CONCORD, N.C. -- Kyle Larson celebrated in victory lane at his hometown track after he edged out teammate Chase Elliott at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday.
The win marks Larson's second victory in a row, his first win at a road course and is the first time in NASCAR history that the winner at Sonoma swept the stages. Larson and Elliott's results also is the fourth 1-2 finish in a row for Hendrick Motorsports. The only race team to finish first and second four times in a row was Karl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956.
Alex Bowman battled some damage in the latter part of the race but still notched a top-10 finish after he placed ninth. William Byron was involved in an accident during stage three that ended his day early. He finished 34th.
Take a look below to see how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers did in Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 1st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Larson was on the pole for the start of Sunday’s race and stayed out front until he pitted on lap 10. He returned to the track sixth. After the competition caution lifted, he was back in first. Larson kept the spot and won stage one for his fourth stage win in a row.
- Larson started stage two 15th after he pitted between segments. He jumped to 10th by lap seven and was tailing Elliott. It didn’t take long for Larson to break back into the top five and he was riding in second place halfway through the second stage.
- After the third caution, Larson opted to stay out instead of pit and was again the race leader. He kept that position and finished stage two first, his fifth stage win in a row.
- Larson pitted between stages and resumed racing in 21st place. He was up 10 spots within three laps and was in fifth place 60 laps into the race. Two laps later, he was up to second behind Elliott and engaged in a battle for first with 33 laps to go.
- Larson reclaimed the lead but surrendered it six laps later to pit for tires and fuel. He was 10th when he took off from pit road and was up to second by lap 68. Larson quickly retook the lead and maintained it until the fifth caution with 17 laps to go when he pitted for tires and fuel.
- He was sixth when the race was under green again and started picking off the field. Larson was again first with 15 laps to go. He restarted in the lead spot each time after three cautions in the final 10 laps, which forced overtime. Larson maintained first place and held off Elliott for his second win a row.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 2nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started behind teammate Kyle Larson in second and kept that position until lap 10, when he pitted. He was seventh when he returned to the track and restarted second after the competition caution. Elliott maintained that spot for the rest of the first stage.
- Elliott restarted 16th after he pitted between stages. By lap 27 he broke into the top 10 in ninth place and was up to fifth by lap 30. He decided to pit under the third yellow flag and was 18th when the green flag waved again. Elliott worked his way up the field and was back in the top 10 with four laps left in stage two. He was fifth by the time the second stage ended.
- The 25-year-old driver decided to stay out between stages and was third when stage three began. He took the lead on lap 45 and maintained that position until Larson snagged the top spot 12 laps later. He dropped to third on lap 59 and pitted three laps later.
- Elliott was 14th when he got off pit road and had worked his way to sixth with 22 laps to go. He was up to fifth when the fifth caution fell. He pitted and gained two spots off pit road, cycling out to eighth place when racing resumed.
- The reigning Cup Series champion surged to third with 16 laps left and was in that spot when another caution halted the race. He restarted in the same spot and moved to second with 10 laps to go. Three yellow flags in quick succession saw Elliott in second before overtime. He kept that spot for his fourth top-three finish in a row.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 35th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron was part of a 1-2-3 start behind teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott and maintained third until he dropped a spot by the eighth lap. He pitted at lap 10 and was ninth when he returned to the track.
- For the competition caution, Byron cycled back up to third. He dropped to eighth with four laps left in the segment and pitted two laps later. He finished the first stage in 32nd.
- Byron restarted for stage two in ninth place and quickly jumped to fifth seven laps in. He took over the top position 10 laps into stage two but decided to pit when a third caution dropped a lap later.
- Byron restarted 19th and worked his way up the field, battling teammate Elliott for a top-10 spot. He was eighth with three laps left in stage two and moved to sixth before the segment ended.
- Byron opted to stay out between stages and was third behind Elliott when racing resumed. He dropped two spots by lap 47 and was down to 13th six laps later due to older tires. Crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron down pit road for four tires and fuel, putting him toward the rear of the field.
- The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was up to 14th with 25 laps to go and broke into the top 10 four laps later. He was ninth when the fifth caution fell and was instructed to pit.
- Byron was 15th when the race restarted and was 14th when the car in front of him checked up, causing him to sustain front-end damage. The damage was too much for the No. 24 crew to repair and Byron was knocked out of the race. He placed 35th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 9th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman rolled off the grid seventh and moved to sixth by the eighth lap. He pitted under green for four tires by lap 10 and dropped to 21st when he returned to pit road and was up to 14th by the competition caution.
- Bowman shuffled back up to seventh after the field restarted from the competition caution and quickly jumped to fifth by lap 16. He finished the stage in that spot.
- Bowman was 19th for the start of stage two after he pitted between segments. By the third yellow flag of the race, Bowman had edged to 15th. He decided not to pit and was fifth once the field was green again. With five laps left in the stage Bowman edged to fourth and moved to third by the end of stage two.
- The 28-year-old driver pitted and was 23rd for the start of stage three. He weaved his way through traffic and was up to 14th 10 laps into the stage. With 27 laps left, Bowman was riding in fourth when he decided to pit. He was 21st when he returned to the track.
- Bowman was 14th when the fifth caution came out. He pitted and was 17th when the race restarted and was up to 15th when the cars in front of him slowed, causing him to rear-end them. He decided not to pit to repair the damage and was 12th when racing resumed.
- Bowman edged to 11th after the seventh restart but was involved in some bumper-to bumper contact. He restarted in 12th in NASCAR overtime and edged to ninth for his fourth top-10 finish in a row.