Posted on by Zack Albert

The preseason buzz about the prospects of a successful merger for the newly formed Petty GMS Motorsports is starting to pay some early dividends. Count in Erik Jones’ sterling Sunday drive at Auto Club Speedway as Exhibit A for that early assessment.

Jones pushed the No. 43 Petty GMS Chevrolet to a third-place finish, backing up the weekend-long speed he showed at the 2-mile California track. The result marked his first top-five finish since taking over Richard Petty’s No. 43 at the start of last season.

RELATED: Larson prevails at Auto Club | Official race results

“It was good. It feels good to be interviewed after the race, too,” Jones said. “It’s awesome, but it’s frustrating too. You’re that close and you have a car that you feel like can do it. The No. 43 FOCUSFactor Chevrolet definitely had it today. It was a matter of getting up front and taking advantage of clean air, and we did that a couple of times.

“A couple restarts just didn’t go our way. I probably could have done a better job here and there, and it just didn’t add up. I just haven’t raced up front a lot in the last year and a half. There are some things I need to be better at. Hopefully I have a lot of time to work on that. We want to keep running up front and if we keep doing that, we’re going to win some races.”

Jones led six times for 18 laps Sunday, a one-day doubling of the total he led in all of last season. He backed up his second-place effort in Saturday’s qualifying session, keeping pace with early dominator Tyler Reddick and finishing second behind him at each stage break. Jones was also the only driver who spent all 200 laps scored among the top 15.

Jones earned 52 points Sunday – tied for the most with race winner Kyle Larson – and used that bonanza to rebound nicely from a crashed-out 29th-place finish in the Daytona 500 opener. It’s a small sample size points-wise so far, but he gained 16 spots to jump to sixth in the Cup Series standings.

The Petty organization joined forces with Maury Gallagher’s GMS outfit on Dec. 7, growing to a two-car operation with Ty Dillon added as Jones’ new teammate. So far, early signs of a new direction performance-wise are also taking shape.

MORE: Petty GMS moves to two cars for 2022 | ’22 team preview

“I’m really proud of this whole group,” Jones said. “It’s been a big offseason with the merger and everything we’ve done, so this is a very satisfying run for everybody. and I just hope we can keep going.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Daniel Suárez had said in the weeks leading up to the 2022 NASCAR season that he was optimistic his first Cup Series win was approaching. Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, he nearly made an early delivery on that promise.

Suárez gave defending series champ Kyle Larson a full-on challenge in the final restart of Sunday’s Wise Power 400 before slipping to fourth place at the checkered flag. That finish matched his best result since joining Trackhouse Racing for its first campaign last season, equaling the fourth-place run in the inaugural dirt-track race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Official results | Home-state win for Larson

For a brief moment, it looked as if Suárez might cash in with Trackhouse’s first victory. Suarez gained six spots in the final exchange of pit stops, and he lined his No. 99 Chevrolet up alongside Larson’s No. 5 when the green flag flew for the final time with four laps remaining.

Suárez briefly went in front on Lap 198 of 200, thanks to a push from fellow Chevy driver Erik Jones. But Suárez only led part of that lap as Larson regained the edge with a frontstretch crossover move that kept him out front for his first win of the season.

Austin Dillon and Jones worked their way by in the closing laps, but Suárez was encouraged by the performance as he reflected on the day.

“We’re going to win a few races very soon here,” said Suárez, who continued after a scrape of the outside retaining wall with 14 laps left. “I just can’t thank everyone enough in my team. We had a fast car, but we went through a lot of adversity. We had a few issues. We hit the wall once. We had an issue with the diffuser. My pit crew, those guys are legends; it’s unbelievable. It’s the best pit crew I’ve ever had, and it’s a lot of fun to race like that.

“Freeway Insurance, Chevrolet, everyone that helps Trackhouse out, to be able to be here and perform this way. I’m happy and I’m honored at the same time. I can tell you that I’m going to work very, very hard to go to Victory Lane very, very soon here.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Hendrick Motorsports landed its reigning champion driver in Victory Lane after Sunday’s Wise Power 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway, but it didn’t escape the 2-mile track Fontana, California, without incident.

With 20 laps to go and amidst a three-way battle for the lead with Joey Logano, eventual race winner Kyle Larson issued a block on teammate Chase Elliott, squeezing the 2020 champ into the wall.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

“What the (expletive) is he doing, man? It wasn’t even close,” Elliott exclaimed over his in-car communications. ” … It’s probably going to break again before the end of the race. But I don’t really give a (expletive) who is leading the race.”

Elliott quickly faded through the pack as a result of the damage, and his suspicions were right — he spun just a few laps later, prompting the last of the race’s 12 caution flags. Cumulative damage between this brush with the wall and an earlier incident were too much to overcome, and Elliott landed 26th on the final results sheet, two laps down.

MORE: Elliott tags wall while leading early

The Dawsonville, Georgia, native had been leading in Stage 1 when he briefly lost control of his Chevrolet and slammed the outside wall, later bringing out the race’s second caution with a spin on Lap 38. A furious, race-long effort by his No. 9 group propelled his run back through the field to the front only to have it end in such a fashion surely compounded the frustration.

Larson claimed over his in-car radio he did not see his teammate approaching on his outside. The Elk Grove, California, native drove on, then survived a final restart with four laps remaining for his first Cup Series victory of the season. His post-race winner’s press conference allowed him to further elaborate on what he was seeing at the time.

MORE: Larson: ‘I had no clue he was even coming’

“So, I didn’t get through (Turns) 3 and 4 very well. Joey (Logano) did a good job on the bottom, and then we were side drafting each other, and I’m not even looking in my mirror at that point because all I’m worried about is Joey and I’m looking out of my A-post window. I had a run, so I went to peel off, and as soon as I peeled off, my spotter is yelling, ‘Outside! Outside! Outside!’ And I had no clue he was even coming,” said Larson, who returned to Victory Lane in quick order after last season’s 10 wins. “I hate that I ended his day after they worked so hard to get back to the lead lap and back in contention to win, but it was just an honest mistake on probably both of our faults. I should have had more awareness in my mirror. My spotter could have told me he was coming with a big run, and we would have avoided that mess. I would have probably not been side drafting on Joey as hard as I was. I would have been more so protecting on Chase than worrying about Joey.

“It happened, and I hate that it did. I know they’re upset. But we’ll talk, and hopefully we’ll get on the same page. I would never run into my teammate or block him that aggressively and that late on purpose.”

Larson’s spotter, Tyler Monn, was quick to chime in on Twitter after the race, taking responsibility for the mishap.

This minor dust-up shouldn’t overshadow Larson’s win, a statement he’s going to still be just as formidable in the Next Gen era two races in. But Hendrick Motorsports has a little bit of sweeping to do in the coming days between its pair of star drivers and the sport’s two most recent champions. The last thing the team needs before the calendar even turns to March is bad blood among any of its drivers, let alone half of last year’s Championship 4.

No. 5 crew chief Cliff Daniels had a post-race chat with No.9 pit boss Alan Gustafson to “take his share of the responsibility,” mentioning he continues to view Elliott’s group as “great teammates, always have been,” and that’ll continue to be the base.

Conversations will still need to take place between the two drivers, however, to complete the fence-mending process.

“I think first that’ll need to start, from our perspective, between Kyle and Chase,” Hendrick general manager Jeff Andrews said. “Hopefully they can get to a good spot and kind of step back and look at the data and really watch what happened there. And then of course, as a group, Jeff Gordon, Chad (Knaus) and myself and Mr. (Rick) Hendrick, of course, we want to speak to them. We want to go to Las Vegas in a good spot.

“Certainly, very proud of both of those teams. They both had great race cars. That’s the great news, right? This other stuff that happens on the race track, we can get all that to a good spot between those two teams, and give Cliff credit for standing down there talking to (Gustafson) a while ago, and he said after what happened, their mission is going to be to do everything they can to help Chase and that 9 team as well as our other teams get a win and get on to the playoffs.”

Elliott did not appear to make any public comments after the race, understandably upset after a day in which he had a car capable of winning and walked away with 11 total points.

Larson intends to spark conversations with his teammate and doesn’t expect it to be a lingering issue.

“I’m going to tell him exactly how I told you guys, and he’ll take it for what it is,” Larson said. “Either way I’m sure he’ll still be upset even if we’re on the same page or not. It’s just a conversation that we’ll have, and we’re both young, we both respect each other a lot, so we’ll both be racing for wins for many years to come.

“I’m not too worried about it. I think if anything it’s probably a small bump in the road. I think if things happen more so in the future, then yes, it gets out of hand. But Hendrick Motorsports I don’t think will ever let it get to that point, and like I said, we have enough respect for each other that I don’t think it will get out of hand at all.”

That said, the season is long … and that likely wasn’t their last battle at the front of the field.

“We’ll just have a conversation, and I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Larson said. “Like I said, he’s going to be upset, which he has a right to be, but I’ll explain my side just like I explained it to you guys, and he’ll believe me or he won’t.”

The Cup Series next races on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson waited until late in Sunday’s Wise Power 400 to flex his muscles.

But in the end, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet held off a charging Austin Dillon by .195 seconds at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., to notch his first victory of the season, his second at the 2-mile track and the 17th of his career.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

In a race that featured 12 cautions for 59 laps, Larson, who started from the rear of the field because of unapproved adjustments to his Camaro, took the lead from Joey Logano on Lap 167 of 200 and held it for 27 of the final 34 circuits on the way to the victory.

That was after the dominant car of Tyler Reddick suffered a flat left-rear tire while leading on Lap 152, and in the aftermath of that incident was collected by the sliding car of William Byron.

Reddick had led 90 laps to that point—17 more than in his first 75 Cup starts combined—and had won the first and second stages in convincing fashion.

MORE: Reddick’s hopes dashed at Auto Club

Larson, however, outlasted arguably stronger cars and was in position to win at the end of the race.

“It’s always fun to win here in the home state,” said the Elk Grove, Calif., native Kyle Larson. “There were definitely some guys that were quicker than us, but they had their misfortunes.

“Just kept our heads in it all day — long race. Restarts were crazy. The whole runs were crazy. So definitely wild, but cool to get a win here in California and hope we get on a little streak.”

James Gilbert | Getty Images
James Gilbert | Getty Images

Larson’s victory came at the expense of teammate Chase Elliott, who fell two laps down after scraping the wall on Lap 33 and spinning off Turn 2 five laps later.

As the beneficiary under two cautions, Elliott regained the lead lap, drove through the field and was battling Larson and Logano for the lead when Larson shot up the track and pinched Elliott’s Chevrolet into the outside wall. Larson said on his radio that he didn’t know Elliott was there.

It was Elliott who spun on Lap 192 to cause the final caution and set up a dramatic four-lap sprint to the finish that saw Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suàrez briefly wrestle the lead from Larson, thanks to a push from Petty GMS Motorsports’ Erik Jones. But Larson regained the lead off Turn 4 with just over two laps left and held it the rest of the way.

In a testament to the relative parity achieved by NASCAR’s new Next Gen race car — admittedly with a small sample size so far — nine different Cup organizations finished in the top 10 at Fontana.

One of those was the Trackhouse Racing team of Suàrez who rolled home fourth behind the Chevrolets of Larson, Dillon and Jones.

“We’re going to win a few races very soon here,” Suàrez said. “I just can’t thank everyone enough on my team. We had a fast car, but we went through a lot of adversity. We had a few issues. We hit the wall once. We had an issue with a diffuser. My pit crew, those guys are legends, it’s unbelievable.

“It’s the best pit crew I’ve ever had, and it’s a lot of fun to race like that. The Freeway Insurance Chevrolet, everyone that helps Trackhouse out, to be able to be here and perform this way. … I can tell you that I’m going to work very, very hard to go to Victory Lane very, very soon here.”

Logano ran fifth, followed by Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch (who started from the rear and served a pass-through penalty to start the race because of three inspection failures). Daniel Hemric and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top 10.

Pole-sitter and Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric finished 12th after suffering damage in a four-car accident involving Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Harrison Burton on Lap 158.

Larson, who won 10 races last year in his first season at Hendrick Motorsports, led four times for 28 laps, second only to Reddick’s 90. All told, there were 32 lead changes among nine drivers in an event in which radical shuffling of the running order was commonplace.

The Cup Series’ next race is scheduled Sunday, March 6 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Note: Inspection in the Cup Series garage is complete, confirming Kyle Larson as the official race winner.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Tyler Reddick’s chances for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory faded away Sunday after a final-stage crash at Auto Club Speedway.

Reddick had led 10 times for 90 laps when his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet slowed entering Turn 1 on Lap 152 of 200 in the Wise Power 400. He limped through Turns 1 and 2 when William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy piled in, causing significant left-side damage to Reddick’s car.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

Reddick headed to pit road for repairs, but the crew indicated the right-rear toe link had sustained damage in the wreck. He lost two laps on pit road and ultimately finished 24th — the first driver one lap down in the 36-car field

“Absolutely gutted by how our race unfolded but I couldn’t be prouder of this whole team and what we were able to do a majority of this race today,” Reddick said. “We will learn from this; we will become stronger from this and be hungrier than ever before. It was really fun having all of the Lenovo guests here today and it was really exciting to have such a strong run for them today. We will keep this momentum going to Las Vegas next week.”

Byron had led four times for 16 laps, but his car wound up being towed back to the garage. He has started the season with two early crash-related exits in as many races — 38th place in the Daytona 500, and 34th in Sunday’s 400-miler.

“So frustrated I made that mistake for our team today,” said Byron, who sits 34th in the Cup Series standings. “What a fast car and we were making our way back to the front. I got loose getting under the No. 8, who had a flat. Thankful for such a fast car and I know we’ll be back stronger next week.”

Reddick had complained earlier in the race of leg numbness caused by his seat positioning. His crew opted against adding a seat insert, instead giving him ibuprofen during an early caution period to treat the ailment.

The No. 8 crew met the minimum speed under the damaged-vehicle policy as Reddick continued, but its return to the race had lost its previous competitive pace. Still, team owner Richard Childress was buoyed by the organization’s effort, which included a late surge to a runner-up finish for Austin Dillon in the RCR No. 3.

“You guys did a hell of a job,” Childress told the No. 8 team over its radio communications. “Just keep it up. Keep it up, buddy.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Even though he admitted seeing Ice Cube in person might’ve factored into his decision, hip-hop head and NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin was on hand at Auto Club Speedway to take in Sunday’s Wise Power 400 Cup Series race.

MORE: Martin enjoying less competitive retirement life  | Martin’s career through the years

The 40-time premier series winner and 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee was in the FOX Sports booth in Stage 2, joining guest commentator and former longtime teammate Matt Kenseth — who said  “without this man I would’ve never been racing in the Cup Series” — and regulars Clint Bowyer and Mike Joy.

After a whirlwind Stage 1 that saw, to name just a few things, Chase Elliott crashing out of the lead, Kyle Busch going for a solo spin and Tyler Reddick riding the high line and putting on a show out front, Martin offered his early thoughts on this new era of NASCAR racing that began with last week’s regular-season debut of the Next Gen race car in the Daytona 500.

“It’s really an exciting time in NASCAR; it’s on an upward swing right now. I love what I’m seeing,” Martin said. “The clinic that Tyler Reddick’s putting on out there; I mean a real talent, really showing what he can do. It’s cool to see Erik Jones as well, really showing what he can do. This is just good stuff.”

RELATED: Results | At-track photos

Reddick captured Stage 1 amidst a frenzy of shuffling and turnover throughout the field, resulting in a top 10 that featured only four drivers who finished in the top 10 in last season’s standings. Drivers have their work cut out for them in the early going with the completely revamped Cup Series racer, and the increased parity throughout the field is on full display.

“This is perfect today because the teams haven’t figured out all the nuances of how to set them up perfectly and figured out how to get the most out of the new tire, the shirt sidewall and all that stuff,” Martin said. “So the drivers are having to do big-time work and that’s what I want to see. I want to see these guys.

“We have incredible talent out there in this field and I want to see them have to put that on display.”

If there’s any former driver out there who knows talent when he sees it, it’s Martin.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing

Monday, Feb. 28
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway (re-air), FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, March 1
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway (re-air), FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, March 2
5:30 p.m. NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, March 3
Midnight, NASCAR Cup Series Wise Power 400 (re-air), FS2
3 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, March 4
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice/Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition — Las Vegas, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice/Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1
9 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1

On MRN:
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Saturday, March 5
1 a.m. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 (re-air), FS2
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Classics: 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice/Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS2
2 p.m. NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1 (Canada: TSN2)

On PRN:
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Sunday, March 6
1 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FOX
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FOX (Canada: TSN5)

On PRN:
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Race No. 2 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is here and it’s time to set those Fantasy Live lineups for Sunday’s Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). What six drivers should comprise your lineup? Does Kurt Busch’s pass-through penalty change things if you were thinking about using him? Let’s answer that and offer up my race-day lineup and bonus picks below.

RELATED: Auto Club lineup | Fantasy preview coming into Auto Club | How to play Fantasy Live

RJ Kraft’s race-day lineup for Auto Club:
1-Austin Cindric (one use already)
2-Ryan Blaney
3-Chase Elliott
4-Tyler Reddick
5-William Byron
Garage: Kyle Busch

Next in line: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski.

Analysis: Multiple incidents in practice and qualifying plus Kurt Busch’s pass-through penalty had me rethinking how I wanted to position my lineup and trying to decide how many max-use plays I wanted to slot in. And the conclusion I came to was that I didn’t want to use more than three-to-four of those plays.

I was set to play Logano, even though I used him at Daytona. However, he did scrub the wall in the final round of qualifying and indicated during his role as an analyst for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on FS1 that he would be going to the back, a point that was later confirmed by NASCAR.

Why did I slot in Byron? I like the 10-lap average he had (better than Hamlin and Keselowski) and he had less fall off in his 5- to 10-lap average than others (h/t @P2Inc). Busch also talked about a transmission issue during qualifying — if he does go to the rear — I’d be inclined to leave him as a garage play given his strong Auto Club history.

I’ve had Blaney and Reddick as part of my lineup from the outset this week and nothing I saw Saturday changed my thoughts there. Blaney qualified well and I expect Reddick to find speed on the high line.

Cindric earns a spot in my lineup thanks to his pole run as well as not wanting to carry a roster full of max-use drivers and wanting to take advantage of the run he’s currently on. Penske has a strong history at this track, so I like throwing him in here. Elliott replaces Larson in my lineup based on his stout 10-lap average that was best in practice and if it wasn’t for a spin in final round qualifying, he’d likely be on the front row with Cindric. By playing the 2020 Cup Series champ, I’m electing to sit the reigning champ, who has a win here, but I just feel a little bit better about other opportunities with him moving forward.

Jones was also a consideration, but I’d rather be a day late to that party without having a feel for how the tire fall off would be over a 10-lap run for him. He has a good history at this track from his Joe Gibbs Racing days and there is an upshot to trying to steal a use here if you are feeling bold, but I’m not there on the No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports car just yet.

Featured Matchup bonus picks
Austin Cindric vs. Ryan Blaney: Cindric is on the pole but I’ve been on Blaney as a play all week and I think he’ll finish better than the rookie. My pick: Blaney.

William Byron vs. Alex Bowman: Bowman did win the last race here, but Byron posted a solid 10-lap average and I think he’d due for a good run here. My pick: Byron.

Bubba Wallace vs. Chase Briscoe: Before a practice incident, Wallace laid down some solid lap times and the Toyotas as a whole ran well in practice. The Stewart-Haas Racing cars weren’t impressive in practice or qualifying, so I’ll take my chances with Wallace starting 34th against Briscoe starting 24th. My pick: Wallace.

Erik Jones vs. Daniel Suarez: Jones earned a primo starting spot (second) and showed some speed in practice, while Suarez was 29th in practice and posted a decent qualifying effort (15th). My pick: Jones.

Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for the Wise Power 400 on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Californian Cole Custer was the only former Auto Club Speedway winner in the field for Saturday’s Production Alliance 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Fontana, Calif.

Three overtimes, 12 cautions and more than three hours of official race time later, Custer was still the only former winner in the Fontana field, having beaten runner-up Noah Gragson to the finish line by .565 seconds.

RELATED: Official results | Weekend schedule

It was a long day’s journey into night, a race that started in mid-afternoon and unexpectedly ended under the lights in temperatures that dropped appreciably between the start and the finish. The three overtimes extended the event 15 laps beyond its scheduled distance of 150 circuits at the 2-mile track.

But Custer was the clear class of the field, leading 80 of the 165 laps and twice charging like a rocket from the outside of the fourth row to the lead after slower-than-usual late pit stops.

He got his second victory at Fontana in a No. 07 Ford that was a partnership entry between Stewart-Haas Racing and Bobby Dotter-owned SS Green Light Racing.

Custer was moonlighting — literally, as it turned out — from his Sunday ride in the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang, which he’ll be racing in the WISE Power 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Man, it was just an awesome car,” Custer said during his post-race frontstretch interview. “That thing was just a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Bobby Dotter enough — everybody that was involved on this car.

“It was unbelievable how fast we were. … It’s awesome to win at home — can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Gragson was competitive all day, leading 25 laps. Despite sliding though his pit stall during a pit stop under the eighth caution on Lap 125, he surged back to the front from 14th, retaking the top spot on the second lap after a restart on Lap 129.

Five laps later, however, Custer regained the lead and held it for all but one of the last 31 laps, through four more cautions and three overtime restarts.

“I felt like the car was really close all day, just struggled with the cloud cover and the temperature change — too loose or too tight,” Gragson said. “Hats off to all the guys on the 07 car and Cole Custer. He was really fast today.”

Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, ran third in his first Xfinity Series start since a one-off in 2016. Josh Berry was fourth, as JR Motorsports drivers claimed four of the top eight finishing positions, with Gragson second, Sam Mayer sixth and Justin Allgaier eighth.

Anthony Alfredo parlayed tire strategy into a fifth-place finish. Pole winner AJ Allmendinger recovered from an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel to come home seventh. Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg were ninth and 10th, respectively.

The biggest late-race incident was a heavy hit by the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Brandon Jones, who took the brunt of a multi-car tangle that sent his car into the sand barrels that protect the edge of the outside pit wall. That crash forced a 23-minute red flag for clean-up at pit entry.

Austin Hill, winner of last weekend’s season opener at Daytona International Speedway, encountered trouble early after a bump from Berry’s No. 8 Chevy on Lap 3. Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet scraped the outside retaining wall, dropping four laps off the pace after repairs. He finished 27th, three laps down.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ next stop is Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Alsco Uniforms 300 on Saturday, March 5 (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Notes: There were no issues during the post-race inspection in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage. The No. 07 SS Green Light Racing Ford of Cole Custer is the official race winner. … Jeremy Clements finished 17th in his 400th Xfinity Series start. … The event marked the first Xfinity Series race in two years at the 2-mile track. Last year’s race weekend at Auto Club was canceled by COVID-19 concerns.

Contributing: Staff reports