Sonoma Event Info:
Date: Sunday, July 28th
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Sonoma, California
Format: 110 Laps, 218.9 Miles, Stages: 25-55-110
TV: TNT
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 2:00 p.m. ET Cup Practice (TruTV, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 3:10 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (TruTV, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Cup Race (TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
- Sonoma Raceway hosts the 20th points race of the 2026 season this weekend for the Cup Series annual summer date on the 12-turn road course.
- Chris Buescher leads the RFK Racing team in the points, currently at 7th.
- The NASCAR In-Season Tournament begins this weekend at Sonoma.
- The first-round matchup is as follows:
- No. 6 Brad Keselowski vs No. 2 Austin Cindric
- No. 17 Chris Buescher vs No.42 John Hunt Nemechek
- No. 60 Ryan Preece vs No. 97 Shane Van Gisbergen
6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Partner: Castrol
17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Trimble / Liverpool Football Club (LFC)
60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Consumer Cellular
Keselowski at Sonoma Starts: 15
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
Keselowski makes his 16th Cup start in Sonoma this weekend, where in 15 starts prior he has three top-10s and a 15.5 average finish.
His best-career finish at the 12-turn course came in 2017 when he ran third. Most recently he finished 11th in 2025, 13th in 2024, and 16th in 2023.
Keselowski has three top-10 qualifying efforts with a best of ninth in 2021, and an average of 18.9.
Buescher at Sonoma
Starts: 9
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —
Buescher is in line for his tenth Cup start at Sonoma on Sunday, where in three of his last five starts he has consecutive top five results. He finished third in this race in 2024, ran fourth in 2023, and came home in second in 2022.
He also has qualified inside the top 10 in two of the last three races, with five efforts of 12th or better in his nine starts.
In his Cup career, Buescher has a 12.8 average finish on the road course and an average starting position of 18.1.
Preece at Sonoma
Starts: 5
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —
Preece makes his sixth Cup start at Sonoma where he has a best finish of 12th from this past season
He carries an average finish of 18.6 into this weekend’s event, his second highest of any road course on the schedule.
He holds an average starting position of 23.8, including a P20 starting spot in his debut race and last years.
Across 28 career races on road courses, Preece has three top 10s and a 20.9 average finish.
RFK Historically at Sonoma
Cup Wins: 2 (Mark Martin, 1997; Carl Edwards, 2014)
Looking for the Hat Trick in the ‘Golden State’: In 113 NCS starts at Sonoma, RFK has recorded two wins, 17 top-five finishes, 38 top-10 finishes and has led 313 laps. Former RFK driver Carl Edwards earned the organization’s most recent victory at the road course in 2014.
Hasta La Vista Baby: RFK has left the California road course victorious on two occasions in the NCS with former drivers Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. Martin earned the victory in 1997 after starting from the pole and leading 69 laps, while Edwards started fourth and led 26 laps in the 2014 running of this event.
RFK on the Road: As an organization, RFK has made 249 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with five wins, 87 top 10s and 41 finishes inside the top five with a 17.4 average finish.
RFK Sonoma Win
1997 Martin Cup
1997 Ruttman Truck
2014 Edwards Cup
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
San Diego: Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing showcased its speed throughout Sunday’s inaugural San Diego Street Race at Naval Base Coronado. Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece both led laps, capturing stage points and contending for the win. Buescher overcame an early spin, recovering and finishing sixth. Preece scored a Stage Two victory and led early in the final stage. His day was capped by an impressive rally from 28th, following a late pit stop, to finish 11th. Despite showing tremendous pace in the early laps, picking up several positions in the first ten circuits, Brad Keselowski faced challenges. Suspension damage and mechanical issues forced lengthy repairs, resulting in a 34th-place finish.
Points Standings: Buescher: 7th, Preece: 16th, Keselowski: 19th
