NASCAR Cup Series

Podium Preview: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

by
Rob Tiongson
June 11, 2023

AJ Allmendinger gears up for a homecoming at Sonoma Raceway. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

SONOMA, Calif. – For the past 34 years, minus the 2020 COVID-19 impacted season, Sonoma Raceway has been a NASCAR Cup Series staple. The Toyota/Save Mart 350 has been held on the renowned road course’s Club Circuit layout since 1998, save for some layout changes and the 2019 and 2021 races being held on the full course, Carousel track.

At 1.99 miles in length and with 12 corners, Sonoma offers familiar aspects seen at the short tracks and intermediates. With two distinct straights and sweeping corners, the FIA Grade 2 road course offers plentiful passing opportunities.

Most drivers opt for aggressive moves into Turn 11, diving deep into the corner but being careful to not hit the tire barriers that can knock out a toe link or mash in a fender. Turns 2, 4a, 7a, and even 10 offer chances for drivers to duke it out for positions and the victory.

While Sonoma may not be as technical as Circuit of the Americas or Watkins Glen International, it still challenges drivers and equipment. Transmissions can still be put to the test with the plentiful shifting on a lap-by-lap basis along with racers losing patience if locked into a pitched battle that seems to hit an impasse.

Last year, Daniel Suárez capitalized at Sonoma with a strong, fast No. 99 Chevrolet, besting Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell to tally his first ever Cup win. This year, Suárez, rolling off from the ninth position, likes his chances along with Kyle Larson, Buescher, McDowell, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott.

Once the NASCAR official unfurls the green flag on race day, it is anyone’s guess as to who will prevail in this year’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. For the time being, come along for the ride this and each race weekend with Podium Preview.

This weekend, Cody Shoppe, Jasmine Sharpe, Kobe Lambeth, Luis Torres, Matt Sisoler, and yours truly consider the one race suspension for Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman’s decision to scale back on his dirt track efforts.

Podium Perspectives

Question 1

Daniel Suárez is brimming with confidence ahead of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

How pivotal is this race weekend for the road course ringers like Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suárez in terms of winning Sunday’s race at Sonoma and earning a Playoffs spot?

Sisoler : I mean, it could be massive. Some teams like Allmendinger’s are gonna have limited chances to make the playoffs because, not to be unkind, but they don’t really have a chance of making the top 16 without a win on a road course or plate track. I would not put it past a team like Kaulig with Allmendinger or Haley, or Penske with Cindric, to put their road course guy out front late on strategy to try and get the lucky break needed to win the race and give themselves a guaranteed playoff spot.

Tiongson : A win in the second half of the regular season is as critical and important as it gets. For AJ Allmendinger, it would be a very sweet victory at a track that essentially serves as his home track while Fontana’s future hangs in the balance. Moreover, he has been competitive but encountered strange circumstances that have eliminated him from contending for a win at the longtime NASCAR staple road course.

As for Austin Cindric and Daniel Suárez, it is not necessarily the only place that they can win. However, their road course proficiency is noteworthy in terms of their prowess and confidence.

Cindric has seen his teammates, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, win races this year while he has not won since last year’s Daytona 500. A victory this Sunday would go a long ways with showcasing why he’s in that famous No. 2 ride along with backing up a victory in “The Great American Race.”

Meanwhile, for Suárez, he has been in the midst of a feast or famine season. Last Sunday’s seventh place result was indicative of the speed and strength prevalent with the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team. Last year, he won in exciting fashion en route to a 10th place points finish in the championship standings. After last Sunday’s race at Gateway, Suárez is brimming with confidence and likely circled this race weekend on his calendar long before the haulers made the trek to Los Angeles in early February.

Question 2

It’s back to the basics with Sonoma like in 2016 and before. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)

Over the years, we have seen short pitting prevail at road course races. With stage break cautions eliminated at the road courses, how much does this impact this oft used tactic for track position, particularly at the end of a road course race like Sonoma?

Shoppe : I think we will see lots of different strategies with the removal of stage yellows. I would expect less people will flip the stages like we’ve seen so much of in the past. Hopefully, we see a better flowing race but not as spread out as Saturday’s Xfinity race!

Lambeth : I think we’re going to see various strategies from crew chiefs to try to put their driver in the best possible position to pick up a win. For the drivers who are just above or below the postseason cutline, they might focus on getting additional stage points. Meanwhile, the drivers who already have at least one win or those who are further down in points may have a more aggressive strategy to try to find Victory Lane. However, without the stage breaks, the race strategy will ultimately depend on how the cautions fall.

Sharpe : I don’t exactly know if all teams will be following the same strategy, but I do expect short pitting to come into play during this Cup race. Qualifying was intense and displayed how aggressive drivers are willing to be in order to snag better positions. Depending how long the green flag runs go, short pitting will be crucial in order to stay on track as long as possible.

Speed on pit road is slow, dragging out with pit stops. Drivers can lose 20+ seconds and on any track that is crucial.

In the same amount of time most fans heat up their TV dinners, we got our TPF stock car around Sonoma Raceway for a smooth lap. Before further considering the action at Sonoma, let’s rewind to Race 16 of 36 of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season with our race and points reports!

Kyle Busch made a couple of panelists feel like winners.

As a result, we have a new points leader.