Martin Truex Jr. takes dominant win at Sonoma Raceway, edging Kyle Busch

Charlotte Observer NASCAR reporter Alex Zietlow passed along lap-by-lap updates as the action at Sonoma Raceway unfolded this afternoon. Find those updates in the section below. Refresh this page for the latest news.

Find full results from the race here.

Live updates: Sonoma Raceway road course

Stage 3

Lap 110: Martin Truex Jr. sails to his second win of 2023 and his 33rd Cup victory of his career. The 19 car came into Sunday’s Cup race with the most wins among active drivers at Sonoma Raceway with three — and now he has four. After he passed Kyle Busch with 14 laps to go, it was smooth sailing from there.

It’s fair to say he got some help because NASCAR didn’t throw the caution flag even after a few cars spun out late in Stage 3 — including Ryan Blaney who did so twice — but the 19 car would’ve filed down pit road and likely would’ve emerged in front anyway to take Sunday’s win. Truex was that good.

The other big story line? Denny Hamlin, Sonoma’s pole winner and MTJ’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, is the only driver who didn’t run all 110 laps Sunday. Hamlin got into the wall on Turn 12 and sustained enough damage end his day in the middle of Stage 3. Tough break for the 11 team.

Lap 96: Martin Truex Jr. is dominating today. Dominating. He started in fourth on that restart, moved up to second in one lap and passed Chase Elliott for the lead on the next lap. Truex and Kyle Busch battling for the lead — as it has been all day. Top 10 now: Truex, Busch, Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell.

Something funny: Tyler Reddick had a flat tire, but instead of prompting a caution, he waited for the field to pass and then fully turned around and then filed down pit road. Pulled the move straight out of the Mario Kart video game. NASCAR later assessed him a pass-through penalty.

Lap 91: Our first bit of carnage! This one comes from Denny Hamlin, who knocks into the wall and spins just as he passes the start-finish line. That brings out the second caution of the day and will make this race finish — with 18 laps to go and the entire field filing down pit road — interesting.

Martin Truex Jr. will be the top car with fresh tires. He’ll be running P4, with Kyle Busch (P5) and Chris Buescher (P6) right behind him. Chase Elliott (P1), Tyler Reddick (P2) and Ryan Blaney (P3) all stayed out and didn’t pit.

Lap 73: Martin Truex Jr. passed Kyle Busch about five laps ago (with 42 laps to go), and he’s pulled away from the field ever since. He is showing he has the best car today. Green flag laps happening now. MTJ and Busch enter pit road on Lap 75. If this goes green the rest of the way, the finish will come down to the 19 or the 8.

Lap 65: Austin Dillon gets loose on a turn, and with a little nudge from Ty Gibbs, he spins out. His engine cuts off. But the 3 car was enough out of the way — and the car was able to re-fire quickly enough — that race officials didn’t throw a caution. Dillon was running P17 at the time of his spin.

Lap 58: We begin the longest stage of the race in a day that hasn’t seen many cautions. Only one, actually. It’s conceivable this one goes green the rest of the way. (... But no way that actually happens, right?)

Stage 2

Lap 55: Kyle Busch takes the Stage 2 win! Second of the season for the driver of the No. 8 car. Several things went right for this win to come. Others earning stage points: Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, William Byron, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Martin Truex Jr., Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell and Kevin Harvick.

Lap 51: First caution of the day comes after a tire from Zane Smith rolls loose on pit road. The field is back jumbled up. The biggest winner of that debacle was Ross Chastain, who was entering pit road just as the caution came out. That means he will stay out while the rest of the field comes in, likely catapult to the front of the field — and still be on just as good tires as everyone else.

How it’s going to shake out on this upcoming restart: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, William Byron, Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon — all of whom pitted shortly before the caution flag waved on Lap 48 so stayed out during the yellow.

Lap 48: Eight laps to go until the end of Stage 2. No cautions yet. Truex and Hamlin are battling for the lead — and the rest of the field is 13 seconds behind them. Will the leading drivers wait until the stage end to pit? What about those behind them? Pit strategy is everything today.

Lap 33: The early pit stops have so-far proven fruitful for Chase Elliott, who started at P10. Also of note: Martin Truex Jr. has caught his teammate, Denny Hamlin, and has passed him for the lead. Great, clean racing for the lead in a race where passing has proven difficult. (A reminder: Truex has won a series-leading three times at Sonoma. Could the veteran get his second win of the 2023 season?)

Here’s how MTJ made the pass:

Stage 1

Lap 25: Stage 1 is done! No stage breaks, but there are stage points at stake. Denny Hamlin, who is leading by 3.5 seconds over there rest of the field, is dominating and takes the Stage 1 win. Others earning stage points: Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The leaders haven’t yet done a pit stop; others in the field have already, including the Hendrick Motorsports cars, who are hoping an early pit stop gives them a chance to edge out the JGR cars if this long run sustains. (Also of note: Ryan Blaney pitted early, and disaster struck when he sped on pit road. The road back to the front is a long one. Blaney now running P34.)

Lap 2: Toyota is taking up the first five spots early on. That’s Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs. Four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers and one 23XI Racing guy. No stage breaks. Could this be a triumphant day for the manufacturer?

Green flag 3:49 p.m.: Let’s gooooooo racin’!

3:45 p.m.: Almost time! Engines fired and drivers laying down laps. The best Chevy in the field to start is AJ Allmendinger, one of the best road-course races in NASCAR. Will he steal a Cup win today?

3:06 p.m.: Some pre-race timings for Sunday: Invocation: 12:30:20 p.m.; National Anthem: 12:31:00 p.m.; Command: 12:38:00 p.m.; Green Flag: 12:50:00 p.m.

3:03 p.m.: A few story lines to keep track of Sunday: Noah Gragson will not be in the 42 car after suffering from concussion-like symptoms after a big hit he took last weekend. He’ll be replaced by Grant Enfinger. Chase Elliott is also back after serving his one-race suspension last weekend. What else should you know? Check out The Observer’s preview.

2:40 p.m.: Denny Hamlin will start on the pole Sunday. That’s his first pole victory at Sonoma Raceway’s road course since he entered the Cup Series in 2005. The outspoken proponent of oval racing — and at-times opponent of road-course racing — will line up next to Tyler Reddick. Michael McDowell (P3) and Christopher Bell (P4) line up right behind them. For a full look at the starting lineup, visit here.

2:37 p.m.: While there’s a Cup race in Sonoma on later today, perhaps the biggest NASCAR news of the week happened this morning — and on another continent. The NASCAR Next Gen Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 completed finished 39th in the 62-car field in the 24 Hours of Le Mans — a huge accomplishment in the prestigious, endurance-focused race where cars zoom around an 8.4-mile track for 24 straight hours.

NASCAR’s entry completed 285 laps and was still running well when it crossed the finish line. The car was on pace to have an even better finishing position before a drive line issue sidelined the team for more than an hour (20 hours into the race). NASCAR CEO Jim France, son of the company’s founder Bill France Sr., called the feat “unbelievable” in a press release Sunday. The car was driven by seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.

How to watch the race at Sonoma

• Race: Toyota/Save Mart 350

• Place: Sonoma Raceway

• Date: Sunday, June 11

• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

• Purse: $8,054,721

• TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Distance: 218.9 miles (110 laps)

• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 55), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 110)