Toyota/Save Mart 350 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Toyota/Save Mart 350

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Sonoma Raceway
Location	Sonoma, California, United States
Corporate sponsor	Toyota Save Mart
First race	1989 (1989)
Distance	218.9 miles (352.285 km)
Laps	110 Stage 1: 25 Stage 2: 35 Final stage: 50
Previous names	Banquet Frozen Foods 300 (1989–1991) Save Mart 300K (1992) Save Mart Supermarkets 300K (1993) Save Mart Supermarkets 300 (1994–1997) Save Mart/Kragen 350 (1998–2000) Dodge/Save Mart 350 (2001–2006)
Most wins (driver)	Jeff Gordon (5)
Most wins (team)	Hendrick Motorsports (8)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chevrolet (14)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1.99 mi (3.20 km)
Turns	12

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is an exciting stock car racing event. It is part of the NASCAR Cup Series. This race happens every year at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. It has been a big event since 1989.

The race is about 218.9-mile (352.3 km) long. It has been called the Toyota/Save Mart 350 since 2007. NASCAR added this race in 1989. It replaced another race at Riverside. The track at Sonoma is special. This often leads to talks about racing there. Some people love it, and some don't!

Because of its unique turns, you often see "road course ringers" here. These are special drivers. They usually only race in NASCAR's road course events. Kyle Larson is the most recent winner of this race.

Race History at Sonoma Raceway

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson leading the field at the start of the 2005 race

From 1989 to 1997, and again in 2019 and 2021, NASCAR used the full 2.52 miles (4.06 km) road course. This track is famous for sports car races. Some small changes were made to the turns. This helped the stock cars race better and allowed more passing. Ricky Rudd won the very first Cup race at Sonoma.

Tony Stewart 2005 at Infineon

The 1991 Sonoma Cup race had a very debated ending. With only seven laps left, Mark Martin tried to pass Tommy Kendall. They touched, and Martin crashed. Kendall also got a flat tire. Davey Allison then took the lead. With two laps left, Ricky Rudd passed Allison. But Allison spun out after they touched in the last turn. Rudd was about to win, but NASCAR showed him a black flag. This happened just before he crossed the finish line! Allison was then named the winner. Rudd finished second.

The last NASCAR race on the old track layout was in 1997. It was a Truck Series event. Joe Ruttman won that race. But there was another big argument. Rich Bickle blamed rookie Boris Said for his bad finish. Bickle cut Said's tire. In return, Said waited for Bickle and crashed into him. NASCAR stopped the race. They then disqualified Said and fined him $10,000.

In 1998, the track was made shorter for NASCAR. It became a 1.95 miles (3.14 km) course. This was done by adding a "Chute" between turns 4 and 7. This bypassed turns 5 and 6. In 2001, the "Chute" was changed again. This made the NASCAR track 1.99 miles (3.20 km) long.

The 2014 race was special. It was the last one broadcast on TNT. It was dedicated to NASCAR designer Ray Fox. They had a moment of silence for him.

In 2019, the race went back to the full 2.52 miles (4.06 km) road course. This was to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The "Carousel" section was used again after 22 years. The 2020 race was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the race returned to the shorter club layout.

Gilligan's Island: A Unique Pit Stop

From 1989 to 2001, the main pit road at Sonoma was small. It could only fit 34 cars. In the early years, some teams had to share pit stalls. Other teams even had to pit inside the garage area. If a car left the race, its pit stall was given to another team.

Before the 1994 race, a special pit road was built. It was inside the hairpin turn (turn 11). Drivers called it "Gilligan's Island". The nine slowest cars in qualifying had to use these pit stalls. Pitting here was a big problem for teams. It was much harder than pitting on the backstretch of a short track.

This special pit road was much shorter. So, cars pitting there were held for 15 to 20 seconds. This made up for the time they saved.

"Gilligan's Island" had other issues too. It was surrounded by the race track. Crew members could not leave once the race started. Teams only sent their main pit crew there. They could not get to the garage or their trucks for spare parts. Only quick repairs like tire changes and refueling could be done. If a car on "Gilligan's Island" left the race, the crew had to wait. They could not pack up until the race was over.

In 2002, the track was changed. The drag strip was separated from the main straight. The old grandstand was removed. A new control tower was built. These changes allowed the pit road to be made bigger. It could now hold 43 cars. "Gilligan's Island" was no longer needed.

The Race Trophy

The trophy for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 is very unique. It looks like a wine bottle holder. It comes with a giant wine glass. This is a special way to honor the Sonoma County wine industry.

Past Winners

• 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2021: These races went into NASCAR Overtime. This means they were extended to finish under green flag conditions.
• 2020: The race was canceled and moved to Charlotte because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Teams with Multiple Wins

Winning Car Manufacturers

USAC Stock Car NorCal 200

• 1970 Roger McCluskey

Memorable Race Moments

• 1989: Ricky Rudd won the first-ever race at Sonoma. It was his only win that year.
• 1990: Rusty Wallace won after Mark Martin had trouble with his car near the end.
• 1991: Davey Allison was declared the winner after a controversial black flag for Ricky Rudd. Rudd had spun Allison and was penalized.
• 1992: Ernie Irvan was penalized early but made an amazing comeback to win. This race happened on the day Bill France Sr., NASCAR's founder, passed away.
• 1993: Geoffrey Bodine passed Ernie Irvan in the final laps to win. This was the last win for his team.
• 1994: Ernie Irvan won his second race at Sonoma. He was very dominant.
• 1995: Dale Earnhardt won his first and only road course race. He held off his friend Mark Martin. This win put Earnhardt in the championship lead.
• 1996: Rusty Wallace passed Mark Martin on a late restart to win.
• 1997: Mark Martin won after Jeff Gordon had issues in the last few laps.
• 1998-2000: Jeff Gordon was unstoppable! He won three races in a row. He often started near the front and led most of the race.
• 2001: This race showed that "road course specialists" could win. Tony Stewart took the victory. He passed Robby Gordon who had been battling another car.
• 2002: Ricky Rudd won his final Cup race. He took the lead when Jerry Nadeau's engine blew up near the end.
• 2003: Robby Gordon ended Jeff Gordon's winning streak. He won after a controversial pass under a yellow flag.
• 2004: Jeff Gordon won again with help from Jimmie Johnson. The race also saw a heated argument between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers.
• 2005: Tony Stewart showed his skill and won his second Sonoma race. He held off local favorite Ricky Rudd.
• 2006: Jeff Gordon won his fifth Sonoma race. A big moment was Terry Labonte finishing third in a new team's car.
• 2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, a rookie, won the race. He managed his fuel perfectly. Other top drivers ran out of gas near the end.
• 2008: Kyle Busch got his first road course win at Sonoma. He later won both road course races that year.
• 2009: Kasey Kahne dominated and won his first road course race. He held off Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose.
• 2010: Jimmie Johnson won after leader Marcos Ambrose was penalized. Ambrose had stopped on track under caution.
• 2011: Kurt Busch won an action-packed race. There was even a fight between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers!
• 2012: Clint Bowyer won his first road course race. This was a big win for his team, Michael Waltrip Racing.
• 2013: Martin Truex Jr. won his second career Cup race. He held off Jeff Gordon in an emotional victory.
• 2014: Carl Edwards won after A. J. Allmendinger was tapped from behind. Allmendinger had led most of the race.
• 2015: Kyle Busch won while recovering from a broken leg. He passed his brother Kurt Busch for a historic 1-2 finish.
• 2016: Tony Stewart won his 49th and final NASCAR race. He made a smart pit stop that helped him take the lead. This was a very popular win.
• 2017: Kevin Harvick won after Martin Truex Jr.'s engine failed. Harvick led the final laps to victory.
• 2018: Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick were the strongest cars. Truex went on to win his second Sonoma race.
• 2019: Martin Truex Jr. won again, defending his 2018 victory. This was the first Sonoma race in a long time without special "road course" drivers.