Asterisk Mark Report – Sonoma (2022)
Kyle Larson – Last year at Sonoma, Kyle Larson might’ve just had the best car, but his race wasn’t incident free and he finished an asterisk mark 15th. In the race, Larson was trying to replicate his 2021 victory, but all that ended up being was inferior pit strategy. In the race, Larson started on the pole and led the opening 26 laps winning Stage #1, but then that pit strategy shuffled him deep in the field. When Stage #2 ended, Larson had driven up thru the field to 13th. Then in the final Stage on lap 82 while running in 8th, Larson lost a wheel bringing out the caution which doomed him to a 15th. Over the first segment of the race prior to pit strategy dropping him to the back, the #5 was the fastest car on the track.
Chase Elliott – Last summer at Sonoma, Chase Elliott had a “Big What If Moment” and “Performance Wise” he might’ve just had the best car. In the race, Elliott led 26 laps but then late in Stage #2 while leading, Elliott had problems during a pit stop and was then penalized for pitting outside his pit box. That dropped him back to 33rd to start the final Stage which makes his 8th pretty impressive. In terms of speed stats, Elliott ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and 5th for Total Speed Rankings.
AJ Allmendinger – Last year at Sonoma, AJ Allmendinger started in the back and lost his power steering right away, but he nearly pulled out a top ten but his race wasn’t incident free. On lap 108 while running in 11th, Allmendinger went off-roading and spun into a tire barrier. Finishing 19th looks great when you take that late problem into account.