After narrowly losing last weekend’s Xfinity season opener at Daytona, John Hunter Nemechek won Sunday night’s race at Auto Club Speedway.
The victory is Nemechek’s third in the Xfinity Series and first since Oct. 2021 at Texas.
Sam Mayer tied his career-best finish by placing second, a week after he went upside down at Daytona. JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier placed third for the second race in a row. Chandler Smith was a career-best fourth. Josh Berry placed fifth, giving JRM three of the top five.
Daytona winner Austin Hill placed sixth.
Cole Custer, who won the first two stages, finished 27th after having a tire go down and hitting the wall on Lap 91 of the 150-lap race.
Stage 1 winner: Cole Custer
Stage 2 winner: Cole Custer
Who had a good race: John Hunter Nemechek has started the season with a second and a first for Joe Gibbs Racing. … Brett Moffitt placed ninth for AM Racing, the team’s best career finish. … Parker Kligerman finished 10th as he competes in his first full Xfinity season since 2013.
Who had a bad race: Tyler Reddick, who ran the Cup race earlier in the day, finished 36th in the 38-car field with a damaged car.
NEXT: The series races at 4:30 p.m. ET March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
