Driver Averages | Laps Led Leaders | Driver Ratings | Past Winners
Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
This weekend marks the return of the carousel section, which will lengthen the track from 1.99 miles to 2.52 miles. Sunday will mark the first time since 1997 that the full 2.52-mile course has been used.
Who’s HOT at Sonoma
- Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are the only active driver with multiple wins.
- Kevin Harvick, who won in 2017, has posted a 3.2 average finish in the last four races.
- Clint Bowyer leads all active drivers with eight top-five finishes, including a win in 2012.
- Kurt Busch, who won in 2011, has finished in the top 10 in the last four races.
- Denny Hamlin has posted an average finish of 5.3 in the last three races.
Keep an Eye On at Sonoma
- Chase Elliott has finished in the top 10 in the last two races at Sonoma. He also won at Watkins Glen International last year.
- Alex Bowman (9.0), Daniel Suarez (13.3) and Erik Jones (14.0) ranked in the top 10 in average finish in the two road course races and the Charlotte Roval in 2018.
- Joey Logano has five top 10s in the last nine races at either Sonoma or Watkins Glen, including a win in at The Glen in 2015. He finished third at Sonoma in 2016.
- Ryan Blaney, who finished ninth at Sonoma in 2017, won at the Charlotte Roval last season.
- Brad Keselowski has the seventh-best driver rating and average running position in the last three races at Sonoma.
- Austin Dillon, Daniel Hemric and Ryan Preece will also compete in the NASCAR K&N West race at Sonoma.
Notes: The race will be 90 laps with Stage 1 and 2 ending at Lap 20 and 40, respectively…Teams will run a new tire code this weekend after Goodyear made a minor construction update…Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick currently carry the longest active top-10 streak at Sonoma at four…The pole position has produced the most winners with five…Jeff Gordon was the last to win from the pole in 2004…Fifty-three percent of race winners have come from a top five starting position…Hendrick Motorsports leads all organizations with six wins.
Best Average Finish at Sonoma (1.99-Mile Layout)
| Last # of Races | Driver | Average Finish |
| Two Races | Kevin Harvick | 1.5 |
| Four Races | Kevin Harvick | 3.2 |
| Six Races | Kurt Busch | 6.8 |
| Eight Races | Kurt Busch | 5.6 |
| Ten Races | Jimmie Johnson | 7.6 |
*Must have competed in every race in that span
Laps Led Leaders at Sonoma (1.99-Mile Layout)
| Last # of Races | Driver | Laps Led |
| Two Races | Martin Truex Jr. | 87 |
| Four Races | Martin Truex Jr. | 87 |
| Six Races | Matin Truex Jr. | 138 |
| Eight Races | Martin Truex Jr. | 153 |
| Ten Races | Martin Truex Jr. | 154 |
Click Here to view all laps led leaders at Sonoma over the past 10 races.
Sonoma Loop Data Stat Leaders (Last Three Races)
1.99-Mile Layout
| Average Running Pos. | Laps in Top 15 |
| 1. Martin Truex Jr. – 6.6 | 1. Kevin Harvick – 305 |
| 2. Kevin Harvick – 6.7 | 2. Martin Truex Jr. – 288 |
| 3. Denny Hamlin – 8.3 | 3. Denny Hamlin – 277 |
| 4. Kyle Busch – 9.3 | 4. Kyle Busch – 273 |
| 5. Kurt Busch – 10.8 | 5. Brad Keselowski – 268 |
| Fastest Laps Run | Driver Rating |
| 1. Kevin Harvick – 54 | 1. Martin Truex Jr. – 124.5 |
| 2. Martin Truex Jr. – 48 | 2. Kevin Harvick – 121.6 |
| 3. Jimmie Johnson – 25 | 3. Denny Hamlin – 107.7 |
| 4. Denny Hamlin – 20 | 4. Kyle Busch – 105.1 |
| 5. Kurt Busch – 11 | 5. Kurt Busch – 98.8 |
Top 10 Stage Points Earned at Sonoma
Two Races – Active Drivers
| Driver | Points Earned |
| Jimmie Johnson | 26 |
| Brad Keselowski | 25 |
| Denny Hamlin | 23 |
| Chase Elliott | 18 |
| Ryan Blaney | 17 |
| Kyle Larson | 14 |
| Joey Logano | 11 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 10 |
| Aric Almirola | 9 |
| Ryan Newman | 7 |
2018 Sonoma Stage Finishes
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
| 1. AJ Allmendinger | 1. Denny Hamlin |
| 2. Brad Keselowski | 2. Chase Elliott |
| 3. Jimmie Johnson | 3. Jimmie Johnson |
| 4. Chase Elliott | 4. Brad Keselowski |
| 5. Kyle Larson | 5. Ryan Blaney |
| 6. Ryan Newman | 6. Aric Almirola |
| 7. Aric Almirola | 7. Alex Bowman |
| 8. Daniel Suarez | 8. Michael McDowell |
| 9. Chris Buescher | 9. Chris Buescher |
| 10. Kasey Kahne | 10. Ryan Newman |
Top Five in Stage Points Earned in 2019 (15 Races)
| Driver | Stage Points | Stage Wins |
| Joey Logano | 158 | 6 |
| Kevin Harvick | 144 | 3 |
| Kyle Busch | 128 | 5 |
| Brad Keselowski | 126 | 4 |
| Ryan Blaney | 122 | 2 |
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kurt Busch
Pete Pistone: Martin Truex Jr.
Tyler Burnett: Clint Bowyer
Kenneth Lee: Kyle Busch
Driver Notes – Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Sonoma
Kevin Harvick has finished sixth or better in the last four races at Sonoma, including a win in 2017. His 3.2 average finish in that span leads all drivers. Last year Harvick was one of three drivers that finished in the top 10 in each of the three road course races, including the Roval at Charlotte.
Kurt Busch has finished in the top 10 in the last four races at Sonoma. Busch, who won the 2011 race, will make his first track start with Chip Ganassi Racing. He heads into the weekend with nine top 10s in the 15 races this season with CGR.
Kyle Busch has finished seventh or better in the last four races at Sonoma, including a win in 2015. His 4.5 average finish in that span ranks second among all drivers. Busch is one of two active drivers with multiple wins at Sonoma. Last year he posted top-five finishes at Sonoma and Watkins Glen International.
Jimmie Johnson has finished 13th or better in the last 10 races at Sonoma, including a win in 2010. His win came in a span of seven straight top 10s. In the past two races, Johnson leads all drivers with 26 stage points earned.
Joey Logano finished third in 2016 for his fourth top 10 in 10 starts at Sonoma. Last year, Logano recorded his only top 10 in the three road course races at the Charlotte Roval.
Chase Elliott finished fourth last year for his second straight top 10 at Sonoma. He ranks fourth among active drivers in stage points at Sonoma. Last year, Elliott won at Watkins Glen International was one of three drivers that finished in the top 10 in each of the three road course races, including the Charlotte Roval.
Clint Bowyer has finished in the top five in eight of his last 12 starts at Sonoma. His top five total leads all active drivers at the track. Bowyer finished third at Sonoma and at the Charlotte Roval last season.
Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in the last three races at Sonoma, including a second-place finish in 2016. He’s also combined to lead 48 laps in the last three races. Last year, Hamlin won the pole and finished 13th at Watkins Glen International.
Ryan Newman posted his last of seven top 10s at Sonoma in 2016 with an eighth-place finish. This weekend Newman will make his first road course start as a member of Roush Fenway Racing.
Paul Menard has one top 10 finish in 11 starts at Sonoma. The fifth-place finish came in 2014 when he was a member of Richard Childress Racing. Last year in his first season with the Wood Brothers, Menard did not post a finish inside the top 25 in the road course races.
Brad Keselowski scored his second top 10 at Sonoma in 2017 with a third-place finish after leading 17 laps. He ranks second in stage points earned at Sonoma with 25. Last year, Keselowski did not post a top 10 in the road course races.
Daniel Suarez has finished 16th and 15th, respectively, in his two starts at Sonoma. Suarez’s two career top 10s in the Cup Series at road courses came in the last two races at Watkins Glen International.
Erik Jones finished seventh last year for his first top 10 in two starts at Sonoma. Overall, Jones has three top 10s in five road course starts.
Aric Almirola is coming off his first top 10 in seven starts at Sonoma with an eighth-place finish. The finish is his only top 10 in 16 starts at road courses.
Austin Dillon finished 16th last year for his best finish in five starts at Sonoma. Dillon will get extra track time this weekend by competing in the NASCAR K&N West race.
