NASCAR’s hottest driver dominated the field at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., leading 109 of 202 laps and overcoming a flurry of late cautions to capture the second win of his young career and his first this season. The 24-year-old edged out veterans Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer in the top three.
Larson, the race’s pole winner, was cruising through Stage 1 but saved his best for the stretch run.
The No. 42 team was running in first place when it decided to pit with seven laps remaining, falling to fourth on the restart. Larson made quick work of the field with four fresh tires to pass Denny Hamlin and reclaim the top spot with four laps to go. He held on with ease, in spite of a late Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spin-out that forced the race into overtime.
Larson, named the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2014, had one win to his name, a victory last season at Michigan, the sister track to Auto Club Speedway.
The California native entered Sunday fresh off three straight runner-up finishes, most recently last weekend at Phoenix.
Larson became the third driver in history to win at Fontana starting from the front row. He also won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
Auto Club 400 top 10 finishers
- Kyle Larson *2. Brad Keselowski3. Clint Bowyer4. Martin Truex Jr. **5. Joey Logana6. Jamie McMurray7. Daniel Suarez8. Kyle Busch9. Ryan Blaney10. Chase Elliott
- Stage 1 winner** Stage 2 winner
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