By Roy J. Akers–www.skyviewsports.net
With the final road/street course happening at the end of June instead of the NASCAR playoffs, this will be the final chance for road course experts and ringers to show off. The Save Mart 350 presented by Toyota… Gibbs has greatly improved on road courses and will he outdual the road course specialists?
Time to drop the green flag for Stage One (1-25)
Ty Gibbs brings the field to green. Gibbs was unbeatable in S1 leading all 25 laps. Chevy put 7 cars in the top 11 until pit stops put most of the field in flipping the stage mode. SVG goesthrough the field but like most teams, hepits. Toyota has six cars in the top-12 at the end of the stage.There were no cautions for cause.Christopher Bell (+13), and Ryan Preece (+14) were huge movers into the top ten. Austin Hill is (-22) after starting 12th. Twenty-three drivers flip the Stage.
Stage Two (Laps 26-55)
With Gibbs pitting between the stage and the holdouts joining him in the back of the field, SVG is your new leader. Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe are 2-3 in the opening laps in S2. Tyler Reddick has a power steering issue and is tethered to his pit stall and goes multiple laps down. By lap 52, Gibbs cycles back to the lead. Bell and Allmendinger are 2-3.Most of the field pits and Gibbs wins the Stage, but will once again go to the back when he pits between the Stages. There have only been two race leaders and no cautions for cause.
Final Stage (Laps 56-Finish)
With SVG cycling to the lead after the pit cycling.Briscoe and Zillisch are 2-3 and Gibbs has climbed to 9th place. On lap 61,Josh Berry spins in Turn 3 from 21st after contact with Austin Cindric and spins. Noah Gragson and Bubba Wallace stop to avoid hitting Josh Berry.With drivers completing their final pit stops barring a caution, William Byron and Ross Chastain takes turns up front with 22 to go. SVG cycles back to the lead.With 15 laps remaining at lap 95 of 110, Shane van Gisbergen leads under green in the No. 97 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. The race has seen eight lead changes among six drivers through three cautions for eight laps.Briscoe and Larson are 2-3 and drivers 2-5 are running faster than the leader. Briscoe finishes a half-second behind SVG who wins his eighth road course race.
The Checkered Flag
SVG wins for the eighth time as a road course winner, tying Tony Stewart. Shane leads 74 of the 110 laps. Gibbs led the first 27 laps of the race. The win puts him in a playoff spot at P-14. “I think my No. 97 Red Bull Chevrolet team just did an excellent job making it drivable. Yesterday, I wasn’t very good at all. There were still better cars than us, but Stephen (Doran, crew chief) and the guys called a great strategy and we had awesome pit stops all day. To get Red Bull in victory lane again, I’m stoked. I am also stoked it wasn’t two laps longer, it would have been interesting with Chase (Briscoe) there.”
Points Leaders after Sonoma
They Said It…
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Columbia Bank Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing-Finishing Position: 2nd
What were you fighting at the end?
“I was better. I just messed up with three or four to go getting into (turn) one. I don’t know. I didn’t time my downshift right and about wrecked. I lost a ton of ground and was able to run him back down, but if I don’t make that mistake, I truthfully, probably win the race. That one is going to sting for a while. Trying to beat him would just be a big accomplishment. Proud of our Columbia Bank Toyota group. That one stings. That one is a tough one.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 SAIA Freight + Logistics Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing-Finishing Position: 3rd
How do you assess the day?
“It was a great run for our SAIA Toyota team. Just got to keep working hard and keep getting better. I felt like we had the speed today. We just had a different strategy. It was a fun day. Just will keep working hard and staying after it.”
Fantasy Results
Last week at Coronado, we were off to the races fantasy-wise, until we were not. Austin Hill collected several drivers, including SVG, Connor Zillisch, and himself. We also had eventual race winner Corey Heim, and we looked like aces. After the wreck, we had 169 points. We have not learned.SVG, Connor Zillisch return. Corey Heim is not racing this week. Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher, and Tyler Reddick are in the lineup. The only change after qualifying was Carson Hocevar repllacing Chase Elliott, who qualified worse than we thought at 17. Hocevar is second. Pole winner Ty Gibbs has only three starts left. We will save him for Chicago and or Atlanta. Kyle Larson is also a top qualifier but also has three starts left fantasy-wise.
Factoids that May Interest Only Me
With Tyler Reddick being the only driver in the race out of 36 being down a lap (Reddick is four down), Denny Hamlin is the new playoffs points leader.
Tale of the Tape
Six drivers shared eight lead changes.
What’s Next
Roy J. Akers covers NASCAR for www.skyviewsports.net and is the host of High Banked Fury the podcast. Subscibe to both, they are free and out Skyview Sports YouTube Channel has plenty of coverage and YouTube shorts.
