NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Sonoma

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June 26, 2016; Sonoma, CA, USA; General view of the pack racing through turn 7a during the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Going Three-Wide

Watching cars go three-wide is one of the most exciting parts of a NASCAR race. The uncertainty of what is coming next plus the close-quarters action creates a unique atmosphere.

While it’s normal to see that a tracks like Daytona, Talladega or Michigan, it’s not normal to see it at a road course–especially Sonoma. We happened to see two different instances on Sunday.

First, there was a moment where Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart went three-wide heading into Turn 4. The result? Stewart being forced way wide and narrowly missing the wall. Amazingly, no one took any major damage.

WHAT? Three wide at @RaceSonoma! #TSM350 https://t.co/VomHGazJ12
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 26, 2016

On the second instance, drivers weren’t as lucky. After the final restart of the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Joey Logano went three-wide coming out of Turn 4. Logano nearly hit the wall as he made an effort to squeeze back into the pack. In the process, Edwards made contact with Earnhardt Jr., giving him damage near his left front tire.

Earnhardt Jr. was able to salvage an 11th-place finish after a day where he had competed in the top-10 for most of the race.

Next: A Defining Moment

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