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NASCAR announces 2026 Hall of Fame Class

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR announced the new inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, including one North Carolina native. The Hall of Fame Class for 2026 will include three new inductees, it is their 16th since the start of the Hall of Fame in 2010. The class will also include this year’s […]

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR announced the new inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday, including one North Carolina native.

The Hall of Fame Class for 2026 will include three new inductees, it is their 16th since the start of the Hall of Fame in 2010. The class will also include this year’s Landmark Award winner

The Class of 2026 includes Kurt Busch, Harry Gant, and Ray Hendrick. In addition to those three Humpy Wheeler was named the Landmark Award recipient.

Gant and Wheeler are both natives of North Carolina. Gant is from Taylorsville, North Carolina won 18 premier series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991.

Gant also had 21 wins in the Xfinity Series. In the five seasons from 1981 through 1985, Gant finished in the top five in points four times, including a runner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.

Wheeler is a native of Belmont, North Carolina and was the President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway for 33-years. Wheeler also lead the construction of the iconic Turn 4 grandstands and introduced the “NASCAR Experience,” which brought fans even closer to the action.

Kurt Busch’s first win came at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway, he finished third in points. And after that his career took off.

In 2004, Busch captured the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, becoming the first driver to win the title under NASCAR’s playoff system. Busch earned 34 Cup Series wins in 776 starts, including a thrilling victory in the 2017 Daytona 500.

Ray Hendrick is one of the winningest drivers of all time and amassed over 700 modified and late model sportsman wins between 1950-88.

Hendrick won five track championships at South Boston Speedway – four modified and one late model sportsman.

He was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers and one of NASCAR’s Modified’s All-Time Top 10 Drivers.

The Class of 2026 Induction Ceremony is set for Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte.

Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.



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Cody Ware car and equipment ‘killed on impact’ in NASCAR Chicago crash

To no surprise, the head-on impact sustained by Cody Ware in the NASCAR Cup Series street course race in Chicago was the hardest in the history of this current generation racing platform. “Pretty much everything from the interior of the car, as well as my gear, was killed on that impact,” Ware told SiriusXM NASCAR […]

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To no surprise, the head-on impact sustained by Cody Ware in the NASCAR Cup Series street course race in Chicago was the hardest in the history of this current generation racing platform.

“Pretty much everything from the interior of the car, as well as my gear, was killed on that impact,” Ware told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “So, thankfully, getting a new helmet, a new HANS, you know, there was a crack in the EPS foam inside the helmet, the HANS device was cracked, steering wheel, you know, got bent up pretty good as well.

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“So, I think it’s just a testimony to all the safety people that are selling us helmets and HANS, as well as steering wheels from Max Papis. And then my interior guys and all the guys at RWR who are building these race cars and keeping them safe.”

One of the biggest safety development challenges of the NextGen car has concerned the rigidity of the front and rear clips that both needed softening after the 2022 season. One such crash was Ware at Texas in 2022.

You know, unfortunately, this isn’t my first time getting into a gnarly wreck in the NextGen car,” Ware said. “I look back at 2022, and that’s all I had in my mind for those five seconds, it felt like the longest five seconds of my life. You know, when I took that frontal impact in the NextGen car back in 2022 at Texas, that was before a lot of updates in the front clip had been made to make sure that the crush zones were more significant and the chassis would definitely deform a lot more on those impacts.

“So, I just think that’s a testimony to the work that was done between then and now. Because I was pretty worried that whole way to the wall that it was going to be another injury-inducing incident like I had where I broke my foot at Texas. So, I think the progress with the safety of the Next Gen cars has definitely come a long way. Obviously, I don’t want to be the test dummy for that, but thankful to see a dramatic difference in what I felt with the frontal impact at Texas versus what I felt on Sunday in Chicago.”

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On Sunday in Chicago, Ware lost a brake rotor and was unable to slow hos car down at over 90 miles per hour approaching a tire barrier. Race control waited over 30 seconds to call a caution and NASCAR later admitted that it was a mistake born from a less than adequate communication process at the Grant Park street circuit.



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Shane van Gisbergen rockets to NASCAR Xfinity pole at Sonoma

JR Motorsports has locked out the front row for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway. Once again, Shane van Gisbergen earned pole position, lapping the track in 1:15.259s, over two tenths clear of teammate Connor Zilisch. These same two drivers finished 1-2 one week ago at the Chicago Street Course in a race […]

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JR Motorsports has locked out the front row for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway. Once again, Shane van Gisbergen earned pole position, lapping the track in 1:15.259s, over two tenths clear of teammate Connor Zilisch.

These same two drivers finished 1-2 one week ago at the Chicago Street Course in a race where SVG also started from pole position.

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Car is really, really good,” said van Gisbergen. “I was having fun out there … Looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

Van Gisbergen is also the defending winner of the Sonoma Xfinity race. On how the track has evolved since then, SVG said: “It’s hotter than last year, so it’s a bit slippery. The car is quite different from last year. Just trying to get used to that and how the car reacts. At Chicago, they weren’t too different but compared to what I had here last year, they are quite a bit different. Just trying to get it a bit centered but I feel good.”

As for Zilisch, he lamented some mistakes he made during his qualifying run, but added that there are no trophies for pole position as he shifted focus to the race on Saturday.

Behind SVG and Zilisch, Sam Mayer qualified third, Jesse Love fourth, and William Sawalich fifth. Sawalich was also the fastest driver in Group A, but that time was not quite good enough to get him onto the first two rows.

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Sammy Smith, Carson Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed, and Justin Allgaier filled out the remainder of the top ten.

Austin J. Hill was the lone driver who failed to qualify, driving the No. 35 for Joey Gase Motorsports.

In qualifying, there were no major incidents, but several off-track moments. Will Rodgers spun while both Josh Bilicki and Kvapil ended up in the dirt at some point. Nick Sanchez really struggled, going off-track twice during his qualifying runs.

Taylor Gray suffered an engine failure, which means he will start from the rear of the field.

SVG now has five career pole positions in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with all of them coming at road/street courses.

Read Also:

Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin claim NASCAR has “too many road courses”

Every foreign-born race winner in NASCAR history

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.



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NASCAR weekend in Sonoma gets underway

WEEKEND OF FAST RACING. LISTEN, THAT’S JUST I LOVE THE SOUND. THE SOUND IS KILLER. IT’S VERY LOUD, LOUDER THAN I WAS REMEMBERING THAT IT WOULD BE. OH YEAH, IT’S LOUD. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THESE FANS WANT. FRIDAY MARKS THE START OF THE RACE WEEKEND, WHERE FANS ARE BUILDING EXCITEMENT FOR SUNDAY’S CUP SERIES […]

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WEEKEND OF FAST RACING. LISTEN, THAT’S JUST I LOVE THE SOUND. THE SOUND IS KILLER. IT’S VERY LOUD, LOUDER THAN I WAS REMEMBERING THAT IT WOULD BE. OH YEAH, IT’S LOUD. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THESE FANS WANT. FRIDAY MARKS THE START OF THE RACE WEEKEND, WHERE FANS ARE BUILDING EXCITEMENT FOR SUNDAY’S CUP SERIES RACE. JUDGING BY HIS LIGHTNING MCQUEEN SHOES WILL HARDEN, HIS FRIEND TREVOR BURNS COULDN’T WAIT ANY LONGER FOR THIS WEEKEND TO ARRIVE. I LOVE IT, I LOVE CARS, PERSONALLY, I’M A CAR GUY. THE ENGINEERING BEHIND IT. ANYTHING ON THE WEST COAST THAT WE CAN DRIVE TO? WE WE TRY TO GET TO IT. THE ANNUAL RACE IN SONOMA IS NASCAR’S ONLY STOP IN CALIFORNIA. IT DRAWS RACE FANS FROM ALL OVER THE WEST COAST TO THE HILLSIDE AND WINE COUNTRY, WHERE THERE ARE COUNTLESS THINGS FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE. I LOVE THE CAMARADERIE AND EVERYBODY IS SO WELCOMING. IT’S BEEN A REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE. REPORTER BUT WHAT HAPPENS ON THE TRACK WILL KEEP THEM GLUED TO THEIR SEATS. NORMALLY, DRIVERS ARE RACING AROUND AN OVAL WHERE PURE SPEED IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, BUT THIS IS A ROAD COURSE, MEANING IT’S A WINDY CIRCUIT WITH MULTIPLE TURNS REALLY REQUIRING DRIVERS TO PUT THEIR SKILLS BEHIND THE WHEEL TO THE TEST. HARD CLOSE RACING, LIKE WHEN THEY’RE RACING RIGHT UP AGAINST EACH OTHER. THAT’S LIKE, THAT’S THE BEST YOU CAN GET. THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO SEE THIS WEEKEND. FANS SAY YOU WILL SEE MORE PRECISION AND FINESSE WITH HOW THEY PASS. THEY BELIEVE IT MEANS THE RACE WILL BE NOTHING SHORT OF ENTERTAINING. AND WHEN THOSE ENGINES ROAR, CHILLS CAN BE FELT AROUND THE CROWD. I JUST LOVE RACING IN GENERAL, YOU KNOW? I LOVE THE STRATEGY. I’M A DRIVER MYSELF. I LOVE TO RACE. AND YEAH, I, I CAN’T REALLY TELL YOU WHAT IT IS EXACTLY, BUT I JUST LOVE SEEING CARS GOING AROUND THE RACETRACK AND THAT’S ALL YOU NEED TO ENJOY. WEEKEND. THAT IS JUST SHIFTING INTO GEAR. IN SONOMA, RYAN CURRY KCRA THREE NEWS. AND LOCAL DRIVER KYLE LARSON OF ELK GROVE IS SET TO HIT THE TRACK TOMORROW FOR PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING FOR SUNDAY’S RACE.

At times, the only thing you could hear is the roar from the engines on the track. That’s exactly why race fans come to Sonoma every year. “It’s louder than I remember,” said Tammi Buna, a race fan from Livermore. “I love the camaraderie. Everybody is so welcoming. It’s been a really great experience.”The annual NASCAR event coming to Sonoma got underway Friday. The first day involved NASCAR subdivisions with the ARCA series race and qualifying for the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. It all builds up to the big event, which is Sunday’s Cup Series race. Kyle Larson from Elk Grove is looking to repeat as race winner. “I just love racing in general, I love the strategy,” said Trebor Burns, a race fan from Oregon. “I can’t really tell you what it is, I just love seeing cars go around a race track.” MORE | Loomis native Jack Wood takes on the track at Sonoma RacewayThat’s all you need when attending an event like this. The Sonoma track is also different than others on the season calendar. It is a road course that involves several turns going up and down the landscape on the hills of southern wine country. Fans say it is more exciting because it really demands the best from the drivers. “Hard close racing,” said Will Hart, a fan from the Bay Area. “When they are racing right up against each other, that is the best you can get.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SONOMA, Calif. —

At times, the only thing you could hear is the roar from the engines on the track. That’s exactly why race fans come to Sonoma every year.

“It’s louder than I remember,” said Tammi Buna, a race fan from Livermore. “I love the camaraderie. Everybody is so welcoming. It’s been a really great experience.”

The annual NASCAR event coming to Sonoma got underway Friday. The first day involved NASCAR subdivisions with the ARCA series race and qualifying for the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. It all builds up to the big event, which is Sunday’s Cup Series race. Kyle Larson from Elk Grove is looking to repeat as race winner.

“I just love racing in general, I love the strategy,” said Trebor Burns, a race fan from Oregon. “I can’t really tell you what it is, I just love seeing cars go around a race track.”

MORE | Loomis native Jack Wood takes on the track at Sonoma Raceway

That’s all you need when attending an event like this. The Sonoma track is also different than others on the season calendar. It is a road course that involves several turns going up and down the landscape on the hills of southern wine country. Fans say it is more exciting because it really demands the best from the drivers.

“Hard close racing,” said Will Hart, a fan from the Bay Area. “When they are racing right up against each other, that is the best you can get.”

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel



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Tomy Drissi Closes Out Busiest Stretch of Trans Am Season at Watkins Glen

July 11, 2025 PHOTO: Tomy Drissi celebrates his Trans Am victory at Watkins Glen International in 2018. Drissi and the #8 Trench Shoring Company/Motul/Franklin Road Apparel team will look to claim more hardware in 2025. Tomy Drissi remains third in the Trans Am championship coming into this weekend’s action at Watkins Glen In his first […]

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July 11, 2025

Tomy Drissi Closes Out Busiest Stretch of Trans Am Season at Watkins Glen

PHOTO: Tomy Drissi celebrates his Trans Am victory at Watkins Glen International in 2018. Drissi and the #8 Trench Shoring Company/Motul/Franklin Road Apparel team will look to claim more hardware in 2025.

  • Tomy Drissi remains third in the Trans Am championship coming into this weekend’s action at Watkins Glen

  • In his first two Trans Am starts at the track, Tomy locked up his first series title in 2009 and went from sixth on the grid to win in 2018

  • Drissi’s other accomplishments at Watkins Glen include numerous Trans Am podiums and multiple NASCAR and IMSA starts

As the busiest stretch of the 2025 Trans Am by Pirelli season wraps up, 2009 Trans Am champion Tomy Drissi and Drissi Motorsports return to the Finger Lakes region of New York this weekend for the Watkins Glen SpeedTour at Watkins Glen International. Currently sitting third in the championship, Drissi will look to score another podium with the #8 Trench Shoring Company/Motul/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro before the series takes a well-deserved break until the end of August.

More than once this year, Drissi has come out on top of the most exciting battle of a Trans Am race, and the most recent round at Road America two weeks ago was no exception. In the closing laps, he found himself attacking for fourth place while defending fifth from a hard-charging Brandon Jones. He would make the climactic pass for fourth on Turn 5 of the final lap before breaking Jones’ draft on the frontstretch to defend the spot.

Drissi’s first two visits to Watkins Glen as a Trans Am driver were among his finest moments in the series. In 2009, he finished second to lock up his first series championship. He returned to the track in 2018 to take a thrilling victory, carving his way from sixth to first over the course of the day before holding off teammate Lawrence Loshak in a thrilling battle. He also scored the provisional victory in the first race of the 2021 doubleheader before post-race scoring adjustments. All told, Drissi has five Trans Am podiums at the iconic New York circuit, including a third place run last year, and he’s also competed at the track in series like the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“I have a lot of great memories at Watkins Glen in my career, and I’m hoping to make some more this weekend,” said Drissi. “I’ll never forget being able to celebrate my Trans Am championship here in 2009, my win coming through the field in 2018, or my NASCAR starts here. We’ve been building momentum over the busy summer months, and I can think of no better track for us to visit next than this one to take advantage of it!”

Trans Am action for Tomy Drissi and Drissi Motorsports from Watkins Glen kicks off with a pair of optional test sessions at 8:40AM and 11:30AM on Saturday, followed by practice at 3:45PM. After qualifying bright and early at 8AM on Sunday, the race will kick off at 12:05PM and run for 30 laps or 75 minutes. Live streaming will be available as always on Trans Am social media channels and SPEED SPORT 1.

To keep up with Tomy Drissi, follow @tomydrissi on Instagram and Facebook, and visit www.tomydrissi.com. Following Watkins Glen, Drissi Motorsports returns to action on August 28-31 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

About Tomy Drissi

Tomy Drissi is an American racing driver, multi-time winning IMSA driver, and 2009 Trans Am champion. His driver experience includes ALMS, Trans Am, and NASCAR. He has won many of the most iconic racing events in the world, from the Petit Le Mans to the Long Beach Grand Prix. Tomy leads Drissi Motorsports, one of Trans Am’s most successful race teams, as owner-driver.

Born December 9th in Hollywood, California, Tomy also owns a motion picture creative advertising agency. Drissi’s first racing experience in motorsports was street racing on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills.

Tomy is married to Lacy Livingston Drissi, with two beautiful children, Elin and Jagger.

Follow Tomy Drissi on Social Media:

·       Instagram: @tomydrissi

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomydrissi/

·       Twitter: @tomydrissi

·       TikTok: @tomy_drissi

·       Website: https://tomydrissi.com/

About Trench Shoring Company

Whether it’s for a current project – or your next project – Trench Shoring Company should be your 1st choice for shoring equipment, trench safety training and service. For decades, the California & Nevada construction industry has counted on Trench Shoring Company for our extensive construction knowledge, complete inventory and same-day service.

We know every job is different. Our experts are there to help guide your project, train your teams, and ensure your shoring equipment needs are met – starting with offering 13 standard and custom sizes of Steel Trench Plates, as well as Trench Shields™, Hydraulic Shoring, Slide Rail and additional underground equipment.

We know time is money – so we provide same-day service from our twelve convenient locations – Compton, Bakersfield, Banning, Corona, Fresno, Fullerton, Lake Forest, Moorpark, Sacramento, San Diego, San Leandro and Las Vegas, Nevada – all to provide you with what you need when you need it. Trench Shoring Company has consistently handled our customers’ toughest jobs and the most challenging job requirements – with safety, service and customer satisfaction – since our start in 1973.

About Motul

Motul is a world class European company specializing in the formulation, production and distribution of hightech engine lubricants (motorcycles, cars and other vehicles) as well as lubricants for industry via its MotulTech activity. Unanimously recognized for more than 170 years for the quality of its products, innovation capacity and involvement in the field of competition, Motul is also recognized as a specialist in synthetic lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant for automotive engines, the 300V lubricant, making use of Esters technology and issued from the aeronautical industry. Throughout the years, Motul has gained experience as an official supplier to many racing teams and manufacturers and contributes with them to further technological development in motorsports. Motul is supporting those teams in international competitions such as: 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), FIA World Endurance Championship, Super GT, Drift, Pikes Peak, Japanese championship Super Formula, Blancplan Endurance & Sprint Series, MotoGP, World Superbike, MXGP, Endurance World Championship, Supercross, IOM IT, Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship, F1 Boat and scores of others.



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NASCAR Weekend kicks off at Sonoma Raceway

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – NASCAR weekend at Sonoma Raceway has arrived. The action kicked off Friday on the iconic road course. What they’re saying: “We come every year,” said Nick Cameron of Riverbank.  “This is our Super Bowl,” said Sonoma Raceway General Manager Brian Flynn.  Traffic impact The big event caused some traffic headaches on […]

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NASCAR weekend kicks off at Sonoma Raceway

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – NASCAR weekend at Sonoma Raceway has arrived. The action kicked off Friday on the iconic road course.

What they’re saying:

“We come every year,” said Nick Cameron of Riverbank. 

“This is our Super Bowl,” said Sonoma Raceway General Manager Brian Flynn. 

Traffic impact

The big event caused some traffic headaches on Highway 37 Friday, as fans made their way to the course. 

“It was definitely something. It’s not as bad as normally on Sunday though,” said Trystan Burris of Red Bluff. 

Xfinity Series qualifying race

Friday was the qualifying race for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race. 

Local perspective:

“Being a local boy, it’s always cool to race at home and have more friends and family,” said NASCAR driver and Menlo Park native Jesse Love. 

Love was among those who qualified. He says racing here is a homecoming of sorts. 

“I got to see a lot of really cool special moments here. It’s just kind of a blessing to see it come full circle,” said Love.

NASCAR driver on Sonoma’s unique course

In the “garage”, other drivers like John Hunter Nemechek are gearing up for an exciting weekend on one of NASCAR’s most unique courses. 

“I think being able to come out here to wine country, it’s always neat,” said Nemechek. It’s a really technical racetrack. There’s 90-degree corners, there’s a lot of elevation change. Definitely a driver’s racetrack.”

Friday also featured the General Tire 200, with a host of up-and-coming drivers. After that, the Historic Trans Am Race spotlighted restored race cars from decades past. 

“It’s just some cool sports cars,” said Flynn. “Gives the fans an opportunity to see those cars.”

A family tradition for fans

Between races, many of those fans pass their time in the Fan Zone, where they can sit in a real stock car, or test their skills on a NASCAR simulator. 

“I’ve been coming out here since 2014, camping with my friends,” said Jose Vegas of Vacaville. 

“It’s really fun. I grew up watching it, so it’s fun to see it in person,” said Burris.

What’s next:

The action continues Saturday with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Then, on Sunday it’s the main event: the Toyota/Save Mart 350. 

The Source: Interviews conducted by KTVU reporter John Krinjak

 

NASCARSonomaSonoma CountyAuto Racing



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Roller Coaster Regular-Season Championship Battle Heads to Sonoma

Six races ago, William Byron looked like a near-certain lock to win the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship, and the 15 bonus Playoff Points that go along with it. However, heading into Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Byron is anything but a lock to take the opening 26-race crown. Related: NASCAR Cup Series […]

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Six races ago, William Byron looked like a near-certain lock to win the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship, and the 15 bonus Playoff Points that go along with it. However, heading into Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Byron is anything but a lock to take the opening 26-race crown.

Related: NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings After Chicago

Byron comes into the 1.99-mile road course in Wine Country, fresh off the disappointment of a last-place (40th) finish in the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course after he suffered a clutch failure on the opening lap of the race in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

The latest rough outing equaled the fourth finish of 27th-or-worse for Byron over the last five races, which has allowed the battle for the regular-season championship to intensify with just seven races until the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin.

After a fifth-place run in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, Byron extended his regular-season championship lead to 49 points over Kyle Larson, while Christopher Bell (-87), Denny Hamlin (-104), Chase Elliott (-105), and Tyler Reddick (-118) seemed completely out of contention.

Fast forward to the here and now, and the only driver from that grouping who appears to be a drastic longshot to contend for the regular-season championship is Bell, who ranks sixth, and is 67 points behind Byron.

Elliott, Larson, Hamlin, and Reddick have all clawed to within 50 points of Byron, and with a recent surge in performances, Elliott finds himself just 13 points behind Byron going into Sunday’s race.

While Byron has faltered in recent weeks, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has yet to finish a race outside of the top-20 this season, and a 16th-place result last weekend at the Chicago Street Course marked the driver’s worst finish since another 16th-place run at Texas Motor Speedway at the beginning of May.

Over the last four races, which included Elliott’s first trip to victory lane since last season, the Dawsonville, GA native has recorded an average finish of 6.25. For sure the momentum seems to be swinging in Elliott’s direction, and Sonoma Raceway is a track that suits Elliott’s driving style quite well. While Elliott hasn’t scored any of his seven career NASCAR Cup Series road course wins at the California track, but aside from an engine failure at Sonoma in 2019, Elliott has been ultra-consistent at the track.

When you remove the 37th-place finish due to the engine failue, Elliott has averaged a finish of 7.43 through his other seven career starts at the track, and he comes into this weekend’s race on a back-to-back top-five finishing streak at Sonoma Raceway.

Larson, who sits just 19 points behind Byron, has the best track record at Sonoma of any of the regular-season championship contenders. Larson is the defending winner of this event, and he has found victory lane at Sonoma Raceway twice in 10 attempts.

While Hamlin (-43 points) isn’t known as much of a road racer, the third-place driver in the championship standings is coming off of a fourth-place result at the Chicago Street Course following a last-place start to that event. He also has four top-five finishes, including a runner-up finish to Tony Stewart in 2016, and seven top-10s. The only potential issue for Hamlin is mechanical stability.

The driver blew an engine in his opening lap of practice last week in Chicago, and he blew an engine at the end of the opening lap of this race a season ago. If his engine can hold together though, he could have a decent result on Sunday.

Reddick (-48 points), who hails from Corning, CA, hasn’t had the best career record at Sonoma Raceway, but he is widely regarded as one of the best road racers in the NASCAR Cup Series. Reddick’s career-best finish at Sonoma did come last year in the form of an eighth-place finish after he led 35 laps in the race. Perhaps last year’s effort, coupled with some newfound momentem (back-to-back top-five finishes at Atlanta and Chicago) is the signal that he’s ready for a big breakthrough on Sunday.

While all of the aforementioned drivers come into the race on some sort of hot streak or established past success at Sonoma, Byron doesn’t.

In addition to his rough five-race skid that he enters this weekend, Byron has just one top-10 finish through six career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma Raceway, and has a career average finish of just 22.0.

With all of this being considered, there’s a very realistic chance that Byron, who has led the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings for 16 of the 19 races in 2025, walks out of Sonoma not as the point leader.

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