With NASCAR heading to Sonoma this weekend, it seems like as good of a time as any to look back at some of the history of NASCAR in California. Despite NASCAR being a predominantly Southeastern sport, there were two race tracks that now no longer exist that once hosted NASCAR in Riverside International Raceway and Ontario Motor Speedway. We at the Daily Downforce will take a look at both of these race tracks, and first up is Riverside International Raceway.

One of the most intriguing storylines heading into last weekend was the substitute drivers particularly surrounding Spire Motorsports. With Corey LaJoie substituting for Chase Elliot in the number nine car, Carson Hocevar would drive LaJoie’s normal ride. Shockingly, Hocevar outdrove LaJoie before Hocevar’s day was done by a brake failure.

This was a twisty Sunday at Gateway last weekend. While the crowd was awesome, and proved that this race track desrves to be in the Cup Series, everything around it seemed to go awry. There was a nearly 2-hour lightning delay despite there being no rain, four brake rotor failures, two more red flags late in the race in addition to the early delay, a power outage causing the TV broadcast, radio broadcast, and at-track Internet to go down, and a rash of cautions causing the race, which started just after 3:30 PM ET, to end just after 9:00 PM ET.

Sonoma Raceway is one of the most challenging race tracks on the NASCAR schedule. Unlike other road courses with long straightaways and heavy braking zones emphasizing power and aggressiveness, Sonoma is a track that is all about finesse. The tight turns, elevation change, and sweeping esses have been a challenge some drivers have taken and run with, and these are the five best drivers at Sonoma.