Sonoma 101: Story lines, qualifying format, history and more

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to California’s scenic wine country for its annual stop at Sonoma Raceway.

The surroundings feature plenty of winding roads through the hilly and twisting road course north of San Francisco.

Everything you need to know for the second road course on this year’s Cup schedule is right here:

GETTING FAMILIAR

A staple on the Cup schedule since 1989, Sonoma is no new territory for the Cup Series field.

However, some of today’s drivers have yet to compete on this weekend’s track configuration. Competitors will race using the Chute between Turns 4A and 7A on the 10-turn layout, eliminating the carousel course that had been featured in both 2019 and 2021 (NASCAR did not compete at Sonoma in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic).

Longtime fans will remember the Chute layout as the Sonoma norm from 1998-2018. Teams will be separated into Groups A and B and allowed 20 minutes of practice per group on Saturday (4:35 p.m. ET, FS1) ahead of group qualifying to reacquaint themselves with the Chute as the Next Gen car debuts on the 1.99-mile course.

Qualifying will feature one 15-minute timed session per group. The five fastest in each group will then advance to the final round of qualifying, where those 10 drivers will fight for the pole in a 10-minute timed session. The driver who posts the fastest lap in that session will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: See this week’s groups here | Weekend schedule | Cup Series standings 

HISTORY IN WINE COUNTRY

— Sonoma Raceway was built on 800 acres in 1968 by an attorney from Point Reyes and a land developer from Kentfield. They got the idea of a race track while on a hunting trip. The property was a working farm called Sears Point Farm in the early 1900s.

— In 1969, the track was bought by Filmways Corp. of Los Angeles. The track had many different owners and operators over the next several years.

— In 1986, Harvey “Skip” Berg, owner of a real estate acquisition and development company, took control of the track and brought in professional management. Bruton Smith and Speedway Motorsports bought the track in 1996.

— Sonoma Raceway joined the Cup schedule in 1989, a race won by Ricky Rudd, who led 61 of the 74 laps on the “full” 2.52-mile, 12-turn course.

— The Chute was introduced in 1998, shortening the track to 10 turns at 1.99 miles.

— Winners of most major events at Sonoma celebrate with a sip from the Champion‘s Goblet in the Wine Country Winner‘s Circle. The goblet was introduced in 2006 incorporating the raceway‘s rich wine country heritage and allowing the winner to toast the fans. The goblets are created by a local glass blower from Sonoma.

Source: Racing Insights

RELATED: See every driver who’s won at Sonoma

GOODYEAR TIRES

With sharp turns and heavy braking to come this weekend, the challenge is placed on Goodyear to provide a tire to handle those unique asks with the Next Gen car.

Heavy braking stresses the front tires while the rear tires are taxed with harsh acceleration on corner exit. An area of focus for Goodyear this weekend is the tire’s tread splice, which as the company notes is particularly stressed. The tread splice is the area of the tread that is joined together in the manufacturing process.

Because of that, Goodyear will run one tire for the NASCAR Cup cars at Sonoma with two different tire codes — one code for the left front and right rear, and another for the right front and left rear.

“We have a unique way of building and mounting tires for this week‘s Cup race at Sonoma, with the ‘normal‘ left-right tire codes making way to help get tires on the correct corner of the car,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear‘s director of racing. “This directional mounting helps to protect the beveled splice of the tread component, insuring the splice is closed under the force of braking on both front tires, and closed under the force of acceleration on both rears.”

SONOMA STORY LINES 

— Kyle Larson started first for the last four races at Sonoma, winning the pole three times and earning the pole via metrics in 2021.

— Kyle Larson won three road course races in 2021, the most all-time in a single season.

— Sonoma is the second of five road course races in 2022; four of the next 10 Cup races are on road courses.

— Hendrick Motorsports has won 10 of the last 15 road course events and hasn’t gone more than one road course race without a win since 2019. Trackhouse Racing (Ross Chastain) won at Circuit of The Americas in March, the only Cup race on a road course completed this year.

— Christopher Bell has finished inside the top 10 in the last five races, his career longest streak.

— Kevin Harvick (2017) and Martin Truex Jr. (2018, ’19) have combined to win three of the last four Sonoma races. Both are winless in 2022, with Harvick on a 58-race winless streak.

— The pass for the win came in the final 10 laps in 12 of the 15 races in 2022.

— Kyle Busch was passed for the win in the final two laps in each of the last two races

Source: Racing Insights

RELATED: Why officials are monitoring Chastain, rivals

BACK TO THE FAVORITES

Whenever NASCAR heads to a road course, Chase Elliott’s name is the first that comes to mind.

He should be. Four of Elliott’s last seven wins have come on a road course, dating back to his 2020 victory on the Daytona International Speedway road course. The 2020 Cup champion enters as this week’s favorite at 9-2 odds, according to BetMGM.

But there is cause for pause with an Elliott pick: For all his road course success, Elliott has yet to win at Sonoma, posting a best finish of second last year to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Larson, always an excellent qualifier at Sonoma, is BetMGM’s next-best bet at 7-1 for Sunday’s race.

It’s also difficult to overlook AJ Allmendinger, who will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing this weekend. BetMGM lists Allmendinger at 12-1 odds, which might be a fantastic bet come Sunday. Allmendinger won last week’s Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway and was battling Ross Chastain for the win at COTA in March before Chastain sent Allmendinger spinning. Allmendinger drove Kaulig to Victory Lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last summer and is likely to be a sure factor this weekend.

RELATED: Betting odds for Sonoma

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 3, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.

The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (501), Kyle Busch (491) and Ross Chastain (479).

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.