Kyle Busch overcame late-race adversity to reach victory in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, earning his second win of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and becoming only the second driver to hit 200 wins in the top 3 premiere series.
However, this win was far from a Sunday cruise to victory lane. After winning both Stage 1 and Stage 2, a flashback of Las Vegas occured as Busch was caught speeding on pit road. This sent the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to the back of the field for the upcoming restart entering the final stage. Busch quickly diced his way through the field and drove into the Top 10.
After Bubba Wallace cut a left front tire in the closing laps and brought out the caution flag, Busch was within reach of the two Penske leaders. After the final restart, the driver of the number 18 Interstate Camry drove past both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano as the two teammates battled for the lead in the final laps. Busch would go on to earn the victory, his 53rd career win in the Cup Series.
Penske Racing Continues to Run Strong
While Penske Racing ultimately came up short in their bid to reach victory lane in the Auto Club 400, the 3 teammates continue to run strong, with Keselowski and Logano finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively, with Ryan Blaney finished in 5th.
No, it is not the win the three teammates were striving for. However, having all three cars finish in the Top 5 in a race weekend is a clear showing that Roger Penske and his team have all the pieces in place to contend for wins week after week.
Clint Bowyer posted the only DNF in the 400 mile race on Sunday. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver lost an engine on Lap 130, after going down a cylinder early in the race. Tire trouble became the main source of cautions throughout the race.
Fantasy Results in the Auto Club 400
Turn One Racing took home the checkered flag in fantasy, earning a score of 163 points. For two weeks in a row, the Top 10 finishers in fantasy NASCAR had Kyle Busch in their lineups. Busch earned a total of 65 points, while Joey Logano was 13 points behind at 52. Here was the winning fantasy lineup for the Auto Club 400.
Headed East for the STP 500
Auto Club Speedway marked the end of the west-coast swing, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway this Sunday for the STP 500. Last year, Clint Bowyer took home the grandfather clock after leading 215 laps and winning his first race in six years.
There’s questions to be solved heading into the weekend. Can Bowyer, or another Stewart-Haas Racing driver help the team earn their first win of the season? Will another winless streak such as Jimmie Johnson’s or Kyle Larson’s finally end in victory lane? Will Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing continue to be the class of the field? The green flag is at 2:15pm Eastern Time for this weekend’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
