Pure dominance: Gibbs teams head Nationwide field at Fontana
There is no doubt Kyle Busch and the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization is tough to beat in the NASCAR Nationwide Series every week. Yet, when it comes to racing at Auto Club Speedway, JGR is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
A Gibbs car has ended up in Victory Lane in the last nine races at the 2-mile speedway. Tony Stewart scored the team's first Nationwide win in Fontana in 2008, while Joey Logano and Busch have continued the tradition ever since.
Already this season, Busch and the Gibbs organization have been stout. Busch has wins at Phoenix and Bristol, with a fourth in Daytona and a second in Las Vegas to boot. In all, the No. 54 Toyota has led a total of 352 of the possible 789 laps run this season, just shy of 50 percent.
If Busch somehow can't find a way to put it in Victory Lane, JGR has a great shot with Matt Kenseth also entered in the race. While it might not be as stellar as Busch's season to date, Kenseth has finishes of fifth, sixth and fifth, respectively, in the last three races.
Kenseth is no slouch in Fontana, either. During his time with Roush Fenway Racing, Kenseth won four times in the Nationwide Series at Auto Club Speedway.
If the Gibbs cars want to keep the streak going, they have to beat their former teammate Joey Logano. Now with Team Penske, Logano scored two Nationwide Series wins for JGR at ACS and is sure to be a threat in the always-fast No. 22 Ford.
Not only is Logano fast, he also knows the JGR organization "better than anyone else," since he worked closely with them for many years.
"I would say there is a little rivalry there, but it's all in fun," he said of the two teams. "To be the best you have to beat the best, right? And right now I think we are two of the best in the Nationwide Series. It's a lot of fun for sure."
Not only will it be fun for the drivers, but it also should be fun to watch them battle it out on the track.
