Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Sonoma Raceway Track Facts: 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with four road course wins, two coming at Sonoma Raceway.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Top 16 at Sonoma Raceway
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Kyle Busch
13
0
2
3
5
0
17.1
90.7
 
2
Kevin Harvick
17
0
1
5
8
0
13.8
91.3
 
3
Joey Logano
9
1
0
2
4
0
12.8
83.6
 
4
Brad Keselowski
8
0
0
1
2
1
17.1
78.8
 
5
Clint Bowyer
12
0
1
7
9
1
10.7
90.1
 
6
Martin Truex Jr
12
0
1
2
3
3
21
88.6
 
7
Kurt Busch
17
1
1
7
9
0
14.1
107.5
 
8
Denny Hamlin
12
0
0
3
4
1
19.4
82.6
 
9
Ryan Blaney
2
0
0
0
1
0
16.0
75.0
 
10
Kyle Larson
4
1
0
0
0
0
20.2
82.9
 
11
Aric Almirola
6
0
0
0
0
0
23.3
59.1
 
12
Jimmie Johnson
16
0
1
4
9
1
12.5
99.6
 
13
Chase Elliott
2
0
0
0
1
0
14.5
76.8
 
14
Erik Jones
1
0
0
0
0
0
25.0
49.5
 
15
Alex Bowman
2
0
0
0
0
0
30.0
40.1
 
16
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
5
0
0
0
0
1
28.4
51.0
 
* – Based on last 13 races at Sonoma Raceway.


Loop Data Leaders: Sonoma Raceway
Monster Energy Series - Top 3 In Key Loop Data Statistics
Driver Rating

Avg. Running Position
Laps Led

Kurt Busch
107.5
Kurt Busch
9.960
Kurt Busch
166
Jimmie Johnson
99.6
Jimmie Johnson
11.428
Jimmie Johnson
143
Kevin Harvick
91.3
Kyle Larson
12.834
Kyle Busch
110
      
Fastest Laps Run
% of Laps in the Top 15

Quality Passes

Kurt Busch
88
Kurt Busch
78.6%
Jimmie Johnson
379
Jimmie Johnson
84
Jimmie Johnson
76.3%
Kurt Busch
333
Martin Truex Jr
81
Kyle Larson
68.2%
Kasey Kahne
320
Loop Data stats are from 2005 - Present


 At Sonoma Raceway:

History
·        The track opened as a 2.52-mile road course and drag strip in 1968.
·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race was held on June 11, 1989 – won by Ricky Rudd at an average speed of 76.088 mph.
·        The first nine MENCS races were 300 kilometers and switched to a 350k format in 1998.
·        The track was reconfigured to 1.949 miles in 1998 with the installation of an 890-foot chute between the original Turns 4 and 7.
·        The track was reconfigured to 2.0 miles in 2001 and re-measured at 1.99 miles in 2002.
·        There have been 29 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Sonoma Raceway since the first race there in 1989 – one race per season.

Starts
·        214 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway; 149 in more than one.
·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in starts at Sonoma with 23 starts.
·        Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers this weekend with 17 starts.
·        48 different drivers have made their first series start at Sonoma; including five last year (6/25/2017) – Alon Day, Billy Johnson, Josh Bilicki, Kevin O’Connell and Tommy Regan.
·        Kyle Larson (in four starts) leads the series in average starting position at Sonoma with a 3.250.

Poles
·        A total of 18 different drivers have won the Busch Pole Award at Sonoma, led by Jeff Gordon with five.
·        Jamie McMurray leads all active drivers in Busch poles at Sonoma with three.

·        Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Sonoma in 1989 with a speed of 90.041 mph.  
·        Three drivers have won consecutive Busch poles at Sonoma: Ricky Rudd (1990 through 1992), Jeff Gordon (1998, ’99 and 2004, ’05) and Jamie McMurray (2013, ’14). Rudd holds the record for most consecutive poles at Sonoma with three.
·        Youngest Sonoma pole winner: Joey Logano (06/26/2011 – 21 years, 1 month, 2 days).
·        Oldest Sonoma pole winner: Rusty Wallace (06/25/2000 – 43 years, 10 months, 11 days).
·        Only one Monster Energy Series driver has posted his first Busch pole at Sonoma - Boris Said(6/22/2003).       
·        Five different manufacturers in the Monster Energy Series have won a Busch pole at Sonoma – Chevrolet (14 poles), Ford (seven), Pontiac (three), Toyota (three) and Dodge (two).
·        Four drivers have won Busch poles at Sonoma in two different manufacturers; see chart below:
Drivers
Poles
Ricky Rudd
3 (Chevrolet)
1 (Ford)
Jamie McMurray
2 (Chevrolet)
1 (Ford)
Kasey Kahne
1 (Dodge)
1 (Ford)
Rusty Wallace
1 (Ford)
1 (Pontiac)

Wins
·        A total of 19 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins.
·        Seven active Monster Energy Series drivers have wins at Sonoma; led by Kyle Busch with two victories (2008 and 2015).
·        Busch is the only active driver with multiple wins; Kasey Kahne (2009), Jimmie Johnson (2010), Kurt Busch (2011) Clint Bowyer (2012), Martin Truex Jr. (2013) and Kevin Harvick (2017) each have one win.    
·        Jeff Gordon leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in road course wins with nine (Sonoma, five; Watkins Glen, four); Tony Stewart has the second most road course wins all-time with eight (Watkins Glen, five; Sonoma, three).
·        Kyle Busch leads all active MENCS drivers in road course wins with four (Sonoma, two and Watkins Glen, two) – Busch is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Mark Martin for 10th most MENCS road course wins all-time. 
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series record for the most wins (six) at a single road course track - Riverside International Raceway.
·        Kyle Busch’s two wins at Sonoma and two wins at Watkins Glen are the most by an active driver at a single road course track in the series.
·        Jeff Gordon is the only driver to post consecutive Monster Energy Series wins (three total) at Sonoma Raceway (1998 and 1999 were each from the pole and the 2000 win was from the fifth starting position).

·        Youngest Sonoma winner: Kyle Busch (06/22/2008 – 23 years, 1 month, 20 days).
·        Oldest Sonoma winner: Ricky Rudd (06/23/2002 – 45 years, 9 months, 11 days).
·        Five of the 29 (17.2%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma have been won from the Busch pole; the most recent was Jeff Gordon in 2004.
·        Jeff Gordon leads the series in wins from the pole at Sonoma with three (1998, 1999 and 2004).
·        The Busch Pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.    
·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Sonoma is 32nd, by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007.
·        Only one other time has a Monster Energy Series race been won from a starting position outside the top 15 – Kyle Busch’s 2008 win; he started from 30th.
·        Juan Pablo Montoya is the only Monster Energy Series driver to post his first career win at Sonoma Raceway (2007).
·        Ryan Newman leads the series among active drivers this weekend with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma without visiting Victory Lane at 16.
·        Hendrick Motorsports leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Sonoma with six victories (Jeff Gordon with five and Jimmie Johnson with one); followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with four wins (Kyle Busch with two and Tony Stewart with two). 
·        Six different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma; led byChevrolet with 11 victories; followed by Ford with eight, Toyota (four), Dodge (three), Pontiac (two) and Buick (one).
·        Four drivers have won in two different manufacturers in the Monster Energy Series at Sonoma; see chart below:
Drivers
Wins
Tony Stewart
2 (Chevrolet)
1 (Pontiac)
Ricky Rudd
1 (Buick)
1 (Ford)
Ernie Irvan
1 (Chevrolet)
1 (Ford)
Rusty Wallace
1 (Ford)
1 (Pontiac)

Additional Finishing Positions
·        A total of 18 drivers have finished runner-up in the Monster Energy Series at Sonoma; led by Jeff Gordon with five.
·        Five drivers have multiple runner-up finishes at Sonoma: Jeff Gordon (five), Mark Martin (four), TonyStewart (three), Ricky Rudd (two) and Robby Gordon (two).
·        Five active drivers are tied for the most runner-up finishes at Sonoma: Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman each have one MENCS runner-up finish on the famous road course.
·        A total of 49 different Monster Energy Series driver have finished in the top-five at Sonoma; led by Jeff Gordon with 14 top fives; followed by Ricky Rudd with 10.
·        Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer lead all active drivers in top-five finishes at Sonoma with seven each.  
·        A total of 73 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Sonoma; led by Jeff Gordon with 18.
·        Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers in top 10s at Sonoma with nine each.
·        Jeff Gordon leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Sonoma with an 8.3. Clint Bowyer leads all active drivers with a 10.7.  

All-Time Average Finish at Sonoma
Active Drivers Average Finish at Sonoma
Rank
Drivers
Average Finish
Starts
Rank
Active Drivers
Average Finish
Starts
1
Jeff Gordon
8.3
23
1
Clint Bowyer
10.7
12
2
Dale Earnhardt
8.6
12
2
Jimmie Johnson
12.5
16
3
Rick Wilson
10.5
4
3
Ryan Newman
12.5
16
4
Clint Bowyer
10.7
12
4
Joey Logano
12.8
9
5
Neil Bonnett
11.0
1
5
Kevin Harvick
13.8
17


Track Specific Stats
·        Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway was the June 27, 1999 race won by Jeff Gordon over Mark Martin with a MOV of 0.197 second.
·        Below are the top five closest MOVs in the MENCS at Sonoma:
Margin of Victory
Date
Race Winner
Runner-Up
0.197
6/27/1999
Jeff Gordon
Mark Martin
0.320
5/7/1995
Dale Earnhardt
Mark Martin
0.460
5/5/1996
Rusty Wallace
Mark Martin
0.532
6/28/2015
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
0.553
6/22/2003
Robby Gordon
Jeff Gordon

·        Qualifying has never been cancelled in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway.  
·        None of the 29 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.  
·        None of the 29 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have been postponed to a later date.
·        There have been three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in NASCAR Overtime at Sonoma Raceway:
Date
Actual No. of Laps
Scheduled No. of Laps
NASCAR Overtime Laps
Race Winner
6/24/2012
112
110
2
Clint Bowyer
6/21/2009
113
110
3
Kasey Kahne
6/22/2008
112
110
2
Kyle Busch

·        Jeff Gordon leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Sonoma with 457 laps led in 23 starts.  Kurt Busch leads all active drivers with 197 laps led at Sonoma.
·        Below are the top five Monster Energy Series lap leaders at Sonoma:  
Drivers
Laps Led
Laps Completed
% of Laps Led
Jeff Gordon
457
2343
20%
Kurt Busch
197
1862
11%
Rusty Wallace
171
1516
11%
Mark Martin
161
1975
8%
Robby Gordon
158
1499
11%


Female Competitors
·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to compete at Sonoma Raceway.
Driver
Starting Position
Finishing Position
Driver Rating
Date
Danica Patrick
6
17
66.5
6/25/2017
Danica Patrick
11
19
69.8
6/26/2016
Danica Patrick
21
24
61.6
6/28/2015
Danica Patrick
11
18
69.6
6/22/2014
Danica Patrick
31
29
43.0
6/23/2013
Averages
16.0
21.4
62.1


NASCAR in California
·        There has been a total of 200 NASCAR national series races held in the state of California among 17 different tracks.
·        Please see the chart below for a breakdown of the 200 events:
Track Name
City
Monster Energy
Xfinity
Camping World
Total Races
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana
29
29
13
71
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside
48
0
0
48
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma
29
0
4
33
Mesa Marin Raceway
Bakersfield
0
0
9
9
Ontario Motor Speedway
Ontario
9
0
0
9
California State Fairgrounds
Sacramento
6
0
0
6
Carrell Speedway
Gardena
4
0
0
4
Ascot Stadium
Los Angeles
3
0
0
3
Bay Meadows Race Track
San Mateo
3
0
0
3
Marchbanks Speedway
Hanford
3
0
0
3
Oakland Stadium
Oakland
3
0
0
3
Redwood Speedway
Eureka
2
0
0
2
Willow Springs Speedway
Lancaster
2
0
0
2
Capitol Speedway
Sacramento
1
0
0
1
Merced Fairgrounds
Merced
1
0
0
1
Santa Clara Fairgrounds
San Jose
1
0
0
1
Saugus Speedway
Saugus
0
0
1
1
Totals

144
29
27
200

·        The first NASCAR national series event held in the state of California was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on April 8, 1951 at Carrell Speedway. The race was won by Marshall Teague (Hudson).


California Drivers In NASCAR
·        A total of 438 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as California.
·        40 of the 438 (9.1%) Californian drivers in NASCAR have posted at least one win in one of NASCAR’s three national series. The list of winners is below:
Rank
Driver
Monster Energy
Xfinity
Camping World
1
Jeff Gordon
93
5
0
2
Jimmie Johnson
83
1
0
3
Kevin Harvick
42
47
14
4
Marvin Panch
17
0
0
5
Ernie Irvan
15
3
0
6
Dick Rathmann
13
0
0
7
Dan Gurney
5
0
0
8
Kyle Larson
5
9
2
9
Eddie Gray
4
0
0
10
Parnelli Jones
4
0
0
11
Eddie Pagan
4
0
0
12
Robby Gordon
3
1
0
13
Ray Elder
2
0
0
14
Danny Letner
2
0
0
15
Marvin Porter
2
0
0
16
AJ Allmendinger
1
2
0
17
Dick Brooks
1
0
0
18
Marvin Burke
1
0
0
19
Jim Cook
1
0
0
20
Lou Figaro
1
0
0
21
Danny Graves
1
0
0
22
Johnny Mantz
1
0
0
23
Casey Mears
1
1
0
24
Bill Norton
1
0
0
25
John Soares
1
0
0
26
Danny Weinberg
1
0
0
27
Ron Hornaday Jr
0
4
51
28
Jason Leffler
0
2
1
29
Tyler Reddick
0
2
3
30
Ryan Reed
0
2
0
31
Cole Custer
0
1
2
32
David Gilliland
0
1
0
33
Justin Marks
0
1
0
34
Joe Ruttman
0
1
13
35
Boris Said
0
1
1
36
Mike Skinner
0
1
28
37
Matt Crafton
0
0
14
38
Justin Lofton
0
0
1
39
Scott Speed
0
0
1
40
Brandon Whitt
0
0
1


2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results
Date
Track
Busch Pole
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Race Winner
OEM
2/18/2018
Daytona
Alex Bowman
Kurt Busch
Ryan Blaney
N/A
Austin Dillon
Chevrolet
2/25/2018
Atlanta
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
3/4/2018
Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
3/11/2018
ISM
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
3/18/2018
Auto Club
Martin Truex Jr
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
N/A
Martin Truex Jr
Toyota
3/26/2018
Martinsville
None-Weather
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney 
N/A
Clint Bowyer 
Ford 
4/8/2018
Texas
Kurt Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Busch
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
4/15/2018
Bristol
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
4/21/2018
Richmond
Martin Truex Jr.
Joey Logano
Joey Logano
N/A
Kyle Busch
Toyota
4/29/2018
Talladega
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
Paul Menard
N/A
Joey Logano
Ford
5/6/2018
Dover
Kyle Larson
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
5/12/2018
Kansas
Kevin Harvick
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
N/A
Kevin Harvick
Ford
5/19/2018
All-Star Open
N/A
Alex Bowman
Daniel Suarez
N/A
AJ Allmendinger
Chevrolet
5/19/2018
All-Star Race
Matt Kenseth
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Ford
5/27/2018
Charlotte
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Toyota
6/3/2018
Pocono
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Martin Truex Jr
Toyota
6/10/2018
Michigan
Kurt Busch
Ryan Blaney
Kevin Harvick
N/A
Clint Bowyer 
Ford
        
2018 Top Five MENCS Performers In Each Statistical Category
 
Rank
Drivers
Wins
 
Rank
Drivers
Runner-Ups
 
1
Kevin Harvick
5
 
1
Kyle Busch
3
 
2
Kyle Busch
4
 
2
Kyle Larson
3
 
3
Clint Bowyer
2
 
3
Kevin Harvick
2
 
4
Martin Truex Jr
2
 
4
Martin Truex Jr
2
 
5
Austin Dillon
1
 
5
Brad Keselowski
1
 
 
Joey Logano
1
  
Bubba Wallace
1
 
     
Chase Elliott
1
 
Rank
Drivers
Top Fives
  
Clint Bowyer
1
 
1
Kevin Harvick
11
  
Kurt Busch
1
 
2
Kyle Busch
10
     
3
Martin Truex Jr
9
 
Rank
Drivers
Top 10s
 
4
Denny Hamlin
6
 
1
Joey Logano
12
 
5
Joey Logano
5
 
2
Kevin Harvick
12
 
 
Kyle Larson
5
 
3
Kyle Busch
12
 
    
4
Brad Keselowski
9
 
Rank
Drivers
Laps Led
 
5
Kyle Larson
9
 
1
Kevin Harvick
958
  
Martin Truex Jr
9
 
2
Kyle Busch
888
     
3
Ryan Blaney
444
 
Rank
Drivers
Poles
 
4
Kyle Larson
356
 
1
Kyle Busch
3
 
5
Clint Bowyer
308
 
2
Martin Truex Jr
3
 
 
Martin Truex Jr
308
 
3
Kevin Harvick
2
 
    
4
Kurt Busch
2
 
    
5
Ryan Blaney
2
 


Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
STARTS
Driver: Ryan Newman
Has
Needs
Milestone:
599
1
Will become the 28th driver to make 600 or more Monster Energy Series starts.
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Has
Needs
Milestone:
449
1
Will become the 51st driver to make 450 or more Monster Energy Series starts.
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Has
Needs
Milestone:
199
1
Will become the 132nd driver to make 200 or more Monster Energy Series starts.
WINS
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Has
Needs
Milestone:
83
1
Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time series wins list.
Driver: Kyle Busch
Has
Needs
Milestone:
47
1
Tie Herb Thomas (48) for 14th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Has
Needs
Milestone:
42
2
Tie Bill Elliott (44) for 16th on the all-time MENCS wins list.
Driver: Matt Kenseth
Has
Needs
Milestone:
39
1
To tie Mark Martin for 19th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Has
Needs
Milestone:
31
1
To tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
Driver: Kurt Busch
Has
Needs
Milestone:
29
2
Tie Denny Hamlin for 25th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
BUSCH POLES
Driver: Ryan Newman
Has
Needs
Milestone:
51
3
Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Has
Needs
Milestone:
35
1
To tie Rusty Wallace and Rex White for 18th on the all-time series poles list.
Driver: Kyle Busch
Has
Needs
Milestone:
30
1
To tie Fonty Flock for 23rd on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
Driver: Kasey Kahne
Has
Needs
Milestone:
27
2
To tie Kyle Busch and Ricky Rudd for 25th on the all-time Monster Energy Series poles list.


Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
Second-Place Finishes
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Has
Needs
Milestone:
46
2
Tie Lee Petty for 11th on the all-time series second-place finishes list.
Driver: Kyle Busch
Has
Needs
Milestone:
43
1
Tie Tony Stewart for 13th on the all-time series second-place finishes list.
Driver: Matt Kenseth
Has
Needs
Milestone:
30
1
Tie Benny Parsons for 24th on the all-time series second-place finishes list.
Top Fives
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Has
Needs
Milestone:
224
1
To become the 11th series driver all-time to post 225 or more top fives
Top 10s
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Has
Needs
Milestone:
347
2
Tie Rusty Wallace for 11th on the series all-time top-10 finishes list
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Has
Needs
Milestone:
319
1
Tie Bill Elliott for 15th on the series all-time top-10 finishes list
Laps Led
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Has
Needs
Milestone:
18,665
335
To become the ninth driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 19,000 laps.
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Has
Needs
Milestone:
6,827
173
To become the 29th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 7,000 laps.

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