Despite the uphill climb, Buescher embraces the challenge. He applauded the track’s unique character, noting that it’s not just a series of flat, cookie-cutter corners. It’s not a 90-degree corner followed by another 90-degree corner. Rather, according to him, Sonoma has a lot of really great rhythm sections.

SportsLine's Steven Taranto reveals his picks and NASCAR props for 2025 Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, where Shane van Gisbergen, Kyle Larson and Michael McDowell are favorites

See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).