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Kyle Busch won the latest NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. This is Busch’s first win with Richard Childress Racing and a bit of redemption after last week's heartbreaking loss at the Daytona 500.
Busch overcame a speeding penalty to dominate the final portion of the race and held off a charging Chase Elliott for the win. This came after a spirited battle with Ross Chastain, who won the first two stages of the race.
This article will discuss three takeaways from today's NASCAR Cup Series Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
#3 Joe Gibbs Racing is in some trouble
While it is only the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series season, there are some worrying signs for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Although Christopher Bell finished 3rd in the Daytona 500 last week, everyone else were non-factors. The most surprising of which was Denny Hamlin, who is a 3-time winner of the Great American race.
In today's race at Auto Club Speedway, the results were much of the same. Hamlin did lead for a few laps and finished 6th. However, the other three drivers were either non-factors or were involved in incidents.
We will get a better picture of where JGR stands after NASCAR’s west coast swing. There is definitely some reason to be concerned in the Toyota camp.
#2 Auto Club should be a short track
The hot topic heading into this weekend's race was it being the final race at the current 2-mile configuration Auto Club. As rumored for the past three years, the track is scheduled to be converted into a short track.
The NASCAR fanbase has been split on this as most want the track to remain as it is. However, other fans want NASCAR to have more short tracks and acknowledge the issues with the track.
The biggest issue with the track right now is that it hasn’t been repaved since its creation in 1997. The track needs to be repaved sooner rather than later. NASCAR got lucky this weekend with no 'weepers' given all of the rain in the area. A repave will drastically hurt the racing on the track for several years, until it ages again.
Another issue is that the attendance for this year's race was lower than last year's event. Last year's bump in attendance could be attributed to fewer restrictions compared to 2021.
With struggling attendance and the need for a repave in the near future, the move to a short track is looking to be the direction NASCAR should head in.
#1 Kyle Busch wasn’t the issue last year
It was a banner day for Kyle Busch. Not only did he redeem himself after last weeks heartbreaker at Daytona, but he also proved a point.
Last year was a massive struggle for Busch. While he backed into a win at the Bristol dirt race, the rest of his season was a nightmare. This led many to question whether Busch was on the decline.
After nearly winning last week's race at Daytona, followed by his strong performance at the Auto Club, that question can easily be put to rest. JGR’s early struggles further emphasizes this point.
If Busch can continue this form throughout the season, he should be the clear favorite for the Cup Series championship.
