Simply three tenths separated Shane van Gisbergen and Chase Briscoe within the battle for the win at Sonoma Raceway. Together with his eighth profession victory, SVG is now tied for second on the all-time highway course wins record with Tony Stewart, and only one away from Jeff Gordon’s file.
Sonoma was additionally the ultimate highway course of the 2026 season, so it is all ovals from right here to Homestead in November. Whereas it was an important day for SVG, the identical can’t be stated for our now-former championship chief, Tyler Reddick.
Listed below are the largest winners and losers from the NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma:
WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen finds redemption after San Diego frustration
Watch: SVG thrilled with Sonoma win: ‚Fairly particular to make up for final week‘
San Diego was the worst case situation for SVG, scoring no stage factors, crashing out of the race, and strolling away with solely a single level to indicate for his efforts. He needed to win at Sonoma, and he did simply that. He scored 63 of a doable most 76 factors, even whereas flipping each levels, and held on regardless of late stress to earn his second win of the 12 months. It was the closest margin of victory but in any NASCAR race received by SVG, and the win took him from 5 factors beneath the Chase cut-line to 36 factors above.
LOSER: Tyler Reddick loses the championship lead for the primary time this 12 months
Watch: Reddick on ‚very odd challenge‘ that resulted in last-place end
Talking of worst case situations, an influence steering challenge put Reddick a number of laps down in a race with zero DNFs. Which means he completed thirty sixth — final — accumulating only one level for his ending place. He doubled that by accumulating the Xfinity quickest lap bonus, however even with that and title rival Denny Hamlin getting spun out late within the race, it wasn’t sufficient. 18 races into the 2026 season, and Reddick has misplaced the championship lead. Only one month in the past, he led by 129 factors, however now, he’s trailing Hamlin by a single level. The driving force who completed inside the highest 15 in every of the primary 14 races has now positioned twenty fifth or worse in three of the final 4. Hamlin wasn’t smiling after Sunday’s race both, merely due to all of the factors he left on the desk with the late-race incident.
WINNER: Connor Zilisch’s first-ever prime ten end as a Cup driver
Watch: Zilisch lands first profession prime 10: ‚Felt like we may’ve been higher‘
Lastly, a ray of hope for Zilisch, even when it ought to have been extra. Zilisch stored his automotive clear, and regardless of a short stall within the pits throughout his ultimate cease, went on to complete seventh — the primary prime ten end of {the teenager}’s NASCAR Cup profession. It was a much-needed consequence after a nightmarish rookie season. The one disappointment is that he spent a big chunk of the race inside the highest 5, even pursuing teammate SVG because the second-place driver at one level, however nonetheless, it is a optimistic lead to a in any other case adverse season for Zilisch.
LOSER: Chase Briscoe comes agonizingly near first win of 2026
Watch: King of Wine Nation! SVG holds off Briscoe to win Sonoma
Briscoe was proper there. Taking away a slip-up up the hill into Flip 1 with a few laps to go, or the slide exiting Flip 10 on the white flag, and he may have been the race winner at Sonoma. We would be speaking about how he bested the highway course grasp himself, however as an alternative, we and Briscoe are left to marvel what may have been. „Not very many individuals get that near him on the finish of one among these highway course races,“ stated Briscoe. „Simply pissed off with myself. I felt like I undoubtedly had the higher automotive. I did not do nearly as good of a job as he did driving.“
WINNER: Ty Gibbs sweeps the levels, and nonetheless secures a prime three end
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
Photograph by: Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos
This was maybe probably the most spectacular drive of the day. Gibbs sacrificed monitor place on the finish of each levels, staying out to gather each the Stage 1 and Stage 2 victories, pocketing the 20 factors that go together with it. However then, he managed to drive again by means of the sector, reaching as excessive as third in a largely inexperienced race. It was fairly the run, and allowed Gibbs to bump up into fourth within the common season standings.
LOSER: Erik Jones falls outdoors of the highest 16 in factors
Josh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing, Austin Cindric, Staff Penske, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Membership
Photograph by: Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos
Whereas SVG rose again up into the Chase image, he needed to exchange somebody, and that driver was Erik Jones. The Legacy Motor Membership driver was the largest loser within the championship standings, as a twenty third end dropped him three positions down the order. He’s now seventeenth, 12 factors beneath the cut-line.
BONUS WINNER: Alex Bowman busts brackets with In-Season Problem development
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports
Photograph by: Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos
The bracket problem is again with a $1 million prize on the road! Whereas Ty Dillon didn’t shock the world as soon as once more with one other Denny Hamlin Spherical 1 defeat, one other low-seeded driver slew their very own Goliath. Alex Bowman was ranked No. 32 for the problem, and was positioned in opposition to No. 1 seed Tyler Reddick. We already documented his issues, however Bowman did not simply defeat him, he had an important run, securing a prime ten end. He was simply one among three drivers to get rid of a higher-seeded driver at Sonoma Raceway.
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