Road courses ... love 'em or hate 'em

Infineon Raceway in California's beautiful Napa Valley wine country is a fun place to see a NASCAR race, but it's a challenge for both the drivers and fans. While the Sprint Cup stars are turning right and left, most of the fans have quite a hike to get to their seats. Infineon, formerly known as Sears Point, is built on and around the wine country hills and the parking lots are steep and spread out. Add to that 90-degree temps, very limited shade, and a dusty wind and the fans in the terraced seats earn their stripes at Infineon. Sun screen and cold beverages are an absolute necessity. But the hiking and sun exposure are all worth it if you get to see one of your favorite drivers win here. I was fortunate to see Juan Pablo Montoya's first Sprint Cup win here last year. Maybe we'll see another first-time winner Sunday ... perhaps one of Saturday's fastest guys in practice, Marcos Ambrose? Or maybe Boris Said? After watching practice Saturday and listening to the Speed TV guys on the scanner, look for a strong effort from Dale Earnhardt Jr. A 76-race win drought to a two-race win streak? That would be an outcome both Junior Nation and NASCAR would enjoy.

-- Michele Vincze