Auto Club Speedway Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The annual NASCAR Goes West campaign reaches the end of its three week run this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Southern California for Sunday’s running of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Built on the site of an old steel mill featured in the movie “Terminator”, the two-mile oval has been a part of the NASCAR schedule since opening in 1997. During its 20+ years on the circuit, the track has gone through ownership changes, as well as expandingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The final leg of the “West Coast Swing” will be an important one for Garrett Smithley, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, as he’ll have a special partnership for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Smithley’s major partnership will be the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and 10 Tanker Air Carrier, with a goal of raising awareness for the CDF Benevolent Fund. What makes the deal significant for the 26-year-old is that hisRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the track this weekend for the Production Alliance Group 300 at Auto Club Speedway. Last weekend, Kyle Busch scored his second victory of the season, dominating much of the race on his way to victory. Another appearance by Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece, the final leg of the ‘West Coast Swing,’ the worn racing surface, and restarts will be just some of the storylines to watch for on Saturday. Busch and Preece are the only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup SeriesRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Racing at Auto Club Speedway has had its ups and downs over the years, but the annual trek to California in 2013 became one of the best races in the track’s history. Due to the worn out track surface, drivers were racing from the very bottom of the track all the way to the outside wall, creating three and four wide racing throughout the event, especially on restarts. All just an appetizer for the main event at the end of the race. With the race windingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Motorsports has its share of stories, especially when it unites two different families coast-to-coast during difficult time periods and raising awareness for autism. For one weekend at Auto Club Speedway, that was the case for the Lombard family from Simi Valley, California and Ryan Sieg Racing from Georgia. The two families partnered up, as Sieg’s No. 39 Chevrolet Camaro had Lombard Bros. Gaming, a three-year-old gaming company owned by brothers Joseph and Zachary aka “N2SC4R” and “MAGNUM05” on YouTube, became his primary sponsor in theRead More

By Matt Tifft, Driver Columnist Editor’s note: Matt Tifft, driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, shares his 2018 campaign with Motorsports Tribune as he aims for a shot at the championship.  The #NASCARGoesWest swing is challenging for everybody. Logistically, having three cars ready to go in advance so that they can be traded out and worked on in hotel parking lots is no easy feat for the teams. For drivers, we have to figure out what works best for us to beRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Martin Truex Jr. drove three things on Sunday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway. First, he drove the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to a dominating victory in the Auto Club 400, the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Second, he drove a time machine, turning back the clock to 2017 when his mastery of stage racing propelled him to his first series championship. Truex’s effort in Sunday’s race was every bit as overwhelming as his most convincingRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer To say it was an up and down day for Ryan Blaney would be an understatement. Despite tagging the wall early and losing a lap, the young Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran still managed to finish eighth at Auto Club Speedway. On the final restart with nearly 70 laps left in the Auto Club 400, Blaney found himself outside the top-15. Slowly, he clawed his way back towards the top-10. After the final round of green flag pit stops around 45 laps to go,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Kyle Larson has put a stranglehold on his competitors at the two-mile circuits, winning the last four races, but his bid for a fifth victory (Larson’s second at Fontana) came to an end in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway after finishing second behind race winner Martin Truex, Jr. Despite being his best finish of the season and only his second top-five, Larson failed to put his No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet on top of the leaderboard. “We had a lot of weirdRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer It seems possible that Jimmie Johnson’s slump is ending as he scored a top-10 finish at Auto Club Speedway. It was also the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top-10 finish since the Charlotte Playoff race last season, 10 races ago. Johnson was up front for much of the Auto Club 400. Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ran quietly inside the top-10 as the race drew to a close. In the final run to the finish, he was as high asRead More