NASCAR Cup Series: First season's win for reigning champion
Martin Truex Jr. wins the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the fifth round of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The reigning champion scored his first win of the season and his 16th Cup victory in a career. It’s also his first win at Fontana.
Martin Truex Jr. drove the #78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry to a dominating victory, after leading for 125 of 200 laps and winning both stages. Kyle Larson finished second in the #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro, more than eleven seconds behind Truex.
Auto Club 400 was the fifth round of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season
Kyle Busch finished third in the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, ahead of two Team Penske Fords of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.
Kevin Harvick, who won previous three races, was in the game for the fourth consecutive wins until lap 38 when contact with Larson’s Chevrolet sent him into the outside backstretch wall. He recovered later but ended the race in the 35th place, nine laps down.
After taking all seven available playoff points, Martin Truex Jr also took the series lead with a nine-point edge over Kyle Busch.
Check the full results of the Auto Club 400
The race in California was the third and last race of NASCAR Goest West programme, after Las Vegas and Phoenix. The next station on Cup Series calendar is Martinsville Speedway.
