Photos by Mike and Jeff Burghardt
Kyle Busch, driving Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, won the 27th Annual Toyota/Save Mart 350 on the 1.99-mile road course at Sonoma, AKA Sears Point Raceway. This was Busch’s 30th victory in 370 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts. With the victory, Kyle Busch tied Kevin Harvick for 23rd on the all-time wins list.
This was Busch’s first victory of 2015 and second top-10 finish of the year. His last win was forty-six races ago, at Auto Club Speedway in March of 2014. This is Busch’s second victory and third top-10 finish in 11 races at Sonoma Raceway. Since 2008, Busch has routinely been a road-course contender. Sonoma is one of two road course races featured on the NASCAR circuit.
“This is awesome, it’s just unbelievable,” said Busch in Sonoma’s victory lane. “I can’t say enough about my team, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, my medical team, everyone who got me back in shape and back ready to go and get behind the wheel. And I can’t say enough about my brother you know he certainly made it hard on Clint (Bowyer) and gave me some ground a couple times.” Busch missed the first eleven races of the 2015 season after a nasty wreck at Daytona International Speedway that resulted in a broken right leg and fractured left foot.
Finishing second was brother Kurt Busch and his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet for Stewart/Haas Racing. He posted his seventh top-10 finish in 15 races at Sonoma Raceway and this his eighth top-10 finish in 2015.
This is the first time that the Busch brothers (Kyle and Kurt) have finished 1-2 in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.
Grabbing third, Clint Bowyer in the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota posted his eighth top-10 finish in ten races at Sonoma Raceway.
Stewart/Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick and his No. 4 Folds of Honor/Outback Steakhouse/Budweiser Chevrolet finished fourth with Joey Logano and his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford rounding out the top five finishers.
#48 Jimmie Johnson finished sixth.
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh.
#5 Kasey Kahne finished eighth.
#31 Ryan Newman finished ninth.
#9 Sam Hornish Jr. finished tenth.
Watch out for those ALL-AMERICAN Toyota Camrys !
And,…… how NASCAR continues to reach out to May-hee-coh for additional revenue( marketing).
NASCAR sucks it,into the sunset.
It sure looks like Sonoma Raceway was packed. Toyota is one of the most American cars out there with USA content, Japanese corporate ownership.