Here are the winners and losers after a weekend of NASCAR racing at Phoenix Raceway:
WINNERS
Variety — Five different winners in the first five Cup races of the season. That hasn’t happened since 2017. How long will this streak continue?
Martin Truex Jr. — It had been 29 races since he last won a Cup race. During that time, he had 11 top-three finishes. Truex and his team put everything together to win at Phoenix for the first time in Cup.
Joey Logano — Runner-up finish is his second of the season.
Denny Hamlin — His third-place finish is his series-high fourth top-five result of the season. He’s not finished worse than 11th this season.
Austin Cindric — First driver to win multiple Xfinity races this season. He’s won at Daytona and Phoenix this year.
Ty Gibbs — Finished second at Phoenix. The grandson of car owner Joe Gibbs has started his Xfinity career with a win and a runner-up result.
Brandon Brown — Scored a career-high third-place finish in the Xfinity Series race.
LOSERS
Kyle Busch — Rough day at Phoenix. Penalized for an uncontrolled tire and spun after contact. He was in position to get the free pass for several laps, but never got the caution he needed. He finished 25th, ending his streak of back-to-back top 10s.
Kyle Larson — He can be applauded for scoring a top 10 despite two speeding penalties, but one can easily ask where might he have finished without those infractions. Could he have won his second in a row?
JR Motorsports: Three of its four cars finished 36th or worse in Saturday’s Xfinity race. Two of its cars exited because of engine issues.

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