Sweat out Infineon

Infineon Raceway has to be a blast to drive. This was just my second trip to the road course. My first trip there was and is still very memorable. Last year we were involved in a late race crash that injured dad's hand.

I was more nervous going into this race than I was going to Daytona this year. At most tracks I feel comfortable but since the crash last year I was dreading Infineon.

The track is really amazing with all of the elevation changes and the drastic speed changes. It looks really tough to drive. I have driven at The Glen but Infineon appears to be a harder race track.

We all had to sweat it out on Friday. Qualifying day makes all of us nervous because we know there is a chance of having to take the lonely trip home if we don't qualify. Things worked out this week as all 3 MWR teams made the race. I know it doesn't fix everything but it felt good.

Before the race started I was a nervous wreck. No pun intended. I couldn't eat lunch and I went to the spotter's stand about two hours early. I wanted to make sure that I had a spot up there that I was comfortable with.

Just like when I used to drive, the nervousness went away when the green flag flew. I knew it was time to do my job to the best of my ability.

The road races always come down to fuel mileage or some type of pit strategy. We were able to finish 26th by making it to the end by not running out of fuel. Others were not so fortunate. It is not the finish the any of us were looking for but it was better than leaving on Friday.

I like Juan Pablo so I was happy to see him get his first win. He is a winner and I predict that this win will give Juan and his team the confidence to win on an oval later in the year. When we go to some tracks for the second time he will contend for some wins.

Well, as we move on to Loudon, I have to say that I was glad to get out of Sonoma without a crashed car this year. Now I can look forward to this race next year.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure is heading into its summer stretch. Call 888-GO-RACE-1 or log on to www.RacingAdventure.com for the most up to date schedule of events.