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 First, Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin beat Martin Truex Jr. to
the line by .010 of a second to win the Daytona 500.
Then, Kevin Harvick edged Hamlin teammate Carl Edwards at Phoenix by
that same .010 margin.
Two races, both ranking in the top 10 among the closest finishes in
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history.
In fact, the average margin of victory in the current NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series season is 0.232 of a second -- the closest since NASCAR
implemented electronic timing and scoring in 1993.
Oddly, despite top-five finishes and laps led in each of the first
four races, none of the finishes involved Kyle Busch, another member
of the Joe Gibbs Racing stable.
Count on that changing this weekend.
When Brad Keselowski visited Victory Lane at Auto Club last year
after leading only the last lap, Busch did not get to race for his
third straight win because he missed the contest with a broken right
leg and fractured left foot.
 Busch had taken the checkered flag there the previous two seasons.
Sidelined no more, Busch will get the chance to unseat Keselowski
and bring home his third win in as many starts at Auto Club Speedway
in Sunday's Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
"The finishes of both of those races were pretty exciting," Busch
said of his last two southern California starts. "Of course, I won
both, so that makes it even better for me.
"The track is just down the road from Toyota Racing Development
(TRD) headquarters and our wins there were the first two Sprint Cup
wins for them at their hometown track."
Before Busch's two wins, he finished second at Auto Club in 2012 and
third in 2011. He enters Sunday on an eight-race top-five finish
streak. The 2015 NSCS champion leads the points standings but is
still searching for his first win of the season.
"(Auto Club is) a fast racetrack and you just have to be able to
carry a lot of speed through the corners," Busch said. "You're in
the corner for a long time, but the more speed you carry through the
turn, the better it makes your straightaways.
"It's a big, fast racetrack and I'm hoping we can get M&M'S their
first win during their 75th anniversary celebration year."
Keselowski, who two weeks ago passed Busch with five laps remaining
to capture his first win of the season at Las Vegas, has similar
plans.
"I'm looking forward to coming back as the defending race winner,"
Keselowski said. "That's always an honor, something you take a lot
of pride in, and you think about last year's events throughout the
weekend. I'm excited about that.
"Of course I want to win it again, so we have to keep our heads down
and stay focused as well."
JR Motorsports hopes to continue strong start
JR Motorsports has two new drivers running full-time schedules but
continues to post strong results four races into the 2016 season.
The Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned organization, which saw Chase Elliott
and Regan Smith move on to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rides, has not
missed a beat with new drivers Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier.
The duo will try to continue its early season success in Saturday's
NASCAR Xfinity Series TreatMyClot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway (4
p.m. ET on FOX).
Second in the series standings (eight points behind Daniel Suarez),
Sadler owns three top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 11 Auto Club
starts. The No. 1 Chevrolet driver and Suarez are the only Xfinity
Series competitors with a top-10 finish in the first four races.
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"It's the last week of the West Coast swing and we have high
expectations for this weekend," Sadler said. "We have a nice top-10
streak going and our cars have a lot of speed. We're going to keep
working hard to get into Victory Lane."
Allgaier ranks fourth in the series standings, 12 points behind
Suarez, on the strength of an 8.2 average finish. He has struggled
at Auto Club with only two top-10 showings in seven starts there but
believes he can get to Victory Lane on Saturday.
"So far, this West Coast swing has treated us well," Allgaier said.
"We got our first top five last weekend and we really just want to
keep that positive momentum going.
"We've had fast cars and Jason (Burdett, crew chief) has made great
calls in the pits. A win this weekend at Fontana would be the
perfect way to wrap up our time out west before we head into this
break."
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Race: Auto Club 400
Place: Auto Club Speedway
Date and Time: Sunday, March 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Tune-in: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)
What to Watch: Brad Keselowski attempts to win at Auto Club for the
second straight season. His car owner, Roger Penske, constructed
Auto Club Speedway and has two wins there as an owner. ... Jimmie
Johnson, who leads all drivers with five wins at Auto Club, tries to
surpass Dale Earnhardt in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record books
with his 77th career victory. ... Phoenix race winner Kevin Harvick
goes for his second straight checkered flag. ... The average margin
of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is 0.232 of a
second -- the closest margin of victory since NASCAR began keeping
the stat in 1993. ... Last weekend's runner-up, Carl Edwards, claims
the second-best average finish at Auto Club (8.8).
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race: TreatMyClot.com 300 by Jannsen
Place: Auto Club Speedway
Date and Time: Saturday, March 19 at 4 p.m. ET
Tune-in: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (150 laps)
What to Watch: Daniel Suarez looks to extend his eight-point
standings lead over Elliott Sadler. ... Sunoco Rookie of the Year
contender Erik Jones goes for his fourth straight top-three finish.
... Kyle Busch will attempt win his fourth consecutive NASCAR
Xfinity Series race, tying a series record set by Sam Ard in 1983.
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