Winners and losers from SVG’s dominant NASCAR Cup win at Sonoma

Shane van Gisbergen is redefining what it means to be a road racing specialist, winning again this weekend at Sonoma. He led 97 of 110 laps, and if not for a runner-up finish in the Xfinity race, he would have back-to-back weekend sweeps right now. He also returned Red Bull to Victory Lane in the Cup Series for the first time in nearly 14 years.

The Cup race at Sonoma was action-packed behind SVG with lots of contact and plenty of hurt feelings. And not all of it managed to make this list, such as Chase Elliott’s tire gamble nearly resulting in a race win, or Ross Chastain spinning out his own teammate at one point during the race. But there’s still a lot more to talk about, so let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from Sonoma:

WINNER: SVG after another sensational victory

Fairly obvious, but we have to give credit where credit is due. Van Gisbergen has now earned four Cup wins in his first 34 starts — faster than any other driver in history. He has been nearly unstoppable on road street courses, and is now tied for the most wins this year. At Sonoma, he led 97 of 110 laps. If not for stage breaks and green-flag pit cycles, he likely would have led every single lap. It’s simply incredible to see, as even other road course aces haven’t been able to dominate the NASCAR regulars like this. 

LOSER: Ryan Blaney because wherever he went, trouble followed

Blaney had a fast car on Sunday, but he never really got to show it. He got moved out of the way by Chase Briscoe, and later elbowed off the track by Chris Buescher when the RFK Racing driver got loose. Blaney ended up stuck on the side of a hill, losing a lap in the process. He got back on the lead lap, but actually collided with Kyle Busch as he was trying to get back around the field under caution. There was no real damage, but in the restarts that followed, he ended up directly in the path of a spinning car. Blaney was clipped and his race was finally over…finishing 36th.

WINNER: Chase Briscoe for being the best of the rest

Watch: Chase Briscoe recaps his late-race battle with SVG

Briscoe had the second-best car all day at Sonoma, but he had several restarts where he could have moved SVG and taken the win by force. However, he chose not to, taking second and enjoying his best result ever at the road course. He went to Victory Lane to congratulate SVG and praised the Kiwi for his ‘unbelievable’ abilities on road courses.

LOSER: Carson Hocevar ends up on the other end of some aggressive driving

Hocevar’s day started badly, barely keeping minimum speed after some early issues. But through perseverance and some clever strategy, he ended up inside the top five in the closing laps of the race. But Hocevar’s day ended with a 32nd-place finish after Josh Berry ran through him for position. It’s an awkward position for Hocevar, who can’t really say or do anything about it due to his own run-ins in recent races. 

WINNER: Ty Dillon continues to be the ultimate underdog 

Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Larry Placido Icon Sportswire via Getty Image

Who saw this coming? Dillon, who entered the $1 million in-season challenge as the bottom seed, has advanced into the semi-finals. He defeated Denny Hamlin at Atlanta after Hamlin’s early exit from the race, later doing the same with Brad Keselowski when the former Cup champion crashed in Chicago. At Sonoma, however, it wasn’t going to be another easy advancement. Dillon had to actually race head-to-head with Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on Sunday. On the final lap, Dillon used a bump-and-run to move Bowman and take the spot, just seconds before the end of the race. But will this Cinderella story go all the way to the Brickyard 400 and collect the big prize? Next up, he faces John Hunter Nemechek at Dover.

LOSER: Nobody wins when there’s shenanigans on pit road

During the Cup race at Sonoma, there was a close call in the pit lane that nearly led to a fistfight. Ty Gibbs clipped the tire carrier for Brad Keselowski as he drove through the box. While the move was legal, it was still a dangerous situation, and he didn’t seem to care about how close he got to the crew member, later telling NASCAR on TNT: “Those guys like to push it and that’s kind of the consequence you pay.” Immediately after the incident, the two pit crews got into a heated confrontation before officials split them up. It’s just a situation where no one wins, and perhaps NASCAR should make some changes to ensure it does not happen again.

WINNER: Connor Zilisch faces SVG head-to-head and stands strong

Watch: Zilisch praises SVG: ‘He pushes the entire field’ and will ‘kick their ass’

While not a moment from the Cup race, it’s still worth mentioning. 18-year-old Zilisch is the only driver who can leave Sonoma and say they beat SVG. It was a thrilling finish in Saturday’s Xfinity race with van Gisbergen pushing Zilisch to the absolute limit, but the teenager never faltered. It was remarkable race craft from both drivers and just another sign that Zilisch has a very bright future ahead of him.

LOSER: What happened to Kyle Larson and the #5 team?

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Ever since his latest attempt to complete the Indy 500/Coke 600 double, Larson has disappeared from the front of the field. At Sonoma, he led his first laps since May while trying to stay out during a pit stop cycle before the end of the stage. He never showed great speed and ended up getting spun out near the end, finishing 35th. It’s unclear what this team needs going forward, but with the playoffs rapidly approaching, they need to figure it out fast.