For the first time in 2015, the stars of NASCAR are preparing to turn both left and right.
NASCAR released the entry list for the June 28 Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway earlier today (June 22). The list contains 44 entrants, meaning one driver will fail to make Sunday’s race.
While road-course aces are considered a thing of the past, a few specialists will return to the NSCS circuit this weekend. Boris Said will make his 50th Sprint Cup start, piloting the No. 32 Ford for Go Green Racing. Said, 52, most recently competed in the Xfinity Series, scoring finishes of 16th at 26th earlier this season at Talladega and Iowa while filling in for the injured Kyle Busch in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota.
Alex Kennedy and Justin Marks will also return to Sprint Cup rides. Kennedy, 23, will make his seventh start of 2015 for Circle Sport Racing, driving the team’s No. 33 Chevrolet.
Marks, 34, will attempt to make his first start of 2015, driving the No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford for Front Row Motorsports. The Rocklin, Calif. native last drove in the NSCS in Feb., when he failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 while driving for RAB Racing.
Once thought to be racing with a sponsor, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will attempt to claim his first road-course win with sponsorship from Microsoft Windows 10. The sponsorship comes as part of an announced partnership between the tech giant and Hendrick Motorsports.
Due to the position of Premium Motorsports’ No. 62 in owners points, Brendan Gaughan, who has one road course win in the Xfinity Series (Road America, 2014), will be required to qualify his Vydox Plus Chevrolet on time to make Sunday’s race.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action at Sonoma Raceway on Friday, June 26 for two practice sessions, before returning on Saturday, June 27 for Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 2:15 p.m. ET. Coverage of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will begin on Sunday, June 28 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
2015 TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350 ENTRY LIST
| Car No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Sponsor(s) | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | Cessna | Felix Sabates |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (PC3) | Ford | Alliance Truck Parts | Roger Penske |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevy | Dow | Richard Childress |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (PC1) | Chevy | Folds of Honor / Outback Steakhouse | Tony Stewart |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | Great Clips | Linda Hendrick |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | AdvoCare | Jack Roush |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | Chevy | Golden Corral | Tommy Baldwin |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Ford | Jacob Companies | Richard Petty |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevy | GoDaddy.com | Tony Stewart |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Freight | J.D. Gibbs |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Chevy | GEICO | Bob Germain |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (PC4) | Chevy | Mobil1 / Bass Pro Shops | Margaret Haas |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 5-Hour Energy | Rob Kauffman |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Ortho | Jack Roush |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | Fastenal | John Henry |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | M&M's Crispy | Joe Gibbs |
| 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | Stanley | J D Gibbs |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth (PC6) | Toyota | Dollar General | Joe Gibbs |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | Walter Czarnecki |
| 23 | J.J. Yeley(i) | Toyota | Dr. Pepper | Ron Devine |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (PC7) | Chevy | AARP Member Advantages | Rick Hendrick |
| 26 | Jeb Burton # | Toyota | Maxim Fantasy Sports | Anthony Marlowe |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | Richmond / Menards | Richard Childress |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | WIX Filters | Richard Childress |
| 32 | Boris Said | Ford | TBA | Archie St Hilaire |
| 33 | Alex Kennedy # | Chevy | MediaCast | Joe Falk |
| 34 | Justin Marks | Ford | Dockside Logistics | Bob Jenkins |
| 35 | Cole Whitt | Ford | UPONOR | Jerry Freeze |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | Love's Travel Stops | Brad Jenkins |
| 40 | Landon Cassill(i) | Chevy | TBA | Mike Hillman |
| 41 | Kurt Busch (PC5) | Chevy | Haas Automation | Gene Haas |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevy | Viva Vintage | Chip Ganassi |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Nathans Famous | Richard Petty |
| 46 | Michael Annett | Chevy | Bene-fit | Harry Scott Jr. |
| 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevy | Kingsford Charcoal | Tad Geschickter |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (PC2) | Chevy | Lowe's Pro Services | Jeff Gordon |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier | Chevy | Brandt | Harry Scott Jr. |
| 55 | David Ragan | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine | Michael Waltrip |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan(i) | Chevy | Vydox Plus | Jay Robinson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevy | Furniture Row / Vissar Precision | Barney Vissar |
| 83 | Matt Dibenedetto # | Toyota | Burger King | Ron Devine |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevy | Microsoft Windows 10 | Rick Hendrick |
| 95 | Michael McDowell | Ford | KLOVE Radio | Bob Leavine |
| 98 | Josh Wise | Ford | TBA | Mike Curb |
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.