Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images Longtime road racing star Boris Said practices Friday for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge/Savemart 350 Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Click photo for larger image.

Road racing and oval racing are two very different disciplines.

That's why some NASCAR Nextel Cup teams hire veteran sports car drivers such as Ron Fellows and Scott Pruett to race at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International, the only two road circuits on the yearly schedule.

It's also why drivers such as Scott Riggs go to great lengths in an effort to improve their road racing skills, often attending driving schools and getting tips from teammates and others with experience taking both left and right turns at speed.

Riggs, who will make only his third road course start today in the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, spent one day in April testing on the 1.99-mile, 10-turn Sonoma, Calif., course to refresh his memory of the corners and how to maneuver through them.

He also has been to Virginia International Raceway, where he not only got extra seat time driving the road course but also spent some time in a passenger seat learning from teammate Boris Said, a longtime road racing star.

"We've put in a lot of effort between last year and now to be more prepared for this weekend," said Riggs, who drives for MBV Motorsports. "So, hopefully, that work will pay off and we can bring home a decent finish. We just need to stay patient, keep the car on the track and stay away from trouble."

Riggs also hopes the extra time and effort he has put in on the road courses pays off.

"I feel like I've learned a lot of things to make me a better road course driver since this time last year," he said. "I'm getting to the point that I can do things as a reaction and not have to think about it before I do it, so I'm not a step behind.

"A lot of the things you do on a road course are the exact opposite of the things you do on a normal track, as far as reactions go. So, last year, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I needed to do next."

As for his visit to VIR with Said, Riggs noted, "We carried a special car up there that had two seats in it. I rode in the passenger seat while Boris drove. That was quite an experience.

"It's a whole new sensation not being in control of the car. It was especially scary going around the corners where Boris would slide the back tires around to make a sharp turn. I prefer being in the driver's seat myself. But Boris is a great teacher.

"He's so talented on these road courses and has such control that he can drive behind you, keep his microphone keyed, and tell you what you're doing well or what you need to be doing better all the way around the track. That's a valuable tool," Riggs added.

Riggs started 42nd and finished 41st last year at Infineon, then started 31st and finished 23rd at Watkins Glen.

"Road course racing is fun," Riggs said. "It's just not fun when you show up and 42 cars are faster than you. Hopefully, what we've done in the offseason will keep us from that situation this year.

"I won't go so far as to say I look forward to road courses yet, but I think if we keep the Valvoline Chevy on the racetrack and out of trouble it will be a positive day for us."

Said, working his way toward a full-time Cup ride, has driven in five NASCAR races at the Sonoma track, winning a pole in 2003 and finished sixth each of the last two years.

Hot streak

Roush Racing heads into Sonoma as the hottest team in the Cup series, having won eight of the first 15 races this season, including the last three -- two by Greg Biffle and one by Carl Edwards.

But Roush's record on the California road course belies the team owner's longtime road racing success in sports car racing. His drivers have combined for 50 starts at Infineon Raceway, with the only win by Mark Martin in 1997.

Martin has 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts for Roush at Sonoma, while teammates Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch have just one top 10 -- a fourth by Busch in 2002 -- in a combined 27 starts. Edwards will be racing at Sonoma for the first time today.

"I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about bringing the Nextel Cup cars to the road courses, but I think it's a nice twist a few times a year," Busch said. "You do have to put a lot of resources behind these two races to build entirely different cars so, from that standpoint, I wouldn't mind doing these type events maybe three or four times a year."

Wind aided

Thanks to an invitation from Dodge Motorsports, several race engineers from NASCAR's Petty Enterprises team spent this week in Stuttgart, Germany, at one of the world's state-of-the-art wind tunnels.

The team shipped two of its Dodges to Germany last month for the tests.

The wind tunnel, owned by DaimlerChrysler, is equipped with a unique "Rolling Road" system. Cars travel on a belt and can simulate different pitches and angles. Used by Mercedes, Petty Enterprises hopes the facility will provide it with unmatched information that can translate into engineering and technical help for drivers Kyle Petty and Jeff Green.

Stat of the week

Terry Labonte, who will substitute for Jason Leffler in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 11 Chevrolet this week at Infineon Raceway, has competed in 54 road course events on the Cup circuit, more than any other driver. The two-time series champion also leads the way with eight road-course pole positions. Racing at the Sonoma track, Labonte has finished in the top 10 in seven of 16 tries, with one pole. His best finish was second in 1992.