Sonoma, California is a special place for four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. The 1.99-mile road course in Sonoma is located less than a half-hour's drive from Gordon's hometown of Vallejo, maybe that's why he's had so much success there.

Gordon holds the record for wins at Sonoma, with five. In addition to those victories, the driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet has nine top-5's and eleven top-10's in just fifteen starts.

Despite starting deep in the field during last year's event (41st to be exact), Gordon was able to methodically work his way to the front a came home with an impressive 7th-place finish.

"It's a special weekend for us," Gordon said. "We've had a lot of success at Sonoma. So, from the team's perspective, this is a race we are really looking forward to."

Yet, Sonoma also holds a special place in Gordon's heart outside of racing. It was at Sonoma Gordon announced his engagement to his wife Ingrid Vandebosch in 2006, and just last year, another personal milestone was made for Gordon when his daughter Ella was born.

This weekend, Gordon, Vandebosch, family and friends together will take time away from the track to celebrate Ella's first birthday.

"My daughter, Ella, will have her first birthday this Friday," the proud father explained.  "For years, we've hosted an event in Napa Valley that allowed us to bring friends and family together, and now we're able to celebrate her birthday, as well.

Hopefully for Gordon, another personal and family milestone will relate to on-track success. Ella's birth last year led to a 7th-place finish, while the announcement of Gordon's engagement produced his fifth win at the track.

Although the CoT was raced here last year, the success Gordon had in this car in 2007 hasn't exactly carried over in 2008. For Sonoma one of the biggest concerns for Gordon is corner speed.

"You can't carry the corner speed with this car like you could with the older version," Gordon explained. "We're on bump stops in the front, so the front suspension reacts quite differently.

"Going up the front straightaway to turn 1, you"re braking and turning at the same time. You have to be careful about loading one corner of the car too abruptly under the braking zones."

Look for Gordon to be full of smiles this weekend and don't be surprised if the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet is a contender for both the pole and the win. Regardless of the outcome, celebrating Ella's first birthday is something no trophy can replace.

"Being a parent is a lot of hard work and one of the toughest things I've ever done," Gordon said, "but it's also the most gratifying and exciting thing I've ever been a part of."