Sonoma NASCAR Happy Hour Practice Notes

Kyle Larson – Changed transmissions between the two practice sessions. The car was smoking and dropping a bunch of oil about 10 minutes into practice. Got back on track about 25 minutes later and didn’t have any issues after replacing some hoses and O-rings.

Martin Truex, Jr. – Says the car has a good feel and long run speed. Unloaded fast. Doesn’t think there will be much difference overall on race day despite the temperature difference. Got significant front end damage with 10 minutes left in practice after Bubba Wallace unexpectedly got off the gas. He did get back on track after that happened, though. Still a situation worth monitoring.

William Byron – Also had significant smoke coming from the car about the same time as Kyle Larson. Team diagnosed it as an problem with a left rear axle seal and changed out a bunch of stuff to fix it. They switched out the axle between practices so that’s where the issue came from. Running the K&N race at Sonoma this weekend as well.

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Kevin Harvick – Made a qualifying run early and then went into race trim and made a super long run. Jeff Gordon mentioned how good the car was handling during the long run. It was noted that Harvick doesn’t make really long runs unless he’s happy with the car. Best 10- and 15-lap averages.

Clint Bowyer – Fast once again this session. DW mentioned how quickly his car brings the front end back to the ground when going over bumps. Ran a ton of laps in this session, more than all drivers.