Pole position is usually considered to be a huge advantage in motorsports but for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma, it might not mean anything at all. Joey Logano won the pole for the race but he finds himself quite low on the odds table by his standards. On the other hand, Martin Truex Jr, who will start P21 is the odds-on favorite to win the race with 5-1 in his favor.
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One of the biggest reasons for this is that the 2017 Cup Series champion is the most successful driver at the track among the current lot with four victories. Truex is yet to win a race so far this season and Sonoma may give him the best opportunity yet. However, the track repave might make it difficult for drivers to pass and put Logano in a good position to challenge for the race victory towards the end.
A fifth win at @RaceSonoma on Sunday for @MartinTruex_Jr would tie him with @JeffGordonWeb for the track record. 👀 pic.twitter.com/tE02HDJ0Bz
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 7, 2024
There is a mismatch between the top five drivers with the best odds to win and the cars that will start from P1 to P5. Kyle Larson is the only name common in both lists and the Hendrick Motorsports star will be desperate for a win after his massive debacle a couple of weeks ago. Irrespective of the odds, Truex will have a hard time fighting from P21 to a race victory.
Luck has not been kind to Martin Truex Jr this season
This entire season has been a story of things going wrong for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Be it issues with his car, his pit crew, or his teammates, things have not been easy. The veteran race car driver has yet to win a race and qualify for the playoffs without relying on points.
“We’ve been in contention for most races. Had a couple slip away, a couple of heartbreakers so hopefully we can turn that around, get a little luck on our side, and keep doing what we’re doing and it will all come together,” he had said earlier.
A win at the track would tie him with Jeff Gordon as the most successful driver at Sonoma, an honor he would love to look back on after his illustrious career comes to an end.
