CONCORD, N.C. — This Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports returns to road course action at Sonoma Raceway. It will be the first event on a track turning left and right since the team swept both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series main events at Circuit of The Americas in March.
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In terms of layout, the most notable feature of the 1.99-mile circuit is the elevation change. The start/finish line and pit road sit at the lowest point of the track while drivers will climb the hill until turn three. From there, the rest of the lap will be downhill as drivers will navigate the twists and turns of turns eight through 10 before the heavy braking zone in turn 11. In the offseason, the track was also repaved. Because of this, NASCAR will give all competitiors a full hour for practice on Friday to get used to the new surface.
The No. 17 Xfinity Series entry will make a return to the track this weekend after a successful previous outing with Chase Elliott at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Behind the wheel will be none other than Borris Said who returns after previously attempting to qualify the No. 17 entry at the Charlotte ROVAL in 2023.
This weekend, Rick Hendrick's team will look to win for an eighth time at Sonoma in the Cup Series. Five of the team's wins come from vice chairman Jeff Gordon with Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson scoring the other two triumphs.
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In 2023, Elliott led the way for Hendrick Motorsports in California with a top-five finish. The driver of the No. 9 entry successfully played strategy to led seven laps and was able to earn a solid result at the 1.99-mile track. Larson followed Elliott in eighth while William Byron came home 14th and Alex bowman 15th.
KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR SONOMA
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
The most notable statistic for Larson is his four consecutive pole positions when qualifying was held at the California road course between 2017 and 2022 (the tour didn't visit California in 2020 and 2021 used the metric for qualifying). That said, 2021's race was the first road course victory for Larson in the Cup Series. Watch for the No. 5 entry to be a factor on Sunday.
Elliott, No. 9 team
With seven road course victories, Elliott will look to return to victory lane in California. It's the only road course in the Cup Series Elliott has multiple starts at where he has not won. That said, the team has shown speed in the two visits in the Next Gen car with finishes of eighth and fifth. He'll aim to tie Tony Stewart for second on the all-time road course wins list with a victory this weekend.
Byron, No. 24 team
While the first road course win took a few years to come, Byron has found his form as of late. In the last three Cup Series races held of serpentine circuits, the driver of the No. 24 entry has won twice (Watkins Glen International and COTA) and finished second (Charlotte ROVAL) in the other. Were the No. 24 team to find victory lane this weekend, it would be the first time the number has won at Sonoma since Gordon in 2006.
Bowman, No. 48 team
Although a road course win has alluded Bowman in his career thus far, the Tucson, Arizona, native has finished inside the top-five on four occasions at tracks of this type. Combined with two runner-up results and Bowman seems to be due for a victory on a road course. He'll aim to win at Sonoma for the first time this weekend.
Hendrick Motorsports
On road courses, the team has had at least one driver finish inside the top-five positions in the last seven events. With all four teams still sitting inside the top-10 positions in the regular season points standings, the group will definitely have Sonoma circled on their calendar.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams in the Cup Series with six victories in 2024.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TV COVERAGE
Friday, June 7
4:05 p.m. ET: Practice (Xfinity) - FS1 (Tape delayed, airs at 5 p.m. ET)
5:05 p.m. ET: Practice (Cup) - FS1 (Tape delayed, airs at 8:30 p.m. ET)
Saturday, June 8
3:30 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Xfinity) - FS2
6 p.m. ET: Qualifying (Cup) - FS2
For the Xfinity Series, Said will be in Group B.
As for the Cup Series, Byron will be in Group A while Larson, Elliott and Bowman will be in Group B.
8 p.m. ET: Xfinity Series main event - FS1
Sunday, June 9
3:30 p.m. ET: Cup Series race - FOX
STAGE LENGTHS (Xfinity)
Stage 1: Lap 20
Stage 2: Lap 45
End of Race: Lap 79
STAGE LENGTHS (Cup)
Stage 1: Lap 25
Stage 2: Lap 55
End of Race: Lap 110
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find both events on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
WHERE CAN I STREAM THE BROADCAST?
Fans can watch all the action with the FOX Sports Live app. For live updates and additional content during the race, head over to X and follow @TeamHendrick for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
HOW CAN I FIND FS1 and FS2?
The channel number may vary depending on the location. Use this link to enter your zip code and select your television provider for assistance in finding what channel numbers FS1 and FS2 are on your provider.