Jimmie Johnson took his first road course win after Marcos Ambrose stalled on the uphill under caution, which cost him the lead and a NASCAR ruling.
The 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on 20 June 2010 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. It was the sixteenth race of the 2010 season and the first of two road course events on the schedule.
Jimmie Johnson won the 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on 20 June 2010, his fourth win of the season. Marcos Ambrose had led near the end, but he stalled his car on an uphill section under caution, and NASCAR ruled that he had not maintained reasonable speed.
Who won the 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350?
Johnson won for Hendrick Motorsports, with Robby Gordon second, Kevin Harvick third, Kasey Kahne fourth and Jeff Gordon fifth. The margin was 3.105 seconds, and the race took two hours, fifty-six minutes and thirty-eight seconds.
It was Johnson's first win at Infineon Raceway and his first on a road course. Before the race he had said he hoped the team had finally overturned a stone it had missed in the past, after eight years of trying.
Johnson started from second on the grid, behind Kahne. Kahne had taken the pole, but he lost six positions in the first seven laps.
A stall under caution cost Marcos Ambrose the lead, and Jimmie Johnson took his first road course win from second on the grid.
What was the track like?
The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn circuit 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long. The track was modified in 1998 with the addition of the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6 and shortened the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km).
Many drivers criticised the Chute and preferred the full layout. In 2001 it was replaced by a 70-degree turn, 4A, which brought the track to its current 1.99 miles (3.20 km).
Infineon is one of two road courses that host NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International, and the Sonoma event was the first of two road course competitions on the 2010 schedule.
What did practice and qualifying show?
Three practice sessions were held before the race: one 90-minute session on Friday, and two on Saturday lasting 45 and 65 minutes. Ambrose was quickest in the first session, and he was again fastest in the second at 1:16.40.
In the evening session Ambrose set 1:16.82, narrowly faster than McMurray in second and Burton in third. Juan Pablo Montoya, who had won this race in 2007, managed only twelfth in practice.
Forty-six cars were entered in qualifying, and forty-three were able to race under NASCAR's procedure. Kahne took pole at 1:16.30, his 17th career pole, with Johnson alongside him on the front row.
Kurt Busch qualified third, Harvick fourth and Jeff Gordon fifth. Brian Simo, Brandon Ash and Michael Waltrip did not qualify.
Which road course ringers took part?
Two teams replaced their regular drivers with road course specialists. Red Bull Racing put Mattias Ekstrom, a two-time DTM champion, in the car of Casey Mears after an accident at the previous race.
Phoenix Racing chose Jan Magnussen to replace Landon Cassill for the same weekend.
How did the race start?
The race began at 3 p.m. EDT and was televised live on TNT, in sunny conditions with a high of 80 F (27 C). Robin Meade sang the national anthem before the start.
Hornish Jr. and Ragan dropped to the back of the field, because they had changed to spare cars after accidents in practice and qualifying.
Kahne held the lead into the first corner with Johnson behind him. At turn seven Kurt Busch moved three-wide alongside Kahne and Johnson, and Johnson took the lead as Kahne eased off.
Johnson kept extending his lead over Kurt Busch, which reached 3.17 seconds. The first caution came on lap 11, for an accident involving Bowyer, Allmendinger, Kyle Busch and McMurray.
Who led through the pit stops?
Four laps after the caution, some teams pitted, and Johnson kept the lead on the restart while Ambrose passed Kurt Busch for second. Tony Stewart also moved up by passing Harvick for fourth when McMurray spun on the restart.
Green-flag pit stops began on lap 27, when Ambrose came in for fuel and four new tyres. A few laps later Bobby Labonte was given a drive-through for leaving pit road too fast.
Johnson pitted on lap 35 for four new tyres and fuel, and Stewart briefly took the lead. Mattias Ekstrom then led, and Johnson built a 1.58 second lead over Ambrose by lap 44.
Hamlin's hood began to cover his windshield under green-flag conditions. Hamlin then took a drive-through for speeding on pit road. Ambrose came in on lap 52, as his team was following a three-stop plan.
What happened under the safety car?
Johnson had led Truex Jr. by 13 seconds at lap 54, but the safety car erased that gap on the fifty-eighth lap after Dave Blaney spun. After pit stops were completed, the top five were Boris Said, Tony Stewart, Ambrose, Ekstrom and David Ragan.
Said made a good restart, but Ambrose passed him because his tyres were older. Johnson had passed four cars within a lap and was third when Truex Jr. spun at turn 11.
Why was there a red flag?
The third caution flew when Brad Keselowski turned sideways at turn ten with major damage to the splitter, after he had run through the dirt off the track. A slow restart by Said then caused cars to collide, and NASCAR red-flagged the race on lap 67.
The field fired up again after twenty-two minutes, even as cleanup crews were working, and Ambrose got a strong getaway on lap 70 to hold off Johnson.
On lap 79 Johnson pitted for fuel and four new tyres, and he was scored in seventeenth afterwards. Bowyer then became the leader when Ambrose pitted for new tyres and fuel.
What happened in the final stint?
The fifth caution came on lap 85, when Montoya and Logano collided. Said led the restart but went off track at turn two and fell to fifth, as Ambrose, Johnson, Robby Gordon and Biffle passed him.
The sixth caution followed when Ekstrom and David Gilliland both spun. On lap 100, Bowyer and Sadler were spun sideways after Jeff Gordon collided with them.
The seventh caution came three laps later, when Keselowski had fluid leaking from his car after being spun around by Gilliland.
Why did Ambrose lose the lead?
Under caution, Ambrose stopped his car in the first turn to save fuel in case of a green-white-checkered finish. He stalled on the hill and lost six positions, and then went back to the lead under caution.
NASCAR ruled that Ambrose had failed to maintain any speed under caution by stalling his car, and he was ordered back to seventh place for the restart. Ambrose obeyed the ruling, and Johnson took the lead from Robby Gordon on the restart.
How did the race finish?
On the final lap Matt Kenseth spun and collided with the tyre barriers after his brakes failed. Johnson crossed the line first to take his fourth win of the season and his first on a road course.
Robby Gordon came second, Harvick third, Kahne fourth and Jeff Gordon fifth. Eight cautions and twelve lead changes shaped the race among eight different drivers.
What did the result do to the standings?
Harvick led the drivers' championship after the race with 2,334 points. Johnson was second on 2,194 points, one point ahead of Kyle Busch and eleven ahead of Denny Hamlin, with twenty races remaining in the season.
| Position | Driver | Standing after the race |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 2,334 points |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 2,194 points |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | One point behind Johnson |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | Eleven points behind Johnson |
| 5 | Jeff Gordon | 2,142 points |
In the manufacturers' championship, Chevrolet kept its lead with 112 points, while Toyota remained second with 103. Ford followed with 69 points, one point ahead of Dodge in fourth.
What did the drivers say afterwards?
Johnson said he felt bad for Ambrose, and that the victory had been a gift handed to the team. He said the stall was the last type of mistake he would have expected from Ambrose.
Truex Jr. was furious about the accident involving himself and Jeff Gordon, and he vowed to get even. Gordon apologised for the collision, and Robby Gordon said the second place would be a morale boost for his team.
