Press Snoop: Practice at Sonoma.

the latest news from around the world, courtesy of press snoop Lynne Huntting

JEFF GORDON/No.24 Dupont Chevrolet was fastest in both Saturday practice sessions for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge/Save Mart 350 Race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California.

For a brief while in Happy Hour practice, JAMIE McMURRAY/No.42 Texaco/Havoline swapped places with Gordon. In the end, it was Gordon, RUSTY WALLACE/No.2 Miller Lite Dodge and McMurray for the top three in Happy Hour. In the morning practice, it was Gordon, KURT BUSCH/No.97 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford, and KEVIN HARVICK/No.29 GMAC Chevrolet. All 43 drivers are shown as participating in Happy Hour.

GREG BIFFLE/No.16 National Guard/Travelodge Ford had planned well in advance to skip Saturday at Sears to run the one-day NASCAR Busch Series race at The Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin. He left Sonoma immediately after Qualifying on Friday afternoon to fly to Milwaukee, where he will race the No.60 Charter Communications Ford for Roush Racing in the Alan Kulwicki 250 race. Biffle was fastest of 44 cars in the first practice, and fifteenth in the second, of 38 cars. Rookie phenom, KYLE BUSCH/No.5 Lows Chevrolet was fastest in that session. He is P30 in line for Qualifying Saturday afternoon.

TOM HUBERT drove Biffle's car in Happy Hour, and was last of the 43 cars on track. DOUG RICHERT, Biffle's crew chief, said the car did not go out in the earlier morning practice, by design.

KIRK SHELMERDINE, owner and usual driver for the No.72 Freddie B's Ford, practiced his car Friday, and substituted TOM HUBERT in for Qualifying, where he ran thirty-fifth. Saturday morning, Shelmerdine practiced his car in both sessions, although the time sheets showed No Time. The crew said he turned six or so laps in the first session and several in Happy Hour, and the transponder was in the car.

For the race, the plan is, according to the two-man crew working on the car, for Hubert to run the race, or at least start it. The hitch is that Hubert works for Bill Davis Racing which runs Rookie SCOTT WIMMER in No.22 Caterpillar Dodge ... and Hubert is the tire changers. So Shelmerdine is trying to work that out. Stay tuned.

Road Racing Ringer, BORIS SAID/No.36 Centrix Chevrolet was fifth in the early Nextel Cup Practice and fourth in Happy Hour, after running third for a while. He is running all three featured races this weekend, Nextel Cup, Southwest Series, and Motorock Trans-Am. Said was fastest in the practice sessions for both Southwest Series and Trans-Am.

It's never over until the Fat Lady Sings. Polesitter Said almost won the Southwest Series race, after leading every lap of the caution-extended race...until he spun out on Lap 66 in Turn Eleven as he was headed for the White Flag indicating one lap to go. Southwest Series has a Green-White-Checker rule, like the Craftsman Trucks, which means its races do not end under Caution. Said locked it up under braking and spun, and was hit by KEVIN HARVICK/No.92 Snap-On Tools Chevrolet, who was charging hard after Said. Harvick continued around another lap and then retired with front end damage. A very dejected, tired and hot Said got out of the car and just lay his head down on the car roof.

Although it appeared that BURNEY LAMAR/No.Groeniger Chevrolet won the crash-interrupted race, after taking over the lead in Turn Eleven from DAVID GILLILAND/No.88, on their way to the chequered flag, NASCAR announced that the Caution flag came out yet again before the chequered, freezing the field - before the pass, and Gilliland was the winner. Stay tuned. NASCAR has yet another weekend of controversial finishes, even with the Green-White-Chequered Rule.

BRYAN GERMONE/No.89 Generations of Sonoma Chevrolet was third. It was an unbelievable race, as always. Often the Southwest race is more exciting than the Cup race.

Said should be good and tired when it comes time after the race to run the hour-long Trans-Am Qualifying session. Good thing he uses the natural sports performance Cytosport products, made by his fellow Trans-Am competitor, GREG PICKETT/No.6 Cytosport Jaguar.

KLAUS GRAF of Germany is making his NASCAR debut this weekend, running a second car this weekend for BAM Racing. This isn't just his first Cup race, it's his first NASCAR race, period. He tested earlier this Spring at Infineon, but other than that and one test day at Virginia International Raceway, the sports car racer has had no prior experience in a Cup car. He did race the Nashville ARCA race, where he finished third, and he said he "almost won" the Kentucky Speedway ARCA race, which he said was a last minute idea of Schrader. The Talladega ARCA race will come later this summer after some oval testing.

Racing at 1-55 Speedway in Pevely MO, a three-eighths dirt track owned by Schrader, is what Graf would really like to do.

Graf has run Infineon Raceway, on the longer road course configuration, in the factory Panoz cars for the American Le Mans Series races. He said he misses the 'Esses' or Carousel. Graf likes the Infineon circuit saying it was a fun place and a good track.

The Cup car had some mechanical problems Friday with carburettor and sway bar, so Graf had but five laps in practice before he ran qualifying. He will start the race in thirty-eighth position, the last car to qualify on time.

Graf ran much better Saturday morning. He was thirteenth in the first practice, and eighth in Happy Hour.

When asked why Graf chose Nextel Cup, he said "Why not?" It's the top series, and is very popular here in America.

Graf is managed by CHRISTIAN KUHN of Speed Motor Sports Management, and the plan to go NASCAR racing has been two years in the work. The company has been watching the growth of NASCAR's popularity in Germany. Kuhn said "We want to bring Germany to NASCAR. It's a matter of building up NASCAR knowledge and having a German driver will help. Kuhn selected Graf to be that German driver, and having him race a Dodge will help. Dodge is owned by DaimlerChrysler. FERNANDO PAIVA does the commentary for the NASCAR races in Germany, and is on site this weekend.

Kuhn said he is a colour commentator for six of the NASCAR races shown on German TV. This race will be one of them and he goes back Tuesday for that.

Graf doesn't have much of a language barrier. He speaks very good English, and said it's "easy to understand Ken (KEN SCHRADER/No.49 Schwan's Home Services Dodge), and besides, Graf said he lived in Atlanta for three years while racing the factory Panoz sports cars. One of his enjoyments was sitting in the stands of Lanier Raceway, across the road from Road Atlanta, home base for the Panoz team. He enjoyed sitting in the stands, drinking beer and eating hot dogs.

Graf doesn't find it that difficult to transition from sports cars to stock cars, especially going from the Porsche SuperCup cars to Cup cars. They're both 'stock' cars. The Porsches have half the power and half the weight of a stock car. So it is difficult to compare the two kinds of cars.

Graf is running the full Michelin Porsche SuperCup series this season, and will only miss one of those races, which run with the European Formula One races. The Hungary round conflicts with the Cup race at Watkins Glen, which is the other Cup race for sure on Graf's 2004 schedule. He hopes for more, but it is difficult to find funding. Graf has never run before at the Glen but he will test there before the race. Graf keeps in touch with JOHNNY O'CONNELL, one of team-mates on the Panoz team, and gets some tips from him.

Graf said he has vast experience in a lot of different race cars and series. "I have so much knowledge from so many cars and series, it is a big advantage for me." He said for the Cup cars, the secret is to keep the car smooth.

Graf said the pit stops in Cup aren't that much different from road racing - "It's pretty basic stuff. It is a challenge, and pit stops can make a different in race outcome."

Graf has spent time with Schrader talking about Cup racing, and has talked some with Said about it and this track. (I'm not sure where Boris would have found the time.)

The most difficult part of running NASCAR races is learning the procedures and culture of stock car and NASCAR racing. He hopes to be able to gain the trust of the other drivers. Graf went to the mandatory Cup Rookie meeting Friday and he said "they are all cool."

Graf plans on testing on ovals, which he knows is "where it's at." He doesn't want the stigma of being a "road racer." Graf's ultimate goal is to run a full Nextel Cup season, which he acknowledges will not be easy. Presently he lives in the Black Forest in Germany, but looks forward to living in Charlotte one day.

Goodyear Tires brought no rain tires to Infineon and there will be no more rain tires at races. Goodyear's. DARYL DUNCAN, the General Manager for Carroll Shelby Goodyear Tires on the west coast, said that JOHN DARBY, Nextel Cup Director, has said there will be no more NASCAR racing in the rain.

For the first time, the Goodyear tires have different constructions for front and rear tires. Normally, the left and right tires are different, said DARYL DUNCAN, the Goodyear Motorsports Manager on site for this race. The fronts are stiffer, for turn in. The rears are looser for drive off in the corners.

The NASCAR Southwest Series runs on Hoosier bias ply tires, and the other Western Series, Grand National West Series, runs Goodyear bias ply tires.

Cup Rookie, BRIAN VICKERS/No.25 GMAC Chevrolet was touted as running the Southwest Series race this weekend, but it didn't happen, and when asked, Vickers said he hadn't planned on it. He said he was busy enough with the Cup race.