Emphatic California win shoots Truex to top of NASCAR Cup Series standings

There’s a new leader atop the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings after the Auto Club 400, and it’s the same driver who finished in that spot at the end of 2017.

Kevin Harvick was the story of the beginning of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and rightfully so. He entered the Auto Club 400 at Fontana on Sunday seeking his fourth straight win, but in the meantime, defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. has ben lurking right behind him, racking up top-5 finishes and waiting for an opening.

He got it when Harvick was effectively knocked out of the race early on, getting tangled up with Kyle Larson and making hard contact with the wall. Harvick’s loss was everyone else’s gain, and while Kyle Busch and Larson both looked like they might have something to say about the outcome, Truex was simply too much for everyone any time he got to the lead.

His just reward for taking all the stage and race win points (as he did several times in 2017) on a day when Harvick struggled was shooting to the top of the points race. Harvick finds himself in eighth, though he’d still justifiably be the top seed if the playoffs began today. Alex Bowman remains the only Hendrick Motorsports driver in playoff position, though following his first top-10 finish of 2018, Jimmie Johnson is much closer than he was before.

Next: Whose fault was the Kevin Harvick-Kyle Larson wreck?

Here’s a full look at both the points and playoff pictures with NASCAR Goes West in the books for another year:

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings after California – Points

(regular season race 5 of 26)

1. Martin Truex Jr., 216 points
2. Kyle Busch, -9
3. Joey Logano, -19
4. Brad Keselowski, -33
5. Ryan Blaney, -35
6. Denny Hamlin, -40
7. Kyle Larson, -42
8. Kevin Harvick, -46
9. Clint Bowyer, -61
10. Aric Almirola, -68
11. Kurt Busch, -72
12. Austin Dillon, -75
13. Erik Jones, -84
14. Ryan Newman, -99
15. Paul Menard, -101
16. Alex Bowman, -101
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., -109
18. Jimmie Johnson, -119
19. Bubba Wallace, -122
20. William Byron, -125
21. Chase Elliott, -129
22. Chris Buescher, -134
23. Daniel Suarez, -135
24. Michael McDowell, -141
25. AJ Allmendinger, -142
26. Jamie McMurray, -143
27. Trevor Bayne, -148
28. David Ragan, -150
29. Kasey Kahne, -151
30. Matt DiBenedetto, 167
31. Ty Dillon, -169
32. Gray Gaulding, -186
33. Jeffrey Earnhardt, -188
34. Cole Whitt, -189
35. D.J. Kennington, -197

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings after California – Playoffs

1. Kevin Harvick, 2 wins (one other win does not count for playoff purposes), 11 playoff points
2. Martin Truex Jr., 1 win, 7 playoff points
3. Austin Dillon, 1 win, 5 playoff points
4. Kurt Busch, 2 playoff points
5. Kyle Busch, 1 playoff point
6. Brad Keselowski, 1 playoff point
7. Ryan Blaney, 1 playoff point
8. Joey Logano
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Kyle Larson
11. Clint Bowyer
12. Aric Almirola
13. Erik Jones
14. Ryan Newman
15. Paul Menard
16. Alex Bowman, + 8 points above cutoff
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., – 8 points behind cutoff
18. Jimmie Johnson, -18
19. Bubba Wallace, -21
20. William Byron, -24
21. Chase Elliott, -28
22. Chris Buescher, -33
23. Daniel Suarez, -34
24. Michael McDowell, -40
25. AJ Allmendinger, -41
26. Jamie McMurray, -42
27. Trevor Bayne, -47
28. Trevor Bayne, -49
29. Kasey Kahne, -50
30. Matt DiBenedetto, -66