A trip out to wine country ended up being just what Kyle Larson needed after receiving his playoff waiver from NASCAR last week. It helps that he has a mind as great as Cliff Daniels on the pit box.
Sonoma was a very interesting weekend in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series. There was drama, some driver rivalry, and two great finishes. Each race was unique and had its own identity, to say the least.
At the end of the weekend the big story was Kyle Larson. He once again showed what he can do with a fast car and enough track in front of him to make moves. Let’s get into the weekend and the big moments.
Supercars takeover in full effect
To get the weekend started in Sonoma, Shane van Gisbergen went out and reminded everyone in the Xfinity Series and NASCAR who he is. He came out of the hauler “rapid” as he says.
SVG wasn’t the only Supercars driver in Sonoma. Will Brown and Cam Waters made their Cup Series debuts, trying to follow in van Gisbergen’s footsteps.
Ty Gibbs loses it after pileup on restart
In the final stage of the Xfinity Series race there was a massive wreck that turned the first couple of turns into a parking lot. Ty Gibbs was one of the main victims.
Gibbs was so upset by the incident he basically threw a fit, did a burnout with his car, hit a few other cars, and then was a DNF. Tough outing in Sonoma overall for Gibbs.
SVG wins, resparks Austin Hill rivalry
During the race,Ty Gibbs led a ton of laps before being wrecked out of the race. Austin Hill also led a lot of laps on Saturday as well.
A late restart meant SVG and Hill were going to be side-by-side going into Turns 1 and 2 up the hill. The Kiwi gave the 21 car a hip check and drove off to victory lane.
Disrespect in the best way possible
To continue this Shane van Gisbergen vs. Austin Hill tangent – it got worse than just a hip check. SVG wanted Hill to know about it after their run-in at COTA.
As SVG was drifting and doing his burnout, Hill refused to get out of his way. So, van Gisbergen chased Hill around with a plume of tire smoke behind him. That’s NASCAR.
Bubba Wallace is hard on himself again
The level to which Bubba Wallace has raised his expectations is indicative of how much he has improved in the last two seasons. However, the driver is always striving for more.
Wallace was more than hard on himself after missing out on the final round of qualifying at Sonoma. A mediocre finish of P20 definitely didn’t help things.
Joey Logano wins pole award at Sonoma
The first big surprise of the weekend was the fact that Joey Logano won the pole. Logano won the 2013 pole award at Sonoma, but that was a lifetime ago in terms of NASCAR road course racing.
Logano did not fare so well in the race, buthis three poles this season are tied for most in the Cup Series. It isn’t all bad news.
Denny Hamlin blows an engine on Lap 2
Before we talk about how wild the first two stages were at Sonoma we have to talk about Denny Hamlin. Talk about a start and park effort from the 11 team.
The last-place DNF result ended a five-race streak of top-5 finishes. Hamlin also lost the regular season points lead to Kyle Larson as a result.
Stage 1 and 2 at Sonoma were off the rails
Eight caution flags in the first two stages meant that this Cup Series race was unpredictable from the start. Time and again drivers were slipping off the freshly repaved track, causing pileups, and more.
The wrecks and cautions allowed the pit strategy to differ and that came in big as the race ended. Chris Buescher thought he could make it to the end, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Kyle Larson chases down Buescher, Truex to win
About 25 laps to go in this race, it was clear what it would come down to – Kyle Larson’s tires. Cliff Daniels gave his driver enough fuel and fresh rubber to not only match his opponents, but beat them.
Buescher tried to hold off Truex and Larson but couldn’t. Then, Truex ran out of fuel while giving chase to the No. 5, solidifying Larson’s victory.
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