Who Can Sip and Slide Their Way to a Sonoma Victory?

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NASCAR

Stratta’s Six: Who Can Taste a Wine Country Win at Sonoma Raceway?

Northern California and road racing are a perfect pairing for a Sunday soirée. Sonoma Raceway is gearing up to see NASCAR’s best go left and right for the final time in 2026 with the Toyota/SaveMart 350. The three prior road courses this season have all amazingly seen different winners. Can that trend go four-for-four in Wine Country? Here are a few drivers who hope to toast a victory party with the wine goblet trophy.

Shane van Gisbergen

Is the road course reign of Shane van Gisbergen showing cracks in its armor? The man who was all but guaranteed four easy road course wins by many this season has gone 1-3, only taking the checkers first at Watkins Glen in May. Last week in San Diego saw SVG be dominant in the early laps, but a restart wreck ended his day. Van Gisbergen touched on what will make Sunday at Sonoma stand out from the Naval Base street race.

“The car set up will be very different,” van Gisbergen said. “At San Diego, we were very high, very soft to try to get over the bumps, get the car nice and compliant. When we go to Sonoma this weekend, it’s very smooth and high grip, so the car will be stiff and low. Everybody’s cars will be on the edge, which you have to have it like that to make grip. It’s cool to watch the differences. It’s cool to see differences in the cars on the weekend. This weekend everybody will be pushing hard and set up for the high grip.”

“I have a favorite section. At the end of Sonoma, we leave the hairpin and come down the hill. There are these fast right and left handers before you get to the hairpin. It’s a very challenging but rewarding section to get right. There is a lot of time you can gain or lose there. Coming back down the hill is really spectacular to watch.”

SVG looks to back up a lights-out 2025 Sonoma victory that was arguably his best showing all year. 12 months ago saw the Team Trackhouse driver lead a fitting 97 of 110 laps, winning by a second over Chase Briscoe. Now on the outside looking in for the Chase cutoff, Sonoma is all but a must-win and max-points day for the No. 97. SVG rightfully enters Sunday as the favorite, but will be looking for better fortunes than last week’s San Diego disappointment.

Tyler Reddick

Beating SVG to the checkers at COTA in March and leading San Diego with three laps left was Tyler Reddick. The four-time road course winner and current Cup Series points leader has a best Sonoma result of sixth, coming last year. Calling Sonoma his home race, Reddick hails from Corning, California, only 150 miles away. The 23XI Racing star amazingly has yet to win in California in any level of NASCAR, and desperately wants that stat to change.

“It’s certainly important,” Reddick said. “Years ago, we would go to Fontana, that would really come to mind there. Unfortunately, we no longer get to race there. That’s one in particular that eats at me never getting the win there and not going back. Between [San Diego] and in Sonoma with Sonoma being a bit closer, I would love to win in my home state.”

“We got to figure out if we are going to have the speed to contend for the win or it’s going to be about getting points. That’s just the tricky thing about where we are at. Over the years we’ve gone to the Roval and would have loved to go for the race win, but have been in a spot where you have to go after points. We will see where land going into Sunday’s race and if we are close enough we will hopefully be racing for the race win.”

Reddick has hardly placed a wheel wrong all season, but San Diego devolved quickly for the No. 45. After losing the lead late to teammate Corey Heim, Reddick cut a tire and finished in a dismal 25th-place. This poor result saw Reddick’s championship lead over Denny Hamlin dwindle to just eight points. Reddick should have an upper hand over his boss at Sonoma. Such a small gap, however, leaves no room for any error. If Reddick wants to retain control in the regular season championship, then Sonoma is a must-perform day. Trending better across his last four Sonoma starts, Reddick aims to be a winning threat again.

Chris Buescher

Earning yet another Next Gen road course top-10 at San Diego in sixth-place, there’s seemingly no stopping Chris Buescher. Second at Sonoma in 2022 was the RFK Racing No. 17’s coming out party for an unprecedented streak of road course success. Owning three-straight top-fives on the California circuit since then, Buescher knows how much of an opportunity race Sunday can be.

“To go from San Diego to a place like Sonoma that has more flow, more smoothness, and more elevation change without the jumps, it will be a big relief in a lot of ways,” Buescher said. “I like road racing and the team has put fast racecars under me. Something clicks when we get there and we’re able to take the flow of that racetrack and turn it into results.”

This RFK team’s Sonoma streak was busted with a quiet 16th-place run last year. Despite running up front all day, the 17 was a victim of late-race restart chaos and lost several spots on old tires. San Diego marked Buescher’s first road course top-10 of 2026, and has the Texan eyeing back-to-back strong runs.

Kyle Larson

Falling 80 miles from Kyle Larson’s hometown of Elk Grove, California, Sonoma Raceway has the reigning Cup champion expecting a hero’s welcome. Larson owns two Sonoma trophies from 2021 and 2024, and showed great promise days ago at San Diego. Naval Base Coronado saw the No. 5 lead laps and come home in third place. This 2026 high water mark for Larson could lead into a show in front of his own crowd.

“I like Sonoma,” Larson said. “It’s my home race, so I’ll have some friends and family there. But beyond that, Napa Valley is just an awesome area. Sonoma is one of those road courses with fewer turns, and I feel like I perform better on those types of tracks. It has a nice flow to it and offers a lot of grip, which I enjoy. Overall, I’m looking forward to being back in my home area.”

Larson has seen four top-fives over the span of five weeks, now moving up to fourth in points. The defending champ’s winless streak has extended to 41 races, but Sonoma is a bright spot for the 5. Once having a streak of five-straight Sonoma poles, Larson gets around this layout better than just about any road course. Do not be surprised to see a Larson homecoming possibly include a stop in victory lane.

Daniel Suarez

Four years ago, Sonoma Raceway was the sight of Cup victory number one for Daniel Suarez. Now in 2026, the Spire Motorsports driver is off to arguably his best season yet. The No. 7 is ranked eighth in points after 17 races. Suarez returns to Sonoma on a recent run of success, winning Charlotte and earning three more top-15s since then. This run of consistency has Suarez’s head held high going to one of his favorite stops on the schedule.

“Sonoma is always special to me,” Suarez said. “It’s one of those road courses where you really have to earn everything you get. Nothing comes easy. When I first came into NASCAR, tracks like this were a big challenge. But over time I’ve learned how to be more patient and how to manage the race better. Every time I come back, I think about the journey – coming from Mexico, learning these tracks, and now competing and trying to win at this level. That means a lot to me.”

“Sonoma is one of those places where you have to stay disciplined all day long. You’ve got to take care of your tires, be smooth, and make the most of every lap. Strategy is always important, so communication with the team makes a big difference. We’ve had some ups and downs at Sonoma over the years. But every time we come back, we learn something. Hopefully we can put together a solid race, execute when it matters most, and be there at the end.”

Spire Motorsports has elevated their game across the board all season, as seen with two wins in the opening 17 races. Suarez is far from a road course slouch, having tamed Sonoma before. Between Suarez’s 7 and Michael McDowell’s No. 71, Spire may have two bullets in the gun for Sunday’s winning battle.

Chase Briscoe

Now top-10 in points for the first time all season, Chase Briscoe appears to be turning a corner. Last year’s Sonoma runner-up, the No. 19 was perhaps the only one who could challenge SVG around the 1.99-mile course.

Still searching for his first taste of victory in 2026, Briscoe has been trending forward over this summer stretch. Fourth at Watkins Glen kickstarted a run of three top-10s in the 19’s last six starts. Toyotas are still on fire across the board as Cup’s top manufacturer in 2026. San Diego marked Toyota’s 10th win on the year and third checkered flag in a row. Briscoe was best in class in his last trip to Sonoma, and hopes to be a winning contender again.

Although Sonoma is one of NASCAR’s traditional road courses with years of history, a lot of questions are still unanswered ahead of Sunday. The Toyota/SaveMart 350 has been won before on a multitude of different strategies, with many factors turning prerace plans upside down. The Wine Country green flag will fly Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT. PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Shane van Gisbergen is the overwhelming favorite yet again. His luck may have ran out, however, with a hungry pack of drivers behind him breathing down his neck.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo credits to Chris Graythen/Getty Images