Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Toyota / Save Mart 350

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California going into the Toyota / Save Mart 350 on June 12 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Sonoma Raceway – Qualifying / Race Data

Track qualifying record (2.52-miles):                                        

Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 95.901 mph, 94.598 secs. June 22, 2019, (Set in Round 1 of 2)

Track race record (2.52-miles):

Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 83.922 mph, (02:42:09), June 23, 2019

Track qualifying record (1.99-miles):                                        

Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 96.568 mph, 74.186 secs. June 27, 2015, (Set in Round 1 of 2)

Track race record (1.99-miles):

Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 83.624 mph, (02:39:55), June 24, 2012

2021 pole winner (last race):

Starting Lineup was decided by Metric Qualifying; Kyle Larson started from first position

2021 race winner (last race):

Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 71.445 mph, (03:14:42), June 6, 2021

At Sonoma Raceway:
Season Race #: 16 of 36 (06-12-22)
Track Size: 1.99-miles
Number of Turns: 12
Track: Multi-Elevational Paved Road Course
Race Length: 110 laps / 218.9 miles
Stage 1 Length: 25 laps
Stage 2 Length: 30 laps
Final Stage Length: 55 laps

HISTORY

• The track known today as Sonoma Raceway, was opened as a 2.52-mile, multi-elevational paved road course and drag strip in 1968.
• Over the course of the existence of the facility it has held a few different names – Sears Point Raceway, Sears Point International Raceway and Infineon Raceway prior to being renamed Sonoma Raceway.
• The first NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma Raceway was held on June 11, 1989 and was won by Ricky Rudd driving a Buick for car owner Kenny Bernstein. Rudd ran the race at an average speed of 76.088 mph. He led 61 of 74 scheduled laps.
• The first nine 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.
• In 2019 and 2021, the track was reconfigured back to the original 2.52-mile configuration with races being 90 laps – 226.8 miles.
• This season Sonoma Raceway will be returning the track configuration back to the 1.99-mile configuration with the return of the ‘chute’.
• There have been 32 NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway since the first race there in 1989 – one race per season until the 2020 season due to the pandemic the series did not compete at Sonoma Raceway.

STARTS

• A total of 236 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway; 160 have competed in more than one.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup 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 20 each.
• A total of 49 different drivers have made their first series start at Sonoma Raceway; the most recent was Ben Rhodes on June 6, 2021.
• Kyle Larson (seven starts) leads the series in average starting position at Sonoma with a 2.3.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time and Active)

POLES

• A total of 18 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at least one pole at Sonoma Raceway.
• Three active NASCAR Cup Series Sonoma pole winners are entered this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Sonoma Raceway with five (1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005).
• Kyle Larson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Sonoma Raceway with three (2017, 2018, 2019).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace won the inaugural pole at Sonoma in 1989 with a speed of 90.041 mph driving a Pontiac for car owner Raymond Beadle.
• 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 (three: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021).
• 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 NASCAR Cup Series driver has posted his first series career pole at Sonoma – Boris Said (June 22, 2003).
• Four drivers have won NASCAR Cup Series poles at Sonoma in two different manufacturers; see chart below:

• Five different manufacturers in the NASCAR Cup Series have won a pole at Sonoma Raceway – Chevrolet (17 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 poles – all at Riverside International Raceway (1980, three-race sweep in 1981, 1982, two races in 1983, 1985 and 1986).

WINS

• A total of 20 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway.
• Five of the 20 NASCAR Cup Series active Sonoma Raceway winners are entered 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’s Martin Truex Jr. (2013, 2018, 2019) leads all active drivers in wins at Sonoma Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series with three victories.
• Jeff Gordon leads the 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).
• Chase Elliott leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in road course wins with seven victories (Watkins Glen, two; Charlotte ROVAL, two; Daytona RC, COTA and Road America).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for the most wins at a single road course track – with six victories at Riverside International Raceway.
• Only two drivers have posted consecutive NASCAR Cup Series wins at Sonoma Raceway:
  • Jeff Gordon (1998 and 1999 were each from the pole and the 2000 win was from the fifth starting position).
  • Martin Truex Jr. (2018 was from the outside front row and 2019 was from eighth 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).
• Six of the 32 (18.75%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent was Kyle Larson in 2021.
• Jeff Gordon leads the series in wins from the pole or first starting position at Sonoma with three victories (1998, 1999 and 2004).
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more series wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions 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 NASCAR Cup 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 NASCAR Cup Series driver to post his first career win at Sonoma Raceway (2007).
• Four drivers have won in two different manufacturers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma; see chart below:

• Denny Hamlin leads the series among active drivers this weekend with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma without visiting Victory Lane at 15.
• In total 15 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway; eight are active this weekend.

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Sonoma with seven victories (Jeff Gordon with five, Jimmie Johnson with one and Kyle Larson with one).
• Six different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma; led by Chevrolet with 12 victories; followed by Ford with eight, Toyota (five), Dodge (three), Pontiac (two) and Buick (one).

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 20 drivers have finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup 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)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 53 different NASCAR Cup 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.
• Kurt Busch leads all active series drivers in top-five finishes at Sonoma with seven.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)  

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 79 different NASCAR Cup 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.
• Kurt Busch leads all active Cup Series drivers in top 10s at Sonoma with 11.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finishes:

• Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Sonoma with an 8.3 in 23 starts.
• Erik Jones leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average finish at Sonoma with a 12.750 in four starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Positions at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 74 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Sonoma Raceway.
• Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Sonoma Raceway with 457 laps led in 23 starts.
• Martin Truex Jr. leads all active Cup drivers in laps led at Sonoma (second-most all-time) with 213 laps led in 15 Sonoma Raceway starts.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon has led the most laps at Sonoma Raceway in a single 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 NASCAR Cup Series race and did not win (finished second) after leading 66 of the 74 scheduled laps (89.1%) on May 7, 1995.
• The fewest laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series winner at Sonoma Raceway is two laps and it has happened twice; in 1991 Davey Allison led just two laps en route to the win at Sonoma and in 1995 Dale Earnhardt led just two laps en route to the win.

Top 10 in Laps Led at Sonoma Raceway (All-Time & Active)

TRACK SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the 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 NASCAR Cup Series

• Qualifying has never been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway due to weather. But last year’s event set the starting lineups by Metric Qualifying due to the pandemic restrictions.
• None of the 32 NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
• None of the 32 NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have been postponed to a later date.
• There have been three NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in NASCAR Overtime at Sonoma Raceway:

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Danica Patrick is the only female driver in the NASCAR Cup Series to compete at Sonoma Raceway.

NASCAR IN CALIFORNIA

• There has been a total of 209 NASCAR national series points-paying 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 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 454 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as California.
• 43 of the 454 Californian drivers in NASCAR have posted at least one win in one of NASCAR’s three national series. The list of winners is below:

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