A NASCAR Cup fixture since 1989 that has changed layout, lost its pit area and still draws debate over its road course.
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is a 218.9-mile NASCAR Cup Series race held at Sonoma Raceway in California since 1989. The event has changed layout several times, and its road course is known for road course ringers and a history of memorable finishes.
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is a stock car race in the NASCAR Cup Series, run every year since 1989 at Sonoma Raceway in Sears Point, California. The event covers 218.9 miles (352.3 km) and has changed name and layout several times, which keeps its road course at the centre of ongoing debate.
When did the Save Mart 350 join the NASCAR calendar?
The race joined the NASCAR circuit in 1989, when it replaced the Budweiser 400 at Riverside. That event had ended in 1988 when the Riverside track closed. The new race quickly became a fixture for the Cup Series and the West Series, which shared a combination event from 1989 to 1997.
The race has undergone several name and length changes since its first running. It has run as a standalone West Series race since 2006, and each change to the schedule has shaped how teams prepare for the weekend.
A race that has changed its layout, lost its pit area and still produces a different winner almost every year.
What is the Sonoma road course like?
From 1989 to 1997, along with 2019 and 2021, NASCAR used the full road course at 2.52 miles (4.06 km). The circuit is best known for sports car racing. Subtle changes to some of the turns allowed the stock cars to run, and they widened several passing zones along the way.
The layout was cut in 1998 to 1.95 miles (3.14 km) with the addition of a chute from turn four to turn seven, which bypassed turns five and six. The chute was revised in 2001 so that the NASCAR circuit measured 1.99 miles (3.20 km). The full course returned in 2019 for the race's 50th anniversary, and the Carousel section came back after a 22-year absence.
Why is the Save Mart 350 so often debated?
Because of its unique layout, the race generates annual discussion. Media, fans and participants have been divided over whether it belongs on the Cup calendar at all. The course also attracts road course ringers, drivers who appear on the circuit only for road course events, and they are common at this race.
Several finishes turned on penalties, black flags and caution timing rather than outright speed. The 1991 race, when Rudd was black-flagged on the final lap, and the 2010 race, when Ambrose was reset for an illegal stop under caution, are the clearest examples.
What was Gilligan's Island at Sonoma?
From 1989 to 2001, pit road could accommodate only 34 pit stalls. Some teams had to share stalls, and others had to pit inside the garage area. When a car dropped out, its stall was reassigned to a team that had been sharing.
Before the 1994 race a makeshift auxiliary pit road was built inside the hairpin at turn eleven and nicknamed Gilligan's Island. The nine slowest qualifiers were sent there. Pitting in that area was treated as a serious competitive disadvantage, and cars held there lost between 15 and 20 seconds compared with the main pit road.
The area had other drawbacks. It sat in the staging area for drag racing and was landlocked by the racecourse, so crew members could not leave once the race began. Only the primary crew could go there, and the only repairs possible were tyre changes, refuelling and small fixes. The area was abandoned in 2002, when the drag strip was separated from the front straight and pit road was extended to 43 cars.
What is the trophy like?
The trophy is shaped as a wine bottle holder paired with a giant wine glass. It is a nod to the Sonoma County wine industry, and it reflects the region in which the race takes place.
Who were the early winners?
Ricky Rudd won the inaugural Cup race in 1989 for King Racing, which proved to be his only victory that season. In 1990 Rusty Wallace won in his new No. 27 car after Mark Martin got loose with three laps to go.
The 1991 race ended in controversy. Martin tried to pass Tommy Kendall with seven laps left, the two made contact and Davey Allison took the lead. Rudd caught Allison and spun him in the final turn, then was black-flagged on the final lap as he waved to his crew, and Allison was declared the winner with Rudd second.
Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR, died only hours before the 1992 race began. Ernie Irvan, who had been black-flagged for jumping the start, worked his way to the front late and held off Terry Labonte. In 1993 Irvan dominated again, but Geoff Bodine passed him in the last three laps. It was the final win for the Bud Moore Engineering team.
Dale Earnhardt won in 1995 and held off a close friend and rival, Mark Martin. It was his first and only Cup win on a road course, and it put him at the top of the points standings. Rusty Wallace beat Martin on a late restart in 1996.
How did Jeff Gordon and Robby Gordon shape the race?
Jeff Gordon won the race in 1998, starting on the front row, and went on to win again in 1999. In 2000 he started fifth but rushed to the top spot on the first restart and dominated for a third straight victory.
Robby Gordon won in 2003 by passing Kevin Harvick under yellow, which broke a gentleman's agreement not to pass under a caution. Jeff Gordon won in 2004 with help from Jimmie Johnson on a late restart, but the win was overshadowed by a fight between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers. Stewart was fined $50,000 and put on probation for the rest of the year.
What were the recent winners?
In 2007 Juan Pablo Montoya won after Jamie McMurray ran out of fuel, and in 2008 Kyle Busch won his first road course race. Kasey Kahne won the 2009 race for his first road course victory in NASCAR.
In 2010 Jimmie Johnson took his first road course win after leader Marcos Ambrose was reset to seventh for failing to keep to the required speed under caution. Ambrose announced afterwards that he would leave JTG Daugherty Racing after 2010 to race for Richard Petty Motorsports. Kurt Busch won in 2011 after a fight between Stewart and Vickers.
| Year | Winner | Notable detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Martin Truex Jr. | Held off Jeff Gordon for his second Cup win |
| 2014 | Carl Edwards | Beat Gordon, who was second for the second straight year |
| 2015 | Kyle Busch | First one-two finish for the Busch brothers |
| 2016 | Tony Stewart | His final win as a full-time driver |
| 2017 | Kevin Harvick | Took over after Truex's engine failed while leading |
| 2018 | Martin Truex Jr. | Mostly caution-free race |
| 2019 | Martin Truex Jr. | Defended his title on the full course |
| 2022 | Daniel Suarez | First Cup win, on the club circuit |
What happened in the 1997 Truck Series race at Sonoma?
The last NASCAR race at Sonoma on the earlier road course layout came on 5 October 1997, in the Truck Series. Joe Ruttman won the event, but a dispute broke out between Rich Bickle and rookie Boris Said. Bickle blamed Said for costing him a top-ten finish, and he cut down Said's tyre in reply.
Said waited for Bickle to come back around and then crashed into him. NASCAR stopped the race with a red flag after a large crash in a wall of tyres, and it disqualified Said and fined him $10,000 for his actions.
What happened in the 2001 race?
The 2001 race was one of the first in which road course specialists were serious threats to win. Jeff Gordon won the pole and led early, and Canadian road ringer Ron Fellows led more than 20 laps after a pit stop. Fellows lost his chance when a caution came out with fewer than 57 laps left.
Robby Gordon, a one-off road course driver who had been fired from his team that spring, dominated the final 30 laps. He spent too long battling a lapped Kevin Harvick, though, and Tony Stewart got past him to take the lead and the win.
How did Jerry Nadeau's 2002 race end?
In 2002 Jeff Gordon dominated, but he pitted under a final caution. Jerry Nadeau stayed out and took the lead with 19 laps to go. He led 22 laps in a Petty Enterprises car, but with two laps to go his engine blew and he coasted into a pull-over site to avoid causing another caution.
Ricky Rudd crossed the line first, and it was his final Cup victory. Nadeau finished 34th, adding to a run of near misses after he had run out of fuel on the final lap of the 2001 race at Atlanta.
What were the 2004 and 2011 races remembered for?
In 2004 Jeff Gordon dominated again and won with a late push from his teammate and student driver, Jimmie Johnson. The race is more often remembered for the altercation between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers. Stewart had retaliated against Vickers for earlier contact, and on pit road he struck him.
Seven years later the pattern repeated. In 2011 a fight between Stewart and Vickers followed Vickers' retaliation against Stewart's car, which left the number 14 car propped on the tyre wall at the hairpin. Kurt Busch dominated the race, won his first road course race and led 76 laps in total.
How did the 2007 and 2008 races finish?
In 2007 Jamie McMurray took the pole and Robby Gordon led the most laps, but McMurray regained the lead late on. Juan Pablo Montoya passed him with eight laps to go, and both drivers then ran low on fuel. McMurray ran dry in turn one with three laps left and finished 37th.
Montoya stretched his fuel to the flag and won. Kevin Harvick finished second for Richard Childress Racing, ahead of Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. In 2008 Kyle Busch began a road course sweep with his first road course victory. Marcos Ambrose made his first Cup start there and was in contention until a crash with Elliott Sadler with 25 laps left. David Gilliland equalled his career-best result by taking second.
What did the 2013 and 2014 races look like?
In 2013 Marcos Ambrose led the first quarter against pole sitter Jamie McMurray, and the lead passed between several drivers after pit stops and penalties. With 22 laps left Martin Truex Jr. went back to the front and held off Jeff Gordon to win his second Cup race, his first since Dover in 2007.
The 2014 race saw A. J. Allmendinger lead the most laps, 35 in all, and he looked set for victory. He was tapped from behind by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and that ended his chance. Carl Edwards went on to win ahead of Gordon, who finished second for the second consecutive year.
How did the 2016 and 2017 races finish?
In 2016 Carl Edwards started on pole and led early, while A. J. Allmendinger led 20 of the first 40 laps before a pit road penalty cost him his chance. Tony Stewart pitted just before a caution with fewer than 30 laps left and then led the final 20 laps, holding off Denny Hamlin for the win. It was the final win of his driving career.
In 2017 several road course ringers joined the field, but the race was mainly a duel between Cup regulars. Truex was leading when his engine blew on lap 86, and Kevin Harvick took over to lead the final 22 laps and beat teammate Clint Bowyer.
Why does the Save Mart 350 still matter?
The Save Mart 350 has been part of the Cup calendar for decades and has produced a wide range of winners, from road course specialists to drivers taking their first Cup win. Its changing layouts make it a race that teams must prepare for in a different way from the ovals.
The 2014 race was the final event from Sonoma to be broadcast on TNT. It was dedicated to NASCAR designer Ray Fox, who was remembered with a moment of silence and in the opening invocation. The race has continued to draw attention for its history and its place in the sport's road course tradition.
