Sonoma Raceway’s newly repaved surface led to an interesting race on Sunday. The Toyota/Save Mart 350 had mix of chaos and sound road course racing. The first 41 laps saw 7 cautions fly, all but one for an on-track incident. Drivers struggled to keep the cars on track, fenders were being bent, and Josh Berry attempted a video game move into Turn 11. Before Stage 2 ended, it looked as if the race was going to be one of survival. Then everything calmed from there with only the Stage 2 caution providing a break. Differing strategies were on display, which allowed for intrigue as the laps wound down. Arguably, the Toyota/Save Mart 350 was the best NextGen road course race. As for the FitStop Performance Power Rankings, will this week see any major changes from Week 15?
#10 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
After a couple of weeks out of the power rankings, Ryan Blaney returns after a solid run at Sonoma. Qualifying third, Blaney maintained a Top-3 position until his first pitstop before the end of Stage 2. From there, Blaney could not drive through the field the same way Kyle Larson did. However, he managed to navigate forward to secure a Top-10 finish. A good bounce back after the Gateway win slipped through his hands.
#9 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 9
Christopher Bell ends up with a Top-10 at Sonoma after being the sole survivor from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp. While his three teammates had issues, Bell went without an incident for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. A quiet afternoon for Bell, he did not pick up any stage points but still managed to nab a ninth place finish.
#8 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 10
After Saturday’s qualifying, it did not look like Chris Buescher would continue his Top-11 streak at Sonoma. The RFK driver did not flash the expected speed during practice or qualifying, as he lined up 26th for Sunday’s race. However, the early chaos allowed Buescher and the 17 to play strategy to move forward. With that strategy, he managed to pick up a stage win and lead the second most laps on the day. Ultimately, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Larson capitalized on a mistake to pry the lead from him. Still, Buescher secured a Top-5.
#7 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 7
Maybe the most cheered moment of the race, Martin Truex Jr inched past the finish line after running out of gas on the last lap. In another frustrating race this season, a second place finish slipped away. It was going to be a great rebound for Truex, who spun off the track early in the race. While running out of fuel was a bad way to end the race, Truex was able to salvage the day by scoring 9 points in Stage 2.
#6 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 6
Before the first pit stop of the day, Tyler Reddick looked to be the car to beat. He qualified second and continuously hounded Joey Logano for the lead during the early stretches of the race. After Logano pitted, Reddick went on to lead a race-high 35 laps. Unfortunately, Reddick lost the lead of his strategy to Kyle Larson. Plus, he made contract with Larson that hurt his car’s performance. He still managed to secure a Top-10, but the question of “what if” lingers had he not made contact with Larson.
#5 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 5
Brad Keselowski’s hot streak propelled him forward to a solid day at Sonoma. Known for his struggles on road courses, Keselowski managed to maintain a Top-15 race once the strategy played out. With a crew full of minions, the Gru of RFK Racing avoided all the mid-pack incidents to keep his 6 car clean. A clean road course run like this will serve as a boost of confidence for the daunting two road courses in the playoffs.
#4 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 3
Some movement in the bottom half of the power rankings leads to more movement in the top half. William Byron suffered a flat tire early in the race, dropping him to the mid-pack. Unfortunately, that threw the 24 into the fracas. During the Josh Berry Leeroy-Jenkins dive bomb into Turn 11, contact broke the toe link for the 24. Byron limped home to a 30th place finish and dropped a spot in the power rankings.
#3 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 1
Engine issues are a rarity for the Cup Series nowadays. However, Denny Hamlin suffered a sour engine on Lap 2 of the race. On the bright side, Hamlin kept his car clean for the day. However, he lost the points lead and second to the Hendrick duo now above him in the power rankings. Hamlin will surely bounce back, but it was a bad day for the Toyotas during the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
#2 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 4
Up to number two in the rankings is Chase Elliott. The leader in average finish in the Cup Series continued his strong season with a Top-5 at Sonoma. Elliott was on the same strategy as Kyle Larson, but he was unable to knife his way through the field in the same way. Outside of his Texas win, Elliott is continuing the trend of “good, but not great” races. Elliott usually finds himself in the Top-5, but never truly feels like a threat to win.
#1 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
It only took two races for Kyle Larson to reclaim the top spot after missing the Coca-Cola 600. With 18 lap fresher tires than the leaders, Kyle Larson quickly drove through the field to put pressure on Martin Truex Jr and Chris Buescher. That pressure saw both drivers slip up on the turn before the passing turn, allowing Larson to drive by. Another home-state win for Larson, the Hendrick driver also reclaimed the points lead.
Honorable Mention
Ross Chastain – On the fringes of re-entering the power rankings, Ross Chastain has to settle for an honorable mention after his Top-5 at Sonoma.
Ty Gibbs – Ty Gibbs was the second Joe Gibbs Racing driver to experience trouble at Sonoma. Smashing into the wall heading to Turn 1 sent Gibbs behind the wall and out of the rankings this week.
Kyle Busch – Back-to-back races where Kyle Busch shows speed but is undone by a Chevy driver. The recent speed is promising though, hence the honorable mention.
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