The weekend at Sonoma Raceway saw some incredible performances and heartbreaking setbacks for racers.
On the winning side, Kyle Larson had a standout weekend by scoring his third win of the season on Sunday and taking the points lead. Michael McDowell also had a strong showing with a runner-up finish, which was his first top-five result since winning at the Indianapolis road course last year. AJ Allmendinger finished in sixth place in the Cup race, matching his best result of the season. Chris Buescher also had a solid performance by finishing third at Sonoma, which was his 13th consecutive time placing 11th or better at a road course. Shane van Gisbergen won the Xfinity race at Sonoma for his second consecutive victory in the series.
Unfortunately, there were some losers from the weekend’s racing as well. Denny Hamlin suffered an engine blow on the second lap, resulting in a last-place finish at Sonoma for the second year in a row. This setback dropped him from first to third in the points standings. Martin Truex Jr. was running strongly on the last lap when he ran out of fuel and finished 27th. Kyle Busch also faced some challenges as he was racing for fifth place on the last lap when he was hit and spun, dropping seven spots to finish 12th. With only ten races left in the regular season, Busch remains outside a playoff spot. Additionally, two-time Cup champions Kyle Busch and Joey Logano also find themselves outside a playoff spot with ten races remaining in the regular season.
