SONOMA RACEWAY (1.99-MILE ROAD COURSE)
LOCATION: SONOMA, CALIFORNIA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 16 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 3 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JUNE 24 (FS1/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 22 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2018 Season
13th in standings
15 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
8 laps led
Career
92 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
25 top-five finishes
45 top-10 finishes
926 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
0 laps led
NAPA AUTO PARTS RETURNS: This weekend at Sonoma Raceway, NAPA AUTO PARTS will return to the hood of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Chase Elliott was most recently behind the wheel of the familiar blue, white and yellow paint scheme at Pocono Raceway – where he finished 10th. The Atlanta-based company will serve as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this year.
SONOMA STATS: Elliott is set to make his third NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. In his previous Cup starts at the 10-turn track, Elliott averages a starting position of 12.0 and finishing position of 14.5. The 22-year-old driver earned his first top-10 result at the track last season. He also got behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma in 2016, starting from the pole position, leading nine laps and winning the 64-lap event.
ROAD COURSE ROUNDUP: In the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s four previous starts in the Cup Series at road courses (Sonoma, Watkins Glen), he has collected one top-10 finish and averaged a starting position of 11.0 and finishing position of 13.8. Elliott has also made six road course starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Road America, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio). Elliott finished inside the top 10 in all six starts and collected top-five finishes in four. In the Xfinity Series, the third-year driver averages a starting position of 7.8 and finishing position of 5.0. Also, Elliott garnered victories in his only road course starts in the NASCAR Truck Series (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, 2013) and K&N Pro Series West (Sonoma Raceway, 2016).
FIRST CAREER WIN: If Elliott wins this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, he could join an impressive list of drivers who scored their first career win on a road course. One notable name on the list is his father, Bill Elliott, who captured his first career win at Riverside International Raceway on November 20, 1983.
MICHIGAN REWIND: Before the NASCAR Cup Series enjoyed its second off weekend of the season, the series traveled to Michigan International Speedway. Elliott and his No. 9 Mountain Dew Little Caesars team earned their seventh top-10 finish of the season in the rain-shortened event at Michigan.
William Byron
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 20 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
20th in standings
15 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
31 laps led
Career
15 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
31 laps led
Track Career
0 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
MICHIGAN RECAP: While rain both delayed the start and caused the early ending of the June 10 NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, it couldn’t dampen the spirit of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team. William Byron finished just outside the top 10 in 13th in what he described as “the best car we’ve had all year.” The 20-year-old picked up valuable points in the first two segments, finishing eighth in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2. Byron ran inside the top 10 for most of the day. When the final segment got underway, Byron lined up seventh, but lost position on the restart as the No. 24 Chevy fired off looser than he expected. He fell to 13th before a caution flag waved just four laps later with rain looming. Shortly thereafter, a red flag was displayed and the race was called on Lap 133 of the scheduled 200-lap distance. The 13th-place result helped Byron increase his lead in the rookie of the year standings and gained him a position in the overall driver standings, getting him back inside the top 20.
DOUBLE DUTY: This weekend at Sonoma Raceway, Byron will pull double duty – driving his familiar No. 24 Chevy Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series while also getting behind the wheel of the No. 27 Chevrolet for Jefferson Pitts Racing in the regional NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on Saturday, June 23. The 64-lap Pro Series West race is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time. The tape-delayed race will air on NBCSN on Thursday, June 28, at 6 p.m. ET. Byron, the 2015 K&N Pro Series East champion, also ran the Pro Series West race at Sonoma in 2015, when he finished fifth.
LIBERTY U FOR TWO: The blue and red Liberty University colors will adorn the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the eighth time this season. Liberty is the majority primary partner of the No. 24 team with 13 races in 2018. Along with the Cup race, Liberty University will be featured on Byron’s No. 27 Chevy for Saturday’s Pro Series West race. Byron, a sophomore majoring in business communications, takes online classes at Liberty, which offers more than 250 programs online.
SONOMA STATS: Byron will make his first Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, but the rookie of the year contender has experience on the 1.99-mile road course in the 2015 K&N Pro Series West race – his first road course race in a stock car. He finished fifth after starting second in the 64-lap event, driving the No. 91 Liberty University Chevrolet for the HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks team. Overall, Byron has run seven road course races across three different NASCAR series – Xfinity, Truck and K&N Pro – finishing inside the top 10 in all but one of those races. His best road-course finish was the fifth-place Pro Series West result at Sonoma.
LUCKY NUMBER 24: Having a little fun with numbers, the No. 24 could be a lucky charm for 20-year-old Byron this weekend. This weekend’s Cup race at Sonoma will be held on June 24, 2018. One year ago, on June 24, 2017, Byron earned his first Xfinity Series win at Iowa Speedway. On June 24, 2007, Juan Pablo Montoya became the first and only Cup rookie ever to win on a road course when he won at Sonoma in the No. 42. The No. 24 car has five Sonoma wins, the most of all numbers – thanks to Jeff Gordon, former driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, who also has the most wins, most poles, most top-fives, most top-10s, most laps led and best average finish at the Sonoma road course, to name a few. The winners of both Cup races on road courses last year led 24 laps en route to victory. No. 24 team crew chief Darian Grubb got his only Cup win on a road course at Watkins Glen in August 2009, when Tony Stewart passed Kyle Busch for the win with 24 laps to go.
JG VIP EXPERIENCE: For the final time, Byron will participate in the 2018 Jeff Gordon #24Ever VIP Experience this weekend in Sonoma. The experience gives fans the opportunity to meet two drivers of the No. 24 Chevrolet – Byron and Gordon – and includes a meet-and-greet, an autograph and a photo, along with a behind-the-scenes garage tour and an exclusive gift. Sonoma Raceway marks the final race where the package will be available. Spots are extremely limited. Visit www.jeffgordonvip.com for more information or https://tickets.onelivemedia.com/event/sonomajune2018/listing to purchase a spot at Sonoma.
Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 42 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2018 Season
12th in standings
15 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
2 laps led
Career
594 starts
83 wins
35 pole positions
224 top-five finishes
347 top-10 finishes
18,665 laps led
Track Career
16 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
143 laps led
SONOMA PERFORMANCE: Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to finish in the top 15 in each of the last nine Sonoma races. Johnson’s seven top-10 finishes in the last nine races are tied with competitor Clint Bowyer for the most in that span. His career average finish is 12.5 at the 1.99-mile road course just north of San Francisco.
BIG EARL IN THE FAN ZONE: Longtime No. 48 team spotter Earl Barban will appear in the fan zone at Sonoma Raceway for a question-and-answer session at 9:30 a.m. local time. Barban has been with the team throughout six of its seven NASCAR Cup Series championship seasons.
KNAUS AMONG THE FEW: No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus is one of the 11 active crew chiefs in the NASCAR Cup Series garage that has at least one win at Sonoma Raceway. Knaus, Johnson and the No. 48 crew led 55 laps at the 1.99-mile road course on June 20, 2010, for their only win to date at the track.
CALIFORNIA TIES: Julian Peña, a race engineer on the No. 48 team, is from Aliso Viego, California. Peña graduated from Aliso Niguel High School in 2002 and Stanford University in 2006 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
83 AND COUNTING: Johnson’s next trip to Victory Lane will be his 84th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win. He secured his 83rd in June 2017 to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time wins list. An 84th win would tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time. Johnson is currently 10 wins behind former teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list. Johnson has the most wins of all active drivers and Knaus has the most wins of all active crew chiefs with 81.
Alex Bowman
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 25 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2018 Season
15th in standings
15 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
4 top-10 finishes
65 laps led
Career
96 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
1 top-five finish
7 top-10 finishes
268 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
AXALTA: The Axalta colors will be on-board the No. 88 Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Sonoma Raceway for the fourth time this season. In 2016 and 2017, Axalta was on the No. 88 Chevrolet with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel at Sonoma, where he finished 11th and sixth, respectively.
DOUBLE DUTY: Alex Bowman will pilot the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet for Bill McAnally Racing this weekend in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series event at Sonoma. Bowman has 14 starts in the K&N Pro Series, two in the West series and 12 in the East series. It will be the Tucson, Arizona, native’s first start in the series at the 1.99-mile road course.
BOWMAN TURNS RIGHT: Bowman has two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma Raceway, with his best finish of 29th coming back in 2014. In addition, the 25-year-old ran three NASCAR Xfinity Series events in 2013 on road courses. Bowman finished 13th at Watkins Glen International, 11th at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and 24th at Road America.
BY THE NUMBERS: Bowman is no stranger to Victory Lane on June 24. He captured his fourth career win in the ARCA Racing Series on June 24, 2012. If Bowman were to claim the victory this weekend in Sonoma, it would be the 16th time that Hendrick Motorsports has won at a road course, the most wins of any team. There have been 14 drivers to claim their first career Cup Series win at a road course and Bowman could be the 15th if he were to win this weekend.
IVES AT SONOMA: No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots three times at the California track. The Michigan native has two top-10 finishes and one finish just outside the top 10 in 11th with Earnhardt. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team and captured five top-10 finishes including one win back in 2010 after the team led 55 laps.
VALVOLINE: On June 14, Hendrick Motorsports and Valvoline, along with bobblehead Alex Bowman, unveiled the No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 that will run at Bristol and Las Vegas this season. The scheme features a mix of red, white and blue colors across the No. 88 machine. It was announced on Jan. 30 that Valvoline, the Official Lubricants Partner of Hendrick Motorsports, would extend its partnership with the 12-time Cup champions through 2022. Over the next five seasons, the Valvoline brand will be seen on Bowman’s car for two races each season.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT SONOMA: At Sonoma, Hendrick Motorsports has earned six victories, nine pole positions, 30 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s and 650 laps led, all of which lead the NASCAR Cup Series all-time. The organization has secured at least one top-10 finish in all but two of the 29 races in which it has competed at Sonoma. At least one Hendrick Motorsports driver has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last 12 races at the track, the longest active streak by a team. Jimmie Johnson most recently took the checkered flag at the 1.99-mile track for the organization in June 2010.
ROAD COURSE WARRIORS: Hendrick Motorsports leads organizations all-time with 15 wins on road courses. Joe Gibbs is second with 11 wins on road courses, followed by Wood Brothers Racing with eight.
GORDON DOMINATED SONOMA: In his career, Gordon compiled 23 starts, five pole positions, five wins, five runner-up results, 14 top-five finishes, 18 top-10s, 21 lead-lap finishes, 457 laps led and an average finish of 8.3. Every one of those statistics leads drivers all-time.
250 ON THE HORIZON: The next points-paying win by a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will be the organization’s milestone 250th in NASCAR Cup Series competition. With 268 Cup victories, only Petty Enterprises has more. Junior Johnson and Associates is third all-time at 153 wins, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with 152 and Roush Fenway Racing with 137.
16 MAKES 249: Sixteen different drivers have contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ total of 249 points-paying Cup wins. Only the Wood Brothers team, which has sent 19 different drivers to Victory Lane, has more. Junior Johnson and Associates won with 13 different drivers.
FIRST-TIME WINNERS: If Chase Elliott, William Byron or Alex Bowman wins at Sonoma, it will mark the ninth time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing share the all-time record, having each sent eight first-time winners to Victory Lane in Cup Series competition.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 249 race victories, 214 pole positions, 1,035 top-five finishes and 1,758 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 67,000 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on success at Sonoma last season:
“Yeah, I thought the first year was a struggle and I thought we picked up a lot on that from the first year to last season. I felt like we put ourselves behind a little bit, we crashed in practice, so ended up having to get a backup car out there last year. Hopefully we can keep our primary this season – I think that’s worth some time and worth some spots. Looking forward to getting back. I’ve always loved road racing and hope that it goes another step better this trip.”
Elliott on the differences between Sonoma and Watkins Glen:
“They are different to me – they are not even remotely close. Watkins Glen is 10-tenths all the time and just wide open, where at Sonoma I feel like there is a little more finesse and making sure you hit your line is more important than just carrying a ton of speed. They are definitely different, for sure, and they go from one end of the spectrum to the other for road racing.”
William Byron on racing at Sonoma:
“I’ve done some preparation for Sonoma over the offseason, just trying to get an understanding of shifting and the blips. Really, Pocono was another good chance to practice shifting. I think the biggest things at Sonoma are getting your shifts right and your braking the way it needs to be. Trying to make speed on the entry of the corner is a lot more important than most places. On the ovals, it’s all about the exits, but on the road courses the entry is very important, and the exit is very important too, so you have to attack both parts of it.”
Byron on running the K&N race:
“I ran the K&N race there three years ago and finished fifth. The biggest thing was just trying to save your tires over the course of the race – you only had one set of tires, so it really teaches you some discipline there. It’s a good opportunity to get your rhythm down. Sonoma is obviously a pretty physical track, so you’ve got to be prepared for that when you’re running both races. But, it’s more track time and it gives me a better chance to be closer when I get to the Cup race because that’s probably going to be one of the hardest races of the year for me.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Sonoma:
“I hope everyone had a great off-weekend – I know I did. To be successful on a road course, you have to hit specific lines and marks. You have to be perfect. At Sonoma, it’s a narrow track and there are slower corner speeds. That can be tough on tires. Up until we finally broke through with a win in 2010 at Sonoma, it was one of my toughest tracks. I enjoy going there. It’s always great to get back to California.”
Alex Bowman on road courses:
“I’m not really sure whether or not I like road course racing. I’ve never been able to go to a road course and race in a good car. We will have to wait and see when we unload on Friday. I think this No. 88 Axalta team can be pretty solid this weekend.”
Bowman on utilizing the Chevrolet simulator to prepare:
“We will probably run the simulator in order to prepare for this weekend’s race in Sonoma. The simulator is a good tool and resource for us to have and be able to use for me to get some laps in.”
