Eight drivers with a shot at becoming Sonoma Raceway's latest winner

By Tom Jensen
Published

The last 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway have produced 10 different winners, a fairly incredible streak when you stop and think about it.

This year's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma could well see an 11th consecutive new winner. Who's the most likely to step up and score a huge victory? Well, there are eight drivers who have a good chance to join the list of consecutive different winners.

AJ Allmendinger: Sonoma is the 'Dinger's home track, having grown up about 90 minutes away in Los Gatos in the heart of Northern California's Silicon Valley. Last year, Allmendinger won the Sprint Cup road race at Watkins Glen International, and there's no reason to think he won't step up again this year.

Jamie McMurray: It isn't a question of if Jamie McMurray is going to win on a road course. Instead it's a question of when. In each of the last two seasons, McMurray won the pole at Sonoma, and he finished fourth last year. He's more than due for a Big Mac Attack.

Kevin Harvick: Although he has only three top-five finishes at Sonoma, the reigning Sprint Cup champion led 23 laps last year. Harvick has been fast everywhere he's run, and he almost certainly will be fast again this weekend.

Ryan Newman: In 2006, way back in his Roger Penske days, Newman finished second at Sonoma. Without question, he knows how to get around here. Last year, he had a good run, finishing seventh.

Brad Keselowski: Although he's never won a Sprint Cup road race, Keselowski has finished in the top five in three of them. And if you finish in the top five often enough, sooner or later you're going to win.

Kyle Larson: In just two road course starts at the Cup level, Larson already has one top-five finish. Besides, he's got to win eventually, right? This just might be the place.

Joey Logano: Never known as a great road racer, Logano has made tremendous progress as a driver since he moved to Team Penske a couple of years ago. He's due to take the next step and get another victory soon.

David Gilliland: OK, Gilliland is admittedly a long shot. But he finished second here in 2008, behind only Kyle Busch. Nobody in the field knows this track better than Gilliland, who used to work on his father Butch's cars when the elder Gilliland raced here.