Toyota / Save Mart 350 Race Results: Sonoma Finish Order, Winner, and Key Takeaways

Shane van Gisbergen entered the wine region of Sonoma, California, with one goal in mind: to win the race. That goal he set out to achieve, he did complete. Van Gisbergen is the winner of the NASCARCup Series Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

The Australian won the 8th road-course race of his career, bringing his winning rate above 50%. He did so by overcoming a disappointing qualifying session, in which the minus-150 betting favorite only started in 6th place. Van Gisbergen had previously only ever earned pole when racing at Sonoma Raceway in the Cup Series.

Key Race Takeaways

Shane van Gisbergen Races in His No. 97 Red Bull Chevrolet at Sonoma. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The race was not an easy win for Van Gisbergen. In the final laps, he had worn his tires out, clearly struggling for grip, as evidenced by his radio conversations with his team.

Chase Briscoe was the challenger for Van Gisbergen on Sunday, in which he continued to eat into Van Gisbergen’s lead. Briscoe surged to close the gap under 4-tenths of a second on the final lap. While he had one last shot to catch Van Gisbergen, Briscoe could not get the pass done on turn 11. The race gap from first to second was 0.357 seconds.

The biggest perceived challenger to Van Gisbergen pre-race was Tyler Reddick. He was never a challenger because Reddick encountered mechanical issues early in the afternoon. Reddick continued running, but finished in dead-last place, 4 laps off the lead lap.

The other biggest challenger was expected to be Ty Gibbs, who earned pole position for the race. Gibbs’ day was strong, finishing 3rd.

The nicest result to see may be that of 19-year-old Connor Zilisch. He was expected to become a NASCAR star, but he has struggled greatly in his rookie season. The kid whose expertise is viewed as that of a road-course warrior finished 7th and, for much of the race, was right behind Van Gisbergen, challenging for the lead.