Truex says he can match Harvick NASCAR streak after first 2018 win
Reigning NASCAR Cup series champion Martin Truex Jr says his dominant Fontana win that ended Kevin Harvick's streak of three consecutive victories proves he can put together a similar run

Truex's success at Fontana was his first win of 2018 and he swept all three stages in a show of dominance reminiscent of the form that proved to be the foundation of his title run last year.
The Furniture Row Racing driver finished 18th at the Daytona 500 season opener but has since finished inside the top five in the following four races.
Truex now tops the Cup standings with 216 points, seven ahead of 2017 title rival Kyle Busch and 46 ahead of eighth-placed Harvick who suffered a dismal Fontana race.
When asked if dethroning Harvick was important, Truex said: "Honestly, it just feels good to win.
"I don't really worry about who's winning, who else is fast. Obviously, the #4 [Harvick] has been quick.
"They've got a great team. Kevin is an awesome driver. They had it going on the last couple weeks.
"As we [have] seen today, we can put together a run like that as well. I think most of all it feels good we're able to find that speed we've been looking for the last couple weeks.
"We've been close, but not quite close enough. We knew we were off a bit, so it wasn't a surprise that we weren't winning.
"Today I felt really good about what we had. It was really fast. It's just kind of reassurance that what we're doing is working."

Truex took his first victory in 2017 two races earlier than he did in the current campaign but said getting an early win on the board was key to his title defence.
"To win early in the season is really important, for that momentum, that confidence as a team," he said.
"It just kind of reassures you what you're doing is working and you can continue down that path.
"It worked great for us last year. Hopefully, we can take advantage of it again."
Having won the regular season last year ahead of taking the title at Homestead, Truex said it will be a target for 2018 too.
"Winning the regular season for us last year, it's a big confidence booster," he said. "Honestly, it means a lot to a team.
"We've heard other guys talk about it before, Harvick in particular. It's a huge accomplishment to win the regular season points.
"It's so difficult to come to all these different racetracks, be consistent week after week, deal with all the things that racing can throw at you."

Earnhardt and StarCom NASCAR Cup team split after five rounds
Harvick's wins an anomaly for 'so-so' Ford in NASCAR - Keselowski

Latest news
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes