Kyle Busch pulls away on late restart to take innaugural DoorDash 250 at Sonoma
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Sonoma-It had been 24 years since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had raced at Sonoma Raceway. If fact, many of them weren’t even born when Boris Said won back in October of 1998.
If there is one thing that’s been a constant this season with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it’s that mayhem will always ensue.
Despite all the chaos, two-time Sonoma winner Kyle Busch picked up his lone truck win of the year in his final of five starts this season. As a NASCAR Cup Series regular with three-plus years of experience at that level.
That meant that the inaugural DoorDash 250 would be the youngest Busch brother’s final start of the season in his Kyle Busch Motorsports 51 machine that had already found victory lane twice without him behind the wheel this season.
It’s also his first win turning left and right in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Busch did it by leading a race-high 45 laps as well.
Busch previously;y had a chance to win on the road course at Circuit of the Americas in Austin back in March.
“So didn’t score the win there, but was able to come out here and score win at Sonoma,” Busch explained. “So you know, feels good to get that when trucks haven’t been here in a long long time.”
Busch had to hold off some of the series’ best drivers this season on the final restart of the race at lap 73 of the 75-lap event. He had to hold off fellow KBM driver Chandler Smith and the three-time winner this season, Zane Smith. Zane Smith went on to bring it home in second and Chandler Smith finished in fifth.
It was a bit of a revenge race for Zane Smith who came to Sonoma last year and blew up shortly after the race began in the ARCA West race.
Rounding out the top five were Ross Chastain and Ty Majeski. Majeski also won the first stage of the race.
In the race, there was a total of six cautions for 17 total laps. Carson Hocevar started the race from the pole position and had to start at the rear due to wrecking it immediately after getting the pole position in qualifying. Hocevar was subbed out of the race for Daniel Suarez on lap 11 after injuring his ankle last week at World Wide Technology Raceway. Suarez went on to finish seventh in the 42 truck, which means all points go to Hocevar. Following the driver change, Suarez was two laps down as well.
Championship point leader Ben Rhodes won the second stage and finished 18th.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be back in action next week at Knoxville. There is just four races remaining until the playoffs begin.
Larson is on pole again for Toyota/Save Mart 350
For the fifth consecutive year, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson will start from the pole at Sonoma. This comes a year after he started on pole due to leading the points last year.
“It’s cool, the defending champion said. “My car was was really good for qualifying trim there. I felt like I could have went quite a bit faster there on my good lap.”
Like last year’s finishing order, Chase Elliott will start from the second spot in the race.
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 will be aired on FS1 with NASCAR RaceDay beginning at 11 am and the green flag around 1 pm.
Jake Drew goes back-to-back in ARCA Menards Series West
Jake Drew won the General Tire 200 that preceded the Cup events and Truck race on Saturday.
The race was ended eight laps early due to time constraints.
