Road-course kings in NASCAR

Jeff Gordon

Any 'best of the best' list in NASCAR will almost certainly have Gordon's name. With five Sonoma wins, the four-time Monster Energy Series champion is the winningest driver at the California stomping ground, his home track. Gordon also racked up four wins at Watkins Glen, the second road course where the top series races.

Ricky Rudd

The Virginia native won the first-ever NASCAR race held in Wine Country in 1989 and then went on to win three consecutive pole awards. His second win at the 1.99-mile road course came in 2002 with a 2.487 second margin of victory. Rudd also notched two wins at Watkins Glen and Riverside.

AJ Allmendinger

'Dinger's sole Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win comes at the other road course the premier series races at -- Watkins Glen. His emotional victory at the New York track in 2014 earned him a trip to the playoffs. The JTG Daugherty wheelman, who is known for his road course prowess, also swept the road course pole awards in 2015, starting out front at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen.

Marcos Ambrose

With back-to-back Watkins Glen victories, Ambrose -- a now retired race car driver -- became the first Australian-born NASCAR driver to win in the sport's premier series. He has a combined 12 top-10 results in 14 showings at Sonoma and Watkins Glen.

Kyle Busch

'Rowdy's' comeback following injuries he endured at Daytona began at Sonoma in 2015 where he sipped on a goblet of wine in Victory Lane -- a Sonoma tradition for the race winner. The rest, they say, is history and Busch went on to win four more races and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. He also won here in 2008 and holds two wins at Watkins Glen.

Rusty Wallace

Wallace parked his No. 2 Miller Ford in Sonoma's Victory Lane, you guessed it, twice (1990 and 1996). He also notched two victories at Watkins Glen and Riverside, respectively, in his career.

Tony Stewart

The three-time NASCAR champ's last Monster Energy Series win came at Sonoma in 2016, earning him a playoff spot in his final year before retirement. In terms of average finish, road courses land in his top five (Watkins Glen, 9.9; Sonoma, 11.8), thanks to a combined eight wins, 14 top fives and 21 top 10s.

Kurt Busch

The eldest Busch brother holds his own at road-course tracks, too. Although he has just one victory at Sonoma (2011) and none at Watkins Glen, he currently holds the most top-five finishes for active drivers on road-course tracks with 10 -- an impressive stat. Four of those have come in the last 10 races at Sonoma. He also has led the second-most laps among active drivers with 262 (17th overall) at road-course tracks, too.

Martin Truex Jr.

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion knows how to adjust his talents at road courses throughout the season. His second-career premier series win came at Sonoma in 2013, and he became just the third active driver to win at both road-course tracks after taking the trophy at Watkins Glen in 2017. Truex added to that total in 2018 with a win at Sonoma.

Clint Bowyer

A win at Sonoma in 2012 kickstarted the best season of his career. With nine top-five finishes on road courses, Bowyer is second amongst active drivers (only to his SHR teammate Kurt Busch). He is also used to running (and finishing) up front with an average career finish of 12.5, second amongst active drivers.

Kevin Harvick

The California native is one of just three active drivers to have won multiple races at road courses with two : Sonoma (2017) and Watkins Glen (2006). Despite having an average-start of 14.7, 'Happy' finds his way to the front often at road-course tracks with 16 top-10 finishes.