Sonoma Cup Practice Session Topped by Ryan Blaney; Shane Van Gisbergen Tops Xfinity Practice
(SONOMA, CA – JUNE 7, 2024 – RIS) Headed by Ryan Blaney, the top 24 cars in practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 all used the fresh pavement to run under the old track record qualifying speed of 99.309 mph, set by Jeff Gordon at the race in 2000.
Kyle Larson and Austin Cindric, along with Bubba Wallace, were the early leaders in practice for the Toyota/SaveMart 350 on California’s wine country Sonoma Raceway road course. Josh Berry was the first to spin, continuing without hitting anything in the No. 4 Ford. Cam Waters, a visiting Australian Supercar competitor, joined in the spin class, also continuing without hitting a barrier. When the session ended, Ryan Blaney had turned the quickest lap, leading the field with a lap of 1:13.202 / 97.866 mph, just 0.028 second ahead of Ty Gibbs’ best lap. Visiting Australian Supercar racer Will Brown placed his Chevy third on the timesheet in practice, at 1:13.389.
Among the cars which ran at least ten consecutive laps, Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet set the best average, of 95.667 mph, followed by Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace.
Practice for the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250 had Shane Van Gisbergen at the top of the heap repeatedly, which is where the session ended, with Parker Kligerman over three-tenths of a second behind his best time of 1:15.290 at 95.152 mph.
Only a pair of racers managed to clock a ten-lap average, thanks to a handful of brief caution periods. Austin Green, in his first Xfinity Series, set a better average speed over his 16 laps than Kyle Sieg, at 90.968 mph vs. Sieg’s 89.724 mph run.
NASCAR Cup Series Practice: Toyota / Save Mart 350, Sonoma Raceway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Moen Ford, 1:13.202, 97.866 mph, 22, 23, ---, ---
2) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota, 1:13.230, 97.829, 24, 25, -0.028 sec, -0.028 sec
3) Will Brown, No. *33 Mobile X/Shaw and Partners Chevrolet, 1:13.389, 97.617, 20, 21, -0.187, -0.159
4) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Pride Chevrolet, 1:13.420, 97.576, 23, 25, -0.218, -0.031
5) Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet, 1:13.494, 97.477, 15, 21, -0.292, -0.074
6) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 1:13.587, 97.354, 23, 25, -0.385, -0.093
7) Noah Gragson, No. 10 Overstock.com Ford, 1:13.603, 97.333, 20, 22, -0.401, -0.016
8) Zane Smith #, No. 71 Wellcare Chevrolet, 1:13.623, 97.307, 19, 21, -0.421, -0.020
9) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, 1:13.630, 97.297, 15, 26, -0.428, -0.007
10) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 1:13.691, 97.217, 20, 22, -0.489, -0.061
11) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet, 1:13.706, 97.197, 16, 22, -0.504, -0.015
12) Josh Berry #, No. 4 Mobil 1 50th Anniversary Ford, 1:13.732, 97.163, 23, 24, -0.530, -0.026
13) Austin Cindric, No. 2 America's Tire Ford, 1:13.742, 97.150, 12, 16, -0.540, -0.010
14) Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet, 1:13.778, 97.102, 13, 24, -0.576, -0.036
15) Kyle Busch, No. 8 zone Chevrolet, 1:13.792, 97.084, 20, 24, -0.590, -0.014
16) AJ Allmendinger(i), No. 16 Cirkul Chevrolet, 1:13.837, 97.025, 15, 18, -0.635, -0.045
17) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Toyota, 1:13.871, 96.980, 24, 25, -0.669, -0.034
18) Chris Buescher, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, 1:13.946, 96.882, 17, 21, -0.744, -0.075
19) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Inc. Ford, 1:13.966, 96.855, 18, 19, -0.764, -0.020
20) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 1:14.024, 96.779, 13, 24, -0.822, -0.058
21) Carson Hocevar #, No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet, 1:14.072, 96.717, 19, 23, -0.870, -0.048
22) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 1:14.118, 96.657, 11, 28, -0.916, -0.046
23) William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 1:14.136, 96.633, 17, 24, -0.934, -0.018
24) Harrison Burton, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford, 1:14.246, 96.490, 18, 21, -1.044, -0.110
25) Joey Logano, No. 22 Autotrader Ford, 1:14.322, 96.391, 8, 27, -1.120, -0.076
26) Kaz Grala #, No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford, 1:14.395, 96.297, 17, 20, -1.193, -0.073
27) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet, 1:14.421, 96.263, 12, 19, -1.219, -0.026
28) Ryan Preece, No. 41 Caymus Vineyards Ford, 1:14.428, 96.254, 21, 22, -1.226, -0.007
29) Erik Jones, No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota, 1:14.535, 96.116, 17, 18, -1.333, -0.107
30) Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 1:14.549, 96.098, 17, 30, -1.347, -0.014
31) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford, 1:14.578, 96.061, 14, 17, -1.376, -0.029
32) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 King's Hawaiian/Despicable Me 4 Ford, 1:14.733, 95.861, 17, 20, -1.531, -0.155
33) John H. Nemechek, No. 42 Save Mart Toyota, 1:14.794, 95.783, 18, 19, -1.592, -0.061
34) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Health/Tylenol Chevrolet, 1:14.812, 95.760, 13, 24, -1.610, -0.018
35) Cam Waters, No. *60 AUKUS/BuildSubmarines.com Ford, 1:14.829, 95.738, 17, 20, -1.627, -0.017
36) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 1:15.097, 95.397, 17, 21, -1.895, -0.268
37) Justin Haley, No. 51 Jacob Construction Ford, 1:15.347, 95.080, 7, 7, -2.145, -0.250
38) Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet, 1:15.653, 94.696, 21, 28, -2.451, -0.306
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie
Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Driver, Car, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed
1) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, 15, 24, 95.667 mph
2) Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 14, 23, 95.508
3) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Pride Chevrolet, 10, 19, 95.464
4) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Toyota, 13, 22, 95.203
5) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 11, 20, 94.934
6) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 13, 22, 94.761
7) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Moen Ford, 1, 10, 94.754
8) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 1, 10, 94.319
9) Ryan Preece, No. 41 Caymus Vineyards Ford, 1, 10, 94.008
10) Zane Smith #, No. 71 Wellcare Chevrolet, 1, 10, 93.656
11) Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet, 17, 26, 93.609
12) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota, 1, 10, 92.726
Must run 10 consecutive laps
NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice: Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250, Sonoma Raceway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Shane Van Gisbergen #, No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet, 1:15.290, 95.152 mph, 15, 15, ---, ---
2) Parker Kligerman, No. 48 Spiked Lite Coolers Chevrolet, 1:15.599, 94.763, 15, 19, -0.309 sec, -0.309 sec
3) Ty Gibbs(i), No. 19 Starkey/Soundgear Toyota, 1:15.606, 94.754, 18, 20, -0.316, -0.007
4) Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Partners Chevrolet, 1:15.792, 94.522, 14, 14, -0.502, -0.186
5) Jesse Love #, No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, 1:15.915, 94.369, 16, 17, -0.625, -0.123
6) Austin Hill, No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, 1:16.267, 93.933, 16, 19, -0.977, -0.352
7) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet, 1:16.317, 93.872, 15, 17, -1.027, -0.050
8) Riley Herbst, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford, 1:16.455, 93.702, 11, 14, -1.165, -0.138
9) Cole Custer, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford, 1:16.525, 93.617, 12, 21, -1.235, -0.070
10) Chandler Smith, No. 81 QuickTie Toyota, 1:16.656, 93.457, 8, 24, -1.366, -0.131
11) Sam Mayer, No. 1 myRTIC Chevrolet, 1:16.708, 93.393, 14, 17, -1.418, -0.052
12) Sheldon Creed, No. 18 MRC Construction Toyota, 1:16.861, 93.207, 14, 21, -1.571, -0.153
13) Austin Green, No. 32 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet, 1:16.900, 93.160, 19, 22, -1.610, -0.039
14) John Hunter Nemechek(i), No. 20 Safeway Toyota, 1:16.903, 93.156, 19, 21, -1.613, -0.003
15) Brandon Jones, No. 9 Menards/Jeld-Wen Chevrolet, 1:16.991, 93.050, 12, 18, -1.701, -0.088
16) Parker Retzlaff, No. 31 FUNKAWAY Chevrolet, 1:17.027, 93.006, 17, 17, -1.737, -0.036
17) Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Sci Aps Ford, 1:17.160, 92.846, 13, 19, -1.870, -0.133
18) Hailie Deegan #, No. 15 VIVA Tequila Seltzer Ford, 1:17.183, 92.818, 15, 18, -1.893, -0.023
19) Sammy Smith, No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 1:17.208, 92.788, 9, 12, -1.918, -0.025
20) Preston Pardus, No. 50 Chinchor Electric Inc Chevrolet, 1:17.233, 92.758, 11, 13, -1.943, -0.025
21) Ed Jones, No. 26 Synergy Modular Careers Toyota, 1:17.238, 92.752, 16, 20, -1.948, -0.005
22) Thomas Annunziata, No. 6 TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet, 1:17.471, 92.473, 17, 17, -2.181, -0.233
23) Josh Williams, No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet, 1:17.472, 92.472, 11, 19, -2.182, -0.001
24) Jeb Burton, No. 27 FVP/Bommarito Auto Group Chevrolet, 1:17.657, 92.252, 11, 11, -2.367, -0.185
25) Kyle Weatherman, No. 91 DriveSmart/ML20 Chevrolet, 1:17.730, 92.165, 6, 13, -2.440, -0.073
26) Sage Karam, No. 35 Rich Mar Florist Toyota, 1:17.745, 92.147, 12, 14, -2.455, -0.015
27) Alex Labbe, No. 07 Sonoma Aviation Chevrolet, 1:17.878, 91.990, 9, 10, -2.588, -0.133
28) Blaine Perkins, No. 29 AutoParkit.com Ford, 1:17.936, 91.922, 16, 19, -2.646, -0.058
29) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 One Stop/All South Electric Chevrolet, 1:18.127, 91.697, 5, 15, -2.837, -0.191
30) Leland Honeyman #, No. 42 RANDCO Industries Chevrolet, 1:18.318, 91.473, 9, 16, -3.028, -0.191
31) Brad Perez, No. 14 Refology/Weiss Ford, 1:18.469, 91.297, 5, 12, -3.179, -0.151
32) Boris Said, No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 1:18.518, 91.240, 7, 11, -3.228, -0.049
33) Matt DiBenedetto, No. 38 Viking Motorsports Ford, 1:18.535, 91.221, 6, 14, -3.245, -0.017
34) Brennan Poole, No. 44 Frontline Fire Protection Chevrolet, 1:18.552, 91.201, 5, 17, -3.262, -0.017
35) Garrett Smithley, No. 4 Dozer Winch Chevrolet, 1:18.849, 90.857, 8, 13, -3.559, -0.297
36) Kyle Sieg, No. 28 RSS Racing Ford, 1:18.912, 90.785, 17, 23, -3.622, -0.063
37) Ryan Ellis, No. 43 Classic Collision Chevrolet, 1:18.929, 90.765, 12, 16, -3.639, -0.017
38) Anthony Alfredo, No. 5 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, 1:19.034, 90.645, 11, 13, -3.744, -0.105
39) Josh Bilicki, No. 92 SBC Contractors Inc. Chevrolet, 1:19.341, 90.294, 3, 3, -4.051, -0.307
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie
Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Driver, Car, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed
1) Austin Green, No. 32 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet, 7, 16, 90.968
2) Kyle Sieg, No. 28 RSS Racing Ford, 6, 15, 89.724
Must run 10 consecutive laps
John Davison
Long-time RIS staffer, beginning in the mid-80s. Charlotte, NC area local contact.