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In The Know – Sonoma

NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERVIEW:

●  Event:  Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 11

●  Location:  Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway

●  Layout:  1.99-mile, 10-turn road course

●  Laps/Miles:  110 laps/218.9 miles (352.3 kilometers)

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 30 laps / Final Stage: 55 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR FAST FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Harvick has made a total of 56 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses. He has 21 starts at Sonoma, 21 at Watkins Glen, five at the Charlotte Roval, three at COTA, and two apiece at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Indianapolis and the road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He has scored two road-course wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 12 top-fives and 27 top-10s with 199 laps led.

Aric Almirola:

Almirola will be doing double duty for the second time this season at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, driving in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s Cup Series Save Mart 350k. His first double-duty weekend was in March at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. In Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Almirola will be in the No. 28 Ford Mustang for RSS Racing. It will be Almirola’s first Xfinity Series start at Sonoma, but it won’t be his first double-duty weekend at the Northern California road course. In 2018, Almirola nearly pulled off the victory in the ARCA Menards Series race there, leading 23 laps and finishing second. Almirola finished eighth in the Cup Series race that weekend.

Chase Briscoe:

Briscoe has two starts at the 1.99-mile, 10-turn Sonoma road course, with a best finish of 13th in last year’s event. In 13 Cup Series starts on road courses, Briscoe has four top-10 finishes and was just shy of earning his career first Cup Series victory on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021.

Ryan Preece:

The No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang team has seen improvement and consistency in recent weekends, providing a heightened sense of motivation. Preece had a career weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, earning his first Cup Series pole and leading a career-high 135 laps. In 15 points-paying events this season, Preece has four top-15 finishes, two of which came in the last three points-paying races May 14 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:

 

WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

Sonoma marks your last NASCAR Cup Series race in your home state of California. Does that resonate with you to where you want to soak up every moment from the race weekend, or do you go in there with a more a business-like mindset of winning and everything else comes in second?

“I think you can do both. I’ve learned this year that you can take advantage of the year and get away with thinking both ways. For me, Sonoma is one of the places that I’ve raced at for so long and really spent a lot of time up there in my West Coast days with the Southwest Tour car and all the different things that I’ve been fortunate to race there. We’ve won a few races there and I think going up there and seeing all of the California fans for the last time is obviously something you’ve got to stop and pay attention to. I’m looking forward to that. I know the track has a lot of exciting things planned that week, along with the West Coast Hall of Fame and everything happening there. It’ll be a big week to take it all in.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

Why did you decide to do double duty at Sonoma this year?

“Of all the road courses that we run, it’s my favorite. I run the best there, so having the opportunity to run an Xfinity car there, something that is new for that series, I just thought that it would be a great opportunity and something for me to go and do, and I think it is slightly helpful just to get some more reps at the road courses because, with only 20 minutes of practice, you don’t get a lot of laps in the Cup car. So just being able to pick up little things here and there on the racetrack maybe helps a little bit. But the cars are so different nowadays with the brakes, the way the cars drive, the transmission, all those things, that a lot of it doesn’t really correlate at all.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang:

The No. 14 team’s strategy has shifted over the last week. What is the biggest difference and how does it impact preparation for the rest of the regular season?

“At this point, it’s all about winning. We always show up to win, this just gives us an opportunity to change up our strategy to make it happen. It opens the door for us to pit off strategy or make some different calls when it comes to what we do on a stop. It doesn’t change preparation much. We might have some different options that we look at, but we always want to run up front so we don’t have to do too much differently when it comes to how we prepare.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 Autodesk Ford Mustang: 

With your short-track background, what has been your mindset in preparing for Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway?

“Obviously, these road courses are all about track position. That’s going to be huge for our team this weekend. It’s tough to pass and pit strategy will come into play. We know what we’ve got to do, and I know what I’ve got to do as a driver. I’ve been working hard in the simulator and talking to other drivers to get some insight. There’s going to be a lot of beating and banging, so I need to manage that and be smart. The track is worn out and it takes a toll on the tires. I never got to drive the old racetrack and I always did in the video games when I was a little kid. So, I get to check that box off my bucket list. From a road-course standpoint, I certainly didn’t grow up doing it but it’s something I enjoy doing because I enjoy the challenge. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”