Wise Power 400 Top Moments: Kyle Larson comes out on top in Fontana
Drivers took to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for the Wise Power 400 on Sunday, where defending Cup champ Kyle Larson won his first race of 2022.
It was the second race of the 2022 season and the first of a three-race West Coast swing leading into spring.
Here are the top moments from Sunday at the racetrack.
The champs are here!
Super Bowl champions Matthew Stafford and Andrew Whitworth gave the command for Sunday, and spoke to the media before the race.
"We're just gonna wing it and let it happen," Whitworth said.
Stafford also made it clear that he has a dog in the race.
However, you can't have two key Los Angeles Rams in the arena and not talk about some football, and the crew asked Stafford if he thought Whitworth would return to the field next season.
"I don't know — I'm gonna leave it up to him," Stafford said. "I've got a lot of respect for him. I would love to have him back. But we'll see. He's an old man though."
Whitworth said he's taking time to make his decision.
Oh, and here's the command!
Packed house
Things got started with a salute to thousands of spectators who came out to watch Sunday's action.
Seeing green
Just like that, the green flag was up in Fontana!
Spin City
Kyle Busch brought out the first caution after a spin — the first self-spin of the day —on Lap 14 but quickly got back up to 23rd.
Chasing the leaderboard
On Lap 23, Chase Elliott dove to the bottom of Tyler Reddick and took the top spot.
Elliott brushed the wall off Turn 4 while leading. He had over a second on Reddick, but that turned into a three-car fight for the top spot between Elliott, Reddick, and William Byron.
Then, the leader smacked the wall:
Elliott lost the lead to Reddick, second to Byron and third to Erik Jones.
Seeing red
Reddick held the lead off pit road, but he reported that there was an issue within the driver's compartment of the No. 8 Chevrolet.
While Reddick tried to get some blood flowing in his leg again, his Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon was assessed a penalty for driving too fast on pit road.
Fighting for first
A four-car fight for the lead unfolded among Reddick, Byron, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Martin Truex Jr., while Joey Logano passed Jones to move up into the top five.
Josh Bilicki accounted for another self-spin, going around and getting stuck with a left front tire down in Turn 2. Just like that, the yellow flag was up with 12 laps left in Stage 1.
Done with 1
Reddick came up with the win in Stage 1.
Neck-and-neck
The green flag was back out at Lap 74. Chase Briscoe got a strong restart from the inside line that allowed him to get alongside Reddick and take the lead on the backstretch.
But not for long.
Larson took the lead in Turns 3 and 4 before Reddick pushed Briscoe back around him to regain the lead. The most laps Briscoe led in a Cup race prior to today was 12 at the Indianapolis Road Course last year.
Busch's bad day continues
It was more problems for Busch, as his left rear tire went down — compounding his issues in an already difficult race.
Caution out at Lap 91
Christopher Bell spun off Turn 4 and was stuck with flat-spotted tires just as Denny Hamlin came to pit road with an overheating issue.
Bell lost multiple laps after being towed back to pit road.
New leaders at halfway!
Byron dove to the inside of Reddick down the frontstretch and cleared him to take the top spot. Then, Larson — who won at Fontana in 2017 — took second from Reddick.
After 100 laps, Byron led by 0.003 seconds, while Reddick had led the most laps (53) and recorded the fastest lap (Lap 98 at 41.52 seconds).
Danger Zone
Then, Brad Keselowski, who was in the top five at the time, took a spin.
It was the seventh caution of the day, which ties the highest mark in a race at Fontana since 2015. The record for cautions at Fontana is 12 (2008).
All other drivers were just able to avoid him as he came to rest in the infield grass and the caution flag rose.
Double trouble
Reddick came up with a Stage 2 win …
… But things went downhill fast for the the 26-year-old, as Reddick blew a tire entering Turn One and got hit by Byron as he limped around on the outside line.
Jones won the race of pit road. Reddick got back on track quickly after changing, but he got significant damage to the left side of his car after getting run into by Byron.
Big trouble in Turn 2
Keselowski spun in front of traffic — Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton and Austin Cindric had to scramble to avoid the mess.
Gaining steam
Elliott made it up to third after his early troubles, though he was under attack from Jones for that spot as he tried to run down Logano and Larson — who cleared Logano in Turn 2 to take the lead in Lap 167.
Back and forth
Larson and Logano challenged each other for the lead in the final laps. It was three-wide for a moment before Larson put Elliott in the wall, which caused him to fall back significantly.
Elliot had some choice words for Larson, who claimed he didn't know Elliott was to his outside, on the radio.
Closing time
After 190 laps, Larson led by 2.299 seconds, while Reddick had led for the most laps (90) at that point and recorded the fastest lap (Lap 123 at 41.415 seconds).
Elliott went around off Turn 2, which brought out the caution with eight laps to go. That marked the 12th caution of the day, which ties the record for the most ever in a race at Auto Club Speedway.
Coming in hot!
Daniel Suarez, in Trackhouse Racing's No. 99, challenged Larson for the lead and took it with three laps to go, but a big run from Larson allowed him to take the lead back with two to go.
Dillon got a huge run off the inside of Turn 2 and took second with a shot at the lead, but he couldn't get there in time. Larson came out on top, followed by Dillon, Jones, Suarez and Logano rounding out the top five.
Justin Haley crashed on the frontstretch on the last lap, but kept going, allowing the race to finish under green.
