular Wireless | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 73.821 mph | 0.553 sec |
| 2004 | June 27th | 1.990 mi | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 77.456 mph | 1.032 sec |
| 2005 | June 26th | 1.990 mi | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Home Depot | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 72.845 mph | 2.266 sec |
| 2006 | June 25th | 1.990 mi | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | DuPont | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 73.953 mph | 1.250 sec |
| 2007 | June 24th | 1.990 mi | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 42 | Texaco/Havoline | Dodge Avenger | 74.547 mph | 4.097 sec |
- With two laps to go Ricky Rudd spun Allison to take the lead. Instead of the checkered flag, Rudd received a black flag being penalized 1 second. This then gave the win to Allison.[1]
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