For the first time in twenty years, NASCAR reconfigured Sonoma Raceway to reintroduce the carousel and return the track to its original state. The change in the course kept the drivers on their toes, and was the cause of some very close battles all throughout the field and led to some tight racing.
This particular weekend was far more important than just racing, as NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip would be calling his final race in the Fox Sports booth after 19 years of commentating. Many cars on track carried special paint schemes and featured "Thank You DW" stickers on the cars to show appreciation to Waltrip for all that he has done in the car and in the booth for the sport of NASCAR.
Kyle Larson started on the pole for the third consecutive Toyota/Save Mart 350, but William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports quickly jumped out to the lead on the opening lap and went on to win stage one, leading a total of 21 laps. Chad Knaus, the crew chief for Byron's 24 teams, went to an aggressive pit strategy to attempt to win the race, which cost Byron his track position and he was unable to rebound.
Stage two was claimed by Denny Hamlin, who led just once for four laps. Three laps were led by Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch, yet the remaining 59 laps were dominated by Martin Truex Jr. in his 19 Bass Pro Shops Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. Pit strategy is always a big factor in road course racing, and would again prove to be crucial in the closing stage on Sunday. Cole Pearn, Truex's crew chief, elected to short pit the final stage to regain fresh tires quicker than Busch in the 18 car in hopes to stretch out the lead. However, Busch did not go down without a fight, getting within one second of Truex Jr with four laps to go. Truex Jr was able to fend off the fight of Busch and claim his fourth checkered flag of the season.
"I tried everything I could to get there, and ran real hard," says Busch on his efforts in the closing laps. Busch was very content with his finish after not having much success in recent years in Sonoma.
Ryan Blaney finished third, Matt DiBenedetto had a career-best fourth-place finish, and Hamlin rounded out the top five in fifth. Some notable finishes were Jimmie Johnson in 12th, Brad Keselowski in 18th, Austin Dillon in 24th, and Chase Elliott in 37th after an engine failure.
With the Fox coverage done for the season, next week the Monster Energy Cup Series resumes action at Chicagoland Speedway in Juliet, Illinois at 3 P.M. for the Camping World 400 on NBCSN.
