NASCAR has re-installed the carousel for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, which is a layout of the track that no current Cup Series drivers have ever driven on.
As a result, a few Cup Series regulars have opted to run the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma to get an upper hand on the track’s configuration.
Austin Dillon will run the race for Jefferson Pitts Racing. Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Daniel Hemric will also run the Procore 200.
Hemric’s Cup Series rookie of the year adversary Ryan Preece will also run this race.
A couple of NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars will also join the three Cup Series drivers in this race, as the NXS is waiting through an off weekend.
Cole Custer — a native of California — will run the race, as will Noah Gragson.
Usually it seems unfair for more experienced drivers to dip down to lower levels of the sport to steal trophies from the young guys working their way up, however in this case, these drivers will be experiencing this layout of the track for the first time, so they can use all of the practice they can get.
