The drivers and teams will race the first road course of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 this weekend.
Racing at Sonoma Raceway includes left and right turns, uphill and downhill sections, short stretches and long stretches, sweeping turns, hairpin turns and everything in between. It really presents a completely different challenge for the drivers and crew chiefs than what they deal with during most of the season.
Road course racing is a place where a team that might not have a shot at making the playoffs can use the right strategy and score the “win and you’re in” ticket to NASCAR’s post-season.
Here is the track and race data that every team will be dealing with this week.
Sonoma Raceway Data
Track Size: 2.52-miles
Number of Turns: 12 varying
Toyota/Save Mart 350 Data
Season Race #: 16 of 36 (06-23-19)
Race Length: 90 laps / 226.8 miles
Stage 1 and 2 Length: 20 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 50 laps
These are the active drivers that have had the best overall performance at Sonoma during their NASCAR Cup Series careers.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Sonoma
Kurt Busch ……………………………. 107.1
Jimmie Johnson ……………………… 99.4
Kevin Harvick …………………………. 94.3
Martin Truex Jr. ………………………. 92.8
Clint Bowyer …………………………… 92.0
Kyle Busch …………………………….. 91.9
Chase Elliott …………………………… 87.5
Ryan Newman ………………………… 85.1
Denny Hamlin. ………………………… 83.3
Joey Logano …………………………… 82.8
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races (14 total) among active drivers at Sonoma Raceway.
There are six active drivers that have found the right strategy to win a race at Sonoma during their careers in NASCAR’s top division. Only two of those drivers have been able to achieve victory twice at the track.
Martin Truex Jr – 2 Wins (2013, 2018)
Kyle Busch – 2 Wins (2008, 2015)
Kevin Harvick – 1 Win (2017)
Clint Bowyer – 1 Win (2012)
Kurt Busch – 1 Win (2011)
Jimmie Johnson – 1 Win (2010)
Perhaps it’s just me, but I am ready for rain when NASCAR is at a road course. Since windshield wipers and break lights were mandated for road course races in the Cup Series they have not been needed. I want to see NASCAR race in the rain at a road course, does that make me wrong? It doesn’t look like that will happen this weekend as the weather forecast for Sonoma, CA has a zero percent chance of rain.
Which crew chief will come up with a winning strategy? Which team will execute that winning strategy? Which driver will be able to race that strategy to claim the win?
We will find out Sunday, June 23rd when NASCAR hits road course of Sonoma Raceway in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 starting at 2 PM central time (3 PM eastern time).
By: Buck Stevens
