Juan Pablo Montoya took the checkered flag on the road at Infineon in June after winning in Mexico City on the Nationwide Series in March.

Luckily, the rookie from Colombia did not have to spin out one of his Ganassi teammates to cross the line first at the Cup level, which he did on the junior circuit to teammate Scott Pruett. It was a shot below the belt, or south of the border.

In his second Cup season, Montoya will once again be a threat on the road courses, as will the latest crop of open wheel imports — namely rookies Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve — who have experience turning right and left.

The new accents add an element of surprise to the race, but the battle-tested road warriors remain the same. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are the kings of the road, and will continue to be.

Gordon has five career wins at Sonoma, which is more than any driver since the Cup’s annual trip to wine country started in 1989. He also cruised to a runner-up in ’03, a third in ’01 and a seventh last year. Stewart ran away with wins in ’05 and ’01, while also registering a runner-up finish in ’02, a sixth in 2007 and a 10th in 2000.

Robby Gordon won here in ’03 and led 48 laps on his way to 16th place last year after fuel mileage ruined his shot at a win. The “other” Gordon is always a threat on the road.

As usual, road ringer Boris Said (sixth in ’03 and ’04, ninth in ’06 and ’07) will get plenty of pub.

FANTASY STALL

Looking at Checkers
Stick with the usual suspects: Gordon and Stewart.
Pretty Solid Pick
Juan Pablo Montoya
Good Sleeper Pick
Jamie McMurray is worth a look.

Runs on Seven Cylinders
Dave Blaney, Kyle Petty
Insider Tip
Take a flyer on one of the open wheelers.

KEEP AN EYE ON...
Greg Biffle Surprisingly, Biffle has three top-10 runs at Infineon and Watkins Glen in the last four races. His last two at Infineon have gone for fifth- and fourth-place showings.

Carl Edwards He hasn’t set the road ablaze, but Edwards does have three top 10s in his last four road course starts.

Jamie McMurray A look at the 2007 result sheet can be deceiving. McMurray is credited with a 37th-place finish but actually won the pole and led 30 laps. He was on point late when Juan Pablo Montoya passed him, and McMurray promptly ran out of gas on the final lap, plunging 35 spots as a result.

The Old Guard Retired or semi-retired drivers have made one-off starts on the road courses over the last few seasons with modestly successful results. Terry Labonte drove Hall of Fame Racing’s No. 96 to a third-place run in 2006. If Labonte or a guy like Ricky Rudd suits up, their experience and smarts could go a long way for a struggling operation in need of some camera time.