IndyCar: Will Simon Pagenaud win his third consecutive Sonoma race?

By Asher Fair | Sep 14, 2018

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Simon Pagenaud of France drives his #22 Team Penske Hewlett Packard Chevrolet Dallara (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Simon Pagenaud has won his last two IndyCar races at Sonoma Raceway. Will he win his third race in a row at the track this Sunday?

Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud has won both of the last two IndyCar races in which he has driven at Sonoma Raceway in his Chevrolet (#22 in 2016 and #1 in 2017). He is set to attempt to win his third consecutive IndyCar race at the track in this Sunday’s race, which is the 2018 Grand Prix of Sonoma, in his #22 Chevrolet.

The last IndyCar race that was held at the 12-turn, 2.385-mile (3.838-kilometer) natural terrain Sonoma Raceway road course in Sonoma, California that was not won by Pagenaud was held in August of 2015. Pagenaud started that race in fourth place and finished in 16th after failing to lead a single lap of it.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon won that race in his #9 Chevrolet to clinch the 2015 IndyCar championship, and as a result of that, he is the most recent winner of a Sonoma race among drivers who are not named Simon Pagenaud.

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Pagenaud won the race at Sonoma Raceway in September of 2016 after he started from the pole position and led 76 of its 85 laps. He held off second place finisher Graham Raha by 3.252 seconds to take the victory, which was his first career IndyCar victory at the track in his sixth career IndyCar race at the track.

Last August, Pagenaud claimed his second career victory and second consecutive IndyCar victory at Sonoma Raceway. He started the race in third place and went on to win it by 1.099 seconds over second place finisher Josef Newgarden, who was able to hold off Pagenaud in the championship battle and clinch the 2017 IndyCar championship a result of his performance, after leading 41 of its 85 laps.

Even before his two-race winning streak at Sonoma Raceway began, Pagenaud had performed impressively at the track. He finished in 15th place in his first career race at the track in 2011 when he was driving for HVM Racing in what was his first career IndyCar race, and aside of his aforementioned disappointing 16th place finish at the track in 2015, he has improved ever since.

In 2012, Pagenaud finished in seventh place at Sonoma Raceway after starting in ninth. In 2013, he finished in fifth after starting in 10th. Then in 2014, he finished in third after starting all the way back in 15th. He drove for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports/Schmidt Peterson Hamilton HP Motorsports/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports from the 2012 season through the 2014 season.

It is no secret that the 2018 IndyCar season has not been Pagenaud’s best season in the sport, but it is also no secret that he has been the driver to beat at Sonoma Raceway, especially in recent seasons. While there are several drivers who could certainly win the 2018 season finale at the track on Sunday, Pagenaud should be considered the favorite to win it and thus claim his third consecutive victory at the track.

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Will Simon Pagenaud win his third consecutive IndyCar race at Sonoma Raceway this weekend? Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 16 to watch the live broadcast of the 2018 Grand Prix of Sonoma to find out.