SONOMA, Calif. — A look at all the action and results from Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway:
WINNER: Tony Stewart got the lead thanks to excellent timing from a debris caution, then held off the field over the final 20 laps to score his first win since 2013 — a run of 84 Sprint Cup races — and make an improbable trip to victory lane. He and Denny Hamlin battled hard during the closing laps, bumping each other several times. Hamlin passed him on the last lap, and Stewart passed him back coming through Turn 11 and sent Hamlin into the wall.
Stewart, in his last season, said Friday that he was eager to move onto a form of racing where he could have fun again. Now he’s suddenly in the mix for an unlikely Chase for the Sprint Cup berth — should he make the top 30 in points — after missing the first eight races of this season with a broken back.
Stewart’s emotional Sonoma win follows a similar scenario in last year’s race, where Kyle Busch, who had missed time with a broken leg and foot suffered in a crash at Daytona on the season's opening weekend, won at the road course to help his playoff bid. Busch went on to secure his first championship.
Stewart, who turned 45 last month, conducted some of his post-race interview while seated next to the driver's side of his No. 14 Chevrolet, seemingly exhausted on a day when temperatures reached the 90s and the closing 20 laps were very intense.
“To get a win, especially at a place you're going to for the last time, it means a bunch. It's special, trust me,” Stewart said after climbing from his car and celebrating by jabbing the air repeatedly with his fists.
Stewart, who also won here in 2001 and 2005, was inducted into the raceway's Wall of Fame on Friday, along with former driver Ernie Irvan.
“I made mistakes the last two laps. I had a little too much rear break in Turn 7 and wheel-hopped it two laps in a row," Stewart said while toweling off. "I felt a nudge when I got down there, and (Hamlin) knew where it was. He did the right thing doing it there, but if I could get to him, he knew what was coming. Denny just told me he was proud of me. He knows what it means. We were teammates for a long time, and we respect each other a lot."
Said Hamlin of the final lap: "(I was) looking in the rear view more than looking up front. I just slid up just a little in the middle (coming into Turn 11) and that allowed him to get a really good run. I knew he was going to drag race in that position and knew he was going to put me in the wall. But all's fair in love and war."
Now, Stewart has 10 races remaining to climb into the top 30 in points - a requirement for anyone seeking to qualify for the 16-driver, 10-race Chase. He is currently 32nd, nine out of 30th place. NASCAR can grant Stewart an injury waiver that would excuse him from missing the first eight events. The sanctioning body did the same last season for Busch, who sat out the first 11 races while recovering in 2015 before winning at Sonoma. He followed that with wins at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis, before climbing into the top 30 in points with a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen, the 22nd of 26 regular-season races.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: AJ Allmendinger had yet another shot to win on a road course disappear when his team was given a penalty for an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop with 22 laps to go. “Good job, guys,” he said sarcastically.
UP IN SMOKE: Clint Bowyer is a former Sonoma winner and a talented road racer, but his event came to an end after only five laps when his No. 15 car caught on fire. Bowyer climbed from the car as smoke filled the cockpit and looked visibly irritated, throwing his helmet into the window in frustration. “It’s just a shame,” Bowyer said. “It caught on fire. Smoke is never good in the cockpit and it stinks. Hell, I couldn’t breathe.”
EARLY LEAD: Carl Edwards started from the pole and held off AJ Allmendinger in the opening laps, helping him pace the early portion of the race. It was Edwards’ first career No. 1 starting spot at Sonoma. Edwards led much of the race until a small delay on a late pit stop.
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SUNDAY'S RESULTS
1. (10) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 110.
2. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 110.
3. (7) Joey Logano, Ford, 110.
4. (1) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 110.
5. (3) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 110.
6. (25) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 110.
7. (8) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 110.
8. (17) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 110.
9. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 110.
10. (4) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 110.
11. (13) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 110.
12. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 110.
13. (15) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 110.
14. (2) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 110.
15. (12) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 110.
16. (9) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 110.
17. (21) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 110.
18. (32) Greg Biffle, Ford, 110.
19. (11) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 110.
20. (23) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 110.
21. (16) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 110.
22. (24) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 110.
23. (26) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 110.
24. (14) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 110.
25. (28) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 110.
26. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 110.
27. (29) Aric Almirola, Ford, 110.
28. (31) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 110.
29. (37) Landon Cassill, Ford, 110.
30. (36) Chris Buescher, Ford, 110.
31. (33) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 110.
32. (30) David Ragan, Toyota, 110.
33. (22) Brian Scott, Ford, 110.
34. (35) Cole Whitt, Toyota, 110.
35. (38) Dylan Lupton(i), Toyota, 110.
36. (40) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 109.
37. (34) Patrick Carpentier, Ford, 108.
38. (39) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Engine, 97.
39. (20) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 91.
40. (18) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, Electrical, 5.
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 80.966 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 42 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.625 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 10 laps.
Lead Changes: 12 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Edwards 1-8; A. Allmendinger 9-24; P. Menard 25-27; K. Harvick 28-30; C. Edwards 31-46; A. Allmendinger 47; Kyle Busch 48-49; D. Hamlin 50-70; A. Allmendinger 71-72; D. Patrick 73-75; D. Hamlin 76-87; A. Allmendinger 88; T. Stewart 89-110.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): D. Hamlin 2 times for 33 laps; C. Edwards 2 times for 24 laps; T. Stewart 1 time for 22 laps; A. Allmendinger 4 times for 20 laps; D. Patrick 1 time for 3 laps; P. Menard 1 time for 3 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 3 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 2 laps.
Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick, 562; Kurt Busch, 527; C. Edwards, 510; B. Keselowski, 506; J. Logano, 493; C. Elliott, 473; J. Johnson, 469; M. Truex Jr, 469; Kyle Busch, 452; M. Kenseth, 430; D. Hamlin, 421; D. Earnhardt Jr, 413; R. Newman, 402; A. Dillon, 400; J. Mcmurray, 398; K. Kahne, 385.
