The Toyota/Save-Mart 350 is set to begin on Sunday, June 26th at 3:00 pm E.T. on Fox sports 1. Carl Edwards will start from the pole position from his qualifying round performance on Saturday. Kyle Busch will look to make it two in a row at the winding road course nestled in the gorgeous wine country of northern California.
This is one of the few NASCAR sponsored races that will not feature the Xfinity Series or the Camping World Truck Series. Drivers can be found all throughout the Napa Valley enjoying the warm weather and beautiful scenery before they suit up to race. Sonoma is the circuits’ first of two road courses throughout the 2016 campaign. Seven different winners have guided their hot-rods to victory lane here in the last seven races.
Carl Edwards will start out front for the Toyota/Save-Mart 350 on Sunday. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is no stranger to the winner’s circle at 1.990 mile road course. Edwards finished out front in 2014 and looks poised to repeat that performance this weekend. His Stanley sponsored Toyota was nestled in the top five in both practice rounds. Furthermore, he will have three other teammates right behind him to start the contest. At 10/1 odds, Edwards could be a great bet for racing enthusiasts.
Starting in the second spot is road racing specialist A.J. Allmendinger. The #47 Ralph’s/Kingsford sponsored Ford showed considerable power navigating the winding turns in qualifying. Last year Allmendinger started from the pole position but faded late and finished in 37th. This is one of the two tracks he can steal a win at to launch him into the Chase. I fully expect Allmendinger and his team to give it their best go on Sunday. Las Vegas has him set a 7/1 to win the event.
Martin Truex Jr. will start in the third spot directly behind running mate Carl Edwards. The crafty veteran raced on to victory here in 2013 and has a set up that seems to favor him once again. The #78 Toyota performed well in the practice rounds on Saturday. He had the best ten consecutive lap average at 92.982 miles per hour. With a solid start to the 2016 season and a good grasp of this track, the 10/1 line placed on him is a great bet.
Charlotte Motor Speedway’s winner Kurt Busch will start out of the fourth spot. The old-school racer has mastered the winding turns at Sonoma Raceway before. He took the checkered flag back in 2011 and hopes to repeat that again tomorrow. Kyle Busch’s brother took runner-up to him in last years race.
Busch sat just outside the top ten in the practice rounds but improved his speed for the one time qualifying lap. With a win already on his 2016 resume’, Busch can go for broke and also take some chances. Odds makers seem to love his chances and have him slotted at the top of the field at 5/1.
Kyle Larson round out the top five after the positioning on Saturday. Larson has never one at the tricky road course but hopes to make the Toyota/Save-Mart 350 his first. The Chip Gnassi owned driver started in fourth in last years affair but could only muster a 15th place finish. Larson drove his #42 Target sponsored Chevrolet just outside the top ten in the final practice round. He was the fastest in the first go around on Saturday morning. Line setters placed him in the middle of the field at 30/1.
Denny Hamlin sits in the sixth spot for the start of the Toyota/Save-Mart 350. The Daytona 500 winner has never won on a road course in his Sprint Cup career. The Joe Gibbs Racing speedster was 18th in the first practice round but improved to third in the last. Hamlin finished in 15th in the event here last year and is taking this race very seriously. It’s one he truly wants to take off his bucket list.
“This is a big event, we take a lot of pride in running really well out here in Sonoma. It’s a long way to come just to go through any motions and pack up on plane and go home. I get as frustrated here as anywhere when I don’t run well and I’m as proud, and have my chest out when I do run well. It’s a big race for us personally and for team members. It’d be a trophy I’d love to have.”
Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Paul Menard and Tony Stewart close out the top ten. “Rowdy” Busch has won here once, in last years race and Stewart hopes to make it his third in his swan song season. Stewart is locked in at a season high 12/1 to win. Logano has yet to capture a victory here but finished fifth last year and carries a lot of speed from Saturday’s practices. Vegas insiders give him a 15/1 chance to get that victory.
Erik the Huns Fantasy Line-Up:
A: Martin Truex Jr.
B: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Denny Hamlin Jamie McMurray
C: Tony Stewart
Odds to Win the 28th Annual Toyota/Save-Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway:
| Kurt Busch | 5/1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 7/1 |
| Kevin Harvick | 7/1 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 7/1 |
| Carl Edwards | 10/1 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 10/1 |
| Kyle Busch | 10/1 |
| Joey Logano | 15/1 |
| Tony Stewart | 12/1 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 18/1 |
| Chase Elliott | 20/1 |
| Jamie McMurray | 20/1 |
| Kasey Kahne | 30/1 |
| Kyle Larson | 30/1 |
| Ryan Newman | 30/1 |
| Clint Bowyer | 40/1 |
| Austin Dillon | 50/1 |
| Brad Keslowski | 50/1 |
| Greg Biffle | 50/1 |
| Ryan Blaney | 50/1 |
| Matt Kenseth | 50/1 |
| Denny Hamlin | 50/1 |
| Paul Menard | 60/1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 100/1 |
| Trevor Bayne | 100/1 |
| Chris Buescher | 100/1 |
| Field | 100/1 |
| Aric Almirola | 300/1 |
| Casey Mears | 300/1 |
| Danica Patrick |
