STEWART-HAAS RACING
Save Mart 350k
Date: June 11, 2023
Event: Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (1.99-mile, 10-turn road course)
Format: 110 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/30 laps/55 laps)
Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr., of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
SHR Race Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 20th, Finished 28th / Running, completed 110 of 110 laps)
SHR Points:
● Aric Almirola (26th with 260 points, 265 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Even with his 28th-place finish in the Save Mart 350k, Almirola is a winner at Sonoma. Almirola won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma, leading twice for 17 laps to take his fourth career Xfinity Series victory and his first on a road course.
Race Notes:
● Martin Truex Jr., won the Save Mart 350k to score his 33rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his fourth at Sonoma. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was 2.979 seconds.
● There were only two caution periods for a total of six laps.
● All but five of the 36 drivers in the Save Mart 350k finished on the lead lap.
● Truex leaves Sonoma as the new championship leader with a 13-point advantage over second-place William Byron.
Sound Bites:
“It felt like we had something like the diffuser break in the middle of the day. I just lost all grip and couldn’t keep the pace. I think we had about a 15th-place car today if we didn’t have to come back down pit road. I’m glad we could get it done in the Xfinity Series yesterday and have my family here with me to enjoy it. I’m looking forward to this off weekend to relax and we’ll come back fresh and ready to turn this season around.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The NASCAR Cup Series gets a well-deserved weekend off before returning to action on Sunday, June 25 for the Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. The race starts at 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.