Truex won at the 1.099-mile road course last year. It was his fourth NASCAR Cup victory there, making him second on the all-time wins list at Sonoma. Jeff Gordon, now with Hendrick Motorsports, holds the record with five wins at Sonoma. Truex isn’t sure if he’ll race there next season, so Sunday’s race might be his last chance to match Gordon’s record.
The track at Sonoma is different now because it was repaved earlier this year. Truex said, “In the past, we had an old, worn-out track with a lot of tire wear. Now, it’s like we’re running qualifying laps every lap because the tires don’t wear out much.” Even though the track is different, Truex is optimistic about his chances, saying, “It’s still the same course. New challenges, same course. Hopefully, we can figure it out and get win number five here.”
During Friday’s practice session, drivers noticed the changes. The cars were much faster, and many drivers spun or went off track. More than half of the 38 cars in practice ran laps faster than the previous qualifying record.
Truex mentioned that he preferred the old track and wished it hadn’t been repaved. He said, “We had something really good here, and we did really well with it last year.” He also thinks that winning this time will be harder because it will depend a lot on track position and strategy.
Truex hasn’t won a race in 2024 yet. Winning at Sonoma would be great for him. It would be his sixth Cup road course victory, tying him with some famous drivers. Truex knows the track will keep changing, but he’s determined to do his best all weekend.
