NASCAR Preview: Sonoma Race Weekend
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- Jul 11
- 5 min read
Written by Gabriel Tsui & Ashleigh McGregor
Away from the street circuit in Chicago, the Cup and Xfinity Series' travel to Sonoma, California for the second traditional road course race of the season.
Aside from a year away in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR has travelled to the Californian road course every year since 1989. The track itself is 1.99 miles (3.203 kilometres) long and features 12 turns. With this track being fairly high-speed and not as technical as other road courses, expect closer racing this weekend.
Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:
Xfinity: Saturday, 12 June, 13:30 local (21:30 UK) – 79 laps
Cup: Sunday, 13 June, 12:30 local (20:30 UK) – 110 laps
Below are the defending winners of each race:
Xfinity: No. 97 - Shane van Gisbergen (Kaulig Racing)
Cup: No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)
Cup Series: Toyota / Save Mart 350 Preview
Written by Gabriel Tsui
After another road course domination that resulted in a Shane Van Gisbergen win, we head west to the bay area for Van Gisbergen’s bid for his third in a row at a road course. Will he find success in Sonoma, a track where he acquired a win in the 2024 Xfinity season, or will someone else break the streak and find a win for themself?
The road course features an aggressive uphill climb, then a temporary flat ride to the westernmost point of the track, before sending the drivers back down the hill for an aggressive braking point where drivers could find success with overtake attempts. The drivers then flow through medium-high speed esses to the hairpin, leading back to the start/finish line.
The drivers will be navigating 110 laps around Sonoma, with 25 laps in the first stage, 35 laps in the second stage, and 50 laps in the final stage, totalling a distance of 218.9 miles (352.285 kilometres) run around the track.
The weather report indicates there will be sunny skies throughout the weekend, with temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit). The race will commence on the Sunday of July 13th, at 15:30 Eastern (12:30 Pacific, 20:30 British).
Race Predictions
People can say many things, such as saying Chris Buescher would find his spark to win the race here, or Michael McDowell might squeeze a playoff spot with the opportunity, or that Ty Gibbs with a Joe Gibbs Racing car can make something happen and find his first win of his Cup career.
And the truth is, they wouldn’t be too far fetched from the truth. These drivers either have great equipment, great records at road courses, or both. These are, of course, risky choices, and choices that we are inclined to make.
However, after making a gutsy pick last week and failing miserably, we landed back on SVG to go back to back and find his third win of the season. Let’s be real here: there is no driver better than SVG at a road course, and the Trackhouse car is built perfectly to fit his driving style at road courses.
It would be ambitious to pick Buescher or Gibbs, it would be admirable in fact, but mostly blind faith. In the two recent road course races, Van Gisbergen has shown us through and through that he is THE guy, and there is absolutely zero reason nor statistics that we can bring up to vote against the No.88.
Three things to look out for
SVG road course domination
Well, it wasn’t like it didn’t come with warning signs. Three Supercars championships and three wins at road courses in the 2024 Xfinity series season should’ve given most people sufficient reason to go all-in with Van Gisbergen whenever NASCAR gets to a road course. Pole positions in both Xfinity and Cup, while winning both races is a feat that to most was inconceivable until the prior weekend.
We’ll see if he can work his magic again at Sonoma.
Ty Dillon the bracket buster
If you told people Ty Dillon would’ve made it through two rounds of the NASCAR in-season tournament, most people would laugh at you, pointing out there is no way Dillon could make it past legendary veterans like Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, or Kyle Busch. And yet, that is exactly what he has done.
Albeit relying on the chaotic nature of both tracks slightly, a win is still a win for the No.10, who is one step closer to the million dollars. He will be facing off against Alex Bowman, who will not be a tough matchup, but who knows what could happen? Maybe (knock on wood) he makes it through again.
Legacy Motor Club drivers face off
After boldly stating I would be backing both of the Legacy Motor Club drivers all the way to the river, my faith has seemingly paid off. John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones will be facing off in Sonoma for a spot in the final four of the in-season tournament.
It will be a fun matchup to turn your attention to, as the pair has worked well together this season but will have to engage in a battle to the death for an opportunity at a million big bucks. Let’s see the duo will show any mercy for the other.
Xfinity Series: Pit Boss / FoodMaxx 250 Preview
Written by Ashleigh McGregor
The Chicago street race proved to be a thrilling one. Shane van Gisbergen went into the weekend as one of the favorites to win. While he did walk away with the trophy the last two laps raised a bit of controversy.
SVG vs Zilisch: Round two
Connor Zilisch was also a favorite to clinch the win at the street race and was leading with two laps to go. Shane van Gisbergen made a dive on the inside of Zilisch which many felt was a messy move.
This drama isn’t behind us as round two of SVG vs Zilisch will take place again this weekend. The rematch battle will be in California at the Sonoma Raceway.
Zilisch has said that he’s learned from the street race and will act accordingly moving forward. We can expect more aggressive actions from him against SVG as he now knows what to expect.
These two drivers enter the race weekend as the favorites to win yet again. Numerous times this season Zilisch has been favored and just came short of that top step. As a rookie, he’s been consistent and proved he can win races- each setback has been a massive learning opportunity for his success.
Seeing this battle again just a week later and with Zilisch now ready to fight, is going to be riveting.
Shane van Gisbergen took the win in Sonoma last year and will be looking for a repeat plus back to back wins. Can Zilisch trump him to take that win back?
Race Weekend Guide
Practice for the Xfinity series is on Friday at 16:00 EST (21:00 UK). Qualifying is right after at 17:05 EST (22:05 UK).
The race starts at 16:30 (21:30 UK) on Saturday. The weather looks hot with no chance of rain. It’s expected to be a high of 83°F (28°C).
The race is a total of 157.21 miles (253.01 kilometres) long split into 20 laps in Stage 1, 25 laps in Stage 2 and 34 in the final stage. These 79 laps are going to be technical and filled with elevation changes.
Comments