Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

The NASCAR In-Season Challenge continues with Sunday's race, with four matchups remaining among the eight quarterfinalists. Ty Dillon's stunning run as the No. 32 seed continues against Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs squares off against Zane Smith, while Ryan Preece faces Tyler Reddick.

The fourth matchup features LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. It is the first time teammates have squared off in the inaugural edition In-Season Challenge.

The two teammates have playfully exchanged barbs ahead of their matchup on the road course, but with a shot at $1 million in two weeks' time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, drivers might truly be willing to wreck their teammate for the prize.

Will SVG's Road Course Run Continue?

After last week's win at the Chicago Street Course, Shane Van Gisbergen has back-to-back wins on the road courses this season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He became the fourth driver this year to score more than one Cup Series victory, joining Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.

Van Gisbergen could join rare company this weekend in Sonoma. Between 1998 and 1999, Jeff Gordon won three consecutive road course races from the pole position. Van Gisbergen won at both Mexico City and Chicago from the pole, meaning he has a chance to match that mark in California.

With three career road course wins under his belt in the NASCAR Cup Series, Van Gisbergen will once again be the favorite this weekend at Sonoma. Can he keep his impressive run on the road courses alive?

Chicago Chaos Tightens Playoff Picture

Following the Grant Park 165 at Chicago, only two points separate Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece at the cutoff line for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Wallace was poised for one of his best finishes on a road course in his career, but tangled late with Alex Bowman. That incident relegated Wallace to 28th in the final results, five laps down, while Preece finished seventh.

To add insult to injury, seven races remain in the regular season, meaning seven more chances for a first-time winner. With 12 winners already this season, only four spots currently remain in the postseason grid for points earners ... and that window could become even narrower over the next two months.

Needless to say, Wallace and Preece will be looking for strong showings at Sonoma to add some cushion to their playoff hopes. Wallace's Chicago outing also serves as a cautionary tale to Bowman (+39 points to the cutoff) and Chris Buescher (+35) that just one bad day can chance their postseason picture.