History

·         The track opened as a 2.52-mile road course and drag strip in 1968.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 11, 1989 – won by Ricky Rudd at a speed of 76.088 mph.

·         The first nine races 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.

 

Sonoma Raceway Data

Season Race #: 16 of 36 (06-23-13)

Track Size: 1.99-miles

Number of Turns: 12

Race Length: 110 laps / 219 miles / 350 Kilometers

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at Sonoma

Kurt Busch................................ 107.8

Tony Stewart............................. 107.5

Marcos Ambrose....................... 106.8

Jeff Gordon.............................. 101.1

Juan Pablo Montoya................... 97.8

Jimmie Johnson.......................... 96.6

Clint Bowyer............................... 93.3

Kyle Busch................................. 92.8

Ryan Newman............................. 89.9

Carl Edwards.............................. 84.9

Elliott Sadler............................... 84.9

Jamie McMurray.......................... 84.4

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (eight total) among active drivers at Sonoma Raceway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 95.262 mph, 75.203 secs. 6-22-12

 

2012 race winner: Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 83.624 mph, (02:39:55), 6-24-12

 

Track qualifying record: Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 95.262 mph, 75.203 secs. 6-22-12

 

Track race record: Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 83.624 mph, (02:39:55), 6-24-12

Notebook

·         There have been 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma Raceway since the first race there in 1989 – one race per season.

·         184 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway; 131 in more than one.

·         Mark Martin and Terry Labonte lead the series in starts at Sonoma with 21 each; followed by Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon with 20 each.

·         Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Sonoma in 1989 with a speed of 90.041 mph.

·         15 drivers have Coors Light poles at Sonoma, led by Jeff Gordon with five.

·         Two drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Sonoma Ricky Rudd and Jeff Gordon. Ricky Rudd holds the record for most consecutive poles at Sonoma with three; fall 1990 through 1992.

·         Jeff Gordon is the only active driver to have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Sonoma: 1998-‘99 and 2004-’05.

·         Youngest Sonoma pole winner: Joey Logano (6/26/2011 – 21 years, 1 month, 2 days).

·         Oldest Sonoma pole winner: Rusty Wallace (6/25/2000 – 43 years, 10 months, 11 days).

·         16 different NSCS drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins. Tony Stewart has the second most wins (two) among active drivers at Sonoma.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Sprint 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 seven (Watkins Glen, five; Sonoma, two).

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison holds the NASCAR Sprint 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 wins (three total) at Sonoma Raceway (1988 and 1989 each from the pole and 2000 from the fifth starting position).

·         Youngest Sonoma winner: Kyle Busch (6/22/2008 – 23 years, 1 month, 20 days).

·         Oldest Sonoma winner: Ricky Rudd (6/23/2002 – 45 years, 9 months, 11 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Sonoma in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six: Jeff Gordon (five) and Jimmie Johnson (one).

·         Six different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Sonoma; led by Chevrolet with 10 victories; followed by Ford with six.

·         Five of the 24 (20.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Jeff Gordon in 2004. Gordon is the only NSCS driver to win from the pole at Sonoma more than once.

·         The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.

·         Eight of the 24 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from the front row: five from the pole and three from second place.

·         18 of the 24 (75.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two of the 24 (8.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Michigan was 32nd, by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007.

·         Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Sonoma with four; followed by Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart with three each.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Sonoma with 12; followed by Ricky Rudd with 10.

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at Sonoma with 16; followed by Mark Martin with 13.

·         Marcos Ambrose leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Sonoma with a 5.000.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Sonoma with an 8.550. Clint Bowyer (9.714) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.

·         All but one of the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners at Sonoma Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Juan Pablo Montoya won at Sonoma in his rookie season and his first appearance at the 1.99-mile track, the fewest previous starts among the active NSCS winners.

·         Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin competed at Sonoma Raceway eight times each before visiting Victory in Lane; the longest span of any the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners. Johnson won in 2010 and Martin won in 1997.

·         Terry Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma without visiting Victory Lane at 21.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway was the June 27, 1999 race won by Jeff Gordon over Mark Martin with a MOV of 0.197 second.

·         There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup races resulting in a green-white-checkered finish at Sonoma Raceway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2008 (110/112); 2009 (110/113) and 2012 (110/112).

·         None of the 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.

·         Qualifying has never been cancelled in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway.  

·         Boris Said posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Sonoma Raceway (6/22/2003).

·         Juan Pablo Montoya posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway (6/24/2007).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Sonoma with 450 laps led in 20 starts.

·         Danica Patrick will attempt to become the first female driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to compete at Sonoma Raceway.

·         Patty Moise is the only female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on a road course:

Track	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Watkins Glen	Patty Moise	30	33	8/10/1987
Watkins Glen	Patty Moise	33	30	8/14/1988

 

NASCAR in California

·         There have been 134 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in California.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Riverside International Raceway	Riverside	48
Auto Club Speedway	Fontana	24
Sonoma Raceway	Sonoma	24
Ontario Motor Speedway	Ontario	9
California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento	6
Carrell Speedway	Gardena	4
Ascot Stadium	Los Angeles	3
Bay Meadows Race Track	San Mateo	3
Marchbanks Speedway	Hanford	3
Oakland Stadium	Oakland	3
Redwood Speedway	Eureka	2
Willow Springs Speedway	Lancaster	2
Capitol Speedway	Sacramento	1
Merced Fairgrounds	Merced	1
Santa Clara Fairgrounds	San Jose	1

·         427 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as California.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Jeff Gordon	87	5	0
Jimmie Johnson	63	1	0
Kevin Harvick	21	39	14
Marvin Panch	17	0	0
Ernie Irvan	15	3	0
Dick Rathmann	13	0	0
Dan Gurney	5	0	0
Eddie Gray	4	0	0
Parnelli Jones	4	0	0
Eddie Pagan	4	0	0
Robby Gordon	3	1	0
Ray Elder	2	0	0
Danny Letner	2	0	0
Marvin Porter	2	0	0
Dick Brooks	1	0	0
Marvin Burke	1	0	0
Jim Cook	1	0	0
Lou Figaro	1	0	0
Danny Graves	1	0	0
Johnny Mantz	1	0	0
Casey Mears	1	1	0
Bill Norton	1	0	0
John Soares	1	0	0
Danny Weinberg	1	0	0
Ron Hornaday Jr	0	4	51
Jason Leffler	0	2	1
David Gilliland	0	1	0
Joe Ruttman	0	1	13
Boris Said	0	1	1
Mike Skinner	0	1	28
Matt Crafton	0	0	3
Kyle Larson	0	0	1
Justin Lofton	0	0	1
Scott Speed	0	0	1
Brandon Whitt	0	0	1

 

SONOMA-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

 

Marcos Ambrose (No. 9 Stanley Ford)

·         Two top fives, four top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 12.8

·         Average Running Position of 10.9, third-best

·         Driver Rating of 106.8, third-best

·         49 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.807 mph, second-fastest

·         452 Laps in the Top 15 (81.1%), 11th-most

·         187 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fifth-most

 

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota)

·         One win, four top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 9.7

·         Average Running Position of 14.6, eighth-best

·         Driver Rating of 93.3, seventh-best

·         476 Green Flag Passes, third-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.333 mph, seventh-fastest

 

Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet)

·         One win, five top fives, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 17.0

·         Series-best Average Running Position of 9.2

·         Series-best Driver Rating of 107.8

·         35 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.684 mph, third-fastest

·         705 Laps in the Top 15 (79.5%), second-most

·         186 Quality Passes, sixth-most

 

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota)

·         One win, one top five, two top 10s

·         Average finish of 18.6

·         Driver Rating of 92.8, eighth-best

·         48 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.540 mph, fifth-fastest

·         512 Laps in the Top 15 (57.7%), sixth-most

 

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)

·         One top five, three top 10s

·         Average finish of 17.1

·         Average Running Position of 16.0, 10th-best

·         Driver Rating of 84.9, 10th-best

·         27 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·         Series-high 515 Green Flag Passes

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.331 mph, ninth-fastest

·         471 Laps in the Top 15 (53.1%), ninth-most

·         181 Quality Passes, 10th-most

 

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)

·         Five wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s; five poles

·         Average finish of 8.6

·         Average Running Position of 12.5, fifth-best

·         Driver Rating of 101.1, fourth-best

·         56 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·         439 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.560 mph, fourth-fastest

·         593 Laps in the Top 15 (66.9%), fourth-most

·         206 Quality Passes, second-most

 

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 16.1

·         Average Running Position of 15.4, ninth-best

·         Driver Rating of 82.2, 13th-best

·         20 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most

·         455 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

·         499 Laps in the Top 15 (56.3%), eighth-most

·         153 Quality Passes, 12th-most

 

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

·         One win, four top fives, six top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.8

·         Average Running Position of 12.7, sixth-best

·         Driver Rating of 96.6, sixth-best

·         52 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·         625 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5%), third-most

·         204 Quality Passes, third-most

 

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 CESSNA Chevrolet)

·         One top five, one top 10; one pole

·         Average finish of 17.1

·         Driver Rating of 84.4, 12th-best

·         441 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.330 mph, 10th-fastest

 

Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)

·         One win, one top five, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.2

·         Average Running Position of 11.8, fourth-best

·         Driver Rating of 97.8, fifth-best

·         23 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.332 mph, eighth-fastest

·         509 Laps in the Top 15 (76.3%), seventh-most

·         195 Quality Passes, fourth-most

 

Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet)

·         Two top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.9

·         Average Running Position of 13.6, seventh-best

·         Driver Rating of 89.9, ninth-best

·         448 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 89.375 mph, sixth-fastest

·         571 Laps in the Top 15 (64.4%), fifth-most

·         185 Quality Passes, seventh-most

 

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Brass Pro Shops Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 10.9

·         Average Running Position of 10.0, second-best

·         Driver Rating of 107.5, second-best

·         Series-high 79 Fastest Laps Run

·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 89.877 mph

·         Series-high 706 Laps in the Top 15 (79.6%)

·         Series-high 252 Quality Passes

 

Chase Contenders

The Top 12

Following Race 15 of 36

                                                                                Rank        Season

                                                                                Last          Driver

Driver                             Points   Wins      Poles        Week        Rating

1. Jimmie Johnson       538       3           1              1           114.3

2. Carl Edwards             507       1           1              2             93.2

3. Clint Bowyer              489       0           0              3             93.7

4. Kevin Harvick            476       2           0               5             96.0

5. Matt Kenseth              456       3           2               6           114.6

6. Kyle Busch                 452       2           2               7          104.8

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.     447       0           0               4             95.2

8. Greg Biffle                  443       1           0            10             83.3

9. Brad Keselowski        430       0           0               9             91.4

10. Tony Stewart              417       1           0            13             75.4

11. Paul Menard               415       0           0             12             77.3

12. Kasey Kahne              407       1           0               8             99.4

    ___________________________________________________________

 

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. Martin Truex Jr.               405         30. Bobby Labonte           256

14. Joey Logano                   405         31. Dave Blaney              245

15. Aric Almirola                   404         32. David Reutimann        214

16. Jeff Gordon                    398         33. J.J. Yeley                  213

17. Jeff Burton                     390         34. David Stremme          209

18. Ryan Newman                389         35. Travis Kvapil              178

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.        389         36. AJ Allmendinger         158

20. Kurt Busch                     384         37. Michael McDowell        83

21. Jamie McMurray             375         38. Timmy Hill                   80

22. Juan Pablo Montoya        361         39. Scott Speed                75

23. Marcos Ambrose             342         40. Michael Waltrip            63

24. Mark Martin                    314         41. Terry Labonte              52

25. Casey Mears                  305         42. Ken Schrader               39

26. Denny Hamlin                 299         43. Scott Riggs                 10

27. Danica Patrick                277         44. Brian Keselowski           4

28. David Ragan                   265         45. Jason Leffler                 1

29. David Gilliland                 261

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Sonoma Raceway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	11	0	1	4	6	1	13.8	96.6
2	Carl Edwards	8	0	0	1	3	0	17.1	84.9
3	Clint Bowyer	7	0	1	4	5	0	9.7	93.3
4	Kevin Harvick	12	0	0	3	4	0	16.1	82.2
5	Matt Kenseth	13	0	0	0	1	0	20.8	74.9
6	Kyle Busch	8	0	1	1	2	0	18.6	92.8
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	13	0	0	0	0	1	22.2	65.3
8	Greg Biffle	10	0	0	2	4	1	14.9	79.3
9	Brad Keselowski	3	0	0	0	1	1	19.0	75.6
10	Tony Stewart	14	1	2	5	9	1	10.9	107.5
11	Paul Menard	5	0	0	0	0	0	22.8	57.7
12	Kasey Kahne	9	2	1	2	2	0	22.0	81.1

* – Based on last eight races at Sonoma Raceway.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Wild Card Standings following Michigan:

				Pts		Pts From
Rank	Driver		Wins	Pos	Points	10th	Starts	Poles	T5s	T10s	DNFs
1	Kasey	Kahne	1	12	407	-10	15	0	5	6	2
2	Paul	Menard	0	11	415	-2	15	0	0	4	0
3	Martin	Truex Jr.	0	13	405	-12	15	0	3	6	1
4	Joey	Logano	0	14	405	-12	15	0	4	7	2
5	Aric	Almirola	0	15	404	-13	15	0	0	4	2
6	Jeff	Gordon	0	16	398	-19	15	0	3	4	4
7	Jeff	Burton	0	17	390	-27	15	0	1	3	1
8	Ryan	Newman	0	18	389	-28	15	0	2	7	4
9	Ricky	Stenhouse	0	19	389	-28	15	0	0	0	0
10	Kurt	Busch	0	20	384	-33	15	1	3	5	2
11	David	Ragan	1	28	265	-152	15	0	1	1	3
The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.