Following another impressive display from Shane van Gisbergen on the streets of Chicago, the NASCAR Cup Series heads out west to Sonoma Raceway on Sunday for the running of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This will be the 20th race of the season and will serve as the third race of the In-Season Challenge, with only eight drivers left standing. It is also the second straight weekend the series will be racing on a road/street course, throwing drivers another challenge during the summer months.
As van Gisbergen heads to Wine Country as the clear favorite, other drivers are in search of a rebound performance following disappointing runs in Chicago.
William Byron, No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
No one is in search of a rebound this weekend more than Byron. While he still holds a slim 13-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, three straight finishes of 27th or worse have eliminated his points advantage. A clutch issue at Chicago left him with a last-place finish in the 40-car field and in need of a return to his early season form that included a Daytona 500 win and nine top-10 finishes in the first 14 races.
The two-time road course winner is typically a contender when right-hand turns are thrown into the mix. Sonoma, though, has not been as kind to Byron, who only has a best finish of ninth there in 2022 and two finishes of 30th or worse. This team is too strong to stay down for long, but past results at Sonoma don't point to a rebound just yet.
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 (RFK Racing Ford)
Keselowski entered Chicago with back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time all season, but quickly found himself in trouble. He was one of several drivers collected in the Lap 4 wreck and finished 37th, marking his fifth DNF of the season.
As much as the 2012 champion has accomplished in his career, a road course win has eluded him. In 51 prior starts turning left and right, Keselowski has a best finish of second (three times) at Watkins Glen. The results have not been as kind at Sonoma with only three top-10s in 14 starts. Currently 28th in the points, Keselowski has to find Victory Lane to make the playoffs, although that does not seem likely this weekend.
Michael McDowell, No. 71 (Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
McDowell has put together a solid season and been in contention to win multiple races. Look no further than Chicago, where he led a race-high 31 laps before throttle issues relegated him to a 32nd-place finish. Known for his road racing background, McDowell was 11th at Circuit of The Americas and fifth in Mexico City this season.
While his only road course win in the Cup Series came on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2023, McDowell has five career top-fives on road courses and three straight top-10s at Sonoma, including a runner-up one year ago. If McDowell can be around at the end on Sunday, look for him to be in contention for the win.