With his road course victory Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver MARTIN TRUEX Jr/No.56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota not only ended a long losing streak, he was the ninth different Sonoma race winner in the last nine years, and he vaulted into tenth place in the standings, making him a Chase contender … at this point.
Runner-up JEFF GORDON/No.24 Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet started tenth.
Third place CARL EDWARDS/No.99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford started third.
Fourth place KURT BUSCH/No.78 Furniture Row Chevrolet started seventh.
Fifth place CLINT BOWYER/No.15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota started fifth.
Truex was almost nonplussed after his victory. “I can’t even put it into words.” Then he recovered, and thanked individually and collectively everyone involved at least once.”Got to thank everybody that supports our program and stood behind me for 200 and something races without a win.” It was 218 but who’s counting. Truex joked “What streak. Michael had 400 and some. I had a good three or four years left in me.”
The longest dry spell was suffered by BILL ELLIOTT with 226.
Owner, MICHAEL WALTRIP, pointed out that the losing streak for sponsor NAPA Auto Parts was even longer – since 2003. He also added that NAPA, which has been with Waltrip since 2001, might be the only sponsor in the garage which is on the car all season long. It also has hospitality at the track, and makes lots of commercials (often starring Waltrip and sometimes his current drivers.)
Truex said “I’m so happy to be back in Victory Lane.” And as for celebrations, “It’s going to be a wild ass week, I can tell you much. I don’t know as I don’t have much practice at this.” And then he informed his boss that he wasn’t showing up for work Monday.
Vickers took a lot of kidding for showing up in person for his podium conference. Last week he called it in, literally, from his cell phone after he finished third.
Waltrip’s team had two drivers lead laps (Truex and Vickers), and two drivers in the top five (Truex and Bowyer.) BRIAN VICKERS/No.55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota was listed – as per NASCAR rules, as starting thirty-fourth as that is the position his car qualified (by JASON BOWLES), but Vickers had to fall back to P43 at the start due to the driver change. That makes his charge forward even more impressive – especially after leading three laps. He finished thirteenth.
Aussie MARCOS AMBROSE/No.9 Richard Petty Racing was thought to be a threat, and his race started out that way. He started second but was leading going into Turn One and ran the first 18 laps in a domineering way. Then Kurt Busch made a slick inside pass in Turn Seven to take the lead, which he held for 15 laps. Ambrose ended up seventh. Ambrose said “We couldn’t hold it on the long run. I don’t know whether I’m too aggressive on the tires or whether I just can’t get the car underneath me, but we just really struggle on the log runs around this place.”
Edwards said “We’ve leaned on Marcos a lot and his expertise in road racing, and I think you saw that in qualifying and in the race with myself, Greg and Marcos qualifying in the top four. We were pretty fast at times. It was a pretty dynamic race. There was a lot that happened.”
Despite receiving two drive-thru penalties for speeding, Kurt Busch had the lowest average pit road time of 41. 476 seconds.
The Road Racing Ringers didn’t fare as well as they would have liked. BORIS SAID/No.32 Fas Lane Racing Ford finished eighteenth after two speeding tickets and another drive-thru for too many guys in the pits. RON FELLOWS/No.33 Circle Sport Chevrolet was P22, and TOMY DRISSI/No.87 NEMCO Racing Toyota finished thirty-eighth. Hapless JACQUES VILLENEUVE/No.51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet finished forty-first. He didn’t get off to a great start, having mechanical issues before the pace lap. JV joined the pack but continued to struggle and retired after 19 laps.
JV’s day was better than BOBBY LABONTE/No.47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota, who started having trouble on the pace lap and ended spinning out from a blown engine. He qualified twentieth. Although NASCAR’s Unofficial Results list Labonte as finishing last in P43, he also is listed as winning the Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award. No time was given.
A sharp journo, DIEGO MEJIA,x figured out that Truex turned the fastest lap. We’ll see Monday with the Official Results.
The average race speed was 76.658 mph, lower than last year’s record-breaking lap of 83.624 mph was set by race winner Bowyer. Both Truex and Bowyer race for Waltrip.
The race ran for 2 hrs, 51 mins, 20 secs.
Top Rookie Sunday and in the Rookie standings was RICKY STENHOUSE Jr/No.17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, who finished P27, ahead of girlfriend DANICA PATRICK/No.10 Stewart-Hass Racing Chevrolet. Ms. Patrick had a rough day. She spun twice, the second time from a cut tire which pitched her into the Turn Ten tires. She recovered and soldiered on, to finish P29.
Good news for all the teams – there were no issues with the cars after the race. Going to NASCAR’s R&D Center in NC will be Truex’s car, Gordon’s engine, and Random Selection No.27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet raced by PAUL MENARD.
Traditionally, after the Sonoma NASCAR race, the track hosts a Track Walk, which allows fans to walk the track in search of gold lug nuts, which can be redeemed for prizes.
Next stop on the circuit will be Round 17 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday 29 June 2013. The race is at 7:30 pm ET, live on TNT, Sirius/XM Channel 90, PRN Radio and www.nascar.com.
POINTS
1 JIMMY JOHNSON – 573
2 CARL EDWARDS – 548
3 CLINT BOWYER – 528
4 KEVIN HARVICK – 510
5 MATT KENSETH – 481
6 GREG BIFFLE – 479
7 DALE EARNHARDT JR – 479
8 KYLE BUSCH – 461
9 BRAD KESELOWSKI – 454
10 MARTIN TRUEX Jr – 453
WILD CARD STANDINGS
1 KASEY KAHNE – 445
2 TONY STEWART – 433
3 PAUL MENARD – 445
4 JEFF GORDON – 441
5 JOEY LOGANO – 439
6 ARIC ALMIROLA – 428
7 KURT BUSCH – 425
8 RYAN NEWMAN – 418
9 *RICKY STENHOUSE, Jr – 406
10 JEFF BURTON – 403
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11 DAVID RAGAN – 276
Photos by Jeff & Mike Burghart