NASCAR Winner Spotlight: Martin Truex Jr. wins the 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350
By Mark Kristl
Martin Truex Jr. won the 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. The win was his second career NASCAR Cup Series win at the track.
Improving only one spot from where a driver qualified in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race does not sound overly impressive. Fortunately, Martin Truex Jr. started in second place, so his improvement landed him in victory lane, as he won the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. He now has 18 career Cup Series wins and three wins this season.
Truex Jr.’s win gives him 18 playoff points this season, which is the third most in the Cup Series. He currently sits in fifth in points and third in the playoff standings. He already locked up his playoff berth with his win at Auto Club Speedway in March. Additionally, earlier this month, he won at Pocono Raceway.
After qualifying in second place for the race, Truex Jr. led four times but did not accumulate any stage points. He took the lead on lap 91 and never looked back. On the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course, he won by 10.513 seconds over Kevin Harvick.
If Truex Jr. wants to repeat as Cup Series champion, he’ll need to continue to finish up front, especially ahead of Harvick and Kyle Busch. At Sonoma Raceway, the #78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was fast, as Truex Jr. led 62 of the race’s 110 laps.
More from NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
- NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500
The 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350 win for Truex Jr. was his second career Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway. He also won the 2013 Toyota Save/Mart 350. At that time, he drove the #56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. He led 51 laps of that race, including the final 28. Although he led laps in both races and won them both driving a Toyota, his 2013 season and 2018 season are quite different from one another.
In 2013, Truex Jr. finished 16th in points. At that time, he drove for Michael Waltrip Racing. His main sponsor was NAPA Auto Parts. Since then, NAPA Auto Parts have become the primary sponsor of Chase Elliott, and Michael Waltrip Racing have closed. Now, Truex Jr. drives for Furniture Row Racing, and his main sponsors are Bass Pro Shops and 5-Hour Energy.
The next race on the Cup Series schedule is the Overton’s 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Last year, Truex Jr. won the Cup Series race at the track. Last season, the Cup Series raced at the in September. It will be interesting to see how Truex Jr. and the other Cup Series drivers adapt to the race’s new date.
Next: NASCAR Stage Racing: Pros and Cons
As mentioned, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois hosts the next NASCAR Cup Series race. The Cup Series drivers are scheduled to race in the Overton’s 400. That 267-lap race is scheduled to air on NBC Sports Network beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 1.