NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):
By Race and Track
All with 4 - Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Kurt Busch
Denny Hamlin - 3

SOURCE: NASCAR Media
Recent Pole Winners:
2018 Kyle Larson
2017 Kyle Larson

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

The Likely Suspects: Road racing is fun to watch especially when these Sonoma elite drivers are behind the wheel: Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is Kevin Harvick. My next picks are Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman and Erik Jones. I'm rounding out my team with Matt DiBenedetto and Michael McDowell.

My Final Four: Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Matt DiBenedetto.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Ryan Preece. Ryan may benefit from some notes and No. 47-car mojo from AJ Allmendinger. He has some road-racing experience from the Xfinity Series last year where he finished in fourth place at both Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval. Our last second-look driver at Michigan was Ryan Blaney. Ryan started 13th on the grid, finished in ninth, and led one lap.

Points to Ponder:
  • Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in Busch Pole Awards at Sonoma Raceway with two (2017, 2018).
  • Kyle Larson (Sonoma in 2017 and 2018), Kurt Busch (Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2006) and Kyle Busch (Watkins Glen in 2011, 2017) lead all active drivers in road course poles with two each.
  • Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch (2008, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2013, 2018) lead all active drivers in wins at Sonoma Raceway in the Monster Energy Series with two each.
  • Kyle Busch leads all active series drivers in road course wins with four (Sonoma, two and Watkins Glen, two).
  • The Busch Pole position is the most prolific starting position in the field, producing more series wins (five) than any other starting position at Sonoma Raceway. 
  • Only one other time has a Monster Energy Series race been won from a starting position outside the top 15 at Sonoma Raceway – Kyle Busch’s 2008 win; he started from 30th.
  • Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in the series in runner-up finishes at Sonoma with two.
  • Clint Bowyer leads all active series drivers in top-five finishes at Sonoma with eight and in average finishing position with a 10.077. 
  • Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in top 10s at Sonoma with 10 each.
    Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 22nd and your final picks by 3 p.m. ET on race day Sunday, June 23rd.

    Enjoy the race!
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    Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice at NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway, and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at
    Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat. 
    NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino on Thursday, June 20, 2019 Rating: 5