NASCAR Barometer: Truex Wins Back to Back Sonoma Races

Martin Truex Jr. was the car to beat Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. He was among the fastest in practice, put the car on pole for the race in qualifying and then raced smartly throughout the long distance to get out front and hold the lead for the final laps in the race on Sunday. It was a near perfect weekend for the team and moves him even with Kyle Busch with four wins this season.

The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team will look to continue their domination this week at Chicagoland Speedway. The four drivers have 10 wins amongst them compared to the five at Penske Racing. With just one win from Chevrolet there are a lot of hungry drivers out there still looking for their tickets into the playoffs as a 2019 winner. Chances to get that job done are running out as the season marches on.

UPGRADE

Martin Truex Jr. – Nothing could stop Truex at Sonoma last week. He qualified on pole Saturday and focused on a pit strategy that would give him the best opportunity to win the race instead of the early stages. By the time the final stage started he was out front and left the rest of the field to fight over the scraps left in his wake. Even a closing Kyle Busch didn't have enough to truly challenge Truex as he grabbed back-to-back wins at the California circuit. Truex should also be a top fantasy pick this week. He won two of the last three races at Chicagoland and finished fourth last season and continues to battle teammate Busch for dominance of the 2019 season.

William Byron – Byron started on the front row and took the lead on the first lap in Sunday's race, going on to lead his first laps on a road course and dominate the opening stage to take the segment win. Unfortunately, he elected not to pit prior to the end of the second stage, which lost him the track position he could have used to mount a more serious charge toward the finish. That decision haunted his finish, as he wasn't able to climb forward and walked away with only a top-20 finish after what might have been a top-five run. Byron finished 20th in his first Cup series start at Chicagoland Speedway despite starting in the top 10. 

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin took advantage of the leaders pitting ahead of him to grab the second stage win in Sonoma on Sunday. He finished second to Byron in the opening segment and then claimed the second after leader Martin Truex Jr. decided to pit before stage end. It was his second stage win of the season. He then went on to overcome the track position he lost by not pitting prior to the end of the second stage to climb inside the top 10 for a valuable points finish. Hamlin won at Chicagoland in 2015 and has five consecutive top-10 finishes at the track heading into this weekend's race. Joe Gibbs Racing has been the dominant team this season, and Hamlin remains one to watch.

Ryan Blaney – Blaney backed up his win on the road course last season at Charlotte with another impressive race Sunday in Sonoma. The Penske Racing driver has been falling adrift of his two teammates, who both have wins this season in recent races, but he turned the tables Sunday on the road course. He had one of the more impressive runs throughout the afternoon and confidently worked his way into the top five for the finish. Blaney is still looking for a win this season and needs to reverse his recent momentum to do so. That turn may have come Sunday. At Chicagoland he has a best finish of fourth in 2016 and finished in the top 20 each of the last two seasons. He will be looking for more than that this week.

Ryan Newman – Smart fantasy players would have had Newman on their radar for Sunday's race at Sonoma, and those who took the plunge were rewarded with a top-10 finish from the veteran. Newman had a respectable Sonoma record prior to last week's race, and the recent push forward he has given the Roush Fenway Racing team combined with that record made for a finish worth celebrating on Sunday. Newman is fighting for a spot in the playoffs and finishes like last week's will help him earn on. It was his fifth top-10 of the season. Newman also has a Chicagoland win on his resume from 2003. He led three laps in last year's race and finished 15th.

DOWNGRADE

Clint Bowyer – Misfortune struck Bowyer again Sunday. He suffered a loose wheel after pitting before the first stage finish, which sent him to pit road early in the second segment. Luckily, he didn't lose a lap with the stop but was at the back of the field. One must wonder what that lost track position cost because by the end Bowyer had worked his way all the way back to the top 10. Had the incident not struck, he might have been in contention for the win, but his original strategy was thrown out the window with the issue. Bowyer started and finished fifth in last year's visit to Chicagoland, leading 21 laps along the way. Just a little luck could make a big difference for this team.

Kevin Harvick – Harvick was completely lost last weekend in Sonoma. On a track he used to dominate, he was virtually nowhere to be found until pit strategy worked him into the top 10 in the final 50 laps of the race. It seems like forever since the No. 4 has been in Victory Lane, and by the time he visited Sonoma a year ago, he already had five wins in the bag. Pressure will continue to mount on this team until they are able to solve the problems that have been ruining their season, and time is running out for them to do so. He finished third in consecutive Chicagoland races but probably shouldn't be considered a top fantasy play this week despite two wins at the track in his first two visits.

Chase Elliott – Elliott had raced well through Sunday's road course race but suffered oil pressure loss while running in the top five during the final stage. Elliott got his first Cup series win last season on the Watkins Glen road course but couldn't repeat the feat due to the mechanical issue he suffered on Sunday. He has two top-fives in his three visits to Chicagoland and continues to be one of the fastest Hendrick Motorsports cars on track each week. While Sunday's race was a rare mechanical failure, he does have his Talladega win from earlier in the season on which to fall back. Fantasy players should retain confidence but watch carefully how the team responds to Sunday's disappointment.

Daniel Suarez – While Suarez isn't the most noted road course racer in the field, he was expected to give a decent finish to lineups last week. He was doing that throughout the afternoon but ran afoul of an uncontrolled tire on his final pit stop, which gave him a drive-through penalty and dropped him out of the top 20 with less than 25 laps remaining. Despite not having a top-10 finish in his two visits to Chicagoland Speedway, he hasn't been a terrible fantasy option. He has qualified and finished inside the top 13 in both of his prior trips to the circuit. Suarez didn't deliver to fantasy owners Sunday, and that could mean another sub-par run this week.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Matt DiBenedetto – Who knew DiBenedetto could be so good on a road course? The Leavine Family Racing driver put on a show Sunday in Sonoma, racing inside the top 10 all afternoon in an impressive showing amongst some very capable drivers. Aside from All-Star weekend, his best finish this year was a 12th-place run at Bristol in April. Last week's performance should be a huge boost to him and the team as they work hard to get inside the top 20 in points. Don't get too excited about his chances for fantasy rosters this week, though. DiBenedetto's best Chicagoland finish is only 29th, which he grabbed last season after starting 28th. He may not be the ideal pick for this week, but those who chose him last week received significant payback.