Martin Truex Jr. scored his fourth win at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday winning the Toyota Save Mart 350.
Denny Hamlin began the day on the pole and he would lead the first 32 laps in the No. 11 Toyota Camry claiming the first stage in the process. On lap 33 Martin Truex Jr. would pass Hamlin for the lead in turn 3 as Christopher Bell climbed up to third followed by Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.
That No. 19 is coming alive! @MartinTruex_Jr to the lead early in Stage 2! pic.twitter.com/blBDj9EqlM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 11, 2023
The first caution of the day came out on lap 50 as a tire for Zane Smith rolled out of the box and into pit road. Some cars had made pit stops prior to the caution, the remaining cars would pit during this time giving Kyle Busch and those who had already pitted a chance to move up to the front of the field. On the restart Truex would be 10th but he would set his sights on running down Busch.
Busch would win the second stage as Truex climbed up to second on lap 63. On lap 64 a loose Austin Dillon would go around after an assist from Ty Gibbs. Truex would reassume the lead on lap 69 and would force the other lead cars to pit after making his stop on lap 75. Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick would briefly lead staying out longer as they tried to alter their pit strategy. With 20 laps to go Hamlin would spin on the front stretch damaging his suspension in the process.
Trouble for Denny Hamlin. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/EjgBIfDYmI
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 11, 2023
Truex, Busch, McDowell and everyone else inside the top-ten would pit leaving Elliott, Reddick and Ryan Blaney to move to the front after they opted to stay out. Unfortunately for McDowell they would lose the lug nut and have to get a spare losing valuable track position. Truex and Busch would both get around Reddick and Blaney on the restart. The race would stay green despite spins by Reddick, Xfinity Series DoorDash 250 winner Aric Almirola and Erik Jones. With seven to go Allmendinger would dive in front of Blaney causing McDowell to run into the back of the No. 12 and spin him, a few turns later Chase Briscoe would send Blaney around again.
Truex would finish 3.3 seconds ahead of Busch in scoring the win in a race that only had two cautions. The win is Truex’s second of the season and the 33rd of his career. He has now won at Sonoma four times.
Cup Series Sonoma Results
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
M. Truex Jr#19
|
8
|
51
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
K. Busch#8
|
12
|
17
|
2.979
|
|
3 |
J. Logano#22
|
17
|
0
|
7.436
|
|
4 |
C. Buescher#17
|
7
|
0
|
8.707
|
|
5 |
C. Elliott#9
|
10
|
7
|
11.298
|
|
6 |
A. Allmendinger#16
|
5
|
0
|
12.260
|
|
7 |
M. McDowell#34
|
3
|
1
|
13.747
|
|
8 |
K. Larson#5
|
16
|
0
|
14.490
|
|
9 |
C. Bell#20
|
4
|
0
|
15.028
|
|
10 |
R. Chastain#1
|
15
|
1
|
15.579
|
|
11 |
K. Harvick#4
|
21
|
0
|
16.067
|
|
12 |
R. Stenhouse Jr#47
|
13
|
0
|
16.670
|
|
13 |
R. Preece#41
|
22
|
0
|
17.208
|
|
14 |
W. Byron#24
|
26
|
0
|
17.776
|
|
15 |
A. Bowman#48
|
14
|
0
|
18.678
|
|
16 |
B. Keselowski#6
|
25
|
0
|
19.303
|
|
17 |
B. Wallace#23
|
18
|
0
|
20.646
|
|
18 |
T. Gibbs#54
|
6
|
0
|
20.797
|
|
19 |
A. Dillon#3
|
11
|
0
|
21.482
|
|
20 |
C. LaJoie#7
|
19
|
0
|
22.663
|
|
21 |
J. Haley#31
|
23
|
0
|
23.958
|
|
22 |
D. Suárez#99
|
9
|
0
|
27.655
|
|
23 |
T. Dillon#77
|
27
|
0
|
28.831
|
|
24 |
T. Gilliland#51
|
32
|
0
|
29.860
|
|
25 |
A. Cindric#2
|
34
|
0
|
30.608
|
|
26 |
G. Enfinger#42
|
35
|
0
|
31.049
|
|
27 |
H. Burton#21
|
36
|
0
|
33.060
|
|
28 |
C. Briscoe#14
|
24
|
0
|
34.810
|
|
29 |
A. Almirola#10
|
20
|
0
|
35.120
|
|
30 |
J. Bilicki#78
|
29
|
0
|
35.508
|
|
31 |
R. Blaney#12
|
31
|
0
|
41.294
|
|
32 |
E. Jones#43
|
28
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
33 |
T. Reddick#45
|
2
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
34 |
Z. Smith#38
|
30
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
35 |
A. Lally#15
|
33
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
36 |
D. Hamlin#11
|
1
|
34
|
|
