Kyle Busch prevails in one-lap dash to win opening Auto Club stage

Kyle Busch prevailed in a one-lap dash to the finish of Stage 1 at the Auto Club 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

The 200-lap event began with pole-sitter Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin swapping the lead the opening two laps.

Aric Almirola then rose to the fore and take the lead from Dillon at the completion of the third lap. He stretched out a healthy lead the next seven laps but soon saw fell into the clutches of Denny Hamlin, who retook the lead on Lap 10.

He brought Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch with him, who then slipstreamed past his teammate to take the lead on Lap 13.

The driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry stretched out a two-second lead over the next 17 laps with Hamlin in tow followed by Almirola, Dillon and Joey Logano.

The pit window opened on Lap 26 as Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney was the first to stop. Hamlin and Almirola were the first of the leaders to pit on Lap 30. Busch followed suit and pitted on Lap 31.

William Byron picked up the lead for two laps before Busch re-emerged as the leader on lap 34 with a 3.4 second lead over teammate Hamlin.

Hamlin managed to cut his teammate's lead down to 1.5 seconds when the yellow flag flew on Lap 55 when Austin Dillon’s cut a right-rear tire.

The yellow saw Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Clint Bowyer stay out as Busch pitted with the rest of the field. That set up a one-lap dash to the end of stage one.

Hamlin could only watch on the restart as Busch and Logano roared past going into Turn 1 as Stenhouse, Jr. spun which brought out the caution and ended the stage. Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Larson and William Bryon also collected minor damage in the incident.

Logano ended the stage in second followed by Hamlin and the Stewart Haas Racing teammates of Kevin Harvick, Daniel Suarez and Almirola sweeping positions four through sixth.

Completing the top ten and collecting stage points were Erik Jones in seventh, six-time ACS winner Jimmie Johnson in eighth, Ryan Blaney in ninth and Daniel Hemric in tenth.