THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Early outlook
Based on the first four NASCAR Cup Series races of the season, it looks like a two-driver battle between Kevin Harvick, who has posted three consecutive wins, and Kyle Busch, who has finished second to Harvick in his past two starts. “They’ve been right there each and every week so far,” Busch said. “You’ve gone to three of arguably his (Harvick’s) best race tracks these past three weeks.” OK, boys, on to California.
2. Larson’s streak
Kyle Larson has won every Cup Series race on a 2-mile oval since the second race at Michigan in 2016. He swept all three 2-mile races last year and takes a four-race streak into Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, where he will collide with Harvick’s three-race win streak this season. “I put a lot of emphasis on California,” said Harvick, from Bakersfield. “I got so amped up that I wrecked it on Lap 0 last year.”
3. Lap leader
William Byron, 20, led his first NASCAR Cup Series laps driving the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He led 15 consecutive laps at ISM Raceway before drifting back to a 12th-place finish. It may not look like much, but it is 15 laps more than teammate Jimmie Johnson has led this season. “We need to be a little better and we are going to be right there,” Byron said. “It was fun to at least be up there a little bit.”