NASCAR changes Sonoma results shortly after the race ends

After seemingly being on his way to a runner-up finish in Sunday afternoon's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Joe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr. ran out of gas, and his No. 19 Toyota ended up coming to a halt just shy of the finish line.

Truex, who was in contention for his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season before being passed by eventual race winner Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports, plummeted down the order and was scored in 27th place.

NASCAR threw the caution flag after several drivers had finished the race behind Larson, including Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell and RFK Racing's Chris Buescher in second and third place, respectively.

NASCAR changes Sonoma results after race ends

When the yellow flag flew, there were still several battles going on throughout the rest of the field around the 12-turn, 1.99-mile (3.203-kilometer) natural terrain Sonoma, California road course.

One driver going in the wrong direction was Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch, who was in the fight for a top five finish before contact from Trackhouse Racing Team's Ross Chastain spun him around on lap 110 of 110.

Busch limped the No. 8 Chevrolet home in 17th place. However, as is always the case, the results when drivers first cross the finish line are indeed unofficial, and the Toyota/Save Mart 350 provided us with yet another instance of NASCAR adjusting the results after the checkered flag this season.

It was later ruled that the caution flag had come out while Busch was running in 12th place, and given the fact that he was still maintaining speed when the yellow conditions were imposed, he was officially scored in 12th.

Truex did not maintain the position where he was running simply because he was no longer running, so he still finished in 27th place, marking a miserable end to what had been a solid comeback drive at a venue where he had previously won four times, including last year.

While Busch's 12th place finish may not make him feel much better than a 17th place, given the fact that he was slated for a top five result, the five extra points he gained after the checkered flag flew, due to NASCAR's revision of the order, could be key down the stretch, as he currently finds himself just a few points below the playoff cut line.

Following the revision, Busch is eight points below the playoff cut line instead of 13.

The two-time series champion has not missed the postseason since 2012, and he has not yet won a race this year after entering the season on a 19-year winning streak, the longest in Cup Series history.