Harvick takes first Fontana Xfinity Series win

Kevin Harvick won for the first time in the Xfinity Series at his home track on Saturday in the 300-mile race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California driving the #88 Chevrolet of JR Motorsports. Harvick, from Bakersfield, previously won the 2011 Sprint Cup race at Auto Club while driving for Richard Childress. This is Harvick's 46th win overall in the Xfinity Series, in which he has won two championships. He is also the defending Cup series champion and is currently on a hot streak in that series, having seven-straight top-two finishes dating back to Texas last November and winning the last two races in the series at Las Vegas and Phoenix. The Fontana race weekend is part of NASCAR's "west coast swing" that also included Vegas and Phoenix, and it has become apparent that Harvick races best out west, where he grew up and started his racing career.



On the pole was Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones, back in the #20 Toyota after subbing for Kyle Busch in the joint Busch-Gibbs #54 Toyota, which was piloted by Busch's Cup teammate Denny Hamlin on Saturday. Jones led four laps before Brad Keselowski in the #22 Ford and then Hamlin got on the point. Harvick led 100 laps and was briefly passed by teammate Regan Smith, David Starr, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Darrell Wallace Jr. during pit stops. The Richard Petty-affiliated Fords of Dakoda Armstrong and Sam Hornish Jr. ran into trouble during the race, as did Las Vegas winner Austin Dillon in the #33 Chevrolet.


The Xfinity Series is off next weekend while the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series race in Martinsville, Virginia. The Cup and Xfinity series will rejoin each other the week after that in Fort Worth, Texas for the first night race weekend.


Race results:

1. (6) 88-Kevin Harvick - Chevrolet - 150 laps, led 100 laps
2. (8) 62-Brendan Gaughan - Chevrolet - 150 laps
3. (1) 20-Erik Jones - Toyota - 150 laps, led 4 laps
4. (13) 9-Chase Elliott - Chevrolet - 150 laps
5. (14) 60-Chris Buescher - Ford - 150 laps
6. (2) 2-Brian Scott - Chevrolet - 150 laps
7. (11) 42-Kyle Larson - Chevrolet - 150 laps
8. (4) 22-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 150 laps, led 1 lap
9. (5) 7-Regan Smith - Chevrolet - 150 laps, led 4 laps
10. (10) 1-Elliott Sadler - Ford - 150 laps