SON NCS Driver Notes Sunday, June 5, 2022
NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA HIGHLIGHTS
1-ROSS CHASTAIN
Playoff standings leader
Finished 8th at St. Louis – Started 10th, finished 5th in Stage 1 & 24th in Stage 2, lap 65 crashed Hamlin, lap 102 crashed Elliott
6 Top 3 finishes this season – Leads all drivers
7 Top 5 finishes this season – Leads all drivers
10 Career top 5 finishes – 7 Top 5 finishes this season
No top 5 finishes last 4 races – Longest streak this season
501 Career laps led – 426 Laps led this season
2 Career wins – 1 Road course win (Austin March)
Austin March winner – Started 16th, finished 13th in Stage 1 & 8th in Stage 2, 4 times led for 31 laps (most), avg. running pos.: 4th (best)
Finished 7th at 2021 Sonoma – Started 29th, finished 33rd in Stage 1 & 30th in Stage 2, lap 77 involved in crash
2-AUSTIN CINDRIC
11th in Standings
Finished 11th at St. Louis – Started 2nd, Stage 1 winner & finished 16th in Stage 2, 26 laps led
2 Top 10 finishes first 6 races this season – No top 10 finishes last 9 races
2 Top 10 finishes this season (58 Laps led) – 8 Finishes of 18th or worse this season
Most laps led in a race: 26 – St. Louis June
Best road course finish: 8th – Austin March
Finished 8th at Austin March – Started 10th, finished 10th in Stage 1 & 9th in Stage 2, 11 laps led, lap 34 & 57 spin
3-AUSTIN DILLON
19th in Standings (-29)
3 2nd-place finishes since last win – Texas 7/20
6 Top 10 finishes this season – 5 Top 10 finishes last 10 races
3 Top 5 finishes this season – 1 Top 5 finish all last season (Finished 3rd in Daytona 500)
Finished 10th at Austin March – Started 21st, finished 27th in Stage 1 & 6th in Stage 2, first road course top 10 finish
4-KEVIN HARVICK
17th in Standings (-2) – 15th in Standings (+31) into St. Louis
58 Races since last win (2nd-longest winless streak) – Bristol 9/20
Finished 33rd at St. Louis – Lap 236 hard crash
3 Top 5 finishes this season – 2 Top 5 finishes last 4 races
7 Top 10 finishes this season (13 Laps led) – 4 Top 10 finishes last 6 races
Finished 2nd in 4 races since last win – Bristol 9/20
58 Career wins – 2 Road course wins (2006 Watkins Glen & 2017 Sonoma)
First Sonoma win came in 17th try (2017) – Most tries before first Sonoma win
Finished 6th or better 5 of last 6 Sonoma races – 2017 Winner
Finished 6th or better 5 of last 6 Sonoma races – 3 Top 5 finishes
19 Lead lap finishes in 29 Sonoma races (Completed all but 1 lap – 2170 of 2171) – 15 Straight Sonoma lead lap finishes
5-KYLE LARSON
8th in Playoff standings
275th NASCAR Cup Series race
13 Races since last win (Longest winless streak with Hendrick) – California Feb.
Finished 12th at St. Louis – Started 15th, finished 13th in Stage 1 & 4th in Stage 2, avg. running pos.: 14th
Winless last 13 races – 7 Wins previous 16 races
6 Top 5 finishes this season – 4 Top 5 finishes last 9 races
247 Laps led this season – 1105 Laps led at this point last season
17 Career wins – 3 Road course wins (2021 Sonoma, 2021 Watkins Glen & 2021 Charlotte Roval)
Finished 29th at Austin March – Started 13th, finished 5th in Stage 1 & 28th in Stage 2, lap 16 spin & lap 66 off track
3 Wins last 6 road course races – 5 Top 3 finishes last 7 road course races
6 Top 5 finishes in 22 road course races – Finished top 3 in 5 of last 7 road course races
2021 Sonoma winner – Started 1st, Stage 1 & 2 winner, 57 laps led, 60 points scored
2021 Sonoma winner – 2nd of 3 straight wins (Charlotte, Sonoma & Nashville)
Started first last 4 Sonoma races – Finished 26th (2017), 14th (2018), 10th (2019) & 1st (2021)
1 Top 5 finish 7 Sonoma races – 2021 Winner
68 Sonoma laps led – 57 Laps led last season
Average Sonoma Start: 2.3 / Finish: 15.1
1 West race (2014 Sonoma) – Led all 66 laps from pole
Attended race at Sonoma as a young boy wearing Jeff Gordon DuPont shorts
Hendrick Motorsports: 7 Sonoma wins – Most all-time
6-BRAD KESELOWSKI
30th in Playoff standings (-179)
35 Career wins – 17 Different tracks
1 Top 10 finish this season – Finished 9th in Daytona 500
1 Top 10 finish this season – Finished 20th or worse 8 races this season
67 Laps led in 2022 Daytona 500 – Only 3 laps led last 14 races
Last 11 wins on 11 different tracks –
Darlington, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Martinsville, Kansas, Charlotte, Bristol, New Hampshire, Richmond, Talladega
35 Career wins – Winless in 32 road course races
Best road course finish: 2nd – 2011 Watkins Glen, 2012 Watkins Glen & 2013 Watkins Glen
3 Road Course 2nd-place finishes – Tied for most of active drivers (Denny Hamlin & Joey Logano)
2012 Champion & 35 career wins – Winless in 11 Sonoma races
1 Top 5 finish in 11 Sonoma races – Finished 3rd in 2017
8-TYLER REDDICK
16th in Standings (+2)
Best career finish: 2nd – Texas 7/20, 2021 Homestead-Miami, 2021 Charlotte Roval, Bristol Dirt April & Darlington May
Finished 16th at St. Louis – Started 4th, finished 3rd in Stage 1 & 26th in Stage 2, lap 131 removing equipment, lap 183 spin
89 Career races – 0 Wins & 5 2nd-place finishes
5 Career 2nd-place finishes – Tied for 2nd-most 2nd-place finishes without a win (Jimmie Lewallen)
322 Career laps led – 249 Laps led this season
5 Top 10 finishes last 7 road course races – Finished top 5 last 2 road course races
Finished 5th at Austin March – Started 4th, finished 11th in Stage 1 & 16th in Stage 2, avg. running pos.: 4.6
9-CHASE ELLIOTT
Points leader / 5th in Playoff standings
Finished 21st at St. Louis – Started 16th, finished 9th in Stage 1 & 30th in Stage 2, lap 102 involved in crash
14 Career wins – 11 Different tracks (Multiple win tracks: Charlotte Roval 2, Dover 2 & Watkins Glen 2)
3 Top 5 finishes this season (445 Laps led – 2nd most) – 2 Top 5 finishes last 5 races
Finished 21st or worse 4 races this season – Finished 21st or worse last 3 races (Avg. finish: 27.7)
14 Career wins – 7 Wins last 15 road course races
7 Road course wins – 3rd all-time (Jeff Gordon 9 & Tony Stewart 8)
2 Wins last 7 road course races – Finished 4th or better 6 of last 7 road course races
6 Wins last 12 road course races – 8 Top 2 finishes last 12 road course races
7 Road course wins – 6 of last 10 career wins came on road courses (2021 Austin & 2021 Road America)
Average road course finish: 7.7 – Best of active drivers
Finished 2nd at 2021 Sonoma – Started 2nd, finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2, 13 laps led
Finished 2nd at Sonoma last season – 4th Straight top 3 finish last season
2016 Sonoma West winner
Hendrick Motorsports: 7 Sonoma wins – Most all-time
10-ARIC ALMIROLA
15th in Standings (+8) – 17th in Standings (-8) into St. Louis
Best finish this season: 5th – Daytona 500 & St. Louis
Finished 5th at St. Louis – Started 8th, finished 6th in Stage 1 & 5th in Stage 2, avg. running pos.: 5th
Best finish last 14 races: 5th – St. Louis
5 Top 10 finishes this season (6 Laps led) – Only 1 top 10 finish last 7 races
Best road course finish: 8th – 2018 Sonoma
2 Top 10 finishes last 3 Sonoma races – Finished 27th last year
11-DENNY HAMLIN
3rd in Standings
Finished 34th at St. Louis – Lap 65 crashed by Chastain
48 Career wins – 19 Different tracks
48 Career wins – 3 By last lap pass (2016 Daytona 500, Talladega 10/20 & 2022 Charlotte)
48 Career wins – 1 Behind Hall of Fame driver Tony Stewart
2 Wins this season – 2 Wins last season (Winless first 26 races last season)
3 Top 5 finishes this season (2 Top 5 finishes last 3 races) – 8 Finishes of 21st or worse this season
Last 9 wins came on 9 different tracks
Homestead-Miami, Pocono, Kansas, Dover, Talladega, Darlington, Las Vegas, Richmond & Charlotte
48 Career wins – 1 Road course win (2016 Watkins Glen)
Finished 18th at Austin March – Started 8th, finished 17th in Stage 1 & Stage 2 winner, 3 laps led, steering issue, lap 60 spin
13 Road course top 5 finishes – 7 Top 5 finishes last 13 road course races
4 Sonoma top 5 finishes – 3 Top 5 finishes last 5 Sonoma races
7 Sonoma top 10 finishes – 5 Straight top 10 finishes
Finished 2nd at 2016 Sonoma – Passed for win on final turn by Tony Stewart
5 Straight Sonoma races led – 54 Laps led
12-RYAN BLANEY
12th in Standings (+102)
250th NASCAR Cup Series race
Finished 4th at St. Louis – Started 5th, finished 2nd in Stage 1 & 10th in Stage 2, 12 laps led, lap 95 spin & crash
7 Career wins – 6 Different tracks (Atlanta, Charlotte Roval, Daytona, Michigan, Pocono & Talladega)
4 Stage wins this season (Leads all drivers) – Winless
1 Top 10 finish last 6 races – Finished 4th at St. Louis
5 Top 5 finishes this season – Most of winless drivers
385 laps led this season – Most of winless drivers
487 Laps led since last win – 8 Top 5 finishes & 13 top 10 finishes since last win
13 Races led this season (No laps led on Bristol Dirt & Darlington May) – Leads all drivers
7 Career wins – 1 Road course win (2018 Charlotte Roval – Inaugural Charlotte Roval race)
Finished 6th at Austin March – Pole, finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2, 1 lap led, 47 points scored (most)
11 Road course top 10 finishes – 3 Straight road course top 10 finishes
1 Top 5 finish in 5 Sonoma races – Finished 3rd in 2019
14-CHASE BRISCOE
10th in Standings
Finished 24th at St. Louis – Pole, first 27 laps led, tire down, avg. running pos.: 18th
4 Top 10 finishes this season – 3 Top 10 finishes all last season
3 Top 5 finishes in 15 races this season (216 Laps led) – No top 5 finishes in 36 races last season
216 Laps led this season – 18 Laps led all last season
7 Career top 10 finishes – 3 Road course top 10 finishes
2021 Sonoma ARCA Menards West Series winner – Led all 51 laps
16-AJ ALLMENDINGER
2 Career wins – 2014 Watkins Glen & 2021 Indianapolis Road Course
Best finish this season: 10th – St. Louis
Finished 10th at St. Louis – Started rear of field, finished 28th in Stage 1 & 21st in Stage 2, avg. running pos.: 21st
1 Stage win – 2018 Sonoma
Finished 33rd at Austin March – Started Rear of field, avg. running pos.: 7.5, 2 laps led, spun on final lap, first driver 1 lap down
2 Sonoma top 10 finishes – Finished 35th or worse 5 of 10 Sonoma races
17-CHRIS BUESCHER
24th in Standings (-104)
Best road course finish: 3rd – 2021 Charlotte Roval
18-KYLE BUSCH
7th in Standings
Finished 2nd at St. Louis – Started 12th, finished 8th in Stage 1 & 3rd in Stage 2, 4 times led for 66 laps (most), passed for final lead change
3 Straight top 3 finishes – Finished 2nd last 2 races (Passed for final lead change both races)
11 Top 10 finishes this season – Leads all drivers
Average finish this season: 10.6 – Best
Finished 9th or better 8 of last 9 races – 5 Top 3 finishes last 7 races (7 Straight races led – 246 Laps led)
60 Career wins – 4 Road course wins
Finished 28th at Austin March – Started 15th, finished 30th in Stage 1 & 2nd in Stage 2, avg. running pos.: 11th
15 Road course top 5 finishes – Leads active drivers
404 Road course laps led – Leads active drivers
4 Career road course wins – 2 Sonoma wins (2008 & ‘15)
1 of 2 in field with more than 1 Sonoma win (Martin Truex Jr.) – 2 Wins
2015 Sonoma winner – First win of 2015 championship season & first NCS win after returning from Daytona injury
2015 Sonoma winner – Ended 35-race winless streak
2015 Sonoma winner – Restarted 7th with 7 to go & took lead from Jimmie Johnson with 5 to go
6 Sonoma top 5 finishes – 4 Straight Sonoma top 5 finishes
Finished 7th or better last 6 Sonoma races – 2015 Winner
Finished 7th or better last 6 Sonoma races – 5 Top 5 finishes
6 Straight Sonoma top 10 finishes (Avg. finish: 4.2) – Finished outside top 10 previous 6 Sonoma races (Avg. finish: 24.8)
19-MARTIN TRUEX JR.
13th in Playoff standings (+93)
Finished 6th at St. Louis – Started 13th, finished 11th in Stage 1 & 2nd in Stage 2, 42 laps led (2nd most)
3 Wins at this point season (1st with multiple wins) – Winless with 2 top 5 finishes this season
Winless last 23 races – 4 Wins previous 24 races
7 Top 10 finishes this season – 4 Finishes of 21st or worse this season
31 Career wins – 4 Road course wins
10 Road course top 3 finishes – Leads active drivers
Winless last 12 road course races – 4 Wins previous 14 road course races
Finished 9th or better 9 of last 13 road course races – 5 Top 3 finishes
2019 Sonoma winner – 4th win in 8-race stretch in 2019 (Winless next 10 races)
2013 Sonoma winner – Ended 218-race winless streak
3 Sonoma wins – Leads active drivers (Tied for 2nd all-time with Tony Stewart)
2 Wins last 3 Sonoma races – 3 Straight Sonoma top 3 finishes
3 Wins last 8 Sonoma races – 5 Top 5 finishes last 8 Sonoma races
3 Sonoma wins with 3 different teams – Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing & Joe Gibbs Racing
Only repeat winner last 12 Sonoma races (3 Wins) – 9 Others 1 win each
1 of 2 in field with more than 1 Sonoma win (Kyle Busch) – 3 Wins
5 Top 5 finishes last 8 Sonoma races – No top 5 finishes previous 7 Sonoma races
Most laps led 3 of last 4 Sonoma races – Finished 37th in 2017, Winner 2018 & ‘19
Most laps led 4 of last 8 Sonoma races – 3 Wins
213 Sonoma laps led – 2nd all-time (457 Jeff Gordon)
20-CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th in Standings (+57)
Best finish this season: 3rd – Austin
Finished 9th at St. Louis – Started 3rd, finished top 10 in Stage 1 & 2, avg. running pos.: 9th
Finished 9th or better last 5 races – 3 Top 5 finishes
5 Straight top 10 finishes – Career-long streak
1 Top 10 finish & 4 finishes of 23rd or worse first 5 races this season (25.8 avg.) – 8 Top 10 finishes last 10 races (8.7 avg.)
4 Top 5 finishes this season – Finished 5th in 2 of last 3 races
9 Top 10 finishes in 15 races this season – Finished 20th or worse other 6 races this season
158 Laps led this season – Career-high
Finished 3rd at Austin March – Started 7th, avg. running pos.: 17th, 4th caution free pass, no power steering
5 Road course top 10 finishes – Finished 8th or better 4 of last 5 road course races
21-HARRISON BURTON
28th in Standings (-156)
22-JOEY LOGANO
4th in Standings
St. Louis winner – Started 7th, finished 7th in Stage 1 & 18th in Stage 2, first lead lap 208, passed Kyle Busch with 2 to go
29 Career wins – 18 Different tracks
29 Career wins – 32-Years-old (Oldest Team Penske driver)
Won back-to-back races once – Charlotte 10/15, Kansas 10/15 & Talladega 10/15
2 Wins this season – Only 1 win last season (Bristol Dirt)
2 Wins last 4 races – Winless previous 40 races
2021 Inaugural Bristol Dirt race winner, 2022 Inaugural Clash at the Coliseum winner & 2022 Inaugural St. Louis winner
5 Top 5 finishes this season – 4 Top 3 finishes last 8 races
2 Top 15 finishes last 6 races – Darlington & St. Louis winner
Last 7 wins came on 7 different tracks – Michigan, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Kansas, Bristol Dirt, Darlington & St. Louis29 Career wins – 1 Road course win (2015 Watkins Glen)
Finished 31st at Austin March – Started 6th, finished 4th in Stage 1 & 3rd in Stage 2, 2 laps led, lap 44 spin, lap 66 off track
3 Road course 2nd-place finishes – Tied for most of active drivers (Denny Hamlin & Brad Keselowski)
2018 Champion & 29 career wins – Winless in 12 Sonoma races
1 Top 10 finish last 4 Sonoma races – Finished 4th last year
2011 Sonoma West winner
23-BUBBA WALLACE
22nd in Standings (-96)
2 Top 10 finishes this season – 8 Finishes of 22nd or worse this season
Best road course finish: 13th – 2021 Indianapolis Road Course
Finished 38th at Austin March – Lap 44 lost wheel
24-WILLIAM BYRON
2nd in Playoff standings
4 Career wins – 4 Different tracks (Atlanta, Daytona, Homestead-Miami & Martinsville)
2 Wins this season – First multiple-win season
2 Wins last 11 races – 2 Wins previous 148 races
2 Wins & 4 top 5 finishes this season – Finished 13th or worse last 7 races
Winless last 7 races – Longest winless streak this season
570 Laps led this season – Career-high
570 Laps led this season – Leads all drivers
Best road course finish: 6th – 2019 Charlotte Roval, 2020 Charlotte Roval & 2021 Watkins Glen
5 Top 10 finishes in 16 road course races – 122 Laps led
Finished 35th at 2021 Sonoma – Worst finish first 25 races last season
Hendrick Motorsports: 7 Sonoma wins – Most all-time
31-JUSTIN HALEY
23rd in Standings (-101)
2 Career top 5 finishes – Daytona 7/19 winner & finished 3rd at Darlington May
34-MICHAEL MCDOWELL
21st in Standings (-86)
Finished 18th at St. Louis – Started 17th, finished outside top 10 in Stage 1 & 2, 34 laps led
5 Top 10 finishes this season (Ties career-high – 2021) – 4 Top 10 finishes last 7 races
38 Laps led this season (34 Laps led at St. Louis – Most laps led than any previous season) – Career-high
41-COLE CUSTER
27th in Standings (-133)
42-TY DILLON
26th in Standings (-123)
43-ERIK JONES
18th in Standings (-26)
199th NASCAR Cup Series race
Finished 7th at St. Louis – Started 21st, finished 19th in Stage 1 & 9th in Stage 2, 4 laps led, only Chevrolet leader
5 Top 10 finishes this season – 6 Top 10 finishes last season
51 Laps led this season – 9 Laps led last season
Best road course finish: 3rd – 2020 Charlotte Roval
Finished 9th at Austin March – Started rear of field, lap 41 stalled on track, 5th caution free pass, avg. running pos.: 20.6
8 Road course top 10 finishes – 2 Top 10 finishes last 3 races
45-KURT BUSCH
6th in Standings
Finished 3rd at St. Louis – Started 11th, finished 12th in Stage 1 & Stage 2 winner, 12 laps led
4 Top 5 finishes this season – 6 Finishes of 28th or worse this season
4 Top 5 finishes this season – 2 Top 3 finishes last 3 races
34 Career wins – 1 Road course win (2011 Sonoma)
Finished 32nd at Austin March – Started 11th, finished 22nd in Stage 1 & 19th in Stage 2, lap 66 off track, last lead lap finisher
26 Road course top 10 finishes – Leads active drivers
2011 Sonoma winner – Only road course win
5 Top 10 finishes last 6 Sonoma races – Average finish: 7.3
7 Sonoma top 5 finishes & 11 Sonoma top 10 finishes – Leads active drivers
206 Sonoma laps led – 3rd all-time (457 Jeff Gordon & 213 Martin Truex Jr.)
47-RICKY STENHOUSE JR.
25th in Standings (-107)
4 Top 10 finishes last 5 races – Finished 32nd at St. Louis
5 Top 10 finishes this season – 4 Top 10 finishes last 5 races
Finished 2nd in 3 races since last win – Daytona 7/17
Last 3 top 5 finishes: 2nd – Talladega 6/20, 2021 Bristol Dirt & 2022 Dover
48-ALEX BOWMAN
9th in Standings
7 Career wins – 7 Different tracks (California, Chicago, Dover, Las Vegas, Martinsville, Pocono & Richmond)
9 Top 10 finishes this season – 8 Top 10 finishes last 11 races
2 Races led this season – Las Vegas March (16 Laps) & Dover (2 Laps)
Best road course finish: 2nd – 2019 Charlotte Roval & Austin March
Finished 2nd at Austin March – Started 5th, finished 3rd in Stage 1 & 24th in Stage 2, avg. running pos.: 9th
9 Road course top 10 finishes – 6 Top 10 finishes last 9 road course races
Finished 9th at 2021 Sonoma – Started 7th, finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2, lap 77 & 88 involved in crash
Hendrick Motorsports: 7 Sonoma wins – Most all-time
99-DANIEL SUÁREZ
20th in Standings (-60)
4 Top 10 finishes this season – 4 Top 10 finishes all last season
2 Road course top 5 finishes – Finished 3rd (2017 Watkins Glen) & 4th (2018 Watkins Glen)