Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Monday, June 29, 2026
Van Gisbergen Wins Sonoma, Ties Tony Stewart’s Road Course Record
Shane van Gisbergen claimed his second consecutive victory at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, fending off Chase Briscoe over the final laps of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 to complete a weekend sweep. The Trackhouse Racing driver led 74 of 110 laps, winning by 0.357 seconds. The victory was van Gisbergen's eighth Cup Series win in 68 starts, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart for second-most road course victories in Cup history, one behind Jeff Gordon's nine. Briscoe, who had closed the gap sharply, slipped in Turn 1 with four laps remaining, surrendering a full second. Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
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Hamlin Takes First Championship Lead of 2026 After Reddick Mechanical at Sonoma
Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series championship for the first time in 2026 after Tyler Reddick suffered a power steering failure at Sonoma on Sunday. Reddick, who had held the points lead after each of the season's first 17 races, finished last in the 36-car field after losing six laps on pit road. Hamlin spun off the bumper of Carson Hocevar on lap 64 and crossed the line 26th, yet that was still enough to take the top spot. Hamlin now leads by a single point — 719 to 718 — with nine regular-season races remaining before the playoff field is set.
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In-Season Challenge Kicks Off With Bracket-Busting Upsets at Sonoma
The 2026 In-Season Challenge opened at Sonoma with significant upsets, headlined by the elimination of top seed Tyler Reddick. A power steering failure left Reddick 36th, allowing 32nd-seeded Alex Bowman to advance by finishing 10th. Race winner Shane van Gisbergen eliminated Ryan Preece despite Preece's eighth-place run. Defending In-Season Challenge champion Ty Gibbs advanced after Austin Dillon finished 27th. Other results: 25th-seeded Todd Gilliland upset eighth-seeded Daniel Suarez, and 20th-seeded Michael McDowell eliminated Bubba Wallace. The $1 million winner-take-all bracket tournament continues next Sunday, July 5, at Chicagoland Speedway for Round 2.
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NASCAR Playoff Bubble Tightens: Cindric Holds 12-Point Edge on Jones for Final Spot
The NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble tightened further after Sonoma, with Austin Cindric holding the 16th and final automatic playoff berth by just 12 points over Erik Jones. Cindric's No. 2 Team Penske Ford sits on 401 points; Jones's No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota holds 389. Jones dropped three positions in the standings following Sunday's race at Sonoma, his worst result of the recent stretch. Shane van Gisbergen's victory pushed the New Zealander to 36 points above the cutoff in 14th. With 18 races complete and nine remaining in the regular season, the margin for error is shrinking fast for bubble drivers.
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Rookie Zilisch Scores First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Sonoma
Connor Zilisch recorded the first top-10 finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career on Sunday, crossing the line seventh at Sonoma Raceway in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. The rookie took the No. 88 car this season after Shane van Gisbergen moved to the No. 97 Trackhouse entry. Zilisch ran among the leaders late in the race at the 12-turn, 1.99-mile road course and held his position to the flag. Ryan Blaney placed sixth ahead of Zilisch, with Ryan Preece eighth, Michael McDowell ninth and Alex Bowman 10th. The Sonoma result marks a landmark milestone for one of NASCAR's most closely watched newcomers this season.
Joe Gibbs Racing Places Three Cars in Top Five at Sonoma in Strong Toyota Showing
Joe Gibbs Racing placed three cars inside the top five at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, capping a strong day for the Toyota powerhouse. Ty Gibbs ran the dominant pace throughout the 110-lap race, winning both Stage 1 and Stage 2 before finishing third after van Gisbergen and Briscoe outfoxed him on strategy in the closing stint. Chase Briscoe crossed the line second — his best result of the season — and Christopher Bell came home fifth despite managing a broken wrist. Denny Hamlin's 26th-place finish, caused by a mid-race spin, still proved enough to lift him into the championship lead for the first time in 2026.
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Bell Pushes Through Broken Wrist to Finish Fifth at Sonoma for JGR
Christopher Bell finished fifth at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday while managing a broken wrist over the full 110-lap distance of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver navigated the physically demanding 12-turn, 1.99-mile road course despite the injury, contributing to a top-five-heavy day for JGR. Bell now sits 10th in the Cup Series standings with 472 points following his Sonoma result. Teammate Chase Briscoe placed second and Ty Gibbs third, giving Joe Gibbs Racing a strong collective showing. Sonoma is widely regarded as one of the more physically taxing venues on the Cup calendar.
NASCAR Cup Series Returns to Chicagoland Speedway Next Sunday for First Time Since 2019
The NASCAR Cup Series heads next to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, for the eero 400 on Sunday, July 5 — the first Cup race at the 1.5-mile oval since 2019. The event preserves the Independence Day weekend timing of recent Chicago events while moving from the downtown street course to the traditional oval setting. Race start is 5 p.m. ET on TNT, with qualifying scheduled for Saturday, July 4. Chicagoland hosts Round 2 of the In-Season Challenge bracket, with 16 drivers still alive in the winner-take-all $1 million tournament whose finale falls on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on July 26.
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Denny Hamlin — 719 pts
2. Tyler Reddick — 718 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 615 pts
4. Ty Gibbs — 589 pts
5. Kyle Larson — 571 pts
6. Chase Elliott — 554 pts
7. Chris Buescher — 518 pts
8. Carson Hocevar — 509 pts
9. Daniel Suarez — 484 pts
10. Christopher Bell — 472 pts
11. Chase Briscoe — 468 pts
12. William Byron — 446 pts
13. Bubba Wallace — 444 pts
14. Shane van Gisbergen — 425 pts
15. Ryan Preece — 402 pts
16. Austin Cindric — 401 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 837 pts
2. Chevrolet — 739 pts
3. Ford — 592 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency