Cup drivers go 1-2-3 in Xfinity race

FONTANA, Calif. — Kyle Larson hopes his Xfinity Series race victory will catapult him to a weekend sweep at Auto Club Speedway. The way this NASCAR season is going for the Cup Series points leader, it’s tough to argue against it.

Larson held off Joey Logano on the final lap Saturday to win another race in the second-tier series dominated by drivers from the top circuit.

Larson thrived out of a late restart with smart moves and a clever lane choice on Fontana’s fivewide asphalt, winning by just more than a car length. The native Californian won the Xfinity race at ACS for the second time in his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

“It was a lot of fun with Joey there late,” said Larson, who will start on the pole today. “I hope it gives us some good momentum.”

Kyle Busch — another Cup Series regular — finished third, Erik Jones was fourth and rookie William Byron took fifth.

Busch led after each of the first two stages, but he brushed the wall in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with 28 laps to go. Larson overcame a speeding penalty on pit road that sent him to the back of the field midway through the race, while Logano twice rallied back from far behind and led five times for 70 laps.

Logano got an early speeding penalty on pit road and his car later fell off the jack during a long pit stop, but he passed 20 cars in less than two laps to get right back in it. Despite the technical glitches, he had a blast.

“I vote for two races at Auto Club Speedway, I’ll be the first to say that,” Logano said. “What an awesome race track. It’s so much fun. You can run anywhere you want. The racing is great. There is tire falloff. There are bumps. There’s everything here. It’s the perfect race track. I wish we came here more often, because it’s the best race track we go to.”