Posted on by Holly Cain

Financial institution also sponsors Roush Fenway Racing ride

RELATED: Historic 2016 Great American Race tickets on sale now

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona International Speedway welcomed a familiar face in another major corporate partnership as DIS President Joie Chitwood III announced Tuesday that Fifth Third Bank will serve as the official bank of NASCAR’s most iconic track.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

It’s an extension of Fifth Third Bank’s NASCAR involvement, which already includes a multiyear sponsorship deal with Roush Fenway Racing and the No. 17 Ford driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was on hand Tuesday in Orlando for the announcement.

"Fact of the matter is we are all in," Fifth Third Bank (North Florida) CEO Brian Lamb said. "If you look at our motorsports involvement, it is strategic and long-term with resources we’re willing to invest and be a contributor to the industry.

"If you look at stock car racing, it overlays with the Fifth Third footprint. If you look at the 15 NASCAR tracks in and around our 12-state footprint from a business standpoint, it just makes good business sense for us to be involved in NASCAR.

"We’ve done a tremendous amount of work with dealerships and automobile manufacturers for over 100 years. So being focused on a motorsports strategy just aligns naturally with Fifth Third Bank."

With only a few days before the NASCAR nation arrives in Daytona Beach for the Coke Zero 400 weekend, Chitwood was all smiles about the newest big-name corporation to align itself so powerfully with the track, which is undergoing a $400 million "reimagining" renovation called DAYTONA Rising.

Not only is Fifth Third Bank the official bank of the property but is an official partner of the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (Sunday, July 5, 7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

What’s good for DIS is also a good sign for the sport as a whole.

"Anytime you have a partner and they want to grow their footprint, it tells you the sport is working for them and accomplishing their goals," Chitwood said. "Now Fifth Third joins us as our official bank so fan engagement opportunities, corporate hospitality and more importantly they are going to have their brand on ATMs all over the property servicing the fans. That’s a real positive sign for NASCAR, the sport and Daytona International Speedway.

"We all know this business is tougher and tougher and sponsors want to see certain metrics, they want to see a return on the investment so obviously those indicators must be very good because we’re seeing a partner grow the footprint. It’s a real positive and everyone should feel good about that."

Posted on by Staff Report

Earnhardt looks ahead to Daytona, halfway point of season

RELATED: Latest Chase Grid | Junior explains proposal, timeline for kids

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored a seventh-place finish at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday for his second straight top-10 finish at the California road course.

Yet, it was Earnhardt’s racing with Tony Stewart that had his fans wondering why he didn’t try to move the three-time champion for position.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

"I had a great race with Stewart," Earnhardt said on "The Dale Jr. Download" podcast on Dirty Mo Radio. "A lot of fans — reading their comments on Twitter — thought I should have moved him out of the way. There are two options as far as moving a guy at this race track. It’s Turn 7 and Turn 11, and he was not blocking me going into those corners.

"He would give me the inside braking zone and I would get down there on his inside and he was smart enough to take a line that would give him good drive-off to be able to beat me out of that corner and into the esses to take that position back. You can’t run over a guy that’s giving you the option to pass, and I just didn’t have enough race car at the time."

Earnhardt also explained that a left rear tire rub was causing him to lose a lot of grip as he was pursuing Stewart.

"So coming out of Turn 4, I needed to be right on the back of the 14, and I didn’t have the grip in the left rear exiting that corner that he did. Coming out of that corner, he would kind of squirt away a little bit and get two or three car lengths on me. So when I get into the braking zone in Turn 7, I would use up everything I could just to get even with him and that wouldn’t put me in position for a good exit. It was real difficult.

"I really used up that set of tires there and that tire rub was bothering us a little bit. Tony was driving an awesome line. He was running great laps. He would put together great corners everywhere and wouldn’t give me a lot of opportunity. Getting into Turn 11, I never had enough position on him. Coming out of 10, he had three or four car lengths on me every time so it wasn’t like I could just drive down in there and boot him out of the way. I did all I could do in the braking zone just to get back to him."

All in all, though, the Hendrick Motorsports enjoyed his run at the 1.99-mile track. He finished third in this race last year but was involved in accident with Matt Kenseth that he recalled while racing with Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne.

"I ran hard with the 5 at the end there. At the end of the race, he bonsaied into Turn 11 on the last lap and tore the whole right side off the car but we survived. Both of us got back out of the corner and down the straightaway to finish so that was good. I wrecked the hell out of Matt Kenseth last year at this race and me and him had some pretty good side-to-side action so that was fun to race with Matt clean without putting him in a tire barrier like I did last year.

RELATED: See Dale Jr.’s contact with Kenseth at Sonoma in 2014

"I knew it would be fun. If you can run every lap there, you are going to have a good time."

With the first road-course race of the season behind him, Dale Jr. has turned his attention towards the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ second trip to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (Sunday, 7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). Of his three Daytona wins, only one has come in the summer, and that was in 2001. And with one win this year (at Talladega Superspeedway in May), Earnhardt wants more.

"It’s a long, hard run to Homestead, and we don’t need to get complacent. We need to keep charging. We definitely need to get another win or two before this Chase and continue to work on finding speed to separate ourselves from the competition. That’s something that you think about when you get to the halfway point of the year.

"It’s definitely a time to sit down and communicate and reflect and make sure everybody is on the same page. You can’t just motor through this whole season without taking a moment to get everybody together.

"Greg’s (Ives, crew chief) doing a great job. All the guys, we got a great team. We got a bunch of good, hard-working guys that all get along. We’ll probably look back on where we are today, years from now, and it will really sink in how good we have it at this particular time when it comes to guys we got and how easy it is to work with each other. We’re in a good place. We’re real fortunate."

Posted on by Staff Report

O’Donnell: ‘Industry really cares and is really working together’

NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that findings from Tuesday’s Goodyear tire test at Darlington Raceway along with feedback from next weekend at Kentucky Speedway could be combined to come up with "a package that we may want to look at."

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart took part in the Darlington test three weeks after Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman tested tires for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Sept. 6, 7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) and a week ahead of extended practice for the Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts (July 11, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

"When we talked about Kentucky, we said we wanted to see how that played out, and there could be other events in the future that we wanted to look at so I’d say the work being done at Darlington is a potential tire that could match a package that we may want to look at," O’Donnell said. "We’re by no means anywhere near a decision yet, but we wanted to be prepared coming out of Kentucky to see what if any levers we could pull."

Last weekend at Sonoma, NASCAR and Goodyear monitored its new tire and the wear teams saw leading up to the race. Tire management saw side-by-side racing and led to strategy calls that decided the race. It was an example of track-specific packages to lead to better racing.

"…it’s a balance, and it’s going to be race-by-race," O’Donnell said. "Obviously when you look at Kentucky, we want to see a tire with some wear there, but you’ve got to manage the speeds also. When we go to a track like Michigan or Atlanta, obviously if you get too soft, the speeds go way, way up so it’s a balance for us to really match it with the aero and the engine package that you have so it’ll be more track-specific as we go forward."

O’Donnell noted that it continues to work with its official partner as well as the teams and manufacturers on finding the packages that provide the best racing.

"…the softer tire so it is something we’re working with the industry on," O’Donnell said. "Goodyear’s been a terrific partner in putting that together. We’ve got all three of the OEMs working with us so we’ll see how that goes in Darlington and then obviously how things play out in Kentucky as well."

The Darlington test, along with next weekend’s race at Kentucky, will help the industry understand the possibilities available for future packages. O’Donnell noted how the entire ecosystem has come together to put on the best show possible.

"…we really wanted to get ahead of it, work together and also work on what could happen coming out of Kentucky," O’Donnell said. "We’ve got a tentative plan that we’re talking to teams about to see which way we can go at some different venues so it’s been a lot of great collaboration.

"The fans should know ultimately that we’ve got an industry that really cares and is really working together. Then ultimately we’ve got to make the right decisions that we think will put on the best racing possible."

Posted on by Staff Report

Keep tabs on this weekend’s national series activity

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series head to Daytona International Speedway this week while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has off. Here’s more info on how you can follow along all weekend.

RACES

Sprint Cup Series: Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (Sunday, July 5, 7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM)
XFINITY Series: Subway Firecracker 250 (Saturday, July 4, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, MRN, SiriusXM)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Click here for on-track times, press conferences, leaderboards and GarageCam.

RACE DAY

• NSCS leaderboard
• NXS leaderboard
• NSCS Lap-by-Lap
• NXS Lap-by-Lap
• NSCS live standings

PRODUCTS

• RaceBuddy: Starting this weekend through the remainder of the season, NASCAR RaceBuddy will feature two (2) alternate live action camera angles, along with up to six (6) in-car cameras with different driver selections each race and four (4) for XFINITY races.
• RaceView: Watch virtual video of cars on track and listen to the scanner.
• RaceView Mobile: On your phone? Try RaceView here.
• Scanner: In-car audio only.
• Mobile Apps: Follow the leaderboards live from your device.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

Web stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Mobile app: iOS/Android

NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs will provide racing fans with unparalleled interactive digital access to every NASCAR Sprint Cup series race, including exclusive camera angles, custom diver information, and insider track information.

•  Multi-view options that bring fans inside the race, combining NBC Sports Group’s race simulcast and alternative camera angles, ranging from in-car views to various key track locations. For the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on July 5, one specialty camera will offer an innovative speed shot from Turn 4, capturing the cars as they speed by.

• Dedicated full-view, on-board alternate cameras.

• Additional features on the desktop/laptop experience, bringing fans comprehensive race-day information to their fingertips, including:

        • Driver updates, cup standings, and biographies

        • Track infographics with key facts and history

NBC Sports Live Extra will stream NASCAR coverage on NBC and NBCSN via "TV Everywhere", giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra.

FANTASY

• NASCAR Fantasy Live: Set your lineups, check your progress
• Streak to the Finish: Play in all three national series

LIVE INTERVIEWS

PressPass: Watch exclusive post-race interviews.

Stay tuned to NASCAR.com throughout the weekend for the latest news.

Posted on by Staff Report

Driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet is currently in first season with team

Alex Bowman will be back with Tommy Baldwin Racing in the No. 7 Chevrolet for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season after the team exercised its option on the 22-year-old driver.

The organization confirmed the decision in a Tuesday afternoon press release.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

"We’ve got some great things happening right now and the most important part of all our plans was signing Alex as early as possible," team owner Tommy Baldwin said in a release. "Now we can continue to focus on the rest of the parts and pieces needed to continue our forward progress."

Bowman is in his first season with TBR and his second full-time season in the series. Bowman has competed in 15 races this season and is currently 33rd in the point standings. His best finish this season is a 16th-place result in the May race at Talladega Superspeedway.

"I’m excited for all the things Tommy and the team have in the works and knowing that I will be a part of that for the next year is a good feeling," Bowman said. "This has been a good year for us and I am confident in what we can continue to do this season and next."

This weekend’s Coke Zero 400 (Sunday, 7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) is a return to the place where Bowman recorded his best career finish in the Sprint Cup Series. Last season, while driving for BK Racing, Bowman finished 13th in the rain-shortened event.

Posted on by Staff Report

Iconic No. 24 car returns for four-time champion’s final full-time season

BUY: Gordon gear, die-casts
RELATED: Gordon’s best paint schemes

The rainbow paint scheme will run again, Jeff Gordon confirmed on Tuesday morning in New York City.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon, unveiled his rainbow scheme on sponsor Axalta’s Twitter handle and the Tuesday edition of "CBS This Morning," driving down West 57th Street in Manhattan. Gordon will drive the car in the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (August 22, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, PRN, SiriusXM).

RELATED: Buy Bristol tickets

"It’s such an iconic paint scheme," Gordon said Tuesday morning. He went on to say that the fans’ support of the brightly colored scheme made it possible for the No. 24 team to roll it out again.

Running his final full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, Gordon sits 11th in the standings and would make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup based on points, but he continues to seek his first win of the season to all but lock his place in NASCAR’s playoffs as he attempts to win his fifth title.

According to HendrickMotorsports.com, Gordon drove the rainbow Chevrolet from his very first start in 1992 through the 2000 season. Take a look at his success with the car by the numbers as compiled by the team.

1: Rookie of the Year trophy

1: All-Star Race victory

3: Cup Series championships

17: Different tracks where Gordon earned at least one win in the rainbow scheme

33: Pole positions earned

52: Trips to Victory Lane

129: Top-five finishes

166: Top-10s recorded

10,708: Total laps led

1,000,000: Dollars earned for winning the Daytona 500, Charlotte 600 and Southern 500 in 1997.

With the scheme revealed, we’re less than two months until the #Rainbow24 returns to the track one final time. Take a 360-degree view of the special paint job.

Posted on by Nascar

Busch needs to finish top 30 in points to make the 16-driver postseason

RELATED: What Busch needs to make the Chase

SONOMA, Calif. – Kyle Busch made it into the winner’s circle here Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, clearing the second of three hurdles that have faced the Joe Gibbs driver with mended extremities and championship aspirations.
 
NASCAR officials gave Busch a pass on the first when they shouldered the blame for his own driving error earlier this season at Daytona.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

The requirement that a driver attempt all 26 races leading up to the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup was waived. The 11 races he missed due to a broken right leg and left foot have been forgiven if not forgotten.
 
The sanctioning body didn’t have to take into consideration the second qualifier – winning a points race. Busch, in just his fifth start of the season, needed no help there.
 
He became the 11th driver to win this season when he captured the Toyota/Save Mart 350, driving away from his older brother and a handful of others over the final five laps in his No. 18 Toyota.
 
Unlike the previous 10 winners, however, Busch still has work to do. And the third and final hurdle might be the most difficult of all to overcome.
 
To qualify for the Chase, Busch also has to be in the top 30 in driver points. With 10 races remaining before the Chase field is set, he’ll need an average finish of no worse than 14th, based on current standings, to make it.
 
In the five races he’s run since his return, his average finish has been 20th.
 
"Certainly it’s feasible," Busch said after his latest victory, the 30th of his career. "There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be.
 
"This team is good enough to be that way, and I should be good enough to be that way.
 
"I certainly put us in a hole bigger than it should have been at Dover and at Michigan. Those were entirely my fault … and I’ve got to be better than that. We can’t have any more of those."

RELATED: Victory Lane 1-on-1 with Busch
 
At Dover, he finished 36th after a crash and at Michigan he ended up last in the 43-car field, also after a crash.
 
When he hasn’t wrecked, he’s been 11th, ninth and now first.
 
Busch sits 37th as the series gets ready to head back to Daytona, site of his accident earlier this year. He trails 30th-place Cole Whitt by 136.
 
His return to the winner’s circle didn’t go unnoticed by his fellow drivers, who understand how tough the road has been for the 30-year-old.
 
"It’s a great story and he’s quite a fighter and quite a competitor," said four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon. "And I’m proud of him for how he’s handled this whole situation and the team as well in being patient.
 
"That’s a great win for him. I know it means a lot."
 
Clearing that final hurdle, though, is going to take a lot more, and would mean a lot more.
 
Busch has qualified for the Chase seven times in 10 seasons. Getting there has seldom been the issue in the past.
 
"It’s not going to happen in one week," said Busch. "That’s not how this business ever works. You’ve certainly got to play it out all the way through. That’s one of the things that maybe I haven’t been so good at over the years."

RELATED: Victory Lane 1-on-1 with crew chief Adam Stevens
 
In his 11th full season, Busch hasn’t found himself outside the top 30 in points very often – only three times during his career in fact. And all three came as a result of slow starts at the beginning of a season – as a rookie in ’05, again in ’09 and most recently in ’13.
 
None of the three instances were lasting; by the third race of the year he was inside the top 30 on each occasion.
 
The points deficit is a bit steeper this time around and the margin of error much smaller. But, as he said, a chance still exists.
 
"Ten weeks is a long time, so we’ve just got to do our job … we can’t screw up," Busch said. "I can’t screw up and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) has got to be smart on the box as well, make some good calls.
 
"We made some really good ones (at Sonoma), so there’s no reason why we can’t put ourselves in a good position to win some more."
 
Do that, of course, and his Chase eligibility will no longer be in doubt.

Posted on by Pat DeCola
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/jimmie-johnson/
JimmieJohnson
Hendrick Motorsports
Johnson led the most laps at Sonoma (45) but faded after the final restart for a sixth-place finish. Where he isn’t fading, however, is these Power Rankings, where he holds strong on top.
No second-guessing for Johnson
After Sunday, Harvick now has 2015 top-five finishes at 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.5-mile tracks and a road course. The man does not seem to have a weakness in his arsenal.
If there was ever a time Kurt Busch would be happy with a second-place finish, it’s seeing his brother finish just ahead of him in a monumental comeback from injury. A bump here doesn’t hurt, either.
Kurt happy for little bro
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/dale-earnhardt-jr/
DaleEarnhardt Jr.
Hendrick Motorsports
Logano comes off a solid road course finish (not typically his strong suit) in third place overall in points and as the reigning Daytona 500 winner as the series heads south for the Coke Zero 400. Things are going just swell for Mr. 22.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/brad-keselowski/
BradKeselowski
Team Penske
While his run-in with David Ragan that left him with a next-to-last-place finish may not have been his fault, the other 2015 heavyweights performed well and finished high in the running order and Truex suffers because of it.
Don’t look now but after Sonoma, Junior has finished in the top 10 at a road course two years in a row for the first time in over a decade (Watkins Glen, 2003-04).
Junior explains proposal
At Sonoma, Keselowski couldn’t build off the Michigan momentum he created with a sixth-place finish and has now finished outside the top 10 in six of his last nine overall starts.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/denny-hamlin/
DennyHamlin
-1
Joe Gibbs Racing
Looking ahead to Daytona, McMurray’s DIS stats are, to put it bluntly, weird. In 25 races, he’s started in the top 10 just three times, the last of which was 2006 – yet he has two wins that came in two starts outside the top 10.
Kenseth didn’t disappoint at Sonoma – but mainly because he wasn’t expected to perform well, given his history. His Daytona history is much more favorable, so look for the talented plate racer to rebound this weekend.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/kyle-busch/
KyleBusch
5
Joe Gibbs Racing
With another solid finish, all that’s missing from Kasey Kahne’s 2015 resume is that all-elusive win. Perhaps he can find that missing piece this weekend and break his 23-race dry streak at Daytona.
Hamlin has finished higher than 10th just once over the past six races and finds himself mired in 13th-place. If it weren’t for the Martinsville win, we’d have serious questions about Hamlin’s season.
Perhaps the only story that could’ve topped Kyle Busch’s victory at Sonoma would’ve been a win by Gordon in his final start at his home track, but it didn’t happen.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/clint-bowyer/
ClintBowyer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Emotional Sonoma race for Gordon
Any questions? As long as he finds his way into the top 30 in points, Kyle Busch will be racing for his first Sprint Cup Series title yet again this fall.
Kyle comes on strong, wins Sonoma
Menard couldn’t match a career-best fifth-place Sonoma finish earned in 2014, but the improvement from a starting position of 32nd to a finish of 13th ain’t too shabby, either.
https://www.nascar.com/drivers/danica-patrick/
DanicaPatrick
Stewart-Haas Racing
Carl, we hardly knew ye. After it appeared he’d righted the ship with a Charlotte win, he’s yet to finish in the top 10 since despite an average start of 7.0 in four races.
Posted on by

Full field analysis of all 43 cars in the Toyota/Save Mart 350

MORE: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid

1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing.  Busch, running on fresh tires, chased down Jimmie Johnson in the final five laps to earn his first victory of the 2015 season and become Chase eligible, assuming he finishes the regular season in the top 30 in points. | WATCH: Pit strategy critical to win

2. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The outside pole sitter followed his little brother across the finish line for the first time in a Cup race. | MORE: Brotherly 1-2 finish a ‘special moment’

3. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing.  Bowyer, the fastest driver in the first practice session, hit pit road under caution with 11 laps to go to get fresh tires for the final restart.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

 4. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick bounced back from an early pit miscue to earn his fourth top-five at Sonoma.

5. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske.  Logano slipped by a slowing competitor to hit pit road at just the right time on Lap 66 and held on for his ninth top-five this season. 

6. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson led a race-high 45 laps and initially paced the field on the final restart before being overwhelmed by competitors who took fresh tires during the previous stop. | MORE: No second-guessing for Johnson

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports.  Earnhardt rallied from his 20th starting spot to crack the top 10 by Lap 20 and earned his 10th top-10 of the year.

8. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne overcame an early vibration and picked up four spots on pit road with 10 laps to go.

9. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman claimed his seventh top-10 at Sonoma after avoiding a wreck on Lap 78.

10. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports.  Hornish’s team addressed an early brake issue and he went on to earn his second top-10 of the season.

11. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet. Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray was running 16th within the first five laps when he reported a serious vibration, the result of a delaminated left-rear.

12. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. “I’m loose because I’m getting hit,” radioed Stewart, who struggled to make up ground after the final restart.

13. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard started from the rear after an engine change and worked with his team all race long to find grip.

14. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. The late-race decision to stop for tires didn’t hurt Almirola, who earned his first top-15 at a road course.

15. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing.  The Elk Grove, California, native lost one spot after pitting for fresh tires during the final caution period of the race.

16. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. It was a disappointing day for the sport’s winningest road course driver and nearby Vallejo native who made a late-race setup change to match his teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | MORE: Gordon reflects on final race at Sonoma

17. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon slipped by a wrecking David Gilliland on Lap 22 and continued to climb through the field as his team helped him get more forward drive and side bite.

18. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. A loose right-rear wheel prompted Hamlin to make an unscheduled pit stop while running in the top 20 on Lap 17.

19. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski started 10th for the first time at Sonoma, but couldn’t rally after getting loose and slipping in Turn 7 on Lap 43.

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse lined up fourth for the final restart after staying out, but couldn’t hold off the teams on fresher tires.

21. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth was running 17th when he shredded his left-rear tire on Lap 45 and limped his way to pit road.

22. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt followed up his best Sonoma start with his best Sonoma finish.

23. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne, a Sonoma newcomer, returned to the lead lap after getting the Lucky Dog pass on the final caution period.

24. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick spun with seven laps to go and slipped from 22nd.

25. Alex Kennedy, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. In his third Sonoma start, Kennedy stayed out of trouble on the way to his best finish at the California road course.

26. Boris Said, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. The road course ringer bounced around the middle of the field all day for the No. 32 team.

27. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing.  Biffle lined up 17th for the final restart but had to return to pit road for right-side tires after contact flattened his right-front.

28. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. In his fourth Sonoma start, Wise claimed his best finish at the road course.

29. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing.  The Sonoma newbie was trying to get into his pit stall during the final caution period when he was weirdly turned around by one of the track sweepers. | MORE: Learn more about the incident

30. Justin Marks, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. The Rocklin, California, native earned his best Sonoma start in just his second career Cup outing.

31. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. A tight-handling condition turned into a tire concern for Bowman, who made an unscheduled green-flag stop at Lap 18.

32. Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. It was an educational day for the rookie, who improved his position after rolling off the grid 43rd.

33. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett started from the rear of the field after making an engine change and worked on the handling of his car en route to his best Sonoma finish.

34. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. McDowell spun off-course in Turn 7 during the final three laps, but saved his car to keep the caution flag from coming out.

35. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier’s best career Sonoma start was dampened around Lap 65 when he ran out of fuel.

36. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill was awarded the Lucky Dog pass during the second caution period, but struggled to keep pace around Sonoma’s tight turns.

37. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. The pole winner was running eighth on Lap 52 when he radioed his team about an engine issue. "Don’t worry about (lap) times. We ain’t going to make it much longer. … I have no speed." | For more in-car audio, sign up for Scanner today

38. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears was sidelined by a broken rear axle housing while running 15th on Lap 99. | WATCH: See what happened to Mears

39. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan was trying to keep Carl Edwards from winning seventh when Edwards lost control and hit Ragan, wrecking both competitors. | WATCH: Tough day for Ragan

40. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards was battling for seventh place when he hopped over the bumps and into the side of David Ragan, sending both competitors into the Turn 8 tire barrier. | MORE: Edwards tears up car in wreck with Ragan

41. J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing.  Yeley, in his seventh Sonoma start, spun exiting Turn 10 to bring out the caution flag on Lap 74.

42. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing.  Truex’s string of top-10s came to a halt after contact from David Ragan sent him spinning into the Turn 8 tire barrier on Lap 29. | MORE: Truex not happy with Ragan

43. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. After lining up 28th, Gilliland sustained a flat left-front tire and spun in Turn 10 on Lap 22.