Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, CA, USA
Track History
Sonoma Raceway winds through the brown hills of Northern California wine country, a road course that has been one of the most popular stops on the Cup schedule since NASCAR first visited in 1989. The track has hosted races on multiple configurations, but the character remains constant — elevation changes, blind crests, and a series of corners that demand versatility from drivers who spend most of their season turning left. The signature turn of the circuit is Turn 7, a sweeping right-hander that crests a hill before plunging downhill toward the hairpin, creating one of the most dramatic sequences on any track in the sport. Sonoma rewards road course acumen, and the drivers who excel here tend to be those with backgrounds in sports cars or karting, where right-hand turns are not the exception but the norm. The wine country setting gives race weekends at Sonoma a distinctly California atmosphere, and the combination of world-class racing and Napa Valley hospitality makes the annual June visit one of the most anticipated events on the calendar.
Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference
| Date | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 28 | Toyota / Save Mart 350 | TNT |
Top Drivers at Sonoma Raceway
Martin Truex, Jr. leads all drivers at Sonoma Raceway with 3 wins across 7 starts.
All-time stats across Cup, O'Reilly & Trucks (min 3 starts)
| Driver | Races | Wins | Avg Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 7 | 3 | 15.3 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | 3 | 2 | 1.3 |
| Ernie Irvan | 6 | 2 | 6.3 |
| Kyle Larson | 9 | 2 | 12.6 |
| Ricky Rudd | 6 | 1 | 4.5 |
Race Winners (1989-2025)
Sonoma Raceway has crowned 17 different Cup Series winners since 1989.
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 2025 | NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma | Connor Zilisch |
| 2024 | NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 2024 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Kyle Larson |
| 2023 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 2023 | NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma | Aric Almirola |
| 2022 | NASCAR Truck Series at Sonoma | Kyle Busch |
| 2022 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Daniel Suarez |
| 2021 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Kyle Larson |
| 2019 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 2018 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 2017 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Kevin Harvick |
| 1998 | Kragen / Exide 151 | Boris Said |
| 1997 | Kragen / Exide 151 | Joe Ruttman |
| 1996 | Kragen 151 | Dave Rezendes |
| 1995 | Subway 100 | Ron Hornaday Jr. |
| 1994 | Save Mart 300 | Ernie Irvan |
| 1993 | Save Mart 300 | Geoffrey Bodine |
| 1992 | Save Mart 300 | Ernie Irvan |
| 1991 | Banquet 300 | Davey Allison |
| 1990 | Banquet Frozen Foods 300k | Rusty Wallace |
| 1989 | Banquet 300 | Ricky Rudd |
Race Dynamics
Road courses favor drivers with sports car or open-wheel backgrounds. Rain can dramatically shuffle the field. Qualifying position matters less — overtaking opportunities are plentiful through braking zones and varied corner types.
Top Rated Drivers at Sonoma Raceway
Top-rated drivers at Sonoma Raceway based on the NR-Rating Elo system, measuring historical performance at this specific track.
NR-Rating Elo rankings based on track-specific performance
| Rank | Driver | Elo Rating | Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Bell | 1568 | 227 |
| 2 | Shane van Gisbergen | 1560 | 61 |
| 3 | Chris Buescher | 1556 | 376 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 1555 | 369 |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | 1553 | 229 |
| 6 | William Byron | 1543 | 299 |
| 7 | Michael McDowell | 1525 | 548 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 1518 | 626 |
| 9 | A.J. Allmendinger | 1515 | 493 |
| 10 | Kyle Busch | 1514 | 761 |
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