週末 Preview: Sonoma Raceway
Daniel Suarez will return to the scene of his only NASCAR Cup Series victory this 週末, and he will do so with かなりの 勢い from his 最高の，を越す-10 run last Sunday at World Wide 科学（工学）技術 Raceway.
Suarez won last year's event at Sonoma Raceway by 3.849 seconds over 走者-up Chris Buescher, and he'll try to defend that 勝利 in Sunday's Toyota/Save 市場 350 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 無線で通信する).
Sonoma Raceway is one of six road courses on the Cup Series schedule this year -- 含むing the Chicago Street Course -- and Suarez feels he ready for the challenge of defending his 勝利，勝つ.
"Definitely, man," said the driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. "Every time we 長，率いる to a road course, whether it's Sonoma or somewhere else, I am excited. I feel at home, and I am excited to go 支援する to a place where we had 広大な／多数の／重要な memories last time, and hopefully we can repeat it.
"Sunday's race at St. Louis was 広大な／多数の／重要な for us. It was a good, solid run from start to finish. We just need to build on it."
In fact, Suarez showed excellent 速度(を上げる） throughout last Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300, finishing 10th in the first 行う／開催する／段階, fifth in the second 行う／開催する／段階 and seventh at the checkered 旗. Suarez comes to Sonoma 16th in the series standings, on the 泡 when it comes to making the プレーオフs on points.
Suarez 解任するs the final moments of his 打開 victory with crystalline clarity. He is the only Mexican driver to 勝利，勝つ in NASCAR's 首相 分割.
"I was just trying to stay 静める," he said. "I knew that it was a big 火刑／賭ける on the line, but I was trying to stay 静める. I was silent. I 手配中の，お尋ね者 to do my thing. I didn't want too much noise on the 無線で通信する. I knew what I had to do.
"I would say after the white 旗 is when I got out of 支配（する）／統制する. I just started crying inside the helmet, just thinking about it. 特に because I had a big gap. If it wasn't a big gap, I would be 焦点（を合わせる）d. Since I had a big gap, I was just thinking about every 選び出す／独身 moment that has 原因（となる）d me to be here."
Suarez isn't the only driver who will come to Sonoma with a 長，率いる of steam. Michael McDowell ran ninth at Gateway after 回復するing from an 早期に spin, and he arrives in ワイン country hoping to 改善する on the third-place finish he 達成するd last year.
Road course standout Chase Elliott also makes a return at Sonoma に引き続いて a one-race 中断 for 難破させるing Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
Elliott has two 最高の，を越す fives and four 最高の，を越す 10s in six starts at Sonoma, 含むing a 走者-up finish to Hendrick Motorsports チーム仲間 Kyle Larson in 2021.
--就任の NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma attracts 二塁打-義務 drivers
NASCAR Xfinity Series 正規の／正選手s will have their 手渡すs 十分な in Saturday's DoorDash 250 at Sonoma Raceway (8 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 無線で通信する).
The influx of seven 十分な-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers eager to 伸び（る） seat time at the 1.99-mile road course has swollen the 入ること／参加（者） 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） for the first-ever Xfinity race at Sonoma to 41, with only 38 位置／汚点／見つけ出すs 利用できる on the starting grid.
真っ先の の中で the interlopers are the last two Cup Series 勝利者s at the 跡をつける -- Daniel Suarez (2022) and Kyle Larson (2021). Other 二塁打-義務 Cup 正規の／正選手s are Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Ty Dillon, AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola.
Though Allmendinger （人命などを）奪う，主張するd both of his Cup Series victories and 11 of his 16 Xfinity 勝利，勝つs on road courses, his finishes at Sonoma 港／避難所't matched his 定評のある talent on 跡をつけるs with both 権利 an d left turns.
In 11 Cup starts at Sonoma, Allmendinger has but two 最高の，を越す 10s and an 普通の／平均（する） finish of 23.5. The Los Gatos, Calif., driver hopes he can 改善する those numbers 劇的な this 週末.
"Sonoma is always a special, important 週末 for me," Allmendinger said. "It's 近づく where I grew up, and I still get to see a lot of friends and family there. やめる honestly, it's a race 跡をつける that I don't have a very good 普通の／平均（する） finish. I've felt like I've always been 急速な／放蕩な there, but it hasn't worked out.
"存在 able to run both races, I'm really looking 今後 to it. Sonoma is a race 跡をつける I've always 手配中の，お尋ね者 to 勝利，勝つ at, knowing it's my home racetrack and I would be able to do that in 前線 of a lot of friends and family. Hopefully, we can go 支援する there and have some success to keep building on our program."
Sonoma Raceway is one of eight road courses on the Xfinity Series schedule this year and the second straight. Cole Custer won last Saturday's event at Portland International Raceway, outdueling Justin Allgaier in a の近くに finish.
For either Custer or Allgaier to 勝利，勝つ this Saturday, however, they'll have to （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 some of the best drivers in NASCAR's 最高の，を越す 分割.
--By Reid Spencer, NASCAR NewsWire, Special to Field Level マスコミ
