Sonoma, Calif., is a vigorous grape-producing countryside at the center of the state’s robust wine industry, considered by many to be the birthplace of wine-making in the Golden State. Together with neighboring Napa, Calif., they produce what is widely regarded as some of the world’s finest wines. Playing no small part in placing Northern California in its esteemed place in the field of wine production was the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting, better known as the Judgment of Paris.

The Judgment of Paris was a blind wine tasting that pitted California’s best offerings against French wines, recognized by most of the world as untouchable, at least at the time. It wasn’t supposed to be a contest at all. California’s burgeoning wine makers were not supposed to be able to hold a candle to the superlative works of France’s finest, but those supercilious opinions couldn’t hold up in the field of play as California wines took first place in both red and white categories, laying the groundwork for the thriving industry that exists today.

Thirteen years after earning its place among wine-producing appellations, Sonoma was on the map yet again due to another competitive event. It was believed to be one more mismatch as it paired two worlds that could not have been more different – NASCAR and wine country. There was no panel of judges, and participants were in clear view when Sonoma Raceway hosted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the first time on June 11, 1989. While on paper the two appeared to be an odd coupling, wine country and NASCAR have combined for some incredible shows during the last 25 years.

Enjoying the fruits of that successful match on more than one occasion has been none other than Tony Stewart, a two-time Sprint Cup winner at Sonoma who enters Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350k 10^th in the championship point standings thanks to a four-race stretch that has seen him finish seventh, first, fourth and fifth.

The driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing has played a significant role in many of Sonoma’s exciting races. His name appears often in the track’s history books, and in the new-age history that is NASCAR’s loop data, Stewart ranks first or second in a number of statistical categories for the 1.99-mile road course.

Stewart has made 14 Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma, where in addition to his two wins (2001 and 2005) he has a pole (2002), three second-place finishes, five top-fives and nine top-10s. He has an average finish of 10.9 and has only failed to finish on the lead lap one time – the track’s 2011 race where the Indiana native ended up on the wrong end of a run-in with driver Brian Vickers with less than 25 laps to go. Stewart went from scoring a top-five finish to a career-worst road-course finish of 39^th.

While Stewart’s traditional stats speak for themselves, an overview of his position in several loop data categories reinforces the fact that at the end of the day, Stewart’s road-course attributes make him a Road Scholar.

The three-time Sprint Cup champion leads all drivers in the categories of fastest drivers early in a run (90.375 mph), fastest laps run (79), green-flag speed (89.877 mph), laps in the top-15 (706) and speed in traffic (88.945 mph). He ranks second in average running position (9.983) and fastest drivers late in a run (89.437 mph) for an overall driver rating of 107.5 – a close second to Kurt Busch with the best overall driver rating of 107.8.

And Stewart’s road course success isn’t limited to the track in Northern California, as there is a second road course in Watkins Glen, N.Y., which plays host to the Sprint Cup Series in early August. Of Stewart’s 48 career Sprint Cup victories, seven have been won on road courses – two at Sonoma and five at Watkins Glen. While wins are what everyone remembers, the rest of Stewart’s road-course stats are remarkable on their own merit. Between Sonoma and Watkins Glen, Stewart has made 28 career starts in which he has 12 top-fives, 19 top-10s and has led a total of 307 laps to go with his seven wins.

Through the last 25 years Sonoma has earned its place in the annals of NASCAR history, serving as a true test of driver versatility. Stewart is the epitome of versatility, having won in nearly everything, from stock cars and Indy cars to dirt modifieds and open-wheel Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown cars. Just as Stewart has proven victorious on pavement and dirt, he’s proven to be a winner when a racetrack features left and right turns. In his 15^th trip to the 10-turn Sonoma road course, Stewart intends to come out on top in the Judgment of Sonoma.

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“I believe in America because we have great dreams – and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.” – Wendell L. Wilkie (American corporate lawyer and 1940 presidential nominee)

Ryan Newman readily admits that he lives his dream every weekend on the racetrack.

The story goes that when Newman was born in December 1977, his proud papa announced right then and there in the delivery room that his baby boy would be a racecar driver. At the young age of 4, Newman got his first racecar, a Quarter Midget, and began going in circles.

Thanks to a lot of hard work and sacrifices along the way, Newman hasn’t stopped racing. Newman is now in his 12th full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and, Sunday, he will make his 12th career start at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.

At Sonoma, Newman will celebrate another American dream that became a reality through hard work and dedication.

His No. 39 Chevrolet SS will pay tribute to the 30th anniversary of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool builder in the western world – with a special paint scheme honoring the company that Gene Haas founded in 1983. Haas is also the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.

The company has always produced top-quality products at affordable prices, and all are built in the USA – in the company’s facility in Oxnard, Calif. – which is something Haas takes great pride in doing.

Haas Automation’s commitment to building an American-made product has also helped keep prices of machine tools down. For example, a machine the company first built 1988 sold then for just less than $50,000. Today, that same machine continues to sell for less than $50,000.

Haas Automation is an American success story, and this weekend, Newman hopes to celebrate his sponsor’s success with some success of his own on the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course nestled in California’s wine country.

With 16 Sprint Cup Series wins to his credit, Newman would like to add a road-course victory to that tally.

In 11 starts at Sonoma, Newman has two top-five finishes and five top-10s. He has completed all 1,217 laps contested there since his rookie campaign in 2002, and he even scored a runner-up finish in 2006.

With 11 races to go until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins, Newman sits 18th in points, 28 points out of the Chase. As a team fighting for a spot in this season’s Chase, Newman & Company hopes to not only improve on its recent finishes at the Sonoma road course, but also contend for the win.

There would be no better way to honor all the hard work that made dreams become reality and to kick off Haas Automation’s 30th anniversary celebration than with a victory in the company’s home state.

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Rick Hendrick told Fox Sports that he is close to announcing a new sponsor for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup team.

The announcement could come prior to the July 8 race at Daytona International Speedway.

"We're very close," Hendrick said. "Again, we've had lots of interest. But we've got something real nice that fits well. You've got to remember, too, I've got a lot of sponsors -- so there's a lot of conflicts. I've had many deals I could take but it would have conflicted with my other guys. I think this will be a pretty neat deal when we get to announce it.

It's never done 'til it's done, but I think we're in good shape."

Corporate sponsorships have been declining in recent years due to the economic downturn that started in 2008, but Hendrick believes a recovery is coming. He pointed to Kasey Kahne sponsor Great Clips extending its support. It may reportedly even expand its involvement to 10 races next year.

"There haven't been a lot of new sponsors in the sport," Hendrick said. "It's just been because of the economy and how people go to market and a combination of a lot of things. But there's always been a lot of interest in him. There's some of our sponsors expanding again so that's great. When you look at our numbers compared to basketball and some of the other sports, I think we're in pretty good shape. The races are good; I feel good about it."

An amendment proposed by Rep. Betty McCollum to prohibit government spending on sponsorships in NASCAR and pro wrestling was defeated. If it passed, it would have prevented the National Guard from continuing its sponsorship of NASCAR, IndyCar racing and World Wrestling Entertainment.

That affects Hendrick as the National Guard increased its involvement with his Sprint Cup program from 18 to 20 races this year.

"It was a big win," Hendrick said. "It's really a statement about how the Guard feels about the sport, what it does about their recruiting.