Credit: SONOMA, CALIFORNIA – JULY 11: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Quad Lock Chevrolet, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway on July 11, 2025, in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
SONOMA, Calif. — The Toyota / Save Mart 350 will see the NASCAR Cup Series take on the road course at Sonoma Raceway.Â
This is the 36th trip to the Sonoma Raceway for the Cup Series, with the first visit occurring back in 1989. Last year, Kyle Larson scored the win on the road course.
The stage end laps are laps 25, 55, and 110.
Only one of the last six Sonoma races was won by a driver getting their first win of the season. That was Daniel Suarez back in 2022.
Kyle Larson (2), Kyle Busch (2), and Daniel Suarez (1) are the only active Sonoma winners.
Chris Buescher finished in the top five in the last three Sonoma races, the longest active streak. In the last three Sonoma races, Chris Buescher finished second, fourth, and third.
Shane van Gisbergen won the last two road course races from pole; the record is three by Jeff Gordon between 1998 and 1999.
Shane van Gisbergen won the last two road course races from pole; the record is three by Jeff Gordon between 1998 and 1999.
Multimedia:
Headline Surfer YouTube download / NASCAR video /Â Relive the 2024 Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Sonoma Raceway that saw Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, and Martin Truex Jr. battle it out in a NASCAR Cup Series road-course thriller.
Two of the seven remaining races before the Playoffs are on road courses – Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
Five of the last 12 road course races were won by drivers getting their first road course win.
Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams in poles, wins, top-fives, top-10s, laps led, and average finish on road courses in the Next Gen era (2022-2025).
Alex Bowman was the top-finishing Hendrick Motorsports driver for the first time in 2025 at Chicago Street Course last week by finishing eighth. Can he do it again?Â
Hendrick Motorsports drivers won five of the last 10 road course races, with three different drivers winning: William Byron and Kyle Larson (twice) and Alex Bowman (once).
Christopher Bell will make his 200th career Cup Series start this weekend. Four drivers have won in their 200th start, most recently Kevin Harvick at Watkins Glen in 2006.
Both Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell will be making their 200th consecutive Cup starts on Sunday.
Ryan Preece has been part of the Playoff bubble following the last eight races.
Shane van Gisbergen, with two, is the only repeat winner in the last 10 races of 2025.
The pole winner has not won at Sonoma in the last 19 races (2004). The average finish of the pole winner is 19th over those 19 races.
Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. are the only repeat winners in the last 15 Sonoma races.
About the Byline Writer:Â
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He’s also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida’s death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series “Snapped” for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. • Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.