NASCAR at Fontana results: Kyle Larson's late run gives him the win in caution-filled Wise Power 400

Edward Sutelan

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NASCAR at Fontana results: Kyle Larson's late run gives him the win in caution-filled Wise Power 400 image

In a race full of chaos, it was one of NASCAR's most consistent that came out on top.

In a hectic Wise Power 400 in Fontana that featured the waving of 12 caution flags, Kyle Larson, who won 10 races last season en route to a NASCAR Cup Series championship, took advantage of some crashes to find himself amidst the leaders late in the third stage.

A late caution on a spin-out from his teammate, Chase Elliott, who had been hit by Larson with under 20 laps to go, led to a close finish over the final four laps. Daniel Suarez cut outside to take the lead on the restart over Larson with three laps remaining, but just a lap later, Larson made an aggressive move down low to slide in ahead of Suarez. From there, he fended off a push from Austin Dillon to take first place in the race.

"Always fun here here to win in the home state," Larson, an Elk Grove, California, native, told the Fox broadcast after the race. "Hard work all week in there. Didn't feel great in practice yesterday, Cliff and everybody made some good adjustments overnight and the car handled a lot better. There was definitely some guys that were quicker than us, but they had their misfortunes, so just kept our heads in it all day, long race. Restarts were crazy, the whole runs were crazy, so definitely wild. But cool to get a win here in California and hopefully we get on a little streak."

This is Larson's second win in the Auto Club 400 with his first having come back in 2017.

For much of Sunday's Wise Power 400, it seemed it was Tyler Reddick's race to lose. The Corning, California, native won both the first and second stage and was cruising through the third in his home state as he was seeking his first Cup Series win.

Then, like several other drivers throughout the race, Reddick was hit with a flat tire. As he started to spin, William Byron collided into him, ending both promising nights from two of the leading drivers.

Ultimately, Reddick finished 24th, a lap down from Larson. Elliott finished 26th in the race. Dillon, Erik Jones, Suarez and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.

Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from the NASCAR Cup Series race at Fontana on Sunday. Follow below for complete results from the Wise Power 400.

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Wise Power 400 results 2022

(Unofficial)

Pos. Driver
1.  Kyle Larson
2. Austin Dillon
3. Erik Jones
4.  Daniel Suarez
5.  Joey Logano
6. Aric Almirola
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Kurt Busch
9. Daniel Hemric
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
11. Cole Custer
12. Austin Cindric
13. Martin Truex Jr.
14. Kyle Busch
15. Denny Hamlin
16. Chase Briscoe
17. Ty Dillon
18. Ryan Blaney
19. Bubba Wallace
20. Todd Gilliland
21. Garrett Smithley
22. BJ McLeod
23. Justin Haley
24. Tyler Reddick
25. Alex Bowman
26. Chase Elliott
27. Brad Keselowski
28. Corey LaJoie
29. Ross Chastain
30. Josh Bilicki
31. Michael McDowell
32. Cody Ware
33. Harrison Burton
34. William Byron
35. Chris Buescher
36. Christopher Bell

NASCAR at Fontana live updates, highlights from Wise Power 400

(All times Eastern)

7:24 p.m.: Larson holds off Dillon and Jones to win the Wise Power 400.

7:21 p.m.: Suarez passes Larson narrowly with a pass from the outside. Larson gets on a big run though and passes him with two laps remaining.

7:20 p.m.: Four laps to go as the green flag is back out.

7:15 p.m.: Larson leads off pit road. Suarez and Logano are the next two drivers up.

7:15 p.m.: The leaders are coming back to pit road.

7:13 p.m.: Elliott spins out and brings out the 12th caution of the race. Eight laps to go.

7:11 p.m.: Larson laps Elliott, whom he hit as he made his move for first place. Elliott is clearly not happy with his teammate.

7:10 p.m.: Larson is expanding his lead to a comfortable advantage over Logano. Dillon, Jones, Blaney, Suarez and Hamlin are all involved in a close race for the third through seventh spots with 12 laps remaining.

7:05 p.m.: Larson bumped Elliott into the wall when he was trying to make the move to first, and his teammate plummets because of it. Larson said he did not realize Elliott was there.

7:04 p.m.: Briscoe's decision to stay out costs him as he immediately drops back. Larson and Logano start battling out for first as Bowman hits the wall, but no caution is brought out. Bowman is able to get to pit road.

7:03 p.m.: The green flag is back out with 22 laps remaining.

6:58 p.m.: Coming off pit road, Elliott is in the lead with Bowman, Larson, Logano and Dillon in the top five. Briscoe did not go on pit road, however, so he is in the lead.

6:53 p.m.: An 11th caution flag comes out after Ross Chastain spins out. Didn't catch anyone, but that will cause the yellow to be waved.

6:51 p.m.: Harvick tried to pass Suarez for 10th place, but Hamlin winds up passing both drivers to leap up into ninth. Harvick had to ease up and drop back behind Suarez to settle in 11th.

6:48 p.m.: Larson cuts through inside and slides up in front of Logano to take the lead. Blaney has also been making a push to move up. He's up to third with 33 laps remaining.

6:47 p.m.: The race is back to green with Logano, Larson and Jones out in front.

6:39 p.m.: The left front bumper of Wallace's car is gone, but both his car and Keselowski's are on pit road getting looked at. Burton is done.

6:33 p.m.: NASCAR reviewed the restart and ruled it as fine, but a major crash. Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Harrison Burton are all involved in the wreck. Wallace got the left rear of Keselowski, which spun him, and several cars were collected. Cindric among the others.

6:32 p.m.: The green flag is back out with 44 laps to go.

6:28 p.m.: Hamlin is pushed back to the rear for speeding on pit road. Reddick has to come back to pit road.

6:27 p.m.: Jones comes off pit road in the lead over Bowman, Logano, Larson and Custer. Reddick is back out, but takes a major hit.

6:24 p.m.: Reddick has a flat rear left tire, and hits the wall. Byron makes contact with him, and now the ninth caution flag is waved out. Devastating blow for Reddick, who is seeking his first Cup Series win.

6:24 p.m.: With 50 laps to go, it is Reddick and Jones with a sizeable lead over the rest of the field.

6:21 p.m.: Bilicki has a flat on his rear left tire and falls off the track.

6:15 p.m.: Almirola has to come back to pit road on the next lap, however, and this time, he has to make a stop.

6:14 p.m.: Aric Almirola started to slide on the first lap back, but he regains control and he cuts through pit road to avoid a caution flag. He doesn't make a pit stop and is able to stay on the top lap.

6:13 p.m.: Reddick stays out in front on the restart as the race is back to green with 63 laps left at Fontana.

6:08 p.m.: Most of the field heads into pit road. First cars out are Reddick, Jones, Logano, Custer and Hamlin.

6:04 p.m.: Reddick wins his second stage of the race, with Jones, Logano, Blaney and Larson rounding out the top five.

5:56 p.m.: Reddick, Jones and Larson lead the field with the green flag being waved.

5:48 p.m.: That didn't take long. Caution flag back out. Keselowski tried to use the bottom lane to move up, but he bumped a pair of cars and spun out into the grass. Very nearly avoided what could have been a major collision. 

5:47 p.m.: Back to green with 15 laps remaining in the second stage of the Wise Power 400.

5:42 p.m.: Long pit stop for Byron, whose pit crew has a tough time getting the front left tire off. Reddick re-takes the lead off pit road, with Larson, Jones, Cole Custer and Brad Keselowski as the next four drivers.

5:40 p.m.: The caution flag is back out as Chris Buescher spins into the wall. 19 laps remaining on the second stage.

5:38 p.m.: Larson has now moved all the way up to second, but Byron has put some distance between himself and the rest of the field. He's got just over a second lead over Larson.

5:32 p.m.: Byron passes Reddick, but it is close between the two leaders.

5:31 p.m.: Briscoe takes a major slide as he dips down to fifth. Bryon moved up to second with Larson in third and Logano in fourth.

5:29 p.m.: Reddick and Briscoe lead the cars back into green with 34 laps remaining in the second stage.

5:27 p.m.: Bell had to have his car towed to pit road as he proceeds to fall several laps down.

5:25 p.m.: Hamlin is penalized for too many men over the wall.

5:22 p.m.: Reddick re-takes the lead from Briscoe, who is second, off pit road. Byron, Blaney and Cindric are the next three off.

5:19 p.m.: Denny Hamlin heads to pit road just as Christopher Bell spins out. The caution flag is brought back out.

5:18 p.m.: Briscoe continues to maintain his advantage over Reddick as the lead drivers move to the 25th lap in the second stage.

5:15 p.m.: Kyle Busch has lost his left rear tire on lap 20 of the second stage. That's a huge blow as he's already four laps down.

5:09 p.m.: Briscoe re-takes the lead before too long, however, with Reddick coming in behind him to move up ahead of Larson. Now Reddick swings wide inside to try and move ahead of Briscoe, but he can't finish the pass.

5:07 p.m.: Stage 2 of the Wise Power 400 is underway, and right away, Briscoe speeds ahead from the inside to try and pass Reddick. Larson then makes a wide move to take the lead.

5:04 p.m.: The caution was extended after Todd Gilliland loses a front right tire.

4:58 p.m.: All the cars head to pit road. First cars off are Reddick, Briscoe and Byron.

4:54 p.m.: The first stage has come to an end. Reddick takes the first stage win, Jones is second, Byron third, Briscoe fourth and Larson fifth.

4:47 p.m.: This race is back to green.

4:43 p.m.: Reddick, Byron, Jones, Kurt Busch and Briscoe were the first cars off pit road, but Kurt Busch is called for speeding. He'll have to resume the race in the rear.

4:41 p.m.: The caution flag is back out with 12 laps remaining in the first stage. Josh Bilicki spun off the track and into the grass. Also before the caution flag, Truex hit the wall and might have hit Cindric and Larson.

4:35 p.m.: Reddick tells his crew over the radio that he can't feel his left leg and he's having a hard time focusing, per the Fox broadcast.

4:32 p.m.: The green flag is brought back out.

4:27 p.m.: Reddick, Jones, Cindric, Byron and Stenhouse Jr. are the first five off pit road. Austin Dillon was called for speeding, and he'll have to move to the rear.

4:27 p.m.: All the drivers are coming to pit road.

4:25 p.m.: Elliott spins out, and the caution flag is brought out on lap 39.

4:24 p.m.: Kyle Busch is experiencing some overheating, and he'll take a pit stop.

4:23 p.m.: Elliott now dropping all the way to fourth as Reddick re-takes the lead with Byron in second and Jones in third.

4:21 p.m.: Elliott hits the wall, but manages to avoid a caution. He tells his crew that he hit the wall squarely. Hasn't lost the lead, but Reddick, Byron and Jones are all still right on his heels.

4:18 p.m.: Kurt Busch has quietly had a solid afternoon on the track. He not only had to start in the rear, but had a pass-through penalty to start the race. He's moved up to 23rd through 30 laps.

4:14 p.m.: On lap 23, Elliott made a move on the inside to get some space on Reddick, and sealed the advantage by cutting in front of Reddick to take the lead.

4:12 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. makes a move past Martin Truex Jr. along the outside, and Kyle Larson follows behind him. Larson had to start in the rear, but he has raced all the way up to ninth now in the field.

4:11 p.m.: This race is back to green.

4:06 p.m.: Reddick is the leader off pit road. William Byron, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Jones are the next four drivers up.

4:03 p.m.: Reddick was able to take the lead, but it doesn't take long before the caution flag comes out on lap 15. Kyle Busch spins out, and he told his crew he thinks he got the left rear tire into the seam. NASCAR says this will be the competition caution that was slated for lap 20.

4:00 p.m.: Halfway to the competition caution, Jones has maintained his edge out in front. Tyler Reddick has moved up from 11th to second as Cindric has dropped down to fourth.

3:54 p.m.: Erik Jones finished the first lap out in front and has stayed in the lead early in the race.

3:53 p.m.: The green flag has been waved, and this race is underway with Austin Cindric leading the race off the pole position.

3:38 p.m.: Super Bowl champions Matthew Stafford and Andrew Whitworth give the command to drivers to start their engines.

3:30 p.m.: Guitarist Nita Strauss performs the national anthem ahead of the start of Sunday's race.

NASCAR start time today

  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. PT (TV time)

NASCAR's race at Fontana is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT) on Sunday, Feb. 27. The actual waving of the green flag will take place closer to 4 p.m. ET.

How to watch NASCAR at Fontana

Viewers will be able to find Sunday's race on Fox in the U.S. and TSN in Canada. For those who have cut the cord on cable, Fox Sports Go will carry the live stream of its race. Racing fans can also watch the race on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

NASCAR starting lineup at Fontana

Here is the complete NASCAR  starting lineup for Sunday's race at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
2 Erik Jones 43 Petty GMS Motorsports
3 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Daniel Hemric 16 Kaulig Racing
6 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
7 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
8 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
10 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
11 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
12 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
13 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
14 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
15 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
16 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
18 Ty Dillon 42 Petty GMS Motorsports
19 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
21 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
22 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
23 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
24 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
25 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
26 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
27 Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing
28 Josh Bilicki 77 Spire Motorsports
29 Garrett Smithley 15 Rick Ware Racing
30 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
31 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
32 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
33 Ross Chastain 1 Trackhouse Racing
34 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
35 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
36 Kurt Busch 45 23XI Racing

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.