Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are heading to Wine Country this weekend for their annual trip to Sonoma Raceway. The 12-turn road course is one of two races this season where the Sprint Cup drivers will be tested by turning both left and right.
One thing’s for sure about Sonoma – it’s unpredictable. The short track road course vibe is felt all throughout the track. It’s a slow track compared to the high speeds reached around the other road course on the Sprint Cup schedule, Watkins Glen. There aren’t many passing opportunities on the track, so when a driver sees a hole into one of the slow corners and braking points, they’ll go for it, which often results in cars sent into tire barriers, or cars going for a lazy spin. Most of the track action is seen on the final hairpin corner, and if you spin there, you might be sitting there waiting for more than 20 cars to pass you before you find a gap to turn around. A race can be won or lost in the hairpin, and it often is.
Adding to the unpredictability of Sonoma is the track’s tendency to produce surprise winners, and few repeat winners. Seven different drivers have visited victory lane in Sonoma’s last seven races, dating back to Kasey Kahne in 2009. There’s a good chance that trend continues on Sunday, but if it does get broken there are a few drivers that have a good chance of doing it.
Reigning Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch is the 2015 winner at Sonoma, and he is quite possibly the favorite for the race. Busch’s win last year was his first of the season after missing the first 11 races due to injury. The Las Vegas, Nevada native only led 17 laps in the race, but he and crew chief Adam Stevens hit on the right strategy to win. Along with being the defending winner, Busch also owns another victory in Wine Country coming in 2008 driving for Rick Hendrick. However, if Busch wants to get his third win at the road course, he’ll have to stay out of trouble, something he hasn’t had a lot of luck with in the past. Busch only has one other top-10 at the track, along with three finishes outside the top-30.
One of the keys to getting around Sonoma is taking care of your brakes. If you can run up front and take care of your brakes, you’re golden. If you can’t, you might end up in the same shape AJ Allmendinger has in years past. Bringing his road course prowess from his Champ Car days, Allmendinger often is looked at as a lock to contend for wins at the road courses. He won at Watkins Glen in 2014 after holding off another road course veteran Marcos Ambrose in the closing stages, but Allmendinger’s luck hasn’t been the same at the California track. He finished 37th in both of his last two Sonoma appearances after running into brake issues. In 2014, he started on the outside pole, and led 35 laps, but fell back late in the race. Last year was almost the same story. He only led one lap from the pole, but ran up front all day before dropping back. If Allmendinger takes better care of his brakes this year, he might get his sweetest victory yet in NASCAR at his hometrack.
Coming off a seventh-place run at Michigan could be just the remedy to get things back on track for Tony Stewart heading into Sonoma. Sonoma is one of Smoke’s best tracks. He has the second-best average finish of all active drivers in Sonoma with a 12.4, and he has two wins. His last win here was in 2005, but if Smoke can find that magic again, he could put himself in championship contention.
Road course racing is thought by many to be an equalizer, and if that’s true, Clint Bowyer could be in position to steal a win. Although his one-year term with HScott Motorsports has been less than lackluster, Bowyer always seems to run well at Sonoma. He has an average finish of 8.6, and won in 2012 driving for Michael Waltrip Racing. The following year he finished fifth, and in 2014 and 2015 he finished 10th and third respectively. Bowyer only has two top-10s this season, so it might be asking for a bit much to expect a win, but if his team can step up to the challenge, he can keep his average finish high.
Another driver you can expect to contend at Sonoma will be Team Penske driver, Joey Logano. Not a lot of people really think of Logano as this amazing road racer, but after sweeping the XFINITY and Cup races at Watkins Glen last year, it’s time to put Logano in the equation as a solid roadie. The 26-year-old Connecticut racer finished fifth in this race last year, and has momentum on his side after a dominating victory in Michigan.
The unpredictability of Sonoma means anyone can win on Sunday. Pit strategy, saving brakes and staying calm will all be key in helping one driver score a big win in Wine Country.
