Largest crowd in decade sees Kyle Busch win at Sonoma Raceway

It was the biggest crowd at Sonoma Raceway in a decade, tens of thousands of fans streaming into the 1.99-mile road course in Carneros on Sunday to pay their respects to Jeff Gordon, the legendary driver who grew up down Highway 37 in Vallejo and has announced his impending retirement.

The fans of the No. 24 car left disappointed as Gordon finished 16th, well back in the pack. But they got just about everything else a race fan could crave - dazzling weather, eye-catching (but injury-free) wrecks, daring passes and even a sibling rivalry.

Kyle Busch outlasted his older brother, Kurt, to win here for the second time. Kyle had won in 2008, so the raceway’s streak of 10 different winners in 10 years was snapped.

The allure of Sonoma remains, though. Nestled between hot spells was a gorgeous day at the track. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took a lap in the pace car. Retired Giants slugger Barry Bonds made the race, as did now-renowned Santa Rosa rock climber Kevin Jorgeson, this year’s grand marshal.

They were joined by the usual assortment of NASCAR fans - couples with homemade Kevin Harvick shirts, little kids holding scale models of individual cars, underdressed young women hawking tequila or spark plugs, guys with Dale Earnhardt’s “88” shaved into their chest hair.

Even Gordon found something to celebrate.

“I know it wasn’t the finish we all wanted,” he said, “but it was a very memorable weekend.”