Top 20 Driver Ratings at Sonoma
Kurt Busch…………………………. 107.1
Jimmie Johnson…………………….. 99.4
Kevin Harvick……………………….. 94.3
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 92.8
Clint Bowyer…………………………. 92.0
Kyle Busch…………………………… 91.9
Chase Elliott…………………………. 87.5
Ryan Newman………………………. 85.1
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 83.3
Joey Logano…………………………. 82.8
Kyle Larson………………………….. 82.5
Brad Keselowski……………………. 80.0
Daniel Suarez……………………….. 73.9
Paul Menard…………………………. 68.2
Austin Dillon…………………………. 67.5
Erik Jones……………………………. 66.9
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 66.5
Chris Buescher……………………… 65.1
Aric Almirola…………………………. 62.8
William Byron……………………….. 57.5
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races
(14 total) among active drivers at Sonoma Raceway.
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.
Poles
- 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:
- 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.
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).
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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 byJeff Gordon over Mark Martin with a margin of victory of 0.197 second.
- 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
Female Competitors
- Danica Patrick is the only female driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to compete at Sonoma Raceway.
NASCAR in California
- There has been a total of 203 NASCAR national series races held in the state of California among 17 different tracks.
- 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 442 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as California.
- 40 of the 442 Californian drivers in NASCAR have posted at least one win in one of NASCAR’s three national series.