Preview: The Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma Raceway
NASCAR’s premier series is stopping at Sonoma Raceway for the first road course event of the season.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is embarking on its sixteenth race of the 2018 campaign, but the first road course race this year. As the Cup Series goes west for the second time this season, it is the first and only stop at Sonoma Raceway in California.
Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer produced the fastest times in practice. However, it was all Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson at the end of qualifying. The 25-year-old Californian weaved his way around the 2.52-mile road course at 94.597 miles per hour to capture the Busch Pole Award. He was the pole sitter for last year’s race at Sonoma, though Kevin Harvick decisively won that race. Harvick, who qualified P6 for this weekend's contest, has five wins this season.
Will Harvick continue his dominance and win his second race in a row at Sonoma or will Larson finally have a breakthrough and win at his home track? If Cup practice is a sign of what we should expect on race day, we may see another win for Stewart-Haas Racing courtesy of Bowyer or Harvick; both have won races this season. Regardless of who takes home the 'W,' the Toyota/Save Mart 350 should prove to be an exciting race to watch.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Schedule for the Toyota/Save Mart 350:
Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Follow live)
The Place: Sonoma Raceway
The Date: Sunday, June 24, 2018
The Time: Approximately 3 p.m. EST
TV: Fox Sports 1, 1:30 p.m. EST
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Hashtag: #TSM350
Distance: 218.9 miles (110 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 110)
Press Pass (Watch live)
Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: 6:00 p.m. EST
Listen: Favorite NASCAR Driver
Starting Lineup
(Position, Driver, Manufacturer, Speed)
1. Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 94.597
2. Martin Truex, Jr., Toyota, 94.484
3. Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 94.461
4. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 94.227
5. A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 93.925
6. Kevin Harvick, Ford, 93.856
7. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 93.824
8. William Byron, Chevrolet, 93.756
9. Kyle Busch, Toyota, 93.679
10. Brad Keselowski, Ford, 93.409
11. Ryan Blaney, Ford, 93.354
12. Joey Logano, Ford, 92.309
13. Trevor Bayne, Ford, 93.455
14. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 93.454
15. Paul Menard, Ford, 93.438
16. Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 93.372
17. Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 93.267
18. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ford, 93.265
19. Clint Bowyer, Ford, 93.252
20. Erik Jones, Toyota, 93.241
21. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 93.190
22. Michael McDowell, Ford, 93.126
23. Kurt Busch, Ford, 93.114
24. Aric Almirola, Ford, 93.066
25. Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 93.024
26. Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 93.017
27. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 92.930
28. David Ragan, Ford, 92.490
29. Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 92.396
30. Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 92.290
31. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 92.244
32. Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 92.145
33. Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 91.961
34. Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 91.522
35. Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 91.179
36. Chris Cook, Ford, 90.536
37. Tomy Drissi, Chevrolet, 89.858
38. Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 89.220
Past 10 Winners at Sonoma Raceway
(Year, Driver, Manufacturer)
2008, Kyle Busch, Toyota
2009, Kasey Kahne, Dodge
2010, Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2011, Kurt Busch, Dodge
2012, Clint Bowyer, Toyota
2013, Martin Truex, Jr., Toyota
2014, Carl Edwards, Ford
2015, Kyle Busch, Toyota
2016, Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
2017, Kevin Harvick, Ford
To the dismay of die-hard NASCAR fans who love road courses, the Monster Energy Cup Series only races at Sonoma Raceway once a year. Ricky Rudd won the first Cup race at Sonoma, a 186-mile race, in 1989 behind the wheel of a Buick. Rusty Wallace then won the following year at Sonoma in a Pontiac.
The past 10 winners at Sonoma have all been veteran drivers proving that it’s a difficult course for young guns to find success at. Kyle Busch is the only driver, active or retired, that has multiple wins at Sonoma. He snagged his first Cup Series win there in 2008 and the second in 2015.
Matt Kenseth has the most starts at Sonoma with 18 races, and SHR teammates Harvick and Busch follow closely behind him having competed in 17 races at the road course. Both Bowyer and Kurt Busch have seven top-fives at Sonoma, and in his career, Busch has led the most laps at the track out of all current Cup drivers with 197. Ironically, he is the only Stewart-Haas driver without a win this season. Will his luck change? Will we witness a fresh face in 2018 make it to Victory Lane?
