Kyle Larson has clinched his third victory of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season at Sonoma Raceway. It was a three-horse battle between him, Martin Truex Jr, and Chris Buescher during the final stage of the race, which surprisingly ran green without any cautions.

With a fresh set of tires, Larson had the edge over his two opponents. Moreover, Truex Jr and Buescher battling for the lead provided a window of opportunity for the HMS star to make his move (from P8) for the win. Despite getting the lead from Buescher, MTJ could never run clear of the trailing cars, and Larson made the most of it.

Kyle Larson wasn’t sure about his winning strategy

Having gotten the lead late in the race, Larson was able to fend off any late charge and cruised down to the start-finish line to secure his first road course win of the season. This was also his first big result after the waiver drama that unfolded after his rain-spoiled attempt at the double. Meanwhile, JGR star Truex Jr suffered a similar fate to his teammates, running out of gas on the final lap. This saw him finish on P27.

Larson in the post-race interview shared his thoughts on the strategy call and how everything worked out well for him to grab the win. “I didn’t know what we were doing as far as strategy, we were just out there banging laps away … I got a bit nervous, I knew I’d be quick from the get-go but as the tires would come up to temp it would even of too much. So thankful we had enough grip, thankful too that those guys got racing. Martin never got clear really to you know where I would get stuck in third and that really saved the race.”

This was a huge result for Larson, as with this win, he retakes his lost lead in the driver’s standings. Despite running a race less than his opponents, the HMS driver is proving his credentials as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers to compete in the series. He surely made up for the lost points from Charlotte with this win, and coincidentally, this comeback had a lot to do with Joe Gibbs Racing’s miserable outing at the racetrack.

Joe Gibbs Racing turned out to be the biggest loser from the Sonoma race

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The big jolt to the JGR camp came with the early exit of the points leader and their star driver, Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 car had major mechanical issues as the engine of the race car exploded with just a lap into the race. Hamlin certainly wasn’t hoping back in the race car with the serious damage and therefore carved out a window for Larson to regain the top spot, which he undoubtedly did.

Moreover, Ty Gibbs also ran into trouble with his #54 race car as the driver made contact with the concrete wall on Turn 11. This resulted in heavy damage to his right front suspension. Trying to weave his way through the field with a damaged race car, he once again made contact with the wall outside of the racetrack, causing even more damage. Despite the efforts by his team, the car wasn’t salvageable, and the driver was credited with a P37 finish.

Of course, the sucker punch was Martin Truex Jr’s sharp decline at the end of the race. The veteran driver went from finishing runner-up to a P27 finish, all because he didn’t have enough fuel in the tank. What’s more frustrating for JGR is that their miserable run turned out to be a great momentum shifter for their rival team, Hendrick Motorsports.