The 2005 Dodge/Save Mart 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 26, 2005, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Infineon Raceway, a 1.99 miles (3.20 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 110 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would best Ricky Rudd of Wood Brothers Racing, passing him in the closing laps of the race to win his 20th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Kurt Busch of Roush Racing would finish third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 36 in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2005 Dodge/Save Mart 350 program cover. | |||
| Date | June 26, 2005 | ||
| Official name | 17th Annual Dodge/Save Mart 350 | ||
| Location | Sonoma, California, Infineon Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.99 mi (3.203 km) | ||
| Distance | 110 laps, 218.9 mi (352.285 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 110 laps, 218.9 mi (352.285 km) | ||
| Average speed | 72.845 miles per hour (117.233 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:15.950 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 39 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
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Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[2] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[3] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[4]
Entry list
edit*The #71 would withdraw for the race. Mike Wallace, originally intended to drive the #4, would be switched to P. J. Jones, originally slated to drive the #71.[5]
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session would take place on Friday, June 24, at 11:20 AM PST and would last for an hour[6] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:16.158 and an average speed of 94.068 miles per hour (151.388 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.158 | 94.068 |
| 2 | 36 | Boris Said | MB Sutton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.166 | 94.058 |
| 3 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.208 | 94.006 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session would take place on Saturday, June 25, at 9:30 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[6] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:16.505 and an average speed of 93.641 miles per hour (150.701 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.505 | 93.641 |
| 2 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 1:16.614 | 93.508 |
| 3 | 36 | Boris Said | MB Sutton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.614 | 93.508 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session would take place on Saturday, June 25, at 11:10 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[6] Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:15.937 and an average speed of 94.341 miles per hour (151.827 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 1:15.937 | 94.341 |
| 2 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:15.975 | 94.294 |
| 3 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:16.382 | 93.792 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying would take place on Friday, June 24, at 3:10 PM PST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a time.[6] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole and set a new track record, setting a lap of 1:15.950 and an average speed of 94.325 miles per hour (151.801 km/h).[8]
Two drivers would spin during qualifying: first, Elliott Sadler would spin in Turn 10, making him qualify on a provisional. Then, José Luis Ramírez would go off track and spin, causing him to miss the race.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ "Stewart wins one-handed at Sonoma - Sports - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC". 2020-06-19. Archived from the original on 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". 2007-09-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ a b "Drivers struggle to find grip in Sonoma practices". AccessWDUN. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski'sฎ Silly Season Site - Race Info / Rundown Page". 2005-06-27. Archived from the original on 2005-06-27. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site". 2005-06-27. Archived from the original on 2005-06-27. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Jeff Gordon wins Sonoma pole again". Lewiston Sun Journal. 2005-06-25. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Qualifying times: Dodge/Save Mart 350". Crash. 2005-06-25. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "2005 Dodge/Save Mart 350 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.