Auto Club 400 Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – A collision with Kasey Kahne’s Chevrolet ruined a promising afternoon for Danica Patrick in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Patrick started 31st and had worked her way up to 19th before wrecking hard into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 121 after contact from Kahne’s Chevy. Kahne was a lap down at the time, thanks to an earlier unscheduled pit stop. “We were on a restart, and I had a run on him so I went down low,”Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief It was a wild afternoon at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, which saw Jimmie Johnson surge past Kevin Harvick on a late restart to win the Auto Club 400. Here are the five takeaways from Sunday’s race at the 2-mile oval. 1) Kevin continues Auto Club collapse Heading into Sunday’s Sprint Cup race the driver that led the most laps failed to win five of the last six races, Harvick made it six of seven after failing to find Victory Lane in Fontana. It isRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Writer With one of the best rookie classes in recent memory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series occurring during the 2016 season, each week we’ll take a look at the five rookies battling for Rookie of the Year and track their progress throughout the season. In this Auto Club Speedway edition of the “Rookie Report,” Chase Elliott finds himself at the top of the rookie mountain once again. With his sixth place finish in the Auto Club 400, Elliott posted his best finish of the seasonRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Writer Heading into Sunday’s Auto Club 400, two drivers in the field would be going to battle with each other in what would be dubbed the #HeroFaceOff in promotion of the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson each sported a superhero paint scheme, with Earnhardt carrying the Batman colors on his No. 88 Chevrolet and Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet adorned with the familiar red and blue colors of Superman. “The greatest gladiator match in theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Jimmie Johnson won the battle between hometown heroes on Sunday, outdueling Kevin Harvick in overtime at Auto Club Speedway. “Awesome teamwork, boys!” Johnson shouted on his radio after taking the 77th checkered flag of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, breaking a tie with the late Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the all-time victory list. “There’s nothing like winning at home.” The six-time series champion from El Cajon got the chance he needed when Kyle Busch blew a tire and hitRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Austin Dillon delivered a parting shot that turned out to be a called shot. After taking questions from reporters after Friday’s opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway, Dillon paused to watch the last minute of Middle Tennessee State’s upset victory over Michigan State in the NCAA basketball tournament. On his way out the door, Dillon was asked about his prospects for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX) at the two-mile track. “Ask me tomorrowRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Writer As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Auto Club Speedway this weekend for the Auto Club 400, four different drivers have made their way to victory lane in the first four races of the season, but one familiar face has yet to win in the Cup Series, despite his domination in the Xfinity Series thus far in 2016. Of course, the driver I’m referring to is the defending Sprint Cup champion, Kyle Busch. Through the first four races, Busch has been in the huntRead More

FORT WORTH, Texas – Entering Texas Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500, the season has seen a rise of unlikely faces at the top of the Sprint Cup championship standings. The relatively quiet and forgotten man at Richard Childress Racing that has been the one leading the banner this year is none other than Paul Menard. Heading into Saturday night’s race Menard was sixth in the standings, with his best finish this season coming at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The Wisconsin native qualified a solid eighth,Read More

FONTANA, Calif.—After Sunday’s Auto Club 400, there may be a warrant issued for Brad Keselowski. After all, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford committed his own version of “Grand Theft Auto” at Auto Club Speedway—he stole an entire race. Benefitting from a four-tire call on the last lap of regulation and two opportune cautions that extended the event nine laps beyond its scheduled distance, Keselowski passed polesitter Kurt Busch on the final lap (209) and pulled away to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race ofRead More

FONTANA, Calif.—One week removed from his return from a three-race suspension, Kurt Busch rewarded the unwavering support from Stewart-Haas Racing team co-owner Gene Haas by putting his No. 41 Chevrolet on the pole for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX). “It’s amazing to do this in Gene Haas’ back yard,” said Busch, who streaked around two-mile Auto Club Speedway in 38.889 seconds (185.142 mph) during the third and final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying for the fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season. A dayRead More