2018 Sonoma -- TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350 - Pre-Race Thread

Johali

Johali

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There isn't a cup race next weekend but I'm starting this early. We're going to be really busy getting ready to go on vacation.

THE RACE: Sonoma 400

TRACK: Sonoma Raceway

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #16 of 36

Date: Sunday, June 24th, 2018 in Sonoma Ca.

Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 3:15 pm/et
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Friday, June 22
2:30 PM, MENCS Sonoma practice, FS1
5:30 PM, MENCS Sonoma final practice, FS1
7:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
7:30 PM, NCWTS Gateway final practice, FS2

Saturday, June 23
2:30 PM, MENCS Sonoma qualifying, FS1
7:00 PM, NCWTS Gateway qualifying, FS1
8:00 PM, NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS, FS1
8:30 PM, NCWTS Gateway race, FS1

Sunday, June 24
3:00 PM, MENCS Sonoma race, FS1
 
This should be on my bucket list. I was making plans to go to this race with my dad but cancer kicked his ass and we never got there.
Maybe I could get my bro @Clutch to go with me in the future.
 
BobbyFord said:
I’ll get there. :)
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Clutch said:
Yeah, I'd be keen on planning a trip to Sonoma.
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I went last year on a whim with my son as a father/son road trip. Went more for the trip than the race--never been a big road course fan. The trip was awesome, and watching these guys wheel these things through 8, 9, and 10 changed everything. We leave one week from Wednesday, but who is counting down the days? Me. Awesome stuff. GET THERE.
 
NASCAR Apologist said:
This guy is a genius. I love it. How about a third race at Daytona, on the road course, and we keep the plates on for the oval part. So we're road racin', and we're pack racin'. How about that?
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Boogity, Im in.
 
Is it time to leave yet?
 
Is there a new "package" for Sonoma?


... sometimes I just can't help myself.
 
Won't help to abnormal wear the splitters package?

Maybe KDB can try to make it two wide going thru the bus stop again, that was entertaining.
 
Man it sure was cool when we had ambrose and montoya at sonoma those guys could freaking wheel em aroun there. Any ringers showing up this year?
 
sky said:
Man it sure was cool when we had ambrose and montoya at sonoma those guys could freaking wheel em aroun there. Any ringers showing up this year?
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The entry list hasn't been posted yet. Other than Klingerman, I haven't seen any announcements regarding substitute or one-off drivers.

I think the days of ringers being effective replacements are gone. The cars are too different from what are driven in series dedicated to road courses. It's difficult for a ringer to climb in a Cup car and become effective with the short amount of practice he'd get. When's the last time a ringer posted a top 15 or 20 in a Cup race? It's easier at the X level since those guys don't have as much experience, but full-time X'ers are also more likely to treat a ringer like a pin ball.

It may have made sense back when owner points determined who was guaranteed to start, and a ringer might push a team farther up the chart than their regular guy. With the charters' guaranteed starts and compressed points system, there isn't as much motivation to hire one for the weekend.
 
Most road course specialists worth a shot are either 1) engaged to work their normal job the weekend of Sonoma or 2) taking a post-Le Mans break next weekend.

Ford gave Billy Johnson a shot last year because he makes maybe one race start a year anymore and is American anyways (easier for travel, etc.). Otherwise, the last time I can remember truly relevant road course aces being brought in was 2010 when Jan Magnussen (finished 12th in a James Finch car) and Mattias Ekstrom (got dumped) raced.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Most road course specialists worth a shot are either 1) engaged to work their normal job the weekend of Sonoma or 2) taking a post-Le Mans break next weekend.

Ford gave Billy Johnson a shot last year because he makes maybe one race start a year anymore and is American anyways (easier for travel, etc.). Otherwise, the last time I can remember truly relevant road course aces being brought in was 2010 when Jan Magnussen (finished 12th in a James Finch car) and Mattias Ekstrom (got dumped) raced.
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Billy stayed at our hotel last year. The guy was awesome. Strolls into the atrium with a beer and a 24 Hours of LeMans cap, and starts telling stories for anyone who cared to listen. Dude was there for hours chatting and taking questions......and beers.
 
Alex Tagliani has been a pretty good road course ringer in Xfinity and the trucks. He almost won Mid-Ohio in 15 but Regan Smith gave him some of his own medicine and booted him out of the way in the last turn.
 
Pruett, Fellows, and Said were definitely threats in the early 2000s. I think we started to see the shift occur once Montoya and Ambrose came along though.
 
StandOnIt said:
I think the shift occurred when Gordon (5) and Stewart (3) came along. JPM won 1 race at Sonoma and Ambrose was win less on the cup side of things
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Those three I mentioned were still quite competitive even during Stewart's and Gordon's reign though. We didn't start to see ringers disappear until Montoya and Ambrose came along. They proved that you could run the full season and still do really well on road courses. Of course it could just be pure coincidence, but that's when I noticed it.

Michfan said:
Ambrose was not winless...
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I think he's referring to just Sonoma, but I was speaking of road course racing in general, which should include the Glen, so you're correct.
 
lolla79 said:
Those three I mentioned were still quite competitive even during Stewart's and Gordon's reign though. We didn't start to see ringers disappear until Montoya and Ambrose came along. They proved that you could run the full season and still do really well on road courses. Of course it could just be pure coincidence, but that's when I noticed it.
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2013, Villeneuve, Fellows and Said were racing at Sonoma long after Montoya and Ambrose showed up. Said raced one more year 2014 at Sonoma and has continued to race at Watkins Glenn. 2017 Klutt from Pity's series raced at the Glenn. Owen Kelly has been a ringer a bit. IMO ringers are still are in the series, I never thought they were a threat to win, but they were a threat to be competitive and cool that they came to race in the series.
 
StandOnIt said:
2013, Villeneuve, Fellows and Said were racing at Sonoma long after Montoya and Ambrose showed up. Said raced one more year 2014 at Sonoma and has continued to race at Watkins Glenn. 2017 Klutt from Pity's series raced at the Glenn. Owen Kelly has been a ringer a bit. IMO ringers are still are in the series, I never thought they were a threat to win, but they were a threat to be competitive and cool that they came to race in the series.
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True, you got me on that one. I guess I was speaking more in terms of competitiveness than on the fact they they 'disappeared' outright. As you said, they were always a nagging threat to be competitive but something (or someone) always kept them from winning. That competitive threat did seem to fizzle out more as we hit the 2010s though.
 
Yeah there has never been a ringer win at either the Glen or Sonoma. You have to go back to the long gone riverside raceway days in the 60's, early 70's. Gurney, Foyt, Donohue and Parnelli Jones
 
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