80°
Date: Sunday, June 23
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
Site: Sonoma Raceway -- Sonoma, Calif.
Track: 1.99-mile, 12-turn road course
Laps: 110
Miles: 219 (350 kilometers)
Capacity: 47,000 (Grandstand Seating)
Total purse:
Payouts:
Year: 25th
On TV: TNT
Announcers:
On Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio
Race record: Clint Bowyer, 2012 (83.624 mph)
Qualifying record: Marcos Ambrose, 2012 (95.262 mph)
2012 Finish
Defending champion: Clint Bowyer
Runner up: Tony Stewart
Pole winner: Marcos Ambrose (95.262 mph)
Top 10:
1. Clint Bowyer (Start: 6)
2. Tony Stewart (24)
3. Kurt Busch (8)
4. Brian Vickers (21)
5. Jimmie Johnson (3)
6. Jeff Gordon (2)
7. Greg Biffle (4)
8. Marcos Ambrose (1)
9. A.J. Allmendinger (17)
10. Joey Logano (14)
Average speed: 83.624 mph
Time of race: 2 hrs., 39 mins., 55 secs.
Margin of victory: 0.829 secs.
Caution flags: 2 for 7 laps
Lead changes: 8 among 5 drivers
Past winners
2012 Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 83.624 mph
2011 Kurt Busch, Dodge, 75.411 mph
2010 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 74.357 mph
2009 Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 71.012 mph
2008 Kyle Busch, Toyota, 76.445 mph
2007 Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 74.547 mph
2006 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 73.953 mph
2005 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 72.845 mph
2004 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 77.456 mph
2003 Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 73.821 mph
2002 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 81.007 mph
2001 Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 75.889 mph
2000 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 78.789 mph
1999 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 70.378 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 72.387 mph
1997 Mark Martin, Ford, 75.788 mph
1996 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 77.673 mph
1995 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 70.681 mph
1994 Ernie Irvan, Ford, 77.458 mph
1993 Geoff Bodine, Ford, 77.013 mph
1992 Ernie Irvan, Chevrolet, 81.412 mph
1991 Davey Allison, Ford, 72.970 mph
1990 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 69.245 mph
1989 Ricky Rudd, Buick, 76.088 mph
Last race
Race: Quicken Loans 400 (June 16)
Site: Michigan International Speedway -- Brooklyn, Mich.
Miles: 400
Laps: 200
Finish line order: Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart
Time of Race: 2 hrs., 52 mins., 19 secs.
Average speed: 139.278 mph
Margin of victory: 2.989 secs.
Caution flags: 8 for 38 laps
Lead changes: 22 among 13 drivers
Lap leaders: C. Edwards - pole; Kurt Busch 1-21; J. Yeley 22; D. Ragan 23; M. C. Edwards - pole; Kurt Busch 1-21; J. Yeley 22; D. Ragan 23; M. McDowell 24; C. Edwards 25; J. Logano 26-42; J. McMurray 43-63; J. Johnson 64-76; D. Earnhardt Jr. 77; C. Mears 78-79; D. Earnhardt Jr. 80-89; K. Kahne 90-103; J. Johnson 104; D. Earnhardt Jr. 105-127; J. Johnson 128-131; G. Biffle 132; T. Kvapil 133-134; J. Logano 135; C. Edwards 136-150; G. Biffle 151-165; J. Logano 166-168; G. Biffle 169-200.
Entry list
#1 Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) Chevrolet/Cessna
#2 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) Ford/Miller Lite
#5 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Chevrolet/Farmers Insurance
#7 Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) Chevrolet/GoPro
#9 Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) Ford/Stanley
#10 Danica Patrick (Roscoe, IL) Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com
#11 Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) Toyota/FedEx Freight
#13 Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) Ford/GEICO
#14 Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1
#15 * Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) Toyota/5-Hour Energy
#16 Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) Ford/3M
#17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Olive Branch, MS) Ford/Roush Fenway Racing
#18 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/M&M's
#19 Alex Kennedy (Aztec, NM) Toyota/Media Master
#20 Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Toyota/Home Depot
#22 Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) Ford/Shell/Pennzoil
#24 Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) Chevrolet/Drive to End Hunger
#27 Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) Chevrolet/Menards/Moen
#29 Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Rheem
#30 David Stremme (South Bend, IN) Toyota/Lean 1/Swan Energy
#31 Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) Chevrolet/Utility Trailers
#32 To Be Announced Ford/TBA
#33 Ron Fellows (Toronto, Canada) Chevrolet/Canadian Tire
#34 David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) Ford/Taco Bell
#35 Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) Ford/MDS Transport
#36 Victor Gonzalez Jr. (Puerto Rico) Chevrolet/TBA
#37 J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) Chevrolet/TBA
#38 David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) Ford/Long John Silver's
#39 Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) Chevrolet/Haas Automation
#42 Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) Chevrolet/Target
#43 Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) Ford/Farmland
#47 Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Toyota/Kingsford
#48 Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) Chevrolet/Lowe's
#51 Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction
#52 Paulie Harraka (Wayne, NJ) Ford/TBA
#55 Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) Toyota/RK Motors Charlotte
#56 Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts
#78 Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Chevrolet/Furniture Row
#83 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Toyota/Burger King/Dr. Pepper
#87 Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/TBA
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) Chevrolet/National Guard
#93 Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) Toyota/Burger King/Dr. Pepper
#99 Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) Ford/Aflac
Leading contenders
| Name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clint Bowyer | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 4 | Won | ||
| Tony Stewart | 15 | Won | 28 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 39 | 2 |
| Kurt Busch | 36 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 32 | 15 | 32 | Won | 3 |
| Brian Vickers | 22 | 34 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 36 | 4 | ||
| Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 36 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 4 | Won | 7 | 5 |
| Jeff Gordon | Won | 33 | Won | 7 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| Greg Biffle | 13 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 28 | 7 | 23 | 7 |
| Marcos Ambrose | 42 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 8 | ||||
| Joey Logano | 19 | 33 | 6 | 10 | |||||
| Brad Keselowski | 35 | 10 | 12 | ||||||
| Matt Kenseth | 20 | 11 | 17 | 34 | 8 | 18 | 30 | 14 | 13 |
| Kasey Kahne | 31 | 41 | 7 | 23 | 33 | Won | 4 | 20 | 14 |
| Kevin Harvick | 12 | 37 | 24 | 2 | 30 | 29 | 3 | 9 | 16 |
| Kyle Busch | 40 | 11 | 8 | Won | 22 | 39 | 11 | 17 | |
| Ryan Newman | 14 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 7 | 17 | 16 | 25 | 18 |
| Carl Edwards | 38 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 21 | |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 15 | 24 | 16 | 25 | 42 | 8 | 22 | ||
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 11 | 42 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 26 | 11 | 41 | 23 |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | Won | 6 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 34 | |||
| Denny Hamlin | 12 | 10 | 27 | 5 | 34 | 37 | 35 |
Notes
Located about 30 miles north of San Francisco, Sonoma Raceway opened as a 2.52-mile road course and drag strip in 1968. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at this track was held on June 11, 1989 - won by Ricky Rudd. The first nine races there were 300 kilometers but the distance switched to 350 km in 1998.
Sonoma was reconfigured to 1.949 miles in '98, with the installation of an 890-foot chute between the original turns 4 and 7. The track was reconfigured again in 2001 to 2.0 miles and then remeasured at 1.99 miles in 2002.
This track was formerly called Sears Point Raceway (1981-2001) and Infineon Raceway (2002-12).
There have been 24 Cup races held at Sonoma -- one each year since 1989.
Terry Labonte and Mark Martin share the record for most starts at Sonoma with 21 each. Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte are next in line with 20 starts there. Terry Labonte and Martin are not competing in this year's race.
Gordon leads all drivers with most wins (5), poles (5), top-5 finishes (12) and top-10s (16) at Sonoma. He also is the only driver with consecutive victories at this track -- winning three in a row from 1998-2000.
Rick Hendrick has the most car owner wins at Sonoma with six. Jimmie Johnson gave Hendrick his sixth victory there in 2010.
The race winner at Sonoma has started from the pole five times, which is more than any other starting position there. However, a race at this track has not been won from the pole since Gordon did it in 2004.
Since NASCAR began using electronic timing and scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in a Cup race at Sonoma occurred on June 27, 1999 when Gordon beat Martin to the finish line by 0.197 seconds.
The furthest back a driver has started and won a Cup race at Sonoma is 32nd, accomplished by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007. Montoya is the only driver who won his first race in the series at this track.
Two drivers entered in this race made their Cup debuts at Sonoma: David Gilliland (2006) and Marcos Ambrose (2008).
Kyle Busch holds the record as the youngest driver to win a race at Sonoma. Busch took the checkered flag there on June 22, 2008 when he was 23 years, 1 month and 20 days old. When Ricky Rudd was 45 years, 9 months and 11 days old, he became the oldest driver to win at this track on June 23, 2002.
The next race is the June 29 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Brad Keselowski won last year's event there.
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