Post by possum on Jun 7, 2021 17:05:43 GMT -5
Well, by Sonoma standards not a bad race. The changes to the track layout in 2019, adding the carousel, vastly improved the flow of the course. Kyle Larson clearly had the car to beat, and his expected competition, Truex, had to spend too much time getting to the front to then contend when he got there. Recent road course ace Elliott did challenge Larson at times, and it was interesting to see how his line and Larson's differed (for the most part Elliott was "backing the corner up", braking a little earlier on entry and getting on the gas sooner on exit). A few unusual names impressed, including Chastain, Lajoie, and Alfredo, altho the latter two had mishaps towards the end. Conspicuously absent was any real pit strategy, as the combination of 2 stage cautions and one competition caution pretty much eliminated any reason to try different pit timings.