Martin Truex Jr. wins Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma in dominant fashion
In Wine Country, Martin Truex Jr. got the job done after a late restart in the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. This wasn’t the most exciting NASCAR race, but we did get to see tire strategy play a factor. It also delivered a late restart just as things were feeling settled and over with. Toyota was the big story of the day, but toward the end of the race that started to change.
Tire strategy played a big role in this race. It just turned out that Martin Turex Jr. had a really good strategy and a really fast car. The Toyotas started out super strong with five in the top-10 to start the race. Eventually, some of that shook out and left just two of those Toyotas in the top group by the end of the Toyota Save Mart 350.
Through the twists and turns, up and down the hills of Sonoma, it is Truex Jr. who comes away with the win. It is his fourth at the track and his second win of the 2023 season. Watch out, the 2017 champ is looking strong.
This one looked predictable until it wasn’t. Martin Truex Jr. was the best car all day and he was driving his way to a win. That’s when Denny Hamlin spun out and hit the wall, breaking his toe link in the process. A caution flag with 17 laps to go made this one a dash for the finish.
Drivers like Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, and Chris Buescher all breathed a sigh of relief as they were able to compete for the win and give Truex Jr. a run for his money. While Rowdy gave Truex a tough race at the end, it just wasn’t enough.
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Martin Truex Jr. refuses to be shaken at Sonoma
In Stage 2, Martin Truex Jr. took the lead from Denny Hamlin. He would later lose the lead as a caution came out in the middle of green flag pit stops. It was a tough break, but not something that the No. 19 team couldn’t overcome. In fact, it just showed how strong their car really was on the day.
Busch went on to take the Stage 2 win, but Truex Jr. would bounce back and take the lead once again. The final stage was pretty much the No. 19 show. Another set of caution flag pit stops with 15 laps to go gave Truex another challenge. With everything that was thrown his way, the veteran driver battled and got through it all.
With so much history at Sonoma, Martin Truex Jr. knew that he could pull off this win. He had a fast car under him and every time he got new tires, he shot to the front. Busch really did his best to take the lead and make it a race, but he didn’t quite have enough to get the job done.
With two wins this season, Truex is looking like a real threat to compete for a championship this season. Don’t let the 2019 champ get hot. Because when he starts to win races, he usually doesn’t let up.
Check out the full results of the race below.