Category: NASCAR Cup Series

David Ragan – NSCS ADVANCE

Team: No. 6 UPS Freight Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Chassis: Primary: RK-640 Ran Michigan – finished 11th

Backup: RK-620 Ran Vegas – finished 23rd

Ragan, NSCS at Auto Club Speedway:

Date Event S F Laps Led Status Money

2-21-10 Auto Club 500 15 23 250/250 0 Running $98,975

10-11-09 Pepsi 500 31 7 250/250 0 Running $117,500

2-22-09 Auto Club 500 13 17 249/250 0 Running $103,400

8-31-08 Pepsi 500 22 13 250/250 1 Running $108,475

2-25-08 Auto Club 500 24 14 250/250 0 Running $104,850

9-2-07 Sharp Aquos 500 33 12 250/250 0 Running $137,475

2-25-07 Auto Club 500 39 16 250/250 0 Running $130,075

Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Led Money

Spring 4 0 0 0 0 0 $437,300

Fall 3 0 0 1 0 1 $363,450

Cumulative 7 0 0 1 0 1 $800,750

Ragan on racing at Auto Club Speedway:

“We’ve got our good-looking silver UPS Freight Ford back on the track this weekend in California. California is a big, wide track which makes for plenty of opportunities to pass if you’ve got a good handling race car. Roush has always been strong at California and we should definitely be able to carry on that tradition this weekend. We’re taking the same car we had a good finish with in Michigan and so we should be pretty fast.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Auto Club Speedway:

“California is a challenging track to get your car handling well, but it’s also a place the Roush cars have excelled at in the past. I’m looking forward to getting to the track with our UPS Freight Ford this weekend. Last weekend we had a good run in Kansas and I feel we can carry that momentum over to California.”

FAST FACTS

• Auto Club Speedway is Ragan’s second-best finishing track behind Talladega. He has an average finish of 14.6 and average starting position of 25.3.

• In his seven starts at Auto Club Speedway Ragan has completed 1,749 of 1,750 laps, falling short only one lap, for a total of 99.9 percent laps completed.

• This will be the second time this season that UPS Freight is featured on the No. 6 Ford. The UPS Freight Ford made its 2010 debut in Chicago, resulting in a 12th-place finish.

Auto Club Speedway Advance Notes

Race:                   Pepsi MAX 400 on Sunday, Oct. 10

Track:                  Auto Club Speedway (2.0-mile oval)

Location:               Fontana, Calif.

Earnhardt Ganassi Media Contacts at Auto Club Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)                

John Olguin             No. 1   McDonald’s Chevrolet

Shayna Keller           No. 42 Target Chevrolet

NOTES

Jamie McMurray and No. 1 McDonald’s Team

Fontana Review:  McMurray will be making his 15th NSCS start at the Auto Club Speedway. He is the reigning track pole-sitter (first of three for 2010) from the first 2010 NSCS visit in February.  McMurray followed his 2010 Daytona 500 victory and subsequent media tour, by making a splash with teammate Juan Pablo Montoya as they took the pole and outside pole positions for this season’s first event at Fontana.  His best finish of fourth (twice) came in 2004 and 2005 when he previously raced for Chip Ganassi. He has five top-10 finishes; zero DNF’s and has led 43 laps at the two-mile oval.

About Kansas:  Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats team looked to continue a streak of very consistent racing which prior to Kansas included, one win, four top-five, five top-10, and seven top-15 finishes in the previous 10 races.  They did just that as the driver from Joplin, MO returned to the Midwest, racing in front of some of his most-loyal fans, the driver surged into the top 10 late in the race, eventually finishing in the 11th position.  The finish marks his eighth top-15 in the last 11 races.

Return of “Big Mac”:  Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Team will welcome back the iconic Golden Arches to the hood of their No. 1 Chevrolet as McDonald’s returns as the primary sponsor.  The driver has had quite the success with the Golden Arches on the hood, including two pole awards (Darlington and Chicago), three top-five, four top-10, and seven top-15 finishes in 10 starts with the McDonald’s paint scheme.  His average starting position with the Golden Arches on the hood is 10.9 with an average finish of 15.9.

Consistency Key for McMurray and No.1 Team:  Jamie McMurray and the No.1 Team have rattled off an impressive list of stats over the last 11 races.  These stats include one pole award (Chicago), one win (Indy), four top-five, five top-10, and eight top-15 finishes, with an average start of 11th and average finish of 10.5.

Impressive Season Stats For McMurray:  Currently McMurray is ranked in the top 10 among drivers in the following categories… Tied for first in number of pole awards (3), second in race winnings, and eighth in top-five and top-10 finishes.

Visit Bass Pro Shops:  Race fans visiting the Auto Club Speedway should be sure to visit the Rancho Cucamonga, CA. store located just 10 minutes from the Speedway at 7777 Victoria Gardens Lane.  For more information on in-store sales and events, race fans should visit www.basspro.com or call the store at 909.922.5500.

Inside View With McMurray:  Watch for different angles and views from the No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.  McMurray will carry an in-car camera 400 miles around the 2-mile speedway this Sunday during the Pepsi Max 400.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team

MEDIA ALERT:  Juan Pablo Montoya will be available at the No. 42 Target hauler for a brief Hispanic Media Q&A session on Friday, October 8 from 11:15am – 11:30am (PDT) 

California History:  Juan Pablo Montoya will be making his eighth NSCS start at the Auto Club Speedway on Sunday afternoon.  Montoya is coming off a starting-best of second from the first 2010 NSCS visit to Fontana.  His career best weekend came at this event last season where he started fourth and led for 78 laps before finishing third.  He had previously only led for one lap with a best finish of 11th in the first event of 2009.

Kansas Recap:  The Target team started out the weekend strong with their 11th consecutive top-10 qualifying position at Kansas Speedway.  The No. 42 Target Chevrolet lined-up seventh and handling concerns quickly became an issue.  Montoya brushed the wall on lap 42 due to a loose handling race car and the team worked throughout the day to get a strong finish out of the race.  In the end, Montoya would settle for a 29th-place finishing position.

Montoya Appearance:  Visit the Chevy Stage located outside of Auto Club Speedway this Sunday, October 10.  Montoya will participate in a Q&A Session from 8:45am-9:00am (PDT).

Montoya Plays Golf:  Prior to the weekend events at Auto Club Speedway Montoya will arrive in California early to participate in fellow NSCS driver Jimmie Johnson’s foundation golf tournament.  The tournament will take place on Wednesday, October 6 in San Diego, Calif.

Meet The Target Team:  Visit the Chevy display area this Sunday, October 10 to meet the No. 42 Target pit crew.  The Target team will be signing autographs for race fans at the display from 10:15am-10:30am (PDT).

Back-to-Back IndyCar Titles for Target Chip Ganassi Racing: Target Chip Ganassi Racing claimed their eighth open wheel crown last Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway as Dario Franchitti drove to an eighth place finish, locking up the 2010 IndyCar Series championship in the final race of the season. It marks the third IndyCar championship for Franchitti (2007, 2009), and second with Team Target.  In addition, it marked the third straight IndyCar championship for Target Chip Ganassi Racing as teammate Scott Dixon captured the title in 2008.

Qualifying Consistency:  Montoya and the No. 42 Target team continued their qualifying streak of top-10 starting positions this past weekend in Kansas.  The No. 42 Chevrolet has started in the top-10 for 11 straight weeks beginning with Chicagoland in mid-July.  This also includes one of the two pole awards for Montoya this season and five top-five starting positions.

CHASSIS INFO

No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1016. The No. 1 team will bring chassis #1016 to Auto Club Speedway this weekend.  This chassis was first used a month ago at Atlanta where McMurray qualified 12th and finished 15th.

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #1003.  Pattie and the No. 42 Target team are bringing chassis #1003 to Auto Club Speedway this weekend marking the fourth time this chassis has been used in 2010.  The team last used this chassis at Atlanta in September where Montoya started eighth and finished ninth.   Montoya also ran this chassis at Chicagoland where he qualified 10th and finished 16th and in the Coke 600 where he finished 38th due to an on-track incident.

2010 STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Starts  Wins    Poles   Top 5s  Top 10s Ave Start       Ave Finish      Pts. Pos./(Prev)       
Jamie McMurray  29      2       3       8       10      13.8    16.5    14/14
Juan Pablo Montoya      29      1       2       5       13      10.2    18.0    16/16

CAREER STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Starts  Wins    Poles   Top 5s  Top 10s Ave Start       Ave Finish     
Jamie McMurray  287     5       6       38      90      19.7    19.1
Juan Pablo Montoya      138     2       4       17      40      17.4    19.9
       

TEAM ROSTERS

Tony Glover – Team Manager

Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition

No. 1 (NSCS)    Hometown                Hometown       
Crew Chief:  Kevin Manion       Boylston, MA    Rear Tire Changer: Chris Taylor         West Plains, MO
Chief Mechanic:  Gary Putnam    Vernon, CT      Rear Tire Carrier:  Adam Mosher Fort Mill, SC
Front Tire Changer:  Cory DeMarco       St. Louis, MO   Gas Man:  Benjy Grubbs  Richmond, VA
Front Tire Carrier:  Doug Riepe Danbury, CT     Catch Can:  Eric Hoyle  Asheville, NC
Jack Man:  Tracy Duncan Lincolnton, NC  Spotter:   Keith Barnwell       Hudson, NC

No. 42 (NSCS)   Hometown                Hometown       
Crew Chief:  Brian Pattie       Zephyrhills, FL         Rear Tire Changer:  Chris McMullen      Troutman, NC
Chief Mechanic:  Heath Silver   Asheville, NC   Rear Tire Carrier:  Chip Goode  Statesville, NC
Front Tire Changer:  Trevor Lysne       Fergus Falls, MN        Gas Man:  Mike Bodick   Norwalk, CT
Front Tire Carrier:  Eric Bilyeu        Waterford, MI   Catch Can:  Heath Silver        Asheville, NC
Jack Man:  TJ Ford      Charlotte, NC   Spotter:  Tab Boyd      Pensacola, FL

Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance
Pepsi MAX 400
Auto Club Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010
www.media.chrysler.com
www.twitter.com/teamdodge

DODGE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
• Dodge has one Sprint Cup win at Auto Club Speedway (Kasey Kahne – 2006).
• Dodge has started from the pole four times at Auto Club Speedway.  The most
recent came at the fall event in 2007.
• Dodge’s Kurt Busch has earned three of his 12 career poles at Auto Club
Speedway, more than at any other Sprint Cup Series track on the schedule.

THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.
• Dodge’s most recent win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.  Kurt Busch
led 252 of 400 laps en route to victory in the Coca-Cola 600.  It was his
second win of the 2010 season.
• Dodge has claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.
• Dodge teams have posted 47 wins since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s
premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
• Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at Auto Club Speedway:  Kasey Kahne,
05/04/2004, Sony HD 500, 137.268 mph avg. speed.

DODGE IN THE CHASE:  AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
• 2004:  Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield represented Dodge in the Chase.  Auto
Club Speedway was not one of the 10 races that made up the Chase in 2004.
• 2005:  Three Dodge’s including Newman, Mayfield and Rusty Wallace qualified
for the Chase.  Auto Club Speedway was not part of the 10-race Chase.
• 2006:  Kasey Kahne was the only Dodge driver to make the Chase.  He started
from the pole and dominated at Auto Club Speedway, the 25th race on the Sprint
Cup schedule, leading 130 laps en route to the win.
• 2007:  Kurt Busch, the lone Dodge driver in the Chase.  In the 25th race on
the Cup schedule, he finished ninth at Auto Club Speedway.
• 2008:  There were no Dodges in the 2008 Chase field.
• 2009:  Kurt Busch was the lone Dodge driver in the Chase.  He started 24th
at Auto Club Speedway, the fourth race in the 10-race Chase, and finished
eighth.  He led twice in the 500-mile event.

DID YOU KNOW?
Kurt Busch, No. 2 Operation Home Front/Miller Lite Dodge Charger swept the
pole for both Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway in 2006.  Busch’s third
pole at the two-mile track came during the fall event in 2007.

KURT BUSCH – INSIDE THE CHASE NUMBERS
• Busch is competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the fifth time:  2004
– Champion, 2005 – 10th, 2007 – Seventh and 2009 – fourth.
• Currently sixth in Chase standings, 70 points behind the leader.  He was
ranked fifth, 91 points behind the leader, after three races in the 2009
Chase.
• Finished 10th in the regular-season point standings after 26 races; ranked
fifth after the reset for the 2010 Chase.
• Lost two positions in the standings after his 13th-place finish at Kansas
last weekend, but just 11 points to the leader. 
• Through the first three Chase races this year, Busch’s   average finishing
position is 10th. 
• In 29 races this season, Busch has two wins along with nine top-five and 16
top-10 finishes.
• Has competed in 62 Chase races since 2004 (43 have been in a Dodge) with 16
top-five and 33 top-10 finishes.
• His best Auto Club Speedway finish came in 2003 when he won the spring event
after starting 16th.
• In 16 Cup starts at Auto Club, Busch has led 230 laps with one win along
with four top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Fuel mileage races are fun for crew chiefs and the driver.  You’re working
together in a fashion where you both help each other when it comes to fuel
mileage.  The crew chief is counting on the driver to save fuel and the driver
is counting on the crew chief and the team engineer running the fuel mileage
to have a little bit extra so that you don’t run out.  Because when you run
out like Tony Stewart did at Loudon, it will cost you big.”
Kurt Busch, No. 2 Operation Home Front/Miller Lite Dodge Charger

ENGINEERING TALK
“When can you consider a race at Auto Club Speedway a sprint race?  When
you’ve run nothing but 500-mile races at the track since the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series first visited the track in 1997 and this week, we have our first
400-mile event ever.  Yes, we’ve run plenty of 400-mile races at other tracks
for years, but all of the engineering notes we’ve gathered at Auto Club
Speedway are to support a 500-mile event.  Fuel economy will be completely
different from what we’re used to, tire management, pit stops, pit box
choices, qualifying considerations, you name it, and we’ll have to rethink it
for this week’s shortened event.”
Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering

DODGE DRIVER QUOTES
“It’s consistency — that’s the key to winning the championship — and we
need more of it.  That’s always been the most critical factor and it
certainly will be the decision-maker this season, too.  From here on out,
it’ll be all about having the best average finish, getting all the bonus
points you can and not having the problems that create bad finishes.  You
have to be bringing your ‘A game’ to the track each and every week.  You have
to be leading laps to get the bonus points and put the numbers on the board
at the end of the day.  If we can make it through Talladega with something
near a 7.0 average with three races left, I feel confident that we can be
within striking distance of the leader.  We finished 13th at Loudon, fourth
at Dover and 13th again last Sunday at Kansas and that figures out to be a
10.0 average after three races.  That probably won’t cut it.”               
       ‘
Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

“The one thing about California, we tend to run well there every spring race
but we seem to have some problems in the fall race.  We’re trying to figure
out what the difference has been;  I think it has a lot to do with how
temperatures affect the track with it being hotter in the fall.  Hopefully
we’ll get it figured out a little better this year.”
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge

“Our cars are driving better on the intermediate tracks, not just for me, but
for Kurt (Busch) and Sam (Hornish Jr.) as well.  We have some new cars coming
out as we close out the season.  We’re trying to do everything we can to help
Kurt win the championship.  So I’ll think we continue to see improvement in
our cars as we close out 2010 and start preparing for 2011.  We have new cars
coming out that we think will make us more competitive and I’m looking forward
to seeing what they can do.”
Brad Keselowski, No 12 Penske Dodge

FONTANA, Calif. (October 5, 2010) – Entering the fourth event of NASCAR’s playoffs, can a better-than-average finish for Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team lead to the ‘max’ at Auto Club Speedway?

‘MAX’ POINTS FOR GORDON IN CALIFORNIA? Gordon, who will drive a specially painted No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Max Chevrolet in Sunday’s Pepsi Max 400, is tied with Carl Edwards for the best average finish (7.3) in the first three races of the 2010

“Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.” While the native of California is still very much in championship contention, Gordon knows gains must be made.

“These first three races haven’t gone as well as we had hoped, yet we are still very much in the thick of it,” said Gordon, who is fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and only 58 out of the lead.

“We’re still very much in the championship hunt and I think you have to keep yourself in it until Talladega or Martinsville. Those two are like our ‘wildcard’ events and you just have to see how those two events go.

“You can take stock of where you are after that. “Our game plan hasn’t changed yet, though. Every weekend, we’re trying to qualify well, trying to race at or near the front and trying to win. We’re trying to get the best finish we possibly can and get the maximum amount of points possible.”

And Auto Club Speedway may afford the No. 24 team that opportunity. In 20 career starts at the two-mile track, Gordon has three wins (1997, 1999 and 2004), two poles, and 10 top-five finishes (50 percent). In 2009, Gordon posted a pair of runner-up finishes here and in February of this year, he led the event before a spark plug issue resulted in a 20th-place finish.

“We seem to run well here, and you have to have good power and good balance,” said Gordon. “Right now, there’s a lot of stuff going on around the garage with teams trying to run ‘soft’ in the back versus ‘stiff’ in the back. At a track like this, you can really experiment with it because the straightaways are so long and it’s a big, fast race track.

“We’re trying to get the spoiler out of the air a little bit and trying to work that balance out as well.”

And if Gordon and the No. 24 team can find the right balance, it just may be worth the ‘max.’

Carl Edwards – NSCS CALIFORNIA ADVANCE

Team:           No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

Crew Chief:   Bob Osborne

Chassis:       RK-702    Most recently raced at Atlanta where he

                                     finished second

Edwards, NSCS at Auto Club Speedway:

Date        Event                       S        F       Laps        Led       Status            Money

2-21-10     Auto Club 500         31       13    250/250       0        Running        $134,148

10-11-09   Pepsi 500               11        6     250/250       0        Running        $158,356

2-22-09     Auto Club 500         25        7     250/250       1        Running        $155,181

8-31-08     Pepsi 500               26        6     250/250       0        Running        $153,300

2-25-08     Auto Club 500          9         1     250/250      64       Running        $340,500

9-2-07       Sharp Aquos 500    19        2     250/250       0        Running        $185,450

2-25-07     Auto Club 500         21       29    247/250       0        Running        $  92,200

9-3-06       Sony HD 500          24        4     250/250       2        Running        $142,725

2-26-06     Auto Club 500         22        3     251/251       0        Running        $165,550      

9-4-05       California 500           1        4     254/254      21       Running        $152,125

2-27-05     Auto Club 500         19        5     250/250      33       Running        $125,600

9-5-04       Pop Secret 500       19        6     250/250       0        Running        $136,792

                           Races         Wins    Top-5s     Top-10s      Poles      Led            Money          

Cumulative             12               1          6              10              1          121         $1,941,927

 

 

QUOTES

Carl Edwards on racing at Auto Club Speedway:

“We had a really good run at Kansas and the strength of the Roush Fenway organization is as good as it’s ever been.  We’re going to California which is a track we’ve had a lot of success at, and we’ve run very well as a team there.  This is a track on the Chase schedule that I feel very confident at and feel like we have a great shot at a win there.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Auto Club Speedway:

“Historically California has been a really good track for Carl.  He has finished in the top 10 in all but two of his Cup races there.  The car we are taking was new at Atlanta in September and finished second so we feel it will be very competitive at California.  We had another solid run last weekend at Kansas which moved us to within 53 points of the lead.  With seven races left we have to keep chipping away at the points and keep working toward that win.”

FAST FACTS

• Carl Edwards enters California fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, 53 markers behind point leader Jimmie Johnson.  He has earned seven top-five,16 top-10 finishes and two poles this season.
• FOR THE RECORD… In 12 starts at the two-mile California track, Edwards has one win, one pole, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.9, and his average finish is 7.2 which is second only to Jimmie Johnson’s 5.5.  Edwards has completed 3002 of 3005 (99.9%) of laps attempted at Auto Club Speedway.
• IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 12 races at Fontana, Edwards has turned 143 of the track’s fastest laps, spent 2148 laps in the top 15 and led a total of 121 laps. Edwards’ driver rating is fourth best among active drivers.
• CUE THE DUCK… The Aflac Duck will make his first at track appearance to join Edwards and the team in honoring children battling cancer by wearing Beads of Courage necklaces.  Beads of Courage is a non-profit whose sole mission is to support children with cancer and other serious illness through art based programs.  By collecting courage beads earned for various procedures and milestones throughout their treatments, children chronicle their journeys through a coded system.
• ON THE TRACK…The No. 99 Aflac crew will unload RK-702 for the weekend. Edwards finished second with it at Atlanta in September when it was new.
• REWIND, CALIFORNIA, October 2009…Edwards battled a loose race car and trouble in the pits.  He was as far back as 21^st with 21 laps to go, but good pit strategy and a fast race car in the end helped him climb all the way up to finish sixth.

Mobil 1 Team News and Notes

Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, has a successful track record at Auto Club Speedway. In a total of five NASCAR Cup Series starts at two-mile D-shaped oval, he has earned one top-15 and two top-20 finishes with a best result of 12th (October, 2009), to go along with two top-10 starts. In addition, Hornish has four IndyCar Series starts at ACS, with two wins (March, 2002; September, 2003) and four top-five finishes, as well as four top-10 starting positions.

Hornish has a total of 30 NASCAR Cup Series starts at speedway track venues measuring at least two miles in distance or longer. In total, he has earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes while leading a total of 50 laps at these types of circuits.

Each week Mobil 1 crew chief Travis Geisler offers fans a glimpse into car setup for each racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit at washingtonpost.com. Geisler reports that at Auto Club Speedway, the track is so big that fuel mileage becomes a priority as races have few cautions, and no one wants to risk losing a lap by pitting for gas under a green flag. Learn more at http://wapo.st/dr82D5.

On Thursday, October 7, Hornish will participate in the AAA/Stater Bros. Racefest at Auto Club Speedway, where he will sign for fans from 5:45 – 7:30 p.m. PDT. He will also be on hand to answer fan questions trackside at the Auto Club display in the DiscoverIE FanZone from 8:30 – 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 10.

Sam Hornish Jr. Quote

Does the change in weather conditions from the spring to the fall affect how teams run at Auto Club Speedway?

“The one thing about California, we tend to run well there every spring race but we seem to have some problems in the fall race. We’re trying to figure out what the difference has been; I think it has a lot to do with how temperatures affect the track with it being hotter in the fall. Hopefully we’ll get it figured out a little better this year.”

“I think our Penske cars work better when the temperatures are cooler and the tracks have more grip. The front ends generally work a little better. That’s something that we’ve continued to work on – making the front ends turn better. When it’s hotter outside and the tracks are slick, it is harder for us to get our cars tuned in.”

Crew Chief Travis Geisler Quote

What are your thoughts on this weekend’s race at Auto Club Speedway?

“Auto Club Speedway is a tough track because the speeds are very high but the track does not have a lot of banking to help the cars corner. It is very important to have a car that is comfortable getting into the corner and have good rear traction on the exit of the corner. The track has some bumps that make ride quality very important as well. We look forward to the trip out west and we hope to get the Mobil 1 Dodge up front at the end of the 400-mile race.”

Jimmie Johnson

2010 Starts: 29 Wins: 6 Top 5: 12 Top 10: 16

Current Driver Point Standing: 1s

Finish in Kansas: 2nd October 2009 Finish at California: 1st

NEWS

Jimmie and Chandra Johnson will be in the San Diego this week to participate in the 4th-Annual Jimmie Johnson Foundation Golf Tournament and Dinner Auction on the way to Auto Club Speedway.

The Johnsons are involved in several events in Jimmie’s hometown to raise funds for the local community. The golf tournament and dinner auction have raised over $500,000 each year since the inaugural event in 2007.

Johnson will be piloting the No. 48 Lowe’s/ Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet in Sunday’s event at Auto Club Speedway. Johnson is undefeated at the two-mile venue with that paint scheme on his car.

In addition, Johnson will be wearing the 2010 Samsung Helmet of Hope this weekend. The helmet features logos of 13 children’s charities that were nominated by fans and media members across the country. Each charity received a $10,000 grant and placement on Johnson’s helmet.

Two of the charities, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, each earned an additional $20,000 grant through the Hope for More campaign.

For more information, visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.

RACE NOTES

Auto Club Speedway

Johnson has made 15 Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, where he has earned five wins, 10 top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.

He has won three of the last four races at the two-mile venue, including the last three fall events.

His last California win was in February.

Johnson has completed 100% (3755 of 3755) of competition laps at the venue and has led 824.

He has an average start and finish of 8.7 and 5.5.

Chassis

Johnson last piloted primary chassis No. 580 to a 35th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.

Backup chassis No. 553 was driven to Victory Lane by Johnson at Auto Club Speedway in February.

QUOTES

WHEN GOING THE FEELING OF GOING BACK HOME TO CALIFORNIA AND WHAT IS GOING TO BE ON YOUR SCHEDULE WHEN YOU GO BACK? “Excited to go back. We have our Jimmie Johnson Foundation major fund raiser that takes place in my hometown, the area of my hometown I should say. We do a lot of great things, raise some money for a variety of things. This year it is again going to be a grant system for school districts in the area. I’m very excited to go back although there is a lot of work for me going home for the golf tournament and the dinner that is beforehand. But I really enjoy the race track. I enjoy the weather, the atmosphere, In N Out Burger, Mexican restaurants I am fond of in the area. It is always good to go home. There is a certain feeling about it. I won my first race there. My 48th race there and there are a lot of cool things about that race track for me. Oh yea, fish tacos, lots of lime. Post race at a Corona to the mix and we are in good shape.”

ON BEING ABLE TO CHANGE AND IMPROVE DURING THE WEEKEND COMPARED TO OTHERS NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THAT: “As a driver you always have to search around on the race track and try to find a line or some type of rhythm that will help the balance of your race car. That’s what we do. I feel that growing up on the dirt (off-road racing) really helped me with that skill set. You don’t have a chance to come in and adjust on your car or work on it and it a lot of cases on the dirt, especially in the stuff I raced, all you worried about was going in a straight line over jumps. The corners, you had to figure that out as a driver. I think I fall back on that experience a lot. Last weekend was great for our team because last-minute decisions before qualifying gave us the speed we needed to win the race. Decisions that we made Saturday night in the motor home lot working on our race car, gave us the car to win the race on Sunday. So, I’m very proud that amongst the pressure last second, we made the right decisions and made the right calls and won the race. It was a good weekend for our race team; a good lift for us.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES

Career Wins

Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.

The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.

He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).

Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).

Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.

Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.

Johnson was the first driver to win three of the first five races in The Chase.

Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.

The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles

Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.

The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.

He had a career-high six poles in 2008.

Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts

In 29 2010 starts, Johnson has collected six wins, 12 top five and 16 top-10 finishes.

Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.

Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.

In 320 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 129 top-five and 196 top-10 finishes.

He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.

Johnson has led a total of 10,955 laps (of 92,093) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 123,379 miles.

He has finished on the lead lap 246 times.

Matt Kenseth – NSCS ADVANCE

Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion

Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Chassis: Primary: RK-707 (brand new chassis)

Kenseth NSCS record at Auto Club Speedway:

Date Event S F Laps Status Earnings

04/30/00 NAPA Auto Parts 500 23 3 250/250 Running $114,325

04/29/01 NAPA Auto Parts 500 23 17 250/250 Running $61,500

04/28/02 NAPA Auto Parts 500 20 20 249/250 Running $77,550

04/27/03 Auto Club 500 23 9 250/250 Running $95,425

05/02/04 Auto Club 500 25 4 250/250 Running $172,578

09/05/04 Pop Secret 500 30 22 250/250 Running $129,803

02/27/05 Auto Club 6 26 249/250 Running $127,286

09/04/05 SONY HD 500 23 7 254/254 Running $150,286

02/26/06 Auto Club 500 31 1 251/251 Running $324,991

09/03/06 SONY HD 500 11 7 250/250 Running $146,641

02/25/07 Auto Club 500 25 1 250/250 Running $342,316

09/02/07 Sharp Aquos 500 36 7 250/250 Running $158,941

02/24/08 Auto Club 500 4 5 250/250 Running $169,841

08/31/08 Pepsi 500 27 5 250/250 Running $169,941

02/22/09 Auto Club 500 24 1 250/250 Running $346,615

10/11/09 Pepsi 500 17 13 250/250 Running $144,340

02/21/10 Auto Club 500 20 7 250/250 Running $152,201

Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Earnings

Cumulative 17 3 7 12 0 $2,884,580

Kenseth on racing at Auto Club Speedway:

“Fontana is typically a good track for me and the No. 17 team, so it’s good to travel there this weekend, especially after a strong run at Kansas last week. I really feel like we’ve been steadily improving on our program lately, so heading to Fontana where our team has run well at in the past, should hopefully mean another great run. Our Crown Royal team is focused on taking it one week at a time in order to make sure we get the finishes we deserve. Fontana is a down force track where aerodynamics comes into play, but our Roush Fenway organization really prepares for these kinds of tracks, so I’m looking forward to Sunday’s race.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Auto Club Speedway:

“Fontana is a place where horsepower is very important to having a successful weekend, so our Roush-Yates Engines become a great advantage to us even more this week. It’s a handling track where you want to try and keep fresh tires on your car, and pit crews play a key role as well when it comes to track position at Fontana. Fontana’s a track that focuses on horsepower, aerodynamics, and teamwork all in one, so to win at California is a pretty big accomplishment for a team.”

FAST FACTS:

• Kenseth has an average starting position of 22.2 and an average finishing position of 9.1 at Fontana

• Kenseth has achieved three wins, seven top-five’s, and 12 top-10’s at Fontana in the Cup series

• Kenseth has completed 4,253 of 4,255 laps at Fontana and led for a total of 468 laps

• This weekend at California, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion

• Entering this weekend, Kenseth is currently 11th in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Biffle on California: “I really can’t wait to get to California. I love that track partly because we’ve had success there but also because it’s a lot of fun and it is fast and challenging. A lot of strategy comes into play at California and that usually makes it interesting too. I also really like going out west because I get to see my family. My mom usually comes to most of the west coast races and it’s always good to get to spend time with her. Last weekend’s race was a pretty big win for this team. It would be great to make it two in a row this weekend in California.”

Erwin on California: “We’re obviously pretty excited to be going to California with a win a Kansas. California is another big, fast racetrack where we seem to run well. Qualifying well will be important because the field gets strung out pretty quickly and if you start near the back, it can be hard to make up positions. We’ve also see fuel mileage come into play at California several times so pit strategy will be a factor. We finished fourth in Michigan a couple of months ago with the car we’re racing this weekend and these two tracks are pretty similar.”

California Notes

• Biffle and the 3M team moved up to eighth in the standings; they are 85 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson but only 27 points out of fifth.

• Biffle’s average finish at California is 16.8 from an average starting position of 13.9.

• Last weekend’s win at Kansas was Biffle’s 16th career Sprint Cup win in the No. 16 Ford Fusion. Biffle also has 16 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins.

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