It is good to be back. Some may have noticed that since Dover, I haven’t been blogging. Well, I was at the Michigan race. Many people think Michigan is not a fun race to watch, but it had some great racing. But let’s get back to the present. Now we roll to Sonoma the road course, the first of two road course events on the schedule. As of now ten drivers are locked in the Chase, and we still have several races left. And only six spots left.

When Nascar goes to a road course, many names come to mind. But, there are two unrivaled champions on these tracks. Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Combined this duo has won sixteen races on road courses. Jeff has nine and Stewart has seven. note: Gordon has raced seven more years than Stewart. These two have always been amazing in these tracks. There are several other capable drivers but these two are the masters, where the others are the students.

Gordon has several teammates, but surprisingly, none have picked up his success. Jimmie Johnson has won at Sonoma once, but he has never been a big factor. Kasey Kahne also won Sonoma once, but he is about the same as Jimmie. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the last of the Hendrick quartet is pretty awful at these tracks. Last year he scored only his first top-ten. But, it was a top-five. So that could be a change.

On Stewart’s side, his teammates have had their share of success. Kevin Harvick won his first and so far only road course race in 2006. Over Stewart. Ironic, isn’t it. And Kurt Busch won his first and also only road race in 2011, over Gordon. Also Ironic. Danica Patrick is the only Stewart-Hass racer who has yet to win a road race. However, she has been decent. And Danica has shown dramatic improvement this year. So watch them.

Few others have had notable success at these tracks. Kyle Busch has won a couple road races, but Sonoma is not his best track. Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya were two of the best, but both have moved on from Nascar. Few can replace those masters. Last year A.J. Allmendinger won at Watkins Glen, so he should be watched.

Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are both the best picks. They are my picks. Plain and simple. However, road courses are strange tracks, and that means sometimes you get a surprise winner. However, in almost every race Tony and Jeff have been at or near the front. So they are without a doubt the picks.