Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
California Winning: Larson Notches First Win Of Season At Auto Club
Kyle
Larson snapped a streak of three consecutive runner-ups, leading 110
laps and winning Stage 1 on his way to Victory Lane in last Sunday’s
Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway
in Fontana, California.
The
No. 42 Chevrolet driver extended his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
points lead to 29 points over Chase Elliott. Because of his victory and
stage win, Larson now has six
playoff points.
Larson, who also won Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race, became the 17th driver to sweep a national series weekend.
The
24-year-old Californian hopes to start a winning streak at Martinsville
Speedway in Sunday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR
Radio). He owns a high finish
of third there.
Bowyer Captures First Top-5 Finish Since 2015
Clint
Bowyer’s third-place showing marked his first top-five result since he
finished fifth at Bristol on Aug. 22, 2015. It was also Bowyer’s best
finish since his third-place
showing at Sonoma on June 28, 2015.
Bowyer
has two top 10s so far this season, only one less than his mark from
last year when he finished a career-low 27th in the final standings.
Right
now, the Kansas native sits eighth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series points standings, 100 markers below leader Kyle Larson.
This
is Bowyer’s first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, replacing three-time
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14
Ford.
“It
means a lot to me to be in this 14,” Bowyer said. “I have a lot of fun
with these guys. Buga (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and all these guys
mean business. It’s a confidence
thing right now, a momentum-builder, and we’re getting closer.
Obviously, this is a good track for me. I wanted to win that damn thing,
but to come home with the wild finish and everything that it was, we’ll
take it.”
Truex Back Up Top
Martin
Truex Jr. is showing his breakout in the last two Monster Energy NASCAR
Cup Series seasons was no aberration. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing
driver, who won a career-high
four races last season, has powered to a strong 2017 start with one
win, two top fives and three top 10s in the first five races.
Truex
leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with eight playoff points
and is tied with Kevin Harvick for first in stage wins with three. His
7.4 average finish ranks second-best
to Kyle Larson (3.8). Truex sits third in the points standings, 38
points behind Larson.
Plethora
Of Young Drivers In Playoff Picture
We’re
only five races into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but
if it ended today, six drivers under the age of 27 would make the
playoffs: Kyle Larson (24 years
old), Chase Elliott (21), Joey Logano (26), Ryan Blaney (23), Erik
Jones (20) and Trevor Bayne (26).
Blaney,
Jones and Bayne would all be first-time playoff participants. Jones
would join Elliott (2016), Chris Buescher (2016) and Denny Hamlin (2006)
as the fourth Sunoco Rookie
of the Year contender to ever make the playoffs.
Martinsville’s Finest: Jimmie Johnson Leads Active Drivers With 9 Wins At The Paperclip
Seven-time
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has struggled
in the first five races with only one top-10 finish – a ninth-place
showing at Phoenix.
Luckily
for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver, he’ll get the chance to
turn his season around at arguably his top track – Martinsville
Speedway.
Johnson
leads active drivers with nine wins, 19 top fives, 24 top 10s, a 7.8
average finish and a 117.7 driver rating at “The Paperclip.”
He won the fall Martinsville race last year to clinch his spot in the Championship 4.
Hendrick Motorsports boasts a Martinsville track-record 24 wins.
Kyle Busch Attempts To Defend Spring Martinsville Victory
Kyle
Busch will attempt to visit Victory Lane for the second consecutive
spring at Martinsville in Sunday’s STP 500 at the Southern Virginia
short track. Busch led 352 of 500
laps on his way to his first win of 2016. Overall, he claims one win,
11 top fives and 12 top 10s at Martinsville.
On
the season, Busch has finishes of 38th (Daytona), 16th (Atlanta), 22nd
(Las Vegas), third (Phoenix) and eighth (Auto Club). He won Stage 1 at
Daytona.
Busch sits 10th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 107 markers below Kyle Larson.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
Parity Party: 5 Different Winners Through First 5 Races:
Five
different drivers have won the first five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series races: Kurt Busch (Daytona), Brad Keselowski (Atlanta), Martin
Truex Jr. (Las Vegas), Ryan Newman (Phoenix),
Kyle Larson (Auto Club).
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