|| *Comments on the 2019 Toyota / Save Mart 350:* View the most recent comment <#271> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Sandy posted: 06.18.2019 - 8:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (7) First 2. JFM01 posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:04 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Number of road course ringers: 0 3. RaceFanX posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:38 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Sonoma will have a different but familiar layout for this race as NASCAR is bringing back the famous "Carousel" section of the track, running from Turn 4 to Turn 7, for the first time in more than two decades. The last Cup race on this layout was back in 1997 when Mark Martin crushed the field. The decision to go back to the old layout was made in part to celebrate Sonoma's 50th anniversary. 4. Mr.Victory posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 10 years ago, you get some people like Villeneuve, Papis, FitzPatrick, Ambrose, Carpentier, and more. Now, you get literally no one. 5. Sandy posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:39 am Rate this comment: (4) (0) Final race of Darrell Waltrip's 19 year announcing career at Fox 6. RaceFanX posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:46 am Rate this comment: (4) (0) This will be the last NASCAR race of the season broadcast by FOX before NBC takes over. The FOX Sports 1 broadcast of this race as such will be a bittersweet one as Darrell Waltrip takes his spot in the booth for the final time, giving us one final "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" before hanging up his headset. DW joined the FOX team in 2001 just after his retirement as a driver. Here's wishing you the best DW, enjoy your well-earned retirement. 7. Sandy posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Giving us one final Boogity,boogity,boogity At a track where his first ever boogity,boogity,boogity came in this race 18 years ago 8. RaceFanX posted: 06.18.2019 - 9:57 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) @2, @4 Part of that is just the changes in NASCAR. Back in the day it wasn't uncommon to see road course races given a lower priority and see a team that wasn't in the title hunt sub out its regular driver for a road course ringer but these days NASCAR teams put more focus on these races and drivers have to run every race to maintain playoff eligibility. We also saw a lot more one-off entries back then but the rise of charters and more so the rise of the price of motorsports in general mean we don't see as many now. The fact that the tougher competition means it would be almost impossible for a one-off to be competitive for the win likely plays a role too. 9. 34McDowellFan posted: 06.18.2019 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sucks that not even Rick Ware is fielding a road ringer :( Speaking of Rick Ware, why is Josh Bilicki not running one of their cars this weekend? 10. Canadianfan posted: 06.18.2019 - 11:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's important to note there have been a few minor changes to the track over the years. Turn 7 will not be exactly as it was in 1997 a rounded hairpin. It's a much more square corner now. Also the drag strip used to be part of the start/finish line. Other than those minor differences it will be the same circuit as in 1997. 11. Corey posted: 06.18.2019 - 11:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @10 Don't forget all the hills that used to go right up to the track in the esses. That area used to be a lot narrower. Even the guardrails on the other side were closer. 12. Jimmie4life posted: 06.18.2019 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why does it say it's 90 laps? Isn't the track about 1.990 miles and the race is 110 laps? Did something change that I wasn't aware of? Now I hope I don't feel dumb about missing out on a change. 13. Jimmie4life posted: 06.18.2019 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm 90% sure Michael will take over for Darrell... and I hope he actually won't be annoying, and informative, but, probably not. 14. Canadianfan posted: 06.18.2019 - 12:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @11 That's true Corey making a mistake back then could mean ending up on your roof. A few did from what I recall. 15. Canadianfan posted: 06.18.2019 - 12:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) To answer a quick question yes one driver has run the carousel. Kevin Harvick in the Truck series back in 1997. Kurt Busch ran the Featherlite Southwest Tour when he turned 18 back in 1997. It was a few months after the series raced at Sears Point on the original configuration he just missed out by being too young. 16. CBellFan20 posted: 06.18.2019 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) With Obaika Racing now showing up this race, I have officially given up on them showing up. 17. Teddy posted: 06.18.2019 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the days of the road course ringers are dead 18. LarsonDixonLine posted: 06.18.2019 - 1:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @12 Its due to going back to the original configuration with the carousel. It adds a little more length to the track, I don't know exactly how much but it does nonetheless. 19. Wil posted: 06.18.2019 - 1:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @13 Mikey will surprise people in the booth if he does take over for his brother. He's much more laid back than people think. He's already more laid back than Darrell when he does Truck/Xfinity races. I'd still rather Jamie Mac take the mic, but that's prob a pipe dream. 20. Christian posted: 06.18.2019 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Congratulations to Truex/KyBusch/Logano/Keselowski on the win! 21. Corey posted: 06.18.2019 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @20 Won't happen. Someone new is winning. 22. David posted: 06.18.2019 - 2:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @21 Must be nice to be so confident, but the odds favor the "Usual Suspects" much more than the "Rest of Field". The new layout at Sonoma could be a leveling factor since almost nobody in the field has raced it before, but I doubt it. Road courses used to be a place where the typical results could get mixed up a little. There were ringers (Boris, Fellows....) who, though they weren't much of a threat to win, could at least sometimes post good finishes. And there were sometimes regular drivers who rarely were near the top of the charts on ovals but were well-suited for road courses (Montoya, Allmendinger, Pruett, Robby G....). But nowadays the finishing order near the top of a road course event is nearly always indistinguishable from any other race. You want a real mixed-up finishing order, look to a plate track and nowhere else. 23. Wil posted: 06.18.2019 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) After freaking Pocono and Michigan the last 3 weeks, it's nice to head to an interesting track. The Sonoma winners used to be kinda random/unexpected as recently as the early 2010s: Kasey Kahne in 09, Bowyer in 2012, MTJ (when with MWR) in 2013, Edwards in 14. Now it's back to chalk. 24. Corey posted: 06.18.2019 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @22 Eventually those four will stop winning. Last year Harvick, Truex Jr, and Ky. Busch won 17 of the first 21 races. They won 4 of the final 15. To assume that Busch, Truex Jr, Logano and Keselowski will continue to win from here on out is asinine. It's not going to happen. 25. David posted: 06.18.2019 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The following data just backs up what can be easily seen on the track, but I figured I'd put it here for documentation purposes. While the quality of the racing so far in 2019 at the Cup level has been improved in isolated instances thanks to the "new package", the outcomes in terms of wins, top 5s and top 10s by manufacturer has changed almost not at all through 13 races. Yes, I said 13 races and not 15. The outcomes of a small handful of restrictor plate races are completely irrelevant in terms of measuring the quality of equipment, driving ability or any other damn thing aside from luck and being able to avoid catastrophes (which is pretty much just a subset of luck). The only significant thing that's changed is that SHR has been eclipsed by Penske as the dominant Ford team as far as wins. The only significant change in the composition of the top teams is that there are only 4 top Toyotas on the track in 2019 whereas there were 5 in 2018. All of the stats below are through the first 13 non-plate races of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. *Wins* 2018: Ford: 7 (all by SHR), Toyota 6 (all by Gibbs/Visser), Chevy: 0 2019: Toyota: 8 (all by Gibbs), Ford: 5 (all by Penske), Chevy: 0 *Top 5s* 2018: Ford 28, Toyota 26, Chevy 11 2019: Ford 30, Toyota 22, Chevy 13 *Top 10s* 2018: Ford 62, Toyota 36, Chevy 32 2019: Ford 60, Chevy 36, Toyota 34 There are basically 5 contending (i.e. "contending" for at least a top 10) teams on the track in any given race, comprising 20 cars which is slightly over half of a full field. Drivers outside of these 5 teams have little chance at a top 10 and almost no chance of a top 5 or better unless a restrictor plate is attached. Who says? The data says, both in 2018 and 2019. The only relevant teams in typical oval races (and road courses) in 2019 are: Gibbs (Toyota): 4 cars Stewart-Haas (Ford): 4 cars Penske (Ford): 4 cars including the Wood Brothers #21 Hendrick (Chevy): 4 cars Ganassi (Chevy): 2 cars So as far as quantity that's 8 Fords, 6 Chevys and 4 Toyotas. In 2019 those 5 teams account for 100% of the non-plate wins (as we all know it's really just 2 teams, same as it was at this point in 2018), but did you know that they account for a whopping 98% of all top 5s as well and 91.5% of all top 10s? Those numbers weren't much different in 2018. To summarize for the "tl;dr" types, Toyota is down just a small tick in top 5s and 10s (but hardly in wins) because of having only 4 top-of-the-line cars instead of 5 this year, and SHR/Penske have exchanged places for Ford when it comes to wins, although SHR is still racking up a ton of top 5s & 10s, and Chevy is up very slightly in the non-win categories as well. 26. George posted: 06.18.2019 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) Here's a weird stat through 13 races: in 2018 the Boring 3 teams had all the poles except Chevy accidentally had 1 somewhere in there. In 2019 Toyota doesn't have any poles yet and Chevy actually has more than Ford in the 13 non plate races. That hasn't translate into any wins at all, obviously, but at least they have some speed for parts of weekends this year. 27. Christian posted: 06.18.2019 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) @21 And Ferarri will win a race soon. And Marco Andretti will win the Indycar championship this year. And Natalue Decker will get a top-5. 28. Ralphie posted: 06.18.2019 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #25: The top 5 teams you listed add up to 18 cars, not 20 like you said. Which I guess makes things even more predictable since it's those 18 rather than 20 which almost always fill the entire top 10 in a race. 29. Corey posted: 06.18.2019 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @27 Dude. I may be an optimist, but I'm not unrealistic. Ferrari should have had two wins by now, so winning soon is possible. But Andretti and Decker? I need to be high on something to believe that. But considering that Hamlin and Elliot have also won, Bowyer, Ku Busch, and Bowman have finished second and the those four drivers you name have a combined 2 poles between them, I refuse to believe that you can so easily predict the winner from such a small pool of drivers. 30. Mile501 posted: 06.18.2019 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @25 - Even restrictor plate races often don't bring as much randomness as we think they do. Over the last 20 plate races, roughly 70% of winners and 60% of top 5 finishes have been by drivers who we would normally expect to see at the front of the field in any other race. I miss the days when road course races were different from the rest in terms of who ran up front and the addition of road course ringers. This year, about the best unusual thing we can hope for is something like Michael McDowell scoring a top 10. 31. Chase9Fan posted: 06.18.2019 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I hope McMurray takes over for DW. I think he is actually pretty good in the booth. Welcome back Carousel, should have never been taken out. 32. Corey posted: 06.18.2019 - 8:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I feel whoever they get, will be a more recent retired driver. Michael has been gone too long to really be effective for a Cup broadcast. Trucks still a good fit for him. Watch, they just put Larry Mac back into the booth. 33. Canadianfan posted: 06.19.2019 - 1:14 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) @32 Most people aren't aware about this but it was Larry's decision to stay back in Charlotte. He doesn't wanna do the grind anymore. He's much happier in his room with all the TV screens in Charlotte. 34. Sandy posted: 06.19.2019 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @31 I Like To See Ricky Craven get a shot in the booth replacing DW In 2020 35. Anonymous posted: 06.19.2019 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder who will be in the #15. Obviously it won't be Ross, might possibly get 1 Ringer in the field 36. Anonymous posted: 06.19.2019 - 9:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #35 Ross will be in the #15 for the race 37. JR-TV posted: 06.19.2019 - 10:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kind of a shame we don't have any real ringers, other than sort of Justin Haley just because he isn't a cup regular. As much as I like Ross Chastain, I wish Premium would go find a ringer to drive the #15. Because we all know Ross's focus(and rightly so) will be on the truck in Gateway. And he won't turn a lap in the cup car until the race on Sunday. Premium will probably have to get Sorenson to practice and qualify both the #15 and his own #27. They should have tried to find someone who had driven the track with the carousel recently. Just familiarity with that would have to be worth a few spots against the other backmarkers I would think. 38. Busch18 posted: 06.19.2019 - 10:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @35 it will be Ross I dont understand why you would not think it would be 39. Robby posted: 06.20.2019 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (4) (0) I have to roll my eyes at the people on here complaining about the same guys winning all the time and it's "boring and predictable". 45 years ago in 1974 in the era of the "good old days", only five different drivers won in the 30 race season. Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough won a combined 20 of the 30 races that season with 10 wins each, David Pearson won 7, Bobby Allison won 2 and Earl Ross won 1. So why is it that the stands were packed and people didn't seem to have a problem with 5 guys winning in 30 races, but nowadays when only 6 drivers win in the first 15 races they lose there freaking minds? NASCAR has many issues, but people need to look back at some of the history before saying today's NASCAR is so terrible. 40. Spen posted: 06.20.2019 - 10:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The difference is that the drivers winning in 74 were well liked. 41. Mile501 posted: 06.20.2019 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just came across an excellent short video by Brock Beard about why NASCAR was awesome in the 1990s. Basically, his point is that it wasn't so much about the racing but about the drivers' personalities and the TV coverage. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afvpucJY1E4 42. joey2448 posted: 06.20.2019 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Three cars (as of this posting) will be running paint schemes honoring Darrell Waltrip as he makes his final appearance in the TV booth. -Ricky Stenhouse's #17 will resemble DW's Western Auto scheme from the early 90's. -David Ragan's #38 will resemble Waltrip's Western Auto/Parts America scheme from the mid- to late-90's, with an additional logo on the hood depicting DW and his famous "boogity" catchphrase. -Matt DiBenedetto's #95 will resemble Waltrip's 1974 Terminal Transport car from early in his career. Also, as already mentioned, this race will see the return of the "carousel" that NASCAR used to run up until 1997, and that IndyCar currently runs. The addition of the carousel portion bumps the length of each lap from 1.99 miles to 2.52 miles, necessitating the lap count to be cut from 110 laps to 90. 43. Canadianfan posted: 06.20.2019 - 8:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @42 Actually Joey IndyCar runs a slightly different layout than what NASCAR will be running they don't run the entire esses they actually run this short straight away right next to turn 9. They also don't run the hairpin in turn 11 they stop short of it. 44. Cornys posted: 06.21.2019 - 9:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @43 Those modification on the old IndyCar circuit were due to safety concerns. Glad to see them drop Sonoma for Laguna Seca. I'm glad NASCAR is going back to the old track layout. It will be interesting :) 45. Tshade3 posted: 06.21.2019 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with 40. A lot of fans don't like Brad, Joey and Kyle Busch. 46. Anonymous posted: 06.21.2019 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Weatherman will practice and qualify the #15 for Ross Chastain. Source: https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/1142101360499802112?s=21 47. 66LongFan posted: 06.21.2019 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle weatherman will practice and qualify the 15 car Chastain will race it 48. Sector posted: 06.21.2019 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm going to go with Martin Truex, Jr to make it three wins for three different teams in each of his Sonoma wins, all for Toyota. 49. Me. posted: 06.21.2019 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I'm going to go with someone outside of Penske and Gibbs.PLEASE?! 50. JSPorts posted: 06.21.2019 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hope we get a new winner, too, but the statistics don't favor that. So far in 2019, Penske & Gibbs have won 14/15 races (93%) while leading 3074/4667 laps (66%). Additionally, the 7 Penske/Gibbs drivers have 4 wins at Sonoma. The other 31 drivers in the field have a combined 4 wins at the track. 51. 34McDowellFan posted: 06.21.2019 - 7:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 95 and the 96 are the fastest Toyota's in final practice 52. Sandy posted: 06.22.2019 - 1:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @31 @32 Fox Said That they do not have any Plans to Replace DW They could go down as a 2 Man Booth (Mike Joy Jeff Gordon) 53. Tide1732 posted: 06.22.2019 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jaime McMurray is currently FOX annoucner, retired to NASCAR running the Daytona 500 this year. Likely Jaime is the favorite to replace DW next year. 54. Mile501 posted: 06.22.2019 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) For those who enjoy interesting things with numbers...with the new track configuration they're using this year, it is interesting to see that "time" and "speed" are very similar numbers at the top of the practice charts. For example, Kyle Larson led final practice with a lap of 95.469 mph which he ran in 95.026 seconds. 55. RaceFanX posted: 06.22.2019 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Larson wins the pole at Sonoma for the third year in a row. This is his first pole of 2019. 56. Bayne&BowmanFan posted: 06.22.2019 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Byron with his 7th front row start of the year as well. 57. JFM01 posted: 06.22.2019 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @47 Why do they even bother to put someone else in the car for qualifying when the car is qualified anyway? 58. Mile501 posted: 06.22.2019 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Byron continues his impressive qualifying streak. He has started in the top 3 in exactly half the races so far this season. Hopefully, his results will continue to improve, as he clearly has the speed to contend. 2 of the 3 Front Row cars qualified inside the top 20. Meanwhile, a few guys had very disappointing qualifying results: Keselowski (22nd), Harvick (23rd), and Jones (32nd). 59. Wil posted: 06.22.2019 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Erik Jones qualifies 32nd after suffering a flat tire during qualifying. Anyone know the record for loose wheels/blown tires in a single season? 60. JoeyLoganoFan22 posted: 06.22.2019 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Honestly i think it will be joey or kyle. They are both on a hot streak. 61. possum posted: 06.22.2019 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @57 - the rules say the car has to be presented for qualifying to be allowed to start the race. You don't have to complete a qualifying lap, but you have to be ready to attempt it. 62. possum posted: 06.22.2019 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @45 - I disagree with you and @40. Allison, Yarborough, and Pearson weren't all that well liked (Petty was, even by people who were fans of the other drivers). What they were was respected for clearly trying 100% to get everything their car would give them. More to the point, tho, back then pretty much every race had at least two of those drivers race door to door for part of the race. You didn't see everyone get spread out all race long like you do today. You wouldn't say Keselowski and Busch (say) have a rivalry like you would say about Petty & Pearson, or Petty & Allison, or Yarborough and pretty much everyone else, because the cars are usually several seconds apart. 63. possum posted: 06.22.2019 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @52 - well, Bob Jenkins and Ned Jarrett made a two man booth work for many years, so that might well be a good move for FOX. I'd be surprised if they did it, tho, because there's too many retired drivers who'd be good in the booth. Carl Edwards immediately comes to mind - he was excellent as a color man on Xfinity telecasts. 64. UnderdogFan89 posted: 06.22.2019 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @57 Pit selection is also determined by qualifying position, so by choosing to not qualify, you are essentially giving yourself the worst pit spot. Now that won't make much of a difference for the #15 this weekend (picking 37th of 38) but that's another reason not to just throw away qualifying. Speaking of qualifying for Sonoma, who else remembers the "Gilligan's Island" pit road? That was a huge disadvantage from qualifying poorly. 65. TooSmartForThis posted: 06.22.2019 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Remember when road courses used to shake things up and produce unpredictable results? You'd have full time guys who you weren't used to seeing up front be contenders and even part time guys and road ringers in the mix. God, NASCAR used to be so much fun. 66. NickDeez posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) With the reversion to the "old" 2.52-mile full course Sonoma layout, Kyle Larson essentially set a track record in the first round of qualifying with a lap time of 94.598 seconds. This was more than three seconds faster than Mark Martin's 1997 qualifying time of 97.751 seconds. Additionally, in the first round, 32 cars/drivers beat that previous best. If you are wondering, the only real changes to this layout since that time are a slight re-profiling of turn 7 to double apex, incorporating the added chute between 4a and 7a, and the course no longer runs on the drag strip for the front stretch between turns 12 and 1, but beside it. Interestingly (from my perspective), in the practice sessions, a number of cars were running race-pace faster than the time set by Martin in '97. I guess that shows what 20 years of R&D will do. 67. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Let's do it 9 team! 68. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 11:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll probably miss the start of this race due to an event I'm attending today but I should be back to watch the second half of the race. That being said I'm gonna make my prediction now and go with Larson for the win 69. TeamDCRfan posted: 06.23.2019 - 11:43 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Part of me wants Darrell Waltrip's retirement announcement to be one long April fools joke. FOX, what ever you do, DO NOT PUT MICHAEL WALTRIP IN THE BOOTH AS DWs REPLACEMENT! 70. Tide1732 posted: 06.23.2019 - 12:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #McMurrayForNextFOXCommentator 71. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 12:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Suarez will go to the rear of the field due to an engine change was scheduled to start fifth 72. possum posted: 06.23.2019 - 2:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @66 - well, it's combination of a body with a lot more aero downforce than 1997, together with a track with extra asphalt outside the corners, and wider curbs, which lets the drivers get way off the actual track without penalty. That Martin's time compares so well to today's cars says a lot for Martin's skill as a driver. 73. Pacer posted: 06.23.2019 - 2:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All three of the DW Tribute cars qualified together from 17th (fitting) to 19th. David Ragan's #38 Ford interestingly has a toned down variation of the all-chrome #17 DW raced in a few races back in 1997 to pay tribute to his 25th anniversary as a Cup racer. That's a good choice, Waltrip always loved a chrome paint scheme like that. Darrell Waltrip joined his brother Michael Waltrip for the latter's traditional pre-race grid walk and they talked to all three drivers among others. Matt DiBenedetto asked DW for a pre-race hug for good luck and Waltrip obliged. 74. cjs3872 posted: 06.23.2019 - 2:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @63, and in fact, it wasn't until CBS put Ned Jarrett in the booth in the mid-80s that you had a three-man booth for racing telecasts. Prior to that, CBS had Ken Squier and David Hobbs in the booth, and ABC wouldn't go to a 3-man booth for racing until the 1987 Indianapolis 500, when they put Bobby Unser in the booth with Jim Lampley and Sam Posey. Prior to that, ABC only had two-man booths for their racing telecasts, though it was also ABC that pioneered the three-man booth in 1970, when Monday Night Football debuted with Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith in the booth. And we can't forget that, when ABC dropped Bobby Unser from it's NASCAR telecasts in 1993 (and I thought he and Benny Parsons meshed pretty well together), that they effectively had two-man booths for their NASCAR coverage from 1994 to 2000, with just Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons doing the call of the race, with Paul Page in the position originally occupied by Chris Schenkel at Indy in the early 70s, as the host of the broadcasts, something they dropped entirely in 1996. I'm not sure it would have been a bad idea to have Tom Sneva as the third man in the booth when he joined ABC Sports in 1997, because he had experience in NASCAR. Putting Sam Posey with Jenkins and Parsons might not have been a bad idea, either, if ABC wanted to go to a 3-man booth for their NASCAR broadcasts, but he had left for SpeedVision when it was former in 1996. 75. Pacer posted: 06.23.2019 - 2:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In addition to the Waltrip tributes running together today Denny Hamlin and DW announced earlier this week that Hamlin will race his #11 FedEx Toyota with a paint scheme replicating Waltrip's 1990s Western Auto entry at the Southern 500, similar to the car that Stenhouse is racing today. Hamlin said it's a fitting choice given how much success Waltrip had racing #11 over the years. 76. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @74 You must be talking about just ABC, although I do believe they had Ray Evernham with them in 2000. Sister station ESPN had a three man booth with Bob, Benny and Ned Jarrett. I don't think Ned could work for ABC as he was still contracted with CBS for their races. 77. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Larry Mac is back in the booth pre-race. SWEET! The gang is all here! 78. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So the track is pretty much back to 1997 and past layout huh? Seems like turns 9 and 10 are a bit different now though? 79. GoPM21 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @74 Only by the slimmest of definitions does Tom Sneva have "NASCAR experience". Four men in the booth. We'll see if there's enough oxygen for all of them. 80. cjs3872 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correct, Corey (#75). I was referring mostly to ABC, though CBS didn't have a 3-man booth for their races until 1984 or '85, when they put Ned Jarrett in the booth with Ken Squier and David Hobbs. In fact, I think the first time CBS used a 3-man booth was for the 1984 Talladega 500, when they had Squier, Jarrett, and Benny Parsons in the booth together (Parsons had been injured and couldn't run in that race). ABC simply decided to go to a 2-man booth when they dropped Bobby Unser from their NASCAR telecasts in 1993 and never really replaced him in 1994 going forward. They had planned to have Richard Petty as the third man in the booth for their one race in 1993, but that got snowed out and TNN covered that race, instead. And from that point until 2000, they simply used a two-man booth for their NASCAR telecasts. 81. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green flag and DW gives the final boogity call of his broadcasting career. 82. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clean start, clean race so far. 83. George posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson doing a good job holding up the superior Fords and Toyotas, for now. 84. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I truly hope McMurray takes over for DW. I think he is pretty good at it. 85. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @84 I don't think he's got the confidence. He gives incredible analysis but I'll have nightmares about him stuttering and being nervous for the 2020 Daytona 500. I don't even know if I want it to happen but I think I do. I think Fox might be training him to be a commentator--he's in his first year on TV and already getting time to talk during the Cup races. 86. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Byron has been blowing me away this year. I expected improvement, but leading at Sears Point on speed on a track he's never driven before? Imagine telling somebody that would happen last year when he ran 24th every week. 87. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lap 15 and William Byron has staked out a five-second lead over second-place Chase Elliott. 88. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael McDowell spun in turn 7 off the bumper of Kevin Harvick, but no yellow for that. McDowell was trying to pass Jimmie Johnson and Harvick got into him in the middle of the corner. 89. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) William Byron collects the first stage win of his career. 90. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) uneventful first stage, i expect it to pick up now. 91. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @86 That's iracing, (or Forza, or Gran Turismo, etc.) for you. It's like a wind tunnel for drivers. You can learn the tracks somewhat before you ever stepping foot on the real thing. 92. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is where Byron will earn his money. He'll be restarting around 20th or so. 93. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @91 That isn't specific to Byron. Every driver has been in the simulator this week, so it's not like Byron has more laps on this carousel track than other drivers. 94. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny Hamlin wins the race off pit road under yellow, while leader Byron loses the lead and falls to third. 95. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Every week, the commentators remark "Wow, Chris Buescher's up there! Look at that!" like it's a surprise. At what point is he just a really good driver who we can expect to be in the mix every week? 96. George posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott will be the new leader until the green flag waves. 97. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Restart lap 25 with Elliott and Truex 1-2. 98. George posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bingo. 99. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lap 28, Bowyer pits under green for a loose wheel. 100. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does someone know what the pit window is (how long can they run on fuel) with this track layout? I know it used to be 35-ish laps (maybe a little more), but obviously it's fewer laps now. 101. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lap 30, Almirola goes for a spin in turn 3A, gets it turned around and keeps going. No yellow. 102. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chastain goes off course in turn 4. No yellow. 103. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not much has been made of Matt Dibenedetto today, but he's currently in 5th. LFR can move on after this year if they want, so runs like this is exactly what he needs during a disappointing season. 104. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lap 34, Menard goes spinning in the hairpin. Menard got turned by McDowell, who ended up with some nose damage. 105. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And we have a rare Paul Menard sighting! McDowell dumps him in turn 11. Menard spinning out is the only way I can remember he's in the race. 106. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Back to see green flag pit stops start again 107. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) I get it, but man i wished Elliott stayed out and got a stage win. Lacking playoff points again. 108. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Impressed with Bubba Wallace. Sure he may only be in 9th bc of fuel strategy, but last year he spun out like 8 times here. He's kept his nose clean and may get a decent finish. 109. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hamlin wins stage 2 110. Canadianfan posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @100 28 to 32 Laps Mile. 111. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Leaders who stayed out pit, Truex is the leader again 112. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought Hamlin was going to run a throwback #11 paint scheme honoring DW and his Western Auto car? Just occurred to me that Hamlin's driving his usual FedEx car today. 113. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @112 Western Auto retro is on the 17 as it should. Hamlin would have been in Budweiser colors. 114. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pockrass just answered my question. Hamlin's DW throwback car will run at Darlington in September. 115. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Restart lap 45. Blaney took a look for the lead on Truex in turn 4, but couldn't make it happen, and it opened the door for Chase to challenge for second. 116. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 12 car is stout! 117. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have a feeling that Knaus and Byron went with the wrong strategy. I know they want to chase stage points, but with the car they had, they had a chance for the win and a playoff berth. Even if they fall short there, a Top 5 would have been very realistic. 118. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Over halfway and everyone is still on the lead lap. 119. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch puts the bumper to Blaney into turn 4 and goes by for third. 120. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 117. Yeah, i would say they 100% messed this up. 121. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Toyota again..... 122. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Kyle Busch has noticeably crunched in the nose of the #18 Toyota. 123. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Preece spins in turn 11 but gets going no caution 124. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch's #18 car has serious nose damage. He went by Elliott for second place not too long ago so maybe he got into him. And now Preece goes spinning in the hairpin on lap 52. Preece got turned by Stenhouse. 125. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Preece spun after Stenhouse got into him at Turn 11. 126. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McDowell spins no caution 127. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McDowell goes spinning in turn 10, right in the fastest part of that turn! Everyone misses him while he was sitting sideways across the track. 128. Canadianfan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @112, 113, and 114 wanted Denny to run the ?81 Gatorade scheme. That was DW's best year statistically. 129. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @128 I just saw the Darlington throwback. He should have gone with Red and White Budweiser colors. the Western Auto colors don't cut it with the number. Leave it for Stenhouse in the 17, where it belongs. 130. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green flag pit stops starting again 131. FoMoCo posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Terrible racing. Toyota is doing something funny when MDB is running 7th. 132. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott has no oil pressure apparently 133. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 29 laps to go and Chase Elliott on pit road, saying he blew up. Wow. 134. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @131 - Or maybe DiBenedetto is talented and his talent shines through more on a track that isn't so aero-dependent? 135. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chase Elliott to this pits with no oil pressure. Looks like the engine has a serious issue. Elliott's great run won't result in a great finish. 136. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one blows up anymore, Chase apparently will today. 137. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott looks to be done for the day 138. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch is having radio issues and can't hear his crew 139. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex pits but Rowdy stays out with 26 to go. Kyle's apparently got some radio issues. 140. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Uncontrolled tire penalty for Suarez he'll have to make a drive thru penalty 141. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Suarez gets dinged with an uncontrolled-tire penalty with 26 laps to go. What a shame, Suarez was having a great day. 142. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now i really wish the 9 stayed out and got playoff points. Worthless day now. 143. Anthony posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good news for Elliott fans, he has a win this year. So really, I don't give a damn about his day so long as he has a victory. But really I don't cheer for anyone since Jeff Gordon retired. 144. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Apparently Kyle Busch's radio is fine. The team was just trying not to talk to him so he could do his thing. 145. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lol Kyle Busch swings out wide in turn 2 to drop a bag of ice out the window and onto the grass. Never seen that before. 146. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Busch pits from the lead with 24 to go. 147. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 143, just sucks. Engine failures are rare these days, and they, once again, have very little playoff points. So to get none today then blow up is just a kick in the nuts. 148. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pit stops have cycled through, Truex leads Kyle Busch by 8.3 seconds 149. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Green-flag stops have cycled through and with 23 to go, Truex leads by eight seconds over KyBusch. 150. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) All but one of the current top 15 drivers in the race is also in the top 18 in current point standings. As others have also mentioned, I fondly remember the days when road course races used to bring a mixture of different drivers to the front. Now it's just like any other race. 151. George posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Need a caution to avert the inevitable, but that was obvious an hour ago. And there's almost no chance of one now. 152. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Down vote all you want, boring race thus far. 153. Scott25 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Think everyone other than Cole Pearn has been getting race strategy advice from the Ferrari F1 team. 154. Canadianfan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RWR #51 Yeley Fuel Pump #52 Ware parked it heading to infield care centre. 155. Scott25 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @152 Just like every Sonoma race since the advent of stages. They've killed the racing here. 156. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle is closing fast on Truex 157. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why wouldn't a team like Rick Ware, Premium, or Spire put a road course ringer in a car for this race? I don't understand why they wouldn't. 158. David posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Blaney has run great today, and a win from him would be a refreshing change from the old same-same old, but that will require a minor miracle. 159. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 155, stage racing has killed strategy at a lot of tracks. I don't mind the playoffs, but i hate stage racing. Always have. Useless cautions. 160. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Logano pits with a battery issue 161. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle waiting longer to pit could help him win the race. His tires are quite a bit fresher than Truex's. 162. David posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) It sure would be a shame if the damage on his car caused race winner Kyle Busch to be disqualified. 163. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) KyBusch is rapidly closing on Truex for the lead with 13 to go. He's cut the lead down from over five seconds to less than two sec now. He's several tenths faster each lap. 164. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 162, can that happen? I know rules are rules, but don't they take that into consideration? Not so sure the damage is helping him, but.. 165. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @162 It shouldn't 166. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt DiBenedetto's career-best finish is 6th. Leavine Family Racing has never finished better than 10th on a non-plate track (or better than 4th anywhere). Currently he runs 6th and is chasing down Johnson for 5th! 167. George_Costanza posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hopefully a caution comes out soon so Dibenedetto has a chance! 168. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Behind the two leaders, third place on back is way behind. Blaney is third, almost 20 seconds behind Truex, and fifth-place DiBenedetto is 31 seconds behind! 169. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There is also a massive 25-second gap between 18th and 21st, with only Suarez and A. Dillon in between. 170. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) fun race guys? 171. ShinyMew151 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is it time to consider replacing Sonoma with a new road course? I can't really think of too many exciting things to happen here 172. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex has caught two lapped cars with six laps to go. McDowell and Ty Dillon were side by side for a moment. 173. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Would be worth it for Truex to lose just to hear him complain about lap cars costing him. 174. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DiBenedetto is having a career day and he is really closing on Harvick for 4th. That would tie LFR's best-ever finish at any track. 175. Nathan8848 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Just because a new package is unveiled doesn't mean a variation of it needs to run at all the tracks. What they had the previous years was fine the way it was, and that applies for other tracks, not just here. NASCAR will say it was a great race and package worked because of these final 12 laps. 176. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell Waltrip on Martin Truex, Jr.: "He's sitting on a hot stove and peeing ice water." Excellent. 177. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow DiBenedetto passes Harvick in the hairpin for fourth place. This is shaping up to be a career-best run for Matt and a huge day for that #95 team. 178. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Waltrip apologized before that ice water joke then quipped "what are they going to do, fire me?" Nice. 179. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @176 "What're they gonna do, fire me?" Lol 180. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) 175, what is so exciting about these final 12 laps? Even if Kyle catches him and makes it a race, this isn't that exciting. 181. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Four to go and its a two-car race. Truex leads Kyle Busch and it looks like Busch used up everything he had to catch him. Blaney is 26 seconds behind them in third. 182. George posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The most boring and entirely predictable race since... the F1 race a few hours ago. 183. Christian posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like I predicted the winner correctly again. 184. 1995z71 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @182 lol so true 185. joey2448 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) White flag. Truex leads by 1.3 seconds. 186. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The top 18 finishers are the top 18 in points with only 3 exceptions--similar to just about any other race in recent memory. 187. Gordon24 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (3) (1) @Chase9fan....Ever since your redneck jesus Chase Elliott fell out, you've bitched on here saying it's so boring but when he was running top 3 you didn't say a word about it being boring. You're just pissed that your driver fell out but dont bring your crap on to everyone else. 188. Spen posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mile501 @151: I'm guessing the drivers they have came cheaper than a ringer. When there's no risk of missing the race, and a best-case scenario of finishing 26th-30th, saving a buck makes sense. 189. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex wins at Sonoma 190. Nathan8848 posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Penske and Gibbs have now won 17 of the last 18 races. 191. Christian posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Insert Pikachu surprised face. 192. Altracing posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) By the way thank you DW, grew up listening to you call races since I started in 2007 and I don't care what anyone else says it was a privilege to listen to you call races over the years. 193. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Thank DW for all you've done for the sport. May retirement treat you and Stevie well. 194. Matt posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Top 5 for Matt DiBenedetto! About time that happened for him, what a drive! 195. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Waltrip gave the fans one last "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" after the race in response to a fan's sign in the stands asking for "One Last Boogity." 196. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @194 That pre-race hug from DW for luck must have worked. 197. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @183Next, week I challenge you to pick which of the four will win. 198. TheDewCrew posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) A career-best finish for Matt Dibenedetto who finished 4th, today 199. Me. posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Worst road course race I have ever seen This was pure garbage. The only positive was DiBurrito. 200. Drakion posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Congrats to Truex Big congrats to Dibenedetto on an awesome 4th. 201. TheDewCrew posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) DW, thank you for being a part of my childhood, that kept me tuning to races. May retirement treat you and Stevie well 202. Greg posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Guess the throwback thing worked well! Matt DiBenedetto gets his first Top 5 finish. Race was boring as hell but at least there's the little team good story. 203. 1995z71 posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) I absolutely love see DiBenedetto get a good run for two reasons. 1. Just the point of an underdog getting a good run. 2. Seeing him get emotional in his post-race interview. He's so humble 204. Nathan8848 posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Is Pearn the only crew chief that doesn't wear a fire suit? Not counting the low funded teams. 205. RealisticFishHead posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Second caution-free race of the season (not including stage breaks) 206. RaceFanX posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Newman scores a great top-10 and he's in points position for a playoff spot. The post-race points rundown on FS1 accidentally listed his number as #31 like it was last year instead of his present #6 though. Oh well, no one is perfect. 207. Anonermuth posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 206.) The FOX graphics department has already checked out for vacation it seems like. LOL. Thanks DW. 208. George posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "@183Next, week I challenge you to pick which of the four will win. " Says the person who guaranteed in post #21 that "someone else will win" today at Sonoma (not "might" win, not "could" win, but WILL win) where someone dared suggest otherwise, and has been reduced to zero credibility. When you start being right for a change, you can issue your little challenges. 209. FoMoCo posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (5) Dibenedetto is a hack and his team a bunch of schlubs. Hopefully Nascar catches on to what JGR's minions are doing to cheat. A damaged car like that almost winning? There's something funny going on. 210. Drakion posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (6) (0) @209 oh shut up with that idiotic nonsense. 211. Corey posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @208 another winner will happen. But when a person comes on here to pick four drivers to win and claims their prediction to be right, well it times to step up their game. Pick one, not four. 212. Nucl3arWa4le posted: 06.23.2019 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #2 - America's Tire / Discount Tire #19 - Bass Pro Shops / Tracker ATV's & Boats #34 - Love's Travel Stops / Speedco #37 - Hellmann's / Degree / Bush's Beans #47 - Kroger / Axe / Ball Park 213. Drakion posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Truex has now won here 3 times with 3 different teams and 3 different car numbers. 214. Hi posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kinda feel bad for Cody Ware. Look at reason for DNF 215. Canadianfan posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bowman just said on twitter he lost power steering with 26 to go. 216. JG24Ever posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Even on the longer course (albeit with one less caution), this race still managed to break the old track record for average speed, with an 83.922 MPH average speed. The old record was set in 2012 when this race averaged 83.624 MPH. 217. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @214 - That's something that was pretty common decades ago, but not so much anymore. 218. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As of now, Ryan Newman has moved into the final playoff spot, displacing Jimmie Johnson, who has never failed to make the chase/playoffs in its entire history. 219. Nate21 posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @214 and @217 he pulled off due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning per Brock Beard's tweet so it's not like he is just out of shape. Still serious though. 220. Chunks posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How come Sonoma stopped using the 2.52 mile configuration after 1997? 221. Brandon posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 51 is a Chevy 222. Sector posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @213 but all 3 wins came with Toyota. 223. Sector posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @208/George, you should have used my post as an example. 224. Anonymous posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 220. To shorten the race I think. 225. Sector posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well then... My prediction from post #48 is a fact now. 226. FoMoCo posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (8) @210 When he runs up front on mile and a halfs and short tracks, then and only then is your point valid. Until then, you're just like the rest of the nobodies who has no concept of reality. 227. Sector posted: 06.23.2019 - 8:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Road courses does display driver abilities more than the equipment. Some damage doesn't effect it that much, same goes for short tracks. Then and only then your post #266 remains idiotic nonsense. 228. Mile501 posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @226 - Because mile and a half tracks are obviously the best indication of driver talent. Riiiight... It is interesting to note that DiBenedetto's two best career finishes have both come on tracks that are among those where driver skill matters the most (Sonoma and Bristol). His best two finishes this season were also on those two tracks. That tells you that his equipment is holding him back on other types of tracks. I think the #95 team will continue to gradually improve, though. 229. Drakion posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @226 You are pathetic... 230. Raheem posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is definitely one best forgotten. #stinker 231. Frm3438 posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @209 Did Matty D bully you in school or something? 232. Ryan posted: 06.23.2019 - 9:54 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) The 19th place finisher only scored one less point than the 2nd place finisher. Get rid of the stages please. 233. Jack posted: 06.23.2019 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) You shouldn't really be surprised that this race sucked. This is typical Sonoma, we have seen it in every racing series that's raced here. Exciting for the drivers, boring for the fans. Nothing to worry about really. 234. GGDC posted: 06.23.2019 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @232 How about we get rid of stages and keep the bonus points, will that make you happy? 235. GoPM21 posted: 06.23.2019 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @220 Here's a link to a story from 1998 that details why they changed the configuration: https://us.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/sears-point-new-layout-adds-laps/1699496/ The main reason cited was to provide fans with a better experience. 236. Ryan posted: 06.23.2019 - 11:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @234 Yes, me and most everyone else. I like the idea of giving the halfway leader 5 points, 2nd three points and 3rd one point with no caution. Get rid of the stages. I'm a Winston Cup guy so I like the idea of rewarding for leading, but the stages must go. We're supposed to race not slow down. 237. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (3) (2) 187.. Don't get your panties in a twist dude. I was far from the only one that had that opinion and i felt that way before the engine failure. It's only an opinion man, don't be so offended like the world is becoming. Soft race fans these days. You guys wouldn't have survived the golden age. Pansies i tell ya. haha 238. Chase9Fan posted: 06.23.2019 - 11:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) 236. I agree, stage racing sucks, takes away strategy, and brings unnecessary cautions. 239. Sector posted: 06.24.2019 - 7:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kansas must be a ?I wished I did it differently? moment for Kyle. He would be 16 fin16 in Top 10's right now. 240. Altracing posted: 06.24.2019 - 7:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DiBenedetto's top 5 finish is the first for the #95 on a non-restrictor plate race since October 1974 when Darrell Waltrip finished 5th at Rockingham 241. Tarheel posted: 06.24.2019 - 8:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 240, it's also Leavines first top five in a non restrictor plate race, coming in the teams 200th start. I wonder if they were able to snag a win somewhere, even just on strategy, would Toyota step up their support in the post season. 242. Chase9Fan posted: 06.24.2019 - 9:13 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) Loved the interview with Matt D after the race. Raw emotion with a top 5. Then you have asshats like Kyle Busch who takes it all for granted. 243. Mile501 posted: 06.24.2019 - 10:04 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Loved the interview with Matt D after the race. Raw emotion with a top 5." That's what this sport is missing. We used to see things like that more often. Now, with the same drivers running up front all the time and a lack of drivers who had to work really hard to climb the ladder, we don't see things like that very often anymore. That was kind of the point of Brock Beard's recent video (see comment #41). The sport needs more moments like that, but sadly, I don't see that being in the future. 244. Chase9Fan posted: 06.24.2019 - 10:07 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) 243. Agreed! 245. Hi posted: 06.24.2019 - 10:13 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) @242 Yeah. I used to love Kyle Busch but then Matt DiBenedetto came in and he was a great racer, a nice person, and a comedian. He also never takes anything for granted like racing 246. Sector posted: 06.24.2019 - 12:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @242 Truth be told he's used to it and is a regular multiple winner. There's nothing asshat about it. Jimmie Johnson was an asshat when he was winning races too huh? 247. Mile501 posted: 06.24.2019 - 1:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Aside from the Gaunt Brothers' part-time team, all the Toyota teams finished in the top 10 (the lowest-finishing Toyota was 8th). 248. JSPorts posted: 06.24.2019 - 1:08 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) My predictions for the final 2019 standings: 1st: Kevin Harvick, 3 wins/14 top 5s/29 top 10s 2nd: Chase Elliott, 5/18/21 3rd: Jimmie Johnson, 1/10/21 4th: Kyle Busch, 6/18/27 5th: Denny Hamlin, 4/13/25 6th: Joey Logano, 3/13/23 7th: Brad Keselowski, 3/15/24 8th: Martin Truex, Jr, 4/11/21 9th: Kyle Larson, 1/8/15 10th: Clint Bowyer, 0/7/19 11th: Ryan Blaney, 1/7/16 12th: Kurt Busch, 0/5/16 13th: Daniel Suarez, 1/7/15 14th: Ryan Newman, 0/0/11 15th: Erik Jones, 1/10/17 16th: Ryan Preece, 2/3/4 17th: Aric Almirola, 0/1/11 18th: William Byron, 0/3/8 19th: Alex Bowman, 0/5/7 20th: Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 0/3/4 21st: Austin Dillon, 0/1/5 22nd: Paul Menard, 0/0/3 23rd: Chris Buescher, 0/0/4 24th: Ty Dillon, 0/1/2 25th: Daniel Hemric, 0/3/4 26th: David Ragan, 0/0/0 27th: Bubba Wallace, 0/0/1 28th: Matt DiBenedetto, 0/1/1 29th: Corey LaJoie, 0/0/0 30th: Michael McDowell, 0/1/1 31st: Matt Tifft, 0/0/0 32nd: Reed Sorenson, 0/0/0 33rd: Quin Houff, 0/0/0 34th: J.J. Yeley, 0/0/0 35th: Jamie McMurray, 0/0/0 36th: Stanton Barrett, 0/0/0 37th: Casey Mears, 0/0/0 Other race winners: Tyler Reddick (1 win) Manufacturer's champion: Toyota (15 wins) Rookie of the Year: Ryan Preece (16th in points) 249. A.J. posted: 06.24.2019 - 1:11 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) @248 You'll be able to say you got the manufacturer's champion right, but otherwise thanks for a good chuckle. 250. UnderdogFan89 posted: 06.24.2019 - 1:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Top 10 Points Finishers. Actual Finish in parentheses. 1. Denny Hamlin (5) 2. Martin Truex (1) 3. Kyle Larson (10) 4. Kyle Busch (2) 5. William Byron (19) 6. Ryan Blaney (3) 7. Kevin Harvick (6) 8. Aric Almirola (9) 9. Matt DiBenedetto (4) 10. Ryan Newman (7) Notes: Denny Hamlin scores his 3rd Points Win. Martin Truex's 10th Points Top 10. This is the 5th race where the Points Winner was not the race winner. 251. Mile501 posted: 06.24.2019 - 1:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 3rd place Ryan Blaney crossed the finish line about 32 seconds behind the winner. 252. Tarheel posted: 06.24.2019 - 1:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 248, looking for laughs? Truex and Kes are done winning for the year but Preece wins twice? Kurt Busch, Bowyer, and Bowman don't win? And as much as I like Elliott, he'll be hard pressed to win four more times this year. These are the rankings of a madman! 253. Chase9Fan posted: 06.24.2019 - 2:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 248, 5 wins for Chase Elliott? No way. I wish, but don't see it. 254. WindowsME posted: 06.24.2019 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @248 Jimmie Johnson third in points with 21 top 10's? Thanks, I needed a good laugh today. 255. Hi posted: 06.24.2019 - 4:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @248 I'm laughing so hard I'm dying 256. Custer00Fan posted: 06.24.2019 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 248 Thanks for a good laugh pal. 257. David posted: 06.24.2019 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While I'd adore seeing serious underdog Ryan Preece win a couple of times in 2019, that's never going to happen. Nor are Chase Elliott & Jimmie Johnson suddenly going to begin winning races and getting numerous top 10s, nor are the top Toyotas (such as Truex) and Fords (such as Keselowski) going to cease winning altogether - unless NASCAR has some mid-season rules package ready to introduce for Chevy's benefit (LOL!) along the lines of the Toyota Gift Package that was abruptly implemented in mid-2015 just prior to the Kentucky race. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion/wishful thinking, but that list is just a wee bit off-the-wall. 258. 1995-Subaru-WRX-Sti posted: 06.24.2019 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @175, NASCAR wanted too use 3-4 different variations of this years package but the teams said no.... a lot. Proably because they didn't want too dump the money into R&D for 3-4 variations. Which in hindsight is comical at best because who are the ones spending @$$ loads of money on R&D for a little bit and are the mostly the reason why the rulebox is so tight? I will take The NASCAR teams for 30 million Alex. 259. Tarheel posted: 06.24.2019 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It might turn out that the only thing that will keep Kyle Busch or Martin Truex from winning ten races this year is each other. Penske is still a step behind Gibbs, and after that I'd say Hendrick, Stewart Haas, and Ganassi are roughly equal. I hope that once some of the teams currently fighting for second best are able to improve on this package when they start hitting tracks for the second time this year. 260. Guy posted: 06.24.2019 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @248 did you make that with a random.com generator or something? Thanks for the laughs. 261. Mile501 posted: 06.24.2019 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @260 - Last year, JGR and SHR won 19 of the first 21 races (the only races they failed to win were 2 of the plate races). But then they combined to only win 6 of the last 15 races. Things tend to change as the season goes on, and it is rare for the same one or two organizations stay on top all year long. 262. Larry posted: 06.24.2019 - 8:48 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Everyone keeps talking about how the same guys run up front every week, yet, that has been the case for all of the Modern Era at least. From 1995-2001 you had Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, and Rusy Wallace running up front every week. I do not believe that is the problem most people have. Back then, drivers had personality; they did not immaturely whine over bump and runs, and no one that I could remember felt like people owe them something because of their name or success. Today, drivers are different. Few have such "personality", and few seem to be grateful for simply being blessed to drive a good racecar. Until we have drivers like that again, and until NASCAR figures out what makes an actual Chamption and figure out how to score points so the guy who wins actually scores the most points, we will continue to be stuck with mundane NASCAR seasons. 263. Tarheel posted: 06.24.2019 - 9:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 262, true. SHR did dominate the first two thirds of last year, but the final third seemed to belong to Penske. That's why I believe someone else can step up before the year is out. 264. joey2448 posted: 06.25.2019 - 5:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @216 "Even on the longer course (albeit with one less caution), this race still managed to break the old track record for average speed, with an 83.922 MPH average speed. The old record was set in 2012 when this race averaged 83.624 MPH." True, but the 2012 race was still quicker by 2 minutes, 14 seconds (and that came with a green-white-checker finish that added two laps. The different length course doesn't change the average speed in MPH. 265. Mile501 posted: 06.25.2019 - 6:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @263 - The period from 2001-2003 was definitely more competitive than what we see now. In 2001, 19 different drivers from 14 (yes, 14!) different organizations won races. Still, I agree with your point. It isn't so much about the quality of the racing as it is about the drivers themselves. Most of today's drivers just aren't as interesting to follow, and few had to work hard to get where they are now. 266. UnderdogFan89 posted: 06.25.2019 - 7:59 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) @263 I did some digging based on what you said. Between 1995 and 2001 there were 29 different winners. In the same time frame of 2013 to current (almost identical right now in terms of number of starts due to 2001 being the first season of 36 races), there have been 28 different winners. So nearly the same. What I really noticed though is that, on the list of winners from '95 to '01, only two drivers were no longer competing in Cup at the end of '01: Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan. But when looking at the '13 to '19 list, a whopping 10 drivers no longer compete in Cup: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and A.J. Allmendinger. That's over a third of the list of winners from the last six years that no longer race. To add to this, another 4 drivers from '13 to current have only ever won on a restrictor plate track. The number from '95 to '01? 1 That means that 26 drivers from 1995 to 2001 had won on a non-restrictor plate track and planned on competing in 2002. The number going into this week? 14. Make of that what you will. 267. Sector posted: 06.25.2019 - 2:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @267 I do think this year is far more competitive than last season, or the season before. We have 4-5 drivers taking turn winners and only once we had a back to back winner. 5 drivers has won 2-4 races so far. It's almost like 2014, except they are winning fastest in the first half instead of over the course of the season. Last year was mainly Kevin Harvick vs Kyle Busch, while it was due for both to win the most races in a single season finally, it was apparently ?such a bad thing for the sport? to have happened. Kyle and Kevin's wins have been paralleled quite commonly (2011, 2013, 2015, 2018) in case anyone else noticed and would like to share more statistics (JSports? Miles?). They both also struggled to win the most races as they were always 1 win shy of tying the guys who did (Harvick 2006 to Kasey Kahne, 2014 to Brad Keselowski and Kyle 2008 to Carl Edwards, then both were one behind in 2011 and 2016 to name a few). Especially considering their feud from the 2011 Darlington race, they also won back to back championships together in 2014 and 2015. I find all of this fascinating, sadly there are more haters who could careless because of who the ?drivers are? than what was accomplished. Regardless the fans now-a-days are weaker than the fans of old. Look at ?Me.? For example. Cole Custer started competing for wins regularly only this season and he's already sick of him. Patience is a skill. As we're seeing improvements within a Chevy compared to the last two years they continue to whine about the same topic(s) over and over... which is what Kahne Elliott-now Anonymous lacks. 268. 1995z71 posted: 06.25.2019 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cody Ware said on Twitter that he suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after his A/C and ventilation broke in the car. Hences the fatigue DNF. 269. Nucl3arWa4le posted: 06.26.2019 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor update #3 - Dow Coatings / Kilz 270. Anonymous posted: 05.08.2020 - 2:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Turns out this was Jimmie Johnson's last cup race at Sonoma, a track he won at in 2010. 271. Rich posted: 09.25.2020 - 11:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon were the commentators. Matt Yocum, Jamie Little and Regan Smith were the pit road reporters. Larry McReynolds was the rules analyst. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: