NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – Sonoma Raceway

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: Pit Boss / FoodMaxx 250
The Place: Sonoma Raceway
Track Length: 1.99 Mile Road Course
The Date: Saturday, July 12
The Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 4 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 156.95 miles (79 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 45), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 79)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:

Friday, July 11

ARCA West Race: General Tire 200 (NASCAR Channel, FloRacing at 6:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, July 12

NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, PRN, SiriusXM at 1 p.m. ET)
NXS Race: Pit Boss / FoodMaxx 250 (CW Network, PRN, SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. ET)

Sunday, July 13

NCS Race: Toyota / Save Mart 350 (TNT, PRN, SiriusXM at 3:30 p.m. ET)
NCS Race: Toyota / Save Mart 350 – In Season Challenge Altcast (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM at 3:30 p.m. ET)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Sonoma Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend marks the third running of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway (2023-25).
• Sonoma will be the fourth of seven road course races on the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule.
• The last nine races of 2025 were won by nine different drivers, the record streak for most different winners is 13 (three times).
• Kyle Larson (two) is the only repeat winner in the last 11 Xfinity Series races.
• There are eight races left in the regular season and five Playoff spots remain open.
• Taylor Gray and Harrison Burton are separated by eight points at the Playoff cut line.
• The drivers from 10th-13th in Playoff standings are separated by just 30 points.
• Sheldon Creed gained 30 points to the Playoff cut line at Chicago after losing 42 points in the previous two races.
• Taylor Gray lost 20 points to the Playoff cut line at Chicago after gaining 60 points in the previous three races.
• JR Motorsports won nine races this season with a series-record six different drivers, all six drivers won in the last nine races.
• JR Motorsports is three wins away from 100, only three other teams won at least 100 NXS races (Joe Gibbs Racing-217, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing-138, Richard Childress Racing-100).
• JR Motorsports won all three road course races this season with three different drivers.
• JR Motorsports won the last five road course races with four different drivers, the longest win streak by a team on road courses in NXS.
• Chicago Street Course winner Shane van Gisbergen will be back in the JR Motorsports #9 for Sonoma. Shane van Gisbergen won both Chicago Street and Sonoma races in 2024 in the NXS.
• Shane van Gisbergen’s fourth career NXS win is one behind Marcos Ambrose for most by a foreign-born driver, currently tied with Daniel Suarez and Ron Fellows.
• Shane van Gisbergen became the second driver all-time to sweep Cup and Xfinity poles and races in one weekend – Kyle Busch at Indianapolis 2016.
• Shane van Gisbergen’s seven career NASCAR wins all came on road courses.
• Shane van Gisbergen’s 57% winning percentage on road courses is the best all-time in the NXS.
• Sam Mayer and Shane van Gisbergen lead active drivers with four career road course wins each.
• Connor Zilisch has six straight top-five finishes since returning from back injury.
• Connor Zilisch finished top-five in all four career road course starts, including two wins.
• Connor Zilisch won the pole for three of his four NXS road course starts.
• Connor Zilisch’s average finish of 2.25 on road courses is second all-time to Terry Labonte.
• Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill are the only two drivers to finish in the top-10 in all three road course races this season.
• Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch combined have won six of the last eight road course races.
• Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch combined have won the last seven poles on road courses.
• Austin Hill finished in top-10 in four straight road course races, the longest active streak.
• Five drivers finished in top-10 in both previous Sonoma races: Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Sam Mayer, Cole Custer and Parker Kligerman.
• Greg Ives will serve as crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports #17 after Adam Wall was suspended for three races for main frame rail conical receiver violation at Pocono.
• Twelve drivers on the entry list are making their first Xfinity Series start at Sonoma; four drivers have never raced at Sonoma in any series.
• Chevrolet won the last eleven road course races with five different drivers.
• Five drivers entered in the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma have won on road courses: Sam Mayer (4), Shane van Gisbergen (4), Justin Allgaier (3), Connor Zilisch (2) and Jeremy Clements (1).
•  Ryan Ellis is making his 150th NASCAR Xfinity Series start this weekend.
• Kyle Sieg is making his 100th NASCAR Xfinity Series start this weekend.
• Five crew chiefs got their first NXS win in 2025: Chad Haney at Atlanta, Sam McAulay at Darlington, Adam Wall at Bristol, Cory Shea at Mexico City & Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Pocono.
• JR Motorsports #88 has won three races with three different driver/crew chief combos this season.
• Justin Allgaier’s 28 career wins are ninth on the all-time wins list and one away from tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth.
• Justin Allgaier is seven top 10s away from 300 in his career, he would be the first driver with 300 top-10 finishes.
• Justin Allgaier leads all drivers with 10 top-five finishes and 648 laps led in 2025.
• Justin Allgaier’s 10 top-five finishes in 2025 are his most ever after 18 races in a season.
• Justin Allgaier won the Fastest Lap Award five times this season, no other driver has more than two.
• Sam Mayer is the only driver to finish top-15 in 15 of 18 races this season.
• Five races this year ended with a last lap pass. Last season’s Sonoma Xfinity race had the final pass for the lead with 11 laps to go.
• Six of the last eight races this season had a pass for the win in the final six laps.
• Seven of the 18 races this season went to overtime.
• Chevrolet led 2,294 of 3,014 laps this season.
• Chevrolet won 16 of 18 races, the most all time by a manufacturer through 18 races in series history.

Crunch Time: Only Five Spots Remain In Playoffs

• It’s possible to get more than 12 series winners with eight races remaining in regular season.
• If there are more than 12 winners after 26 races, the winner with the fewest regular season points will miss the Playoffs.
• Taylor Gray and Harrison Burton are separated by 8 points at the Playoff cut line.
• Sheldon Creed in 10th to Harrison Burton in 13th are separated by 30 points.
• Sheldon Creed in 10th to Ryan Sieg in 14th are separated by 52 points, less than one race
• The three drivers behind Ryan Sieg are all rookies.