By Roy J. Akers – www.skyviewsports.net
With teams moving to Sonoma, California to race in the Savemart 350, only 7 races remain and at most, only four drivers can win their way into the playoffs. The manufacturers and teams have updated news on their drivers and the biggest team news of the week.
| DEFENDING WINNERSThere’s no better momentum than a trip to victory lane, and the Bowtie brand has just that. Chevrolet will enter the Sonoma race weekend boosting two-straight road course weekend sweeps – a feat that dates back to a pair of victories by Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez one month ago. The opportunity to go three-in-a-row in road course weekend sweeps comes at a circuit where Chevrolet reigns as the most recent winner in both of NASCAR’s top-two divisions courtesy of Kyle Larson (NCS) and Van Gisbergen’s (NXS) wins at the Northern California venue in 2024. |
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| In 35 NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway, Chevrolet paves the way with 14 all-time victories. Just three of the track’s past winners are entered in Sunday’s event – all of which come from the Chevrolet camp including two-time winners, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez. |
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS
Bell makes 200th career start … This Sunday at Sonoma Raceway marks the 200th career start in the NASCAR Cup Series for Christopher Bell. The Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver has 12 wins, 53 top-fives, 96 top-10s and 14 pole positions so far in his career and returns to Sonoma where he has earned two straight top-10 finishes entering this weekend.
Four Camrys into next round of In-Season Challenge … Last weekend’s race on the streets of Chicago marked the second round of the Cup Series’ In-Season Challenge, where four Toyota Camry XSE drivers advanced to this weekend’s third round at Sonoma Raceway. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones will face off against one another, while JGR’s Ty Gibbs will take on Zane Smith. Meanwhile 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick will compete against Ryan Preece with three rounds remaining in the tournament.
Herbst takes on double duty … For the third time this season, Riley Herbst will take on double duty in running his full-time No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE with 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with piloting the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for JGR in the Xfinity Series. Herbst is coming off a third-place finish at Texas in his most recent Xfinity Series start in the No. 19 and makes his third career Xfinity Series start at Sonoma this weekend.
Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway.Haley has made four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma Raceway, highlighted by a 12th-place finish in June 2022. The 26-year-old racer has recorded one top-15 and one top-25 result at the 1.99-mile Sonoma County road course. He holds an average starting position of 25.3 and an average finish of 25.0.Sonoma marks the fourth of six road-course events on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Haley opened the year with a 16th-place finish at Circuit of the Americas followed by a 17th-place result at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.Last weekend, Haley finished 22nd in the Grant Park 165. He raced as high as 15th in the running order before late-race contact with another competitor damaged the rear suspension of his Gainbridge Chevy, stalling his bid for a top-20 finish on the streets of downtown Chicago.NationsGuard is an innovator in the Automotive F&I space. Its programs are designed to maximize sales, profit, CSI and customer retention. NationsGuard delivers consistent, measurable results through disciplined monitoring and continuous improvement. The process measures every key element of a dealer’s program – from vehicle inspection efficiency to service advisor performance. NationsGuard targets and eliminates waste and inefficiency wherever it’s found while maintaining process improvements, making changes where necessary and relentlessly pursuing perfection.Haley’s best Cup Series result at Sonoma Raceway came in the 2022 edition of the division’s annual visit to California wine country where he finished 12th. .Justin Haley Quote What are your thoughts heading to Sonoma? “I feel like Sonoma is a good road course for me. We need to execute on Saturday during qualifying. That race is always about track position. We’ve had good cars at all the road races this season and I think if we can do a good job in qualifying on Saturday, we can be competitive and pick up a good finish on Sunday. The trip to Sonoma is always a lot of fun and it’s a track I enjoy.” |
| DENNY HAMLIN No. 11 ampm Toyota Camry XSE HAMLIN AT SONOMA: Denny Hamlin owns four top-five finishes and seven top-10s in 18 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma Raceway. From 2016 to 2021, Hamlin posted five consecutive top-10 results at the California road course. In 2023, he won the pole award, led 33 laps and won stage one before a late-race accident left him with a 36th-place finish. Last year, Hamlin finished 38th because of a mechanical issue after completing only two laps.CHICAGO RECAP: Hamlin finished fourth in last weekend’s street race in Chicago. After an engine failure on Saturday forced the No. 11 team to miss the entire practice and qualifying session, Hamlin started 40th. He worked his way up to 26th by the end of stage one and a pit stop midway through stage two put him in position to stay out for the remainder of the race. Hamlin finished sixth in stage two and remained amongst the lead group throughout the final segment to finish fourth. This was Hamlin’s fourth top-five finish in his last five starts.SEASON SO FAR: With eight races remaining in the regular season, Hamlin is currently fourth in the overall standings. Since missing the race at Mexico City last month, Hamlin has trimmed his deficit to the leader from 110 points down to 43 points. He is tied for the series lead in wins (three) and top-five finishes (nine).AMPM: Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE will feature ampm, a top-ranked C-store brand based on the west coast, for this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway. ampm operates more than 1,000 stores, primarily on the west coast, serving nearly 2,200 different products. The company was founded in Southern California in 1978 and has grown to become a leading C-store across multiple states. ampm prides itself on introducing innovative technology to provide a faster and easier shopping experience for its customers no matter the time of day or meal they are looking for. For more information, visit www.ampm.com. |
| CHASE BRISCOE No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE BRISCOE AT SONOMA: Chase Briscoe has made four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma Raceway with a best finish of 13th in 2022.BRISCOE ON ROAD COURSES: Briscoe owns two NASCAR Xfinity Series victories on road courses – the Charlotte ROVAL in September 2018 and the Indianapolis Road Course in July 2020. Briscoe has seven top-10 finishes on road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series. This year on road courses, Briscoe finished 14th at Circuit of the Americas, seventh at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, and 23rd last weekend in the Chicago Street Race.CHICAGO RECAP: Briscoe started fifth last Sunday at the Chicago Street Course and ran inside the top 10 throughout the race. After scoring points with a fourth-place finish in stage one and a second-place finish in stage two, Briscoe led 13 laps during the final segment before being passed by eventual race winner Shane van Gisbergen. On the final restart, Briscoe was battling for fifth when he cut a tire and had to make an unscheduled pit stop. With the misfortune, the No. 19 Toyota Camry finished 23rd in the race. |
| Notes of Interest: |
 ● Junior Journey: AM Racing will embark on its junior year journey in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with driver Harrison Burton for the entire 33-race tour, continuing with Saturday afternoon’s running of the Pit Boss / FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.● Future Focused: In September 2024, AM Racing announced that NASCAR Cup Series winner Harrison Burton would join the family-owned operation to pilot the team’s No. 25 Ford Mustang, beginning with the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opener from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on February 15, 2025. Burton, a native of Huntersville, N.C., has been a staple in the NASCAR Cup Series for the past three seasons but will embrace a return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and continue his relationship as a driver of the Ford blue oval. Burton, 24, arrives on the scene at AM Racing after a 108-race stint driving for the historic Wood Brothers Racing team. ● Welcome Back, AirBox!: Long-time AM Racing partner AirBox will increase its partnership with Harrison Burton and AM Racing and serve as the team’s primary partner for the series’ return to Northern California for the third road course race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. |
 5 KYLE LARSON Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)Hometown: Elk Grove, California Last Week: 13th (Chicago Street Course) Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels Standings: 3rd   No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 2025Cup CareerSonomaRaces1938510Wins3322Poles1224Top 591282Top 10121944Laps Led85110,107113Stage Wins8703Average Finish12.714.013.0 Kyle Larson comes home to race at Sonoma Raceway. The Elk Grove, California, native grew up approximately 80 miles from the raceway.Larson ranks second among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series road course wins (six). Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott is the only driver with more (seven). The 32-year-old is tied for the most road course wins in the Next Gen era with three. Larson is tied for the second-most poles at Sonoma (four), trailing only Jeff Gordon (five)The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy has the best average all-time starting position (3.8) at Sonoma in 10 starts. Larson and Denny Hamlin lead all drivers with nine top-five finishes in 2025.Larson is ranked third in the points standings just 19 points behind teammate William Byron. He is projected first in the playoff standings. |
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 2025Cup CareerSonomaRaces193418Wins1190Poles0120Top 561104Top 10101816Laps Led1365,66252Stage Wins0380Average Finish10.612.811.1 Heading to Sonoma Raceway this weekend, Chase Elliott is second in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points standings, 13 markers behind teammate William Byron.Making his 341st Cup Series start last weekend at the Chicago Street Course, Elliott surpassed Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the driver with the fourth-most starts for Hendrick Motorsports.Elliott’s average finish of 10.58 in 2025 leads the series and is also his second best all-time through a season’s first 19 races. He is the only driver to finish in the top 20 in every event so far. It’s the second straight season he’s headed into the 20th event having completed all but one lap.The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has scored more points (155) than any other driver over the last four races. His average finish of 6.3 in that span is also tops.Elliott has four consecutive top-10 finishes at Sonoma, tied for the longest active streak. He’s won at five road courses in his career, most of all drivers, but is still looking for his first win on the Napa Valley road course. He’s led laps in each of the last five Sonoma Cup Series events, tied for the record.The 2020 Cup Series champion has the most road course wins among active drivers (seven) and the third all-time behind NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). His average finish of 9.03 leads active drivers (minimum four starts).In the Next Gen era on road courses, Elliott leads the series in top-five finishes (10), and his 12 top 10s are third most. His 147 laps led rank third and 610 points earned rank second. 
24 WILLIAM BYRON Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997) Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Last Week: 40th (Chicago Street Course) Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle Standings: 1st 
No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet 2025Cup CareerSonomaRaces192716Wins1140Poles2150Top 57610Top 10101141Laps Led7693,74726Stage Wins7301Average Finish14.215.122.0 William Byron is in the midst of a career year, leading the NASCAR Cup Series points standings for 16 out of 19 weeks, including presently by 13 markers.Through the same stretch of 19 races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has paced the field for 769 laps across 13 events, the most races with a lap led by a driver and second most laps total.In the Next Gen era on road courses, Byron has two wins (fifth most), 138 laps led (fourth most) and has collected 542 points.In the last 10 road course races, the 27-year-old has two wins, five top-five finishes and seven top 10s, all tied for the most. He also has led 110 laps in that same span, tied for the second most. 
48 ALEX BOWMAN Age: 32 (April 25, 1993) Hometown: Tucson, Arizona Last Week: 8th (Chicago Street Course) Crew Chief: Blake Harris Standings: 10th 
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet 2025Cup CareerSonomaRaces193448Wins080Poles270Top 54440Top 10101062Laps Led1571,5250Stage Wins070Average Finish17.419.217.3 Alex Bowman sits 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings, holding a 39-point cushion above the elimination point.The Tucson, Arizona, native has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last three road course races in 2025, making him one of only two drivers to do so.Bowman’s average finish on road courses in 2025 is seventh, which ranks second among full-time drivers.Bowman’s best finish across eight starts at Sonoma Raceway is ninth, achieved twice (2018, 2021).In the Next Gen era, Bowman has accumulated six top-five finishes and nine top 10s on road courses.With his eighth-place finish at Chicago, Bowman advanced to the third round of the NASCAR In-Season Tournament and will compete against Ty Dillon.