WINNERS
Alex Bowman — After his chance to win at Las Vegas ended because of a pit call, Bowman rebounded to win at Auto Club Speedway and score his second career victory.
Parity — A year after Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing won 19 of 36 races, all three manufacturers have a win in the first three races of the season. Chevrolet was the last to join the group with Alex Bowman’s win. It wasn’t until race 10 last year that a Chevrolet won a Cup race.
Harrison Burton (and Kim Burton) — Among the more entertaining moments when Jeff Burton won would be seeing wife Kim Burton’s reactions over the final laps of the race. That continued this past weekend with Harrison Burton scoring his first career Xfinity win. Kim’s reactions were priceless and Harrison’s burnout was spectacular.
Anthony Alfredo — Had only made 13 Truck races last year and marked his Xfinity debut this past weekend by finishing sixth for Richard Childress Racing at Auto Club Speedway.
LOSERS
Martin Truex Jr. — Pit road woes again cost Truex a chance at a top-five finish. Instead, a slow stop led to a 14th-place finish at Auto Club.
Ryan Blaney — He appeared on his way to at least a runner-up finish until he had to pit in the final laps for a tire issue. That dropped him to a 19th-place finish … but he’s still the points leader.
Christopher Bell — A bolt from another car put a hole in the oil cooler, ending his day. Bell has begun his Cup career by finishing 21st (Daytona), 33rd (Las Vegas) and 38th (Auto Club)