Full course layout including carousel returns for 2019 Toyota/Savemart 350 at Sonoma Raceway
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Next June’s Toyota/Savemart 350 at Sonoma Raceway will be different from years past.
It was announced in a track release that the course will return to the 12-turn 2.52 mile layout that was last raced in 1997.
The full track layout, which was originally unveiled when the raceway opened in 1968, incorporates the raceway’s signature sweeping downhill corner known as “The Carousel.” The Carousel plunges from Turn 4, down through Turns 5 and 6 and navigates a more than 200-degree radius turn before dropping onto the raceway’s longest straightaway into the Turn 7 hairpin.
“The Carousel is a corner where history has been made, and as we celebrate the half century of track history in 2019, we are excited to re-introduce this signature turn on the Sonoma Raceway circuit,” said Steve Page, Sonoma Raceway president & general manager. “We look forward to seeing a new generation of racers battle through this challenging corner and create moments fans will remember 50 years from now.”
The Carousel also resembles the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, which is where the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at this weekend.
Kevin Harvick, the 2017 TSM 350 winner, says it’s like going back in time bringing back the carousel and incorporating all 12 turns. Harvick finished second in last June’s event, while Martin Truex Jr won the race thanks to good pit strategy.
“Bringing the Carousel back is like going back in time, not only for the racetrack, but for NASCAR in general. In my beginning days running at Sonoma, we ran the Carousel in the Southwest Tour, Winston West, the Trucks and the Cup cars have had so many great races there. I think this is truly what Sonoma Raceway is, and I think this just adds a great piece of the race track back into the mix, and it will be great for the fans too. To have something new and exciting and seeing SMI have another built-in story before the season even starts is really exciting,” he said in a track release.
NASCAR on Fox analyst and five-time Sonoma winner Jeff Gordon looks forward to calling next year’s race with the carousel now involved.
“The carousel adds a technical aspect to the track that will be a challenge for the drivers. I’m looking forward to the FOX broadcasts of the race weekend next year and analyzing how the teams deal with this new challenge,” said Gordon.
Kurt Busch, however, is surprised that Sonoma Raceway will change the course come next June.
“Wow, the racetrack’s going back to the Carousel,” Busch said. This is incredible. I just missed out on running Featherlite Southwest Tour races there on the old circuit. The first year I went there was 1998, ran in what was the first year of the Chute and then they rearranged it to Turns 4 straight to 7. This is incredible. I’ve always wondered why we didn’t run the Carousel, and they said it was because fans couldn’t see it. Then they bulldozed the big dirt mound that was in between and you watch sports car guys do it all the time, you watch Indy cars do it all the time. I was like, ‘well, why don’t the NASCAR guys do it?’ This is perfect. This is an incredible opportunity with it being the 50th anniversary of Sonoma Raceway.”
The TSM 350 had been 110 laps on the 1.99 mile course, but now with the track’s length being extended to 2.52 miles the race on June 23rd, 2019 will only be 85 laps. Ever since NASCAR started doing stage racing the stage ends were after laps 25 and 50 before a 60-lap third stage. The stage lengths haven’t been announced yet and neither has the amount of laps for the Saturday June 22nd Carneros 200 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Sonoma Raceway for the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 21-23. Sonoma Raceway will celebrate its 50th anniversary season throughout the year and will announce additional plans in the coming months. For more information on upcoming raceway events or to secure tickets for 2019, visit www.sonomaraceway.com or call 800-870-7223.
