Kyle Busch took his 30th career win and the first Busch brothers one-two finish, after a red flag, five cautions and a late pass on Jimmie Johnson.
The 2015 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on 28 June 2015 at Sonoma Raceway. It was the 16th race of the 2015 season, contested over 110 laps and won by Kyle Busch.
Kyle Busch won the 2015 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on 28 June 2015, his first win of the season. His brother Kurt finished second, the first time the Busch brothers had finished one-two, after a race of cautions, a red flag and a late pass on Jimmie Johnson.
Who won the 2015 Toyota/Save Mart 350?
Kyle Busch won the race, his first of the season and his first since the 2014 Auto Club 400. Kurt Busch finished second, Clint Bowyer third, Kevin Harvick fourth and Joey Logano fifth.
It was Busch's 30th career victory and his second at Sonoma Raceway. It was also his fourth win at the track for Joe Gibbs Racing, and it moved him up to 37th in the points standings.
The winner's share was $315,481. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Leader Bonus, which had no winner, rolled over to $130,000 for the next event.
A race of cautions and one red flag ended with Kyle Busch's first win of 2015 and the first Busch brothers one-two finish.
What was Sonoma Raceway like?
The raceway is a road course and drag strip of 2.52 miles (4.06 km), with 12 turns and a total elevation change of 160 feet (49 m). The circuit sits on the landform known as Sears Point, in the southern Sonoma Mountains.
The race was run over 110 laps on the 1.99 mile (3.2 km) road course.
Why was the pit road light changed?
After a miscommunication in the Xfinity race at Chicagoland Speedway, 19 cars pitted before pit road was officially open. NASCAR then announced that the indicator light at the entrance to pit road would be controlled by officials in race control, not by an official at the pit entrance.
The new policy was in place for the Sonoma weekend, when forty-four cars were entered. It meant the timing of pit entry was decided from race control, which was a direct response to the Chicagoland problem.
How did the entry list look?
The entry list was released on Friday, 19 June, at 2:32 p.m. Eastern time, and forty-four cars were entered. All but one of the cars had raced at the previous event at Michigan, and the exception was Michael McDowell's No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford.
Three driver changes took place for the weekend. Boris Said drove the No. 32 Ford for Mike Bliss, Alex Kennedy drove the No. 33 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon, and Justin Marks attempted to start the No. 34 Ford for Brett Moffitt.
Josh Wise's No. 98 switched from Ford to Chevrolet for the race. Jeff Gordon, the all-time winningest driver at Sonoma, made his 23rd and final start at the track.
How fast were the cars in practice?
Clint Bowyer was fastest in the first practice session with a time of 74.979 seconds, a speed of 95.547 mph (153.768 km/h). Kyle Busch was fastest in the final session at 74.489 seconds, or 96.175 mph (154.779 km/h).
Bowyer's best time came in the first session, and Busch's came in the final one.
Who took pole for the race?
A. J. Allmendinger won the pole at 74.385 seconds, a speed of 96.310 mph (154.996 km/h). Kurt Busch qualified second, Matt Kenseth third, and Jeff Gordon fifth.
Brendan Gaughan was the only driver who failed to make the race. Allmendinger thanked his crew for the work they had done on the car, and Kurt Busch credited his crew chief, Tony Gibson, with a nice package.
Gordon said the car was capable of being at least first or second. He had missed one corner on his last run, and he was not sure how much that had cost him.
How did the first half of the race go?
The race was scheduled to start at 3:19 p.m. but began three minutes later, with Allmendinger leading the field to the green flag. Kurt Busch jumped ahead of him at turn 2 and led the first lap, and the field then settled into a single-file rhythm.
McMurray made an unscheduled stop on lap 10 for a flat right-side tyre. Hamlin also pitted on that lap, for a loose right-rear tyre. The first caution came on lap 22, when David Gilliland slid into the tyre barrier at turn 10 with a flat left-front tyre.
Clint Bowyer chose not to pit under caution and took the lead. Racing restarted on lap 27, and Kyle Busch took the lead from Bowyer at turn 7a.
The second caution came on lap 29, when David Ragan made contact with Martin Truex Jr., and Truex was sent into the wall at turn 8. He said afterwards that the traffic was congested in the mid-pack, and that he had been trying to get clear.
Why was there a red flag?
Repairs to the damaged concrete wall led NASCAR to stop the race with a red flag on lap 32, for 10 minutes and 30 seconds.
Kurt Busch took back the lead from his brother at turn 11 on lap 40. Matt Kenseth blew a left-rear tyre at turn 4a and made an unscheduled stop on lap 45.
Allmendinger reported fuel pickup problems on lap 57 and pitted on lap 60. Allgaier ran dry on lap 65 and coasted back to the pits, leaving the race under green.
How did the race finish?
The third caution flew on lap 74 when J. J. Yeley hit the inside wall at turn 10. Carl Edwards then hit Ragan and spun into the wall as racing restarted with 32 laps to go.
The fifth caution came with 12 laps to go, when debris on the front stretch brought out a yellow. Casey Mears's left-rear wheel well came off as he exited turn 11, and almost every other driver pitted for tyres while Johnson stayed out.
Kyle Busch passed Johnson as they climbed turn 3 to take the lead with five laps to go. Michael McDowell then went off track at turn 7a with three laps left, but he got the car going again and the race stayed green.
How did the finishing order look?
| Result | Driver | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Kyle Busch | 30th career win, $315,481 |
| Second | Kurt Busch | Mobil 1 Driver of the Race, 137.7 driver rating |
| Third | Clint Bowyer | Podium finish |
| Fourth | Kevin Harvick | A difficult day after a fast car |
| Fifth | Joey Logano | Moog Steering and Suspension Problem Solver of the Race |
| Sixth | Jimmie Johnson | 3M Lap Leader with 45 laps |
| Final start at Sonoma | Jeff Gordon | Finished 16th in his final Sonoma start |
The race had nine lead changes among five different drivers. Johnson led a race-high 45 laps before he was passed for the lead with a few laps to go.
What did the drivers say afterwards?
Kyle Busch said the win was awesome and credited his team at Joe Gibbs Racing and his medical team. Harvick said his team had probably the fastest car on the track, but a run of problems had cost it the race.
Johnson said he had played the strategy perfectly, and that the team would run the same plan again the next day. Gordon said the car had been really good at the end, and that his last pit stop had been a risk because the team had nothing to lose.
What were the race awards?
The awards included the 3M Lap Leader, which went to Johnson with 45 laps. The Mobil 1 Driver of the Race went to Kurt Busch with a 137.7 driver rating, and the Sunoco Rookie of the Race to Alex Kennedy.
The Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap went to Allmendinger at 1:15.570, or 94.802 mph (152.569 km/h). The Ingersoll Rand Power Move went to Sam Hornish Jr. for eight positions.
How was the race covered?
Fox Sports covered the race on Fox Sports 1, its seventh race at Sonoma and its first since 2006. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip called the action in the booth.
The Performance Racing Network carried the radio broadcast, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Several commentators called the race from different points around the circuit.