Best of the Rest: Sonoma

The wine country in northern California welcomed the ARCA Menards West, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and NASCAR Cup Series stars and cars to Sonoma last weekend. The road course known as Sonoma Raceway has been an integral part of the Cup Series annually since 1989. 

Nestled in the wine-producing hills of California (similar to Watkins Glen), Sonoma has seen some of the sport’s best place themselves in victory lane. In the case of the 2026 weekend, our current road course spoiler Shane Van Gisbergen had a dominant weekend, sweeping both the NOAP Series and Cup events. However, the Cup Series win was in no way a runaway win, with Chase Briscoe hounding SVG in the closing laps.

The ARCA Menards Series West also made a rare combo weekend appearance in Sonoma, with one driver in particular not only rewriting the history books, but quietly becoming one of NASCAR’s breakout stars.

Next weekend? We move on to the returning Chicagoland Speedway.

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GENERAL TIRE 150

Winner: Sam Corry

Pole: Sam Corry

#15 Mia Lovell

The biggest surprise of the ARCA Menards Series West season has come from Mia Lovell. Once a pro skate boarder, Lovell began dipping her feet into stock car and other forms of racing the last few seasons. Signing with Nitro Motorsports in 2026 to pilot their #15 Toyota, Lovell has quietly become a hidden gem with NASCAR’s development chain.

Sonoma was once again proof that Lovell is the real deal. While Lovell trailed teammate Sam Corry (who led all 47 laps) to the finish line, the West Series newcomer started and finished in the 2nd spot…and re-writing the history books in the process as the highest finishing female in series history.

At 19, Lovell has now set the bar for how a rookie should perform in the West Series. Through 7 events run this season, the Nitro Motorsports driver has collected five top ten finishes.

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PIT BOSS / FOODMAXX 250

Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen

Pole: Shane Van Gisbergen

#96 Anthony Alfredo

Alfredo and his #96 Viking Motorsports team make another appearance this week. The new for 2026 #96 team has suddenly been shot out of a cannon in the summer months, quickly catching up to teammate Parker Retzlaff’s #99 team (the OG Viking team). While not considered a “road course guy”,  Alfredo had a solid performance in Sonoma.

Sporting a patriotic DUDE Wipes Poopsicle scheme (yes, this is real), Alfredo started his #96 Chevrolet in 4th, led five laps early when SVG was not available, and brought home the Poopsicle car in 4th. 

Once a team bitten by the bad luck bug, Alfredo’s summer run has begun to turn heads…and not just for clever marketing for your posterior. Showing signs of life in Dover, the Viking Motorsports driver has only one finish outside of the top 17 (35th in San Diego), and three top ten finishes in Dover, Pocono, and Sonoma.

#91 Carson Kvapil

While an apparent championship contender would not normally be part of this article series. Carson Kvapil has put together one of the most solid, yet confusing to the casual fan seasons in 2026. After narrowly missing winning the championship in Phoenix last season, Kvapil was shockingly left without a full-time ride for the 2026 season.

The JR Motorsports driver was left piece together a 2026 schedule, while still within the JRM fold. Through 19 races run in 2026, Kvapil has seen seat time in the #1 and #9 Chevrolet for JRM, and has filled out his schedule running a handful of events for a JRM-backed #91 Chevrolet and DGM Racing.

Running mostly road courses in the #91 for Mario Gosselin, Kvapil had one of his best “91” performances in Sonoma. With longtime supporter Clarience Technologies on board, the #91 Chevrolet rolled off 16th and finished 6th. This while in a bid to make a run at the 2026 title in three different cars.

Looking at Kvapil’s select starts in the DGM #91, he has proven why he should have never lost his ride. Admittedly an under-funded team normally, Kvapil has finished 19th (COTA), 14th (Watkins Glen), 9th (Charlotte), and 6th in Sonoma during his stint.

For comparison, the DGM entry’s best non-Kvapil finish was a lone 8th-place finish by Cup Series star Ross Chastain in Martinsville. Mason Maggio also finishes 17th in Talladega.

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TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350

Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen

Pole: Ty Gibbs

#54 Ty Gibbs

The improvement of Ty Gibbs this season continued in Sonoma. Typically, Ty Gibbs and his #54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team struggled to catch up to their teammates in past seasons, being outshined by the likes of Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe. In 2026 however, the team has started to put the pieces together, and both team and driver are having one of the best seasons in recent memory.

So, how did Sonoma go? In a race where SVG was pre-determined to be the winner and pole sitter amongst chatter, Gibbs and the #54 team got the job done and qualified on the pole. Gibbs would then be able to get a jump on the field at the start, and lead the first 27 laps. Following the eventual loss of the lead to SVG, Gibbs would fade, rally, and come back to finish 3rd.

The #54 team and Gibbs have been building to be better and better each week, and the results are beginning to show.  Following the early season win in Bristol, Gibbs and crew have now collected 11 top ten finishes in the first 18 races.

#88 Connor Zilisch

The enigma of Connor Zilisch’s rookie campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series has been something that nobody expected. Following a dominant NOAP Series campaign in 2025, expectations were for the #88 Trackhouse Chevrolet to be an almost immediate force at the front. What has followed the start of the season however, has been a case bad luck or no luck most weeks. If anything, Zilisch’s season proves the Cup cars are a totally different animal.

Sonoma however, was easily one of the Trackhouse driver’s best performances. Rolling off from the 17th spot, Zilisch methodically worked his way towards the front. Following the start of Stage 3, Zilisch was able to get the bad luck bug off his back, and score his first top ten of the season (and Cup career), finishing 7th.

Can some of Zilisch’s issues being centered on Trackhouse’s overall search for speed this season? Maybe…Can some of it be placed of bad luck? Certainly….the #88 has had 6 DNFs in the first 18 races. Sonoma was a prime example of how Zilisch can perform if he is able to avoid the luck that has plagued the team most weeks.