NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Road Racing at Sonoma

Track Classification: Road Course

Similar Track: Watkins Glen International

Distance: 1.99 miles

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Both with 5 - Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson 

Both with 4 - Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle
All with 3 - Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick

By Track

All with 4 - Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson  

All with 3 - Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle

Recent Pole Winners:

2014 & 2013 Jamie McMurray

2013 Flashback

This weekend we'll have the opportunity to see just how this new rules package performs on a road course. My guess is the lack of horsepower is going to be dramatic and drive the open-wheel-racers-turned-stock-car racers more than a tad crazy. Get ready for a few new expletives, and please disregard 2014 statistics when making your fantasy picks.

Top 15 Finishers at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2013:

1. Martin Truex Jr.           
2. Jeff Gordon           
3. Carl Edwards           
4. Kurt Busch           
5. Clint Bowyer           
6. Kasey Kahne           
7. Marcos Ambrose           
8. Greg Biffle           
9. Jimmie Johnson           
10. Kevin Harvick           
11. Joey Logano           
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.           
13. Brian Vickers                                    
14. Paul Menard           
15. Ryan Newman 

The Likely Suspects: This 1.99 mile track suits the racing style of these elite drivers who will run well this weekend: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray. Now, repeat after me: "I will not pick road race ringers, I will not pick road race ringers."

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. My next picks are Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray. I'm rounding out my team with Danica Patrick and David Gilliland.

My final four: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Danica Patrick.

Points to ponder:

• Eighteen different NSCS drivers have won at Sonoma Raceway, led by Jeff Gordon with five wins. Tony Stewart has the second most wins (two) among active drivers at Sonoma; eight other active drivers have a single win.   
• Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Sonoma in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six: Jeff Gordon (five) and Jimmie Johnson (one).
• Six different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Sonoma, led by Chevrolet with 10 victories, followed by Ford with seven, Toyota (three), Dodge (three), Pontiac (two) and Buick (one).
• The Coors Light pole position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway.    
• Nineteen of the 26 (73%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Sonoma have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Sonoma with four, followed by Tony Stewart with three.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter @purplecatpr.