Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have continued to show their dominance in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021, proving that very point once again at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, with Larson’s No. 5 claiming the victory – in overtime — over teammate Chase Elliott by six tenths of a second.
The Elk Grove, California-native won both of the race’s first two stages in dominating fashion, earning an additional pair of playoff points to use when he competes for his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series Championship this Fall. Larson found his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet in the lead six times for a total of 57 laps, more than four-times the amount of laps led by any other driver.
Larson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott, finished in the runner-up position, marking the fourth consecutive 1-2 finish for the organization in the NASCAR Cup Series, tying a record set by Carl Kiekhaefer’s team in Spring 1956, as the team embarked on a mind-boggling 16-race win streak.
The winner of the last two NASCAR Cup Series events at Sonoma, Martin Truex Jr, finished in third-place, with Joey Logano and Kyle Busch rounding out the top-five.
Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain finished in sixth and seventh for Chip Ganassi Racing, picking up some much-needed points in the battle for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs reaches its final 10-race stretch. Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10.
The event featured a total of eight caution flags for 18 laps (19.56-percent), five of which were for incidents on the track, with the other three being a competition caution and the two stage breaks.
With Sonoma complete – the 16th race of the NASCAR Cup Series season and the last points-paying event for broadcast partner FOX Sports — Chris Buescher holds a 60-point advantage over Matt DiBenedetto for the playoff bubble. Kurt Busch leaves Sonoma 63 points back, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leaves 82 points behind.
