Wow. This past weekend was an exciting one in racing. The Truck race featured an exciting fight between two drivers, resulting in one punching the other in the face, and the other slamming his opponent to the asphalt. But the Cup race at Sonoma was even better.

The race started with Carl Edwards on the pole, and road course ace AJ Allmendinger beside him. Edwards would lead the first 5 laps, and then a caution was thrown for Clint Bowyer, who’s engine blew. On the ensuing restart, Allmendinger managed to pass Edwards for the lead, and he held it for some time.

On lap 32 Carl Edwards retook the lead during a pit cycle, thanks to a fast pit stop from his crew, and a not so fast pit stop from Allmendinger’s crew. Then, on lap 46, during a cycle of pit stops, a caution for debris flew. This cycled Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin to the front, because they had pitted just before the caution, so they could stay off pit road while others came, and they would inherit the lead.

Chaos ensued on the following restart. Hamlin passed Busch, but on the restart Edwards was trapped behind slower cars and beat and banged. Hamlin lead until the next cycle of pit stops, where he briefly lost the lead to Aj Allmendinger and Danica Patrick, who lead 3 laps.

Hamlin was continuing to lead, and his only challenger was Martin Truex Jr., who just couldn’t seem to pass him. After their last pit stop, all drivers were pretty much good until the end of the race. But on lap 86, Tony Stewart did something unusual. He came to pit road from 16th. Stewart was capable of making it to the finish, but 16th wasn’t wherfe he wanted to be. A lap after Stewart pitted, the caution flew.

This put Stewart in the lead with a mere 21 laps to go. Now, you all probably know I’m a Tony Stewart fan. So seeing him in this position was awesome. But also terrifying. I forgot how scary it is to watch your favorite driver in the lead late.

Anyway, during the pit stops, AJ Allmendinger was penalized for an uncontrolled tire, courtesy of his pit crew. This dropped him way down the running order, and he finished 14th.

On the restart Stewart managed to get a good jump, and he built a small lead over Truex and Hamlin, who were so busy fighting each other they were letting Tony get away. Stewart led for 4 laps, but then Michael McDowell’s car stalled on the track, and the caution flew. None of the leaders pitted.

On the ensuing restart Truex managed to pass Hamlin, but he wasn’t having much luck catching Stewart. As many have discovered, getting to Stewart was one thing. Passing him was another. Truex lost some ground, and on lap 103, Hamlin launched an epic battle for second, and he finally passed Truex, after some serious banging. But Stewart was now a good 2 seconds ahead. But Hamlin slowly reeled him in. When the white flag waved, one of the best finishes in Nascar history unfolded.

Hamlin closed on Stewart, and entering turn 7 he pulled inside of Stewart. Both drivers got loose, and Hamlin slid up the track, hit Stewart, and took the lead. (I was beside myself at this point). But unlike what normally happens when a move like that is pulled, Stewart didn’t lose all his momentum. He stayed on Hamlin’s bumper. Then they came to the final corner: the U shaped turn 11. Hamlin went into the turn just ahead of Stewart, but his car slid up the track slightly, and Stewart threw his car to the inside. Tony and Denny glided through the turn, and collided at the exit. Hamlin flew up the track and pounded the wall, and Stewart crossed the finish line about ten car lengths ahead of Hamlin. Both cars looked like they had been in major accidents

Tony Stewart won! That’s all I could say. I had been jumping up and down at the finish, screaming encouragement for Tony, and a little abuse at Hamlin. I won’t lie, when Hamlin passed him I was irate. But that made the finish that much more exciting. Pretty much everyone knew that Hamlin wasn’t in the best position, especially since Stewart’s bumper was within striking distance. Stewart was never one to hold back his bumper.

Tony won his first race of the season, his 3rd at Sonoma, his 49th of his career, his 16th as an owner, and his first victory since June of 2013 at Dover. That’s 84 races, his longest streak without a win. As Stewart took a victory lap, crew members from all the Stewart-Hass Racing teams walked out to congratulate him, and even crew members and drivers from other teams, Hamlin among them. Making the day even more special was that Stewart’s family and girlfriend were there to witness the victory. And yes, they to were beside themselves with fear and joy. And I haven’t seen Tony’s crew so on edge since, well, ever. Except maybe the 2011 championship race. I almost felt bad for the guys. In victory lane Stewart and his crew were ecstatic. Stewart now has the victory he needed to be Chase eligible, and he is a mere nine points out of the top-30 in points. It seems that ‘Smoke’ is on track for a good final season.

P.S. This is the second year in a row that a driver has missed the beginning of the season, and then come back and won at Sonoma. If Stewart is truly doing what Kyle Busch did last year, expect a strong Summer and a championship. Please let that happen. 🙂