QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletDoes it help any that Sonoma makes it two road course races in a row for you guys?“Two weekends in a row road course racing, so I should really be in a groove (laughs). Even though its two road courses, they are both so very different. Chicago is a narrow street course presents a lot of challenges and now we are headed to a very familiar track at Sonoma. I’ve had some good finishes at Sonoma the last couple of years but I just need to fine tune a few things to really get those next few positions. I have two great road course teammates to lean on and Shane is coming off of a great weekend at Chicago.” Do you enjoy going out to California – it’s the furthest you guys go to race?“There’s a ton of agriculture in California and I really enjoy getting out there and learning about ag in their climate. We have Kubota on the car this weekend and they are so ingrained in the ag world, so it’s a great, authentic partnership. I’m going to visit a Kubota dealer on Friday which is always fun. I know some farmers out there and there’s obviously great racing at Sonoma, but there’s so much to see and do in California which makes it fun.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat’s the most challenging part of the Sonoma Raceway layout for you—Turn 11 hairpin, the esses, or something else?“Turn 11 has always been the most challenging aspect of Sonoma Raceway. You’ve got to have patience and make a really good arch on entry. You know that drivers are going to be attacking that corner, so you don’t know what’s going to happen at times. The best thing to do is to roll the curb as fast as you can and pick up the throttle early to get off the corner. We’ve put a lot of effort into Sonoma Raceway on the simulator.” How do you manage brake wear and overheating with all the heavy braking zones?“You try not to overlap on two pedals and use the brakes efficiently. Sonoma Raceway is a track where you can overheat your brakes very fast, and there’s not much time to cool them down with the long runs we’ve seen over the last few races. You want to keep as much rear brake in the car as possible, and you can have a good day.” What is your assessment of the No. 3 team heading into the final stretch of the regular season?“I think the consistency of our team is getting better. I would love to bring more speed to some of the races. We’ve been very close in qualifying, and qualifying at the Chicago Street Race was a huge improvement. We’ve been on the outside looking in at a lot of these places. I was pumped after our recent race at Atlanta Motor Speedway because we had really struggled at Atlanta in the past, but this year we had a racecar that was capable of possibly winning the race. Now, going back to Atlanta next year, I feel like we have a notes package we can build on and I feel really good about that. We have to develop some better setups that give me confidence as a driver. I’m excited about going back to Richmond Raceway, we’re always decent at the speedways, and Iowa Speedway is coming up, too, and that’s a place I’ve always run well at in the past. Sonoma Raceway will be intense and the key will be being disciplined and doing my job to get the most out of the car.” How much of racing to you is strategic, and how much is instinct?“A lot of racing is instinct, especially during restarts, because you’re trying to react to what the guy ahead of you is doing, and if you can time it right, you can get an advantage. Your reaction to their move or knowing the guy and what he’s going to do is really important. You’re trying not to give up any information yourself. Your instincts and the strategy behind it really plays into it. We do a lot of studying on what lines to choose. You make multiple mistakes throughout a race, but you just hope that you make the right choices at the right time to put yourself in position.”. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat are your thoughts heading to Sonoma?“I feel like Sonoma is a good road course for me. We need to execute on Saturday during qualifying. That race is always about track position. We’ve had good cars at all the road races this season and I think if we can do a good job in qualifying on Saturday, we can be competitive and pick up a good finish on Sunday. The trip to Sonoma is always a lot of fun and it’s a track I enjoy.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWe’re headed west to Sonoma this weekend. What are your thoughts?“I’m looking forward to Sonoma this weekend. We’ve had some good runs on road courses as of late. We had a fast car in Mexico and another last weekend at Chicago. We need to keep our good runs at road courses coming together. The guys have done a great job of putting together good stuff at them, so I’m excited about that. I always enjoy going to wine country, it’s a great place to go for a race and all the other cool reasons that everyone looks forward to getting out to Sonoma. I’m looking forward to getting back on the twisty roads of wine country and having a good race. We’ve been fast there in the past, I’ve won there a couple of times, so I hope we’ll be able to capitalize on a fast car and put ourselves in a position to win.” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to getting to Sonoma this weekend, a track where I have a lot of confidence going to. I’ve been in the sim this week and working with my teammate AJ (Allmendinger), one of the best in the business, to try to learn as much as I can to be prepared this weekend. I didn’t race on the track last year, so this will be the first year for me on the new pavement which will bring its own challenges, but I’m looking forward to taking advantage of this weekend and having a strong run.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Sonoma’s always a very important race to me, being what I consider my home race. Every year I have a lot of family and friends come out and this year we’re bringing a new sponsor, Big Sipz. It’ll be a busy weekend, but it’s always a lot of fun. I love the racetrack; it would mean the world to me to be able to have an opportunity to win a race there. In the past, we’ve been very competitive, and we’ll continue building on what we’ve learned so far with our road course program. I’m working hard to go out there at my best and put together a solid weekend for our team.” Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to getting out to Sonoma this weekend. It’s one of the most demanding tracks we race on, and it really challenges you as a driver. It’s great to have Real American Beer on board with us again. They bring a lot of pride and passion to the sport, and we’re hoping to give them something to cheer about this weekend in wine country.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat are the keys to getting around Sonoma?“Sonoma is a lot of fun. It’s one of those tracks where I have a lot of seat time and spent a lot of time there. Before going NASCAR racing, my wife and I actually lived not too far from there for a season of life. When I was young and kind of coming up through formula cars, I worked outside of Turn 11. For me, the track is super straightforward. It’s one line, there’s not a lot of tricks, You have to manage your tires and be technical to be fast. So, I enjoy it, and it’s been good for us the last couple of years. I think we finished second and third the last few years. I think we are close. So, it’s just a place that I am comfortable with. I know my marks, I know my rhythm, and it all comes together well. I do think it’s still one of the tracks if you save your tires, it will pay off. At Watkins Glen now, every lap is like qualifying, just hammer down, which is fun, too. Sonoma is its own fun where you still have that technical aspect where you have to manage everything pretty well to have a shot at the end.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletSonoma was repaved prior to last season’s visit. Does the newer surface make you adjust your approach?”It is different than what it used to be, but I thought it was fun last year with how much grip there was. I do miss how worn out it was before. I think it has its own challenges. You are going faster and have to be more aggressive to be on the limit with that speed, but have to avoid overdriving the corner.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletYou and your team seem to be clicking on the road courses…“We have been getting a lot better on the road courses as a team. Just doing really good work with the car setup and development on it, and the preparation has just been so intense heading into Mexico City and Chicago, but good at the same time. In Chicago, once we got on track, the car felt great. It was incredible to have two flawless days there. Really looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together this weekend in Sonoma.” How are you feeling about Sonoma this weekend?“I’m excited to get there! I’ve never raced that track in a Cup car, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it races and what it’s like. I did the Xfinity race there last year and had a great time. It will be interesting with it being my second time in the Xfinity car and trying to understand how to make that car better. Then in the Cup car, it’s obviously a track everyone is going to be strong at because they’ve had so many reps there it’s going to be interesting to see if we still have a speed advantage. But looking forward to running double duty again. Excited to have Quad Lock on the Xfinity car and Red Bull on the Cup car. Both cars look epic!” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThoughts on returning to Sonoma?“Definitely excited, man. Every time we head to a road course, whether it’s Sonoma (Raceway) or somewhere else, I am excited. I feel at home, and I am excited to go back to a place where we had great memories, and hopefully, we can repeat it.” On recent bad luck?“Man, we have been at the wrong place at the wrong time the last two weeks. That’ll even out eventually, and we’ll be able to demonstrate our capabilities. We’ve won in Sonoma before and we can do it again.” What are the goals for the remainder of 2025?“We want to win. That’s the number one goal. A win gets us in the playoffs. We can do it. This weekend is a great track for us and I feel like we will be one of the favorites.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet“Sonoma is one of the most beautiful tracks that we go to. I circle all the road courses on the calendar, but this one is going to be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of elevation at Sonoma and a lot of opportunity to make up time. Sonoma is a track where the driver can make a difference and that’s something I really enjoy. It’s another road course for me and that means another opportunity to win. I have a lot of confidence every time we go to a road course and Sonoma is a track that I’ve really enjoyed going to in the past. We have six top-fives in a row entering this weekend and I’m looking forward to back up that momentum.” |
A sixth-place result at the Chicago Street Course was enough to push Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger to the 18th position in the playoff standings and just 43-points below the cutline. The 43-year-old Santa Clara, California, native is among the series’ top road course ringers, with the Chevrolet driver earning all three of his NASCAR Cup Series wins making left- and right-hand turns. While still looking for his first win at the 1.99-mile Northern California venue, consistency has been key for Allmendinger and the No. 16 Chevrolet team – entering the weekend with a pair of back-to-back sixth-place results at the circuit. 
Despite a roller-coaster day in the “Windy City”, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team rebounded for a top-five finish at the Chicago Street Course. Putting together a strong 41-point day – the second-highest of the race – Busch had a big boost in the playoff standings, with the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native heading to the west coast ranked 19th in the playoff standings and 46-points below the cutline. His championship-earning career has seen a great amount of success on road courses with four wins in NASCAR’s top division – two of which have come at Sonoma Raceway. His second win at the circuit in June 2015 started a string of impressive finishes that included six-straight top-seven results. His first Sonoma start with Richard Childress Racing ended with a runner-up result (2023). 
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 19 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 18 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete: