The Frontstretch Newsletter: Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer Fastest in Sonoma Practices
Frontstretch.com
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
by The Frontstretch Staff
Toyotas Top Both Practices at Sonoma Raceway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Records and facts
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the defending winner of this race. Earnhardt Jr. started eighth and kept himself in the hunt all day as the various pit strategies played themselves out on the scalene triangle. After a late crash closed the field up for a final 12-lap dash to the checkers, Earnhardt Jr. passed Brad Keselowski with five laps to go and held on to take the win.
Keselowski was second, followed by Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin. Rookie Kyle Larson rounded out the top-5 finishers.
Johnson also holds the record for most victories at the Monster Mile. The win last May was his ninth at the concrete oval, breaking the previous tie he held with Richard Petty.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.99 mile road course, 110 laps (218.9 miles)
Banking: Variable
Grandstand Seating: 47,000
Pit Road Speed: 40 mph
Pace Car Speed: 45 mph
Opened: 1968 (first Sprint Cup race in 1989)
Website: http://www.racesonoma.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/racesonoma
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RaceSonoma
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice: Friday, June 26, 3 - 4:55 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2
Happy Hour: Friday, June 26, 6:30 - 7:55 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2
Qualifying: Saturday, June 27 at 2:15 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Say What?!
"It’s just a fun track. It’s one of my favorite racetracks on the circuit and one I really look forward to every year. The worst thing they could ever do is repave it. As long as they don’t repave it, it’s great. It’s a very slippery racetrack, so it’s hard to get grip, and that puts it back in the driver’s hands. Sonoma is one of those tracks where you just don’t get a break. There’s really nowhere in the lap where you get a chance to relax and catch your breath. It’s a very busy lap around Sonoma." - Tony Stewart
"I’m excited to in both races this weekend at Sonoma. I’ve never been there before so hopefully we can learn a lot on Saturday in the K&N race that can translate well to Sunday. We had a lot of success last time we ran double-duty earlier this season at Pocono and I think we can do that again this weekend." - Trevor Bayne
"I've always liked road course racing, and Sonoma [Raceway] was a challenge for me last year. I've always felt good about my road course racing skills, but Sonoma is a completely different animal. I'm looking forward to getting all of the practice time I can get this weekend. I think qualifying will be interesting since this is the first time we aren't going to have our usual road-course qualifying format. It's a big weekend for BRANDT, and they'll have about 100 people at the track on Sunday. They also have a large office down in the Fresno area, and I'll be there on Thursday to visit with the employees and customers." - Justin Allgaier
This Week's Race: MAVTV 500
Track: Auto Club Speedway. This is an 2-mile superspeedway located in Fontana, CA.
Last year's P1: Helio Castroneves of Team Penske won the pole position with a speed of 218.540 mph
Last year's winner: Tony Kanaan
Track record: Qualifying: Gil de Ferran, 241.428 mph, set October 28th, 2000.
Distance: 250 laps/500 miles
Who Ya Got? Matt Stallknecht, Toni Montgomery and Aaron Bearden are all going with Juan Pablo Montoya. Huston Ladner is going with Scott Dixon
Where To Watch: NBC Sports Network is carrying the race this week. Qualifying is at 7:15 p.m. ET on Friday June 26th. Race coverage is at 4:30 p.m. today.
On Social Media: Follow along with @ACSUpdates, @IndyCar, #MAVTV500, and #IndyCar
Quotable:
Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) “You can never underestimate the power of the lanes. There are three major lanes and they are all shaped differently. That track is one of those you can never take for granted because you never know when it’s going to come out and bite you. Definitely excited to get out there; 500 miles is a long time, for sure. I think it’s going to be a good show and a good, safe race.”
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "Now that we had an off weekend to catch our breath and regroup, I am happy with where we are as we head into the final six races of the year. We've been able to mix in a lot of consistency with our two wins, but we need to get at least one more before the end of the year. Fontana and Pocono would be great tracks to do that for the Triple Crown."
Sarah Fisher (Co-owner of CFH Racing): “I know Ed is excited to get to Fontana. He loves driving on the ovals and he loves coaching and working with Josef,” Fisher says. “It’s neat to see the team working well together. It’s been tough when you take two well-organized teams. Normally, you hand-pick individuals and they work together, but when you say, ‘Alright, this baseball team and this baseball team are one now,’ it’s hard. But it’s great because you see a lot of them smiling and enjoying what they do. That means a lot to both Ed and I.”
Matt Stallknecht is the Multimedia Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at matt.sta...@frontstretch.com.
~~~~~~~~~~Friday Faceoff: What is NASCAR's Silliest Rule?
Q: With three laps to go in the 1997 Kragen 151, Boris Said did this to Rich Bickle (driving the DieHard-sponsored No. 17). Out of context, it seems random. However, there's a reason for his actions. What happened?
Thursday's Answer:
Q: Sonoma Raceway has a history of rather bizarre crashes over the years. In 2008, Jeff Jefferson was involved in one of these bizarre crashes. What happened?
A: Jefferson was racing for position with Kevin O'Connell when the two had contact on the run down to the short course's turn 7. The contact sent Jefferson sliding over the curb for turn 7 of the long course. The curb sent Jefferson onto his roof and into a series of rolls. Jefferson walked away from the crash, which can be seen here.
-----------------------------
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email toedi...@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2015 Frontstretch.com