CONCORD, N.C. - The NASCAR Cup Series will travel to Sonoma Raceway for its second road course race of the season and the 16th points-paying race of the 2022 season.
This year will see the return of "the chute" as part of the course - the stretch of raceway connecting turn four as the cars will approach the top of the hill to turn seven. The layout will be 1.99 miles long and feature 12 turns. "The chute" had been part of the California event from 1998 to 2018. In 2019 and 2021, "the carousel" was part of the course, but it will not be part of it this year.
Hendrick Motorsports is no stranger to success on layouts that turn left and right. The organization's 25 wins on road courses are the most in the series. Kyle Larson is the defending race winner at Sonoma. Chase Elliott was the runner-up finisher to Larson last year and has seven Cup road course wins on his resume. Alex Bowman finished second at Circuit of The Americas earlier this year -- the only road course run so far in 2022. William Byron has led the fourth-most laps on road courses (51) since the start of 2021 - teammates Larson and Elliott are 1-2 in that category.
RELATED: See all of Hendrick Motorsports wins on road courses
Last season alone, Hendrick Motorsports won five of the seven road course races on the schedule. Elliott won two of those (Circuit of The Americas and Road America), while Larson won three times (Sonoma, Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course).
The quartet of drivers enter this weekend in the top-10 in points. Elliott is atop the standings with a nine-point lead over Kyle Busch. Larson is now seventh in the points, Bowman ranks eighth and Byron is ninth.
Here is what you need to know to catch the action this weekend.
PAINT SCHEMES: See this weekend's looks for Sonoma
WHAT TIME IS PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING?
There will be group practice sessions that starts at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 11. Group qualifying will take place at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday as well. Byron and Bowman will be in Group A, while Elliott and Larson will be in Group B. Both events will be televised on FOX Sports 2.
WHAT TIME IS THE RACE?
The 110-lap race is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 12, and will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1. Stage one will end at lap 25, stage two will conclude at lap 55 and the event is scheduled to end on lap 110.
CAN I LISTEN ON THE RADIO?
You can tune in on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90).
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the FOX Sports app for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter by following @TeamHendrick.
WHAT CHANNEL IS FS1 and FS2?
It varies by location, but this link allows viewers to find the channels by entering their zip code and selecting their television provider.
FIVE FAST FACTS HEADING INTO SONOMA
Data courtesy of Racing Insights
3: The number of pole positions Byron has won in the last five road course races with qualifying.
7.7: Elliott’s average finish on road courses, which is the best among active drivers in the Cup series.
9: Bowman’s top-10 finishes on road courses since 2018 – tied with Ryan Blaney for the third-most in the span. During that stretch, he has two runner-up finishes.
10: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won 10 of the last 15 races on road courses. Elliott has won seven of those, while Larson has won three.
98: Miles to be led before Hendrick Motorsports crosses 100,000 miles led in the sport’s top series. For that mark to be reached at the 1.99-mile circuit, the team will need to lead 50 laps. To date, the organization has led 99,902.90 miles in the Cup Series.
Tyler Deering contributed to this story.