Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin are chasing special records at Auto Club Speedway
Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are among the most senior drivers in the Cup grid.
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Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin
The 2023 NASCAR Cup season started with a milestone win by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Daytona 500. This weekend, the season will hit normal mode as they visit the Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, California, for the second Cup race. For veterans Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, a win at the track will also mark a unique career achievement.
The Stewart Hass Racing No:4 Mustang driver chasing his 51st Cup win will become the third Cup driver to make 750 back-to-back cup race starts. Since missing a Cup race in Martinsville on April 2001, he has started every Cup race in the championship schedule. He is ranked third in the all-time list alongside Jeff Gordon with 797 consecutive starts and Ricky Rudd with 788 straight starts.
Harvick won’t surpass both of these drovers as he has already announced his retirement, and if he starts all Cup races in 2023, the final number will only be 784. On the other hand, the 2014 Champion will secure another elite record. He will become the driver with the most starters at Auto Club. He is currently tied with Kurt Busch, who also has 28 starts. Busch, out due to a concussion, might tie the tally again in 2024 if he returns full-time.
No:11 Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin is searching for his maiden win at Fontana. None of the 67 NASCAR wins the 23Xi Racing owner has scored in Auto Club. Hamlin has won 3 poles from 20 starts he made at Fontana but hasn’t converted any of them to a win. He recently admitted that he wants to score a win in 2023, as the track will be reconfigured after this season’s Cup race.
“I’d really like to win this race. It’s really high on my list for this year because it’s a place I haven’t won at in my career, and most likely, being the last time on this configuration would make it that much more special. Plus, it’s got a great trophy I’d love to add to my collection,” Hamlin said in a JGR release.
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Auto Club was one of the perfect tracks for Jimmie Johnson to make his Cup return
Seven times Cup champion Jimmie Johnson marked his return to the Cup series after the two-year break at the season opener Daytona 500. After spending two seasons in the IndyCar series, Johnson joined petty GMS Racing, now LEGACY MC, as co-owner. He is also scheduled to start six races in the No:84 car. He finished P31 starting the race at P39 after a late race crash took him out of contention for a top-10 finish.
Jimmie Johnson is the most dominant driver in the Auto Club. He holds the record for the greatest number of wins with 6 and the record for most top 5s and 10s. JJ has 13 top 5s and 18 top 10s at the track and has an average finish of 7.5, the best of all time. He has completed the most laps, 5096, and led the most laps, 990, at the 2 miles track.
The veteran clearly understands the track and owns the conditions well. It would have also been great to see the most accomplished driver of the track’s history race there for one last time before it is reconfigured. The only negative side is that LEGACY MC must make the car super competitive for Johnson to produce magic.
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Justin P Joy
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