Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Sonoma Raceway Track Facts: 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2019 Top 16 at Sonoma Raceway
Rank
Driver
Races
Poles
Wins
Top Fives
Top 10s
DNFs
Average Finish
Driver Rating
 
 
1
Joey Logano
10
1
0
2
4
0
13.4
82.8
 
2
Kyle Busch
14
0
2
4
6
0
16.2
91.9
 
3
Brad Keselowski
9
0
0
1
2
1
16.7
80.0
 
4
Kevin Harvick
18
0
1
6
9
0
13.1
94.3
 
5
Chase Elliott
3
0
0
1
2
0
11.0
87.5
 
6
Martin Truex Jr
13
0
2
3
4
3
19.5
92.8
 
7
Denny Hamlin
13
0
0
3
5
1
18.7
83.3
 
8
Kurt Busch
18
1
1
7
10
0
13.6
107.1
 
9
Ryan Blaney
3
0
0
0
1
0
22.0
66.5
 
10
Alex Bowman
3
0
0
0
1
0
23.0
54.3
 
11
Aric Almirola
7
0
0
0
1
0
21.1
62.8
 
12
Clint Bowyer
13
0
1
8
10
1
10.1
92.0
 
13
Daniel Suarez
2
0
0
0
0
0
15.5
73.9
 
14
William Byron
1
0
0
0
0
0
25.0
57.5
 
15
Kyle Larson
5
2
0
0
0
0
19.0
82.5
 
16
Jimmie Johnson
17
0
1
4
9
1
12.4
99.4
 
* – Based on last 14 races at Sonoma Raceway (Loop Data from 2005-Present).



The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2019 Top Five Leaders In Loop Data:
Sonoma Raceway (Loop Data Era: 2005-Present)
Driver Rating
Average Running Position
Laps in The Top 15
Drivers
Driver Rating
Drivers
Avg. Running Pos.
Drivers
Laps in Top 15
Kurt Busch
107.1
Kurt Busch
9.863
Kurt Busch
1,220 (78.9%)
Jimmie Johnson
99.4
Jimmie Johnson
11.343
Jimmie Johnson
1,193 (77.1%)
Kevin Harvick
94.3
Kevin Harvick
12.833
Kevin Harvick
1,037 (67.0%)
Martin Truex Jr.
92.8
Kyle Larson
13.065
Ryan Newman
917 (59.3%)
Clint Bowyer
92.0
Chase Elliott
13.382
Kyle Busch
908 (58.7%)
Laps Led
Quality Passes
Fastest Laps Run
Drivers
Laps Led
Drivers
Quality Passes
Drivers
Fastest Laps
Kurt Busch
167 (10.8%)
Jimmie Johnson
419
Martin Truex Jr.
100 (7.0%)
Martin Truex Jr.
154 (10.7%)
Kurt Busch
351
Kevin Harvick
95 (6.1%)
Jimmie Johnson
143 (9.2%)
Kevin Harvick
345
Kurt Busch
89 (5.8%)
Kyle Busch
110 (7.1%)
Clint Bowyer
333
Jimmie Johnson
88 (5.7%)
Denny Hamlin
96 (6.7%)
Ryan Newman
290
Kyle Busch
58 (3.7%)



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 at Sonoma Raceway was held on June 11, 1989  and was won by Ricky Rudd in a Buick at an average speed of 76.088 mph. He led 61 of 74 scheduled laps.
·        The first nine Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma 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.
·        This season the track has been reconfigured back to the original 2.52-mile configuration; the event will be 90 laps – 226.8 miles.
·        There have been 30 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Sonoma Raceway since the first race there in 1989 – one race per season.

Starts
·        A total of 219 different drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway; 152 have competed in more than one.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in starts at Sonoma Raceway with 23 starts.
·        Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in the series in starts at Sonoma with 18 each.
·        A total of 48 different drivers have made their first series start at Sonoma Raceway.  
·        Kyle Larson (five starts) leads the series in average starting position at Sonoma with a 2.800.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time and Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Avg. Start
Starts
Rank
Active Drivers
Avg. Start
Starts
1
Kyle Larson
2.800
5
1
Kyle Larson
2.800
5
2
Rusty Wallace
6.941
17
2
Chase Elliott
9.000
3
3
Marcos Ambrose
7.143
7
3
Kurt Busch
10.111
18
4
Jeff Gordon
7.696
23
4
Joey Logano
12.100
10
5
Chase Elliott
9.000
3
5
Martin Truex Jr
13.000
13
6
Ricky Rudd
9.056
18
6
Ryan Newman
13.176
17
7
Mark Martin
9.952
21
7
Daniel Suarez
13.500
2
8
Kurt Busch
10.111
18
8
Kyle Busch
14.429
14
9
Alan Kulwicki
10.500
4
9
Ryan Blaney
14.667
3
10
Jerry Nadeau
10.600
5
10
Kevin Harvick
15.444
18


Poles
·        A total of 18 different drivers have won the Busch Pole Award at Sonoma Raceway; only three are active this weekend.
Monster Energy Series
Sonoma Pole Winners
Active Pole Winners
Poles
Kyle Larson
2
Joey Logano
1
Kurt Busch
1
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in Busch Pole Awards at Sonoma Raceway with five (1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005).
·        Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in Busch Pole Awards at Sonoma Raceway with two (2017, 2018).
·        Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Sonoma in 1989 with a speed of 90.041 mph driving a Pontiac.  
·        Four drivers have won consecutive series poles at Sonoma: Ricky Rudd (three: 1990, 1991, 1992), Jeff Gordon (1998, 1999 and 2004, 2005), Jamie McMurray (2013, 2014) and Kyle Larson  (2017, 2018).
·        Ricky Rudd holds the record for most consecutive poles at Sonoma with three.
·        Youngest series Sonoma pole winner: Joey Logano (June 26, 2011 – 21 years, 1 month, 2 days).
·        Oldest series Sonoma pole winner: Rusty Wallace (June 25, 2000 – 43 years, 10 months, 11 days).
·        Only one Monster Energy Series driver has posted his first series career Busch pole at Sonoma - Boris Said(June 22, 2003).       
·        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)

·        Five different manufacturers in the Monster Energy Series have won a Busch pole at Sonoma Raceway – Chevrolet (15 poles), Ford (seven), Pontiac (three), Toyota (three) and Dodge (two).
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series in road course poles (all-time) with nine Busch Pole Awards – all at Riverside International Raceway (1980, three-race sweep in 1981, 1982, two races in 1983, 1985 and 1986).
·        Kyle Larson (Sonoma in 2017 and 2018), Kurt Busch (Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2006) and Kyle Busch (Watkins Glen in 2011, 2017) lead all active drivers in road course poles with two each.

Monster Energy Series
Sonoma Race Winners
Active Race Winners
Wins
Kyle Busch
2
Martin Truex Jr
2
Clint Bowyer
1
Jimmie Johnson
1
Kevin Harvick
1
Kurt Busch
1
Wins
·        A total of 19 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway, six are active this weekend.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in wins at Sonoma Raceway with five victories (1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006).








 
Monster Energy Series
All-Time Road Course Winners
Road Course Winners (51)
Wins
Jeff Gordon
9
Tony Stewart
8
Bobby Allison
6
Richard Petty
6
Ricky Rudd
6
Rusty Wallace
6
Dan Gurney
5
Darrell Waltrip
5
Tim Richmond
5
David Pearson
4
Kyle Busch
4
Mark Martin
4
Cale Yarborough
3
Ernie Irvan
3
Geoff Bodine
3
Martin Truex Jr
3
Billy Wade
2
Fireball Roberts
2
Juan Pablo Montoya
2
Kevin Harvick
2
Marcos Ambrose
2
Marvin Panch
2
Parnelli Jones
2
Ray Elder
2
Robby Gordon
2
Terry Labonte
2
A.J. Foyt
1
AJ Allmendinger
1
Al Keller
1
Benny Parsons
1
Bill Elliott
1
Buck Baker
1
Carl Edwards
1
Chase Elliott
1
Chuck Stevenson
1
Clint Bowyer
1
Dale Earnhardt
1
Darel Dieringer
1
Davey Allison
1
Denny Hamlin
1
Eddie Gray
1
Jack Smith
1
Jimmie Johnson
1
Joey Logano
1
Kasey Kahne
1
Kurt Busch
1
Kyle Petty
1
Lloyd Dane
1
Mark Donohue
1
Steve Park
1
Tim Flock
1
·        Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch (2008, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2013, 2018) lead all active drivers in wins at Sonoma Raceway in the Monster Energy Series with two each.
·        In total 51 different drivers have won on a road course in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, nine are active this weekend (highlighted in Red in chart to the right).
·        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 series 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 series 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.
·        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 series Sonoma winner: Kyle Busch (June 22, 2008 – 23 years, 1 month, 20 days).
·        Oldest series Sonoma winner: Ricky Rudd (June 23, 2002 – 45 years, 9 months, 11 days).
·        Five of the 30 (17.2%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway 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 series wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.    













 





Monster Energy Series Wins by Starting Positions at Sonoma Raceway
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
Starting Position
Wins
Winning %
1
5
16.67%
10
1
3.33%
2
4
13.33%
11
4
13.33%
3
2
6.67%
12
1
3.33%
4
3
10.00%
13
1
3.33%
5
2
6.67%
14
1
3.33%
6
1
3.33%
30
1
3.33%
7
3
10.00%
32
1
3.33%
Stats
Winning %
Wins
Winning from the First Starting Position:
16.7%
5
Winning from the Front Row:
30.0%
9
Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:
53.3%
16
Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:
70.0%
21
Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:
6.7%
2

·        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 at Sonoma Raceway – 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 17.
·        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)


Rank
Active Organizations
Sonoma Wins
1
Hendrick Motorsports
6
2
Joe Gibbs Racing
4
3
Richard Childress Racing
2
4
Team Penske
2
5
Roush Fenway Racing
2
6
Stewart-Haas Racing
2
7
Chip Ganassi Racing
1
8
Richard Petty Motorsports
1
·        In total 15 different organizations have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway; eight are active this weekend – see chart to the right.
·        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 (five), Dodge (three), Pontiac (two) and Buick (one).

Additional Finishing Positions
·        A total of 18 drivers have finished runner-up in the Monster Energy Series at Sonoma Raceway.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in runner-up finishes with five.
·        Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in the series in runner-up finishes at Sonoma with two.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Runner-Ups
Rank
Active Drivers
Runner-Ups
1
Jeff Gordon
5
1
Kevin Harvick
2
2
Mark Martin
4
2
Clint Bowyer
1
3
Tony Stewart
3
 
Denny Hamlin
1
4
Kevin Harvick
2

Kurt Busch
1
5
Ricky Rudd
2
 
Ryan Newman
1

Robby Gordon
2
   

·        A total of 50 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Sonoma.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Sonoma with 14 top fives.
·        Clint Bowyer leads all active series drivers in top-five finishes at Sonoma with eight.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)
  
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Top Fives
Rank
Active Drivers
Top Fives
1
Jeff Gordon
14
1
Clint Bowyer
8
2
Ricky Rudd
10
2
Kurt Busch
7
3
Rusty Wallace
9
3
Kevin Harvick
6
4
Clint Bowyer
8
4
Jimmie Johnson
4
5
Kurt Busch
7
5
Kyle Busch
4

Mark Martin
7

  

·        A total of 76 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Sonoma.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Sonoma with 18.
·        Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in top 10s at Sonoma with 10 each.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Top 10s
Rank
Active Drivers
Top 10s
1
Jeff Gordon
18
1
Clint Bowyer
10
2
Mark Martin
13
2
Kurt Busch
10
3
Ricky Rudd
11
3
Jimmie Johnson
9
4
Rusty Wallace
11
4
Kevin Harvick
9
5
Clint Bowyer
10
5
Ryan Newman
7

Kurt Busch
10
   
 
Tony Stewart
10
   

·        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 10.077.  


Top 10 in Average Finishing Positions at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Avg. Finish
Starts
Rank
Active Drivers
Avg. Finish
Starts
1
Jeff Gordon
8.304
23
1
Clint Bowyer
10.077
13
2
Dale Earnhardt
8.583
12
2
Chase Elliott
11.000
3
3
Clint Bowyer
10.077
13
3
Jimmie Johnson
12.412
17
4
Rick Wilson
10.500
4
4
Kevin Harvick
13.111
18
5
Chase Elliott
11.000
3
5
Ryan Newman
13.176
17
6
Marcos Ambrose
11.286
7
6
Joey Logano
13.400
10
7
Ricky Rudd
11.722
18
7
Kurt Busch
13.611
18
8
Tony Stewart
11.778
18
8
Daniel Suarez
15.500
2
9
Mark Martin
11.857
21
9
Erik Jones
16.000
2
10
Jimmie Johnson
12.412
17
10
Kyle Busch
16.214
14



Lap Leaders
·        A total of 72 different drivers in the Monster Energy Series have led at least one lap at Sonoma Raceway.
·      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 198 laps led in 18 starts.  


Top 10 in Average Finishing Positions at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
All-Time Drivers
Led
Completed
% Led
Rank
Active Drivers
Led
Completed
% Led
1
Jeff Gordon
457
2343
20%
1
Kurt Busch
198
1972
10%
2
Kurt Busch
198
1972
10%
2
Martin Truex Jr
154
1290
12%
3
Rusty Wallace
171
1516
11%
3
Jimmie Johnson
143
1870
8%
4
Mark Martin
161
1975
8%
4
Kyle Busch
110
1499
7%
5
Robby Gordon
158
1499
11%
5
Denny Hamlin
96
1405
7%
6
Martin Truex Jr
154
1290
12%
6
Kevin Harvick
95
1988
5%
7
Jimmie Johnson
143
1870
8%
7
Clint Bowyer
82
1332
6%
8
Ricky Rudd
134
1637
8%
8
Brad Keselowski
24
984
2%
9
Kyle Busch
110
1499
7%
9
Joey Logano
18
1103
2%
10
Tony Stewart
104
1971
5%
10
Kyle Larson
11
549
2%
      
Ryan Newman
11
1876
1%

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon has led the most laps at Sonoma Raceway in a single Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and won with 92 laps led of the scheduled 110 laps (83.6%) on June 27, 2004.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin led the most laps at Sonoma Raceway in a single Monster Energy Series race and did not win (finished second) after leading 66 of the 74 scheduled laps (89.1%) on May 7, 1995.
·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison leads the Monster Energy Series in laps led on road courses with 1,023 laps led.


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 is the June 27, 1999 race won by Jeff Gordon over Mark Martin with a margin of victory of 0.197 second.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Sonoma Raceway in the Monster Energy Series
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 30 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.  
·        None of the 30 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



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