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NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway

The racing action continues this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series is off but will return May 8 at Kansas.

All times Eastern.

Friday, April 17:

On Track:

Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
1:30 -2:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 1
3-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
4:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

10:30 a.m. Darrell Wallace Jr.
10:45 a.m: Darrell Waltrip
11:15 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
4 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
5:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post Qualifying Press Conference – Time Approximate

Saturday, April 18:

On Track:

8:30-9:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
9:45 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 – FOX Sports 1 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) (Scheduled Green Flag: 1:46 p.m. – Time Approximate)

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

12:45 p.m.: Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu
3:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Post Race Press Conference – Time Approximate

Sunday, April 19:

On Track:

1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer – FOX (500 laps, 266.5 miles) (Scheduled Green Flag: 1:13 p.m. – Time Approximate)

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

9:45 a.m.: Brad Keselowski
4 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post Race Press Conference – Time Approximate

April 17, 2015
Texas Tussle of Champions: Jimmie Johnson Outduels Kevin Harvick to Win Duck Commander 500

FORT WORTH, Texas—Jimmie Johnson continued his recent domination of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night, rallying after a late pit stop for a victory in the 19th annual Duck Commander 500.

Johnson, the six-time NSCS champion, took the lead on Lap 321 of the scheduled 334 when he drove under and past Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick exiting the dogleg of TMS’ high-banked, 1.5-mile quad-oval. The final 14 laps featured a battle between Johnson and Harvick, the reigning NSCS champion, who finished second despite scraping the Turn 4 wall on Lap 331.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet SS, finished 1.107 seconds ahead of Harvick and his No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS. Johnson, of Hendrick Motorsports, posted his 72nd career victory in 478 NSCS starts and seventh for team-owner Rick Hendrick.

“The end of the race was nutty,” said Johnson, who said he woke up sick Saturday morning and addressed the media post-race through a scratchy voice. “Those last three pit stops with the varied tire strategies, our car wasn’t handling like it did when we were leading. The third one (on Lap 310), our car was really, really good and I was able to work our way forward. The No. 4 was having trouble with the No. 1 (of McMurray) and slid up…and I thought I had it under control. Just a lot of great racing; the (worn-out) surface of this racetrack allows that to happen.”

Johnson scored his fifth win at TMS and third in his last six starts, but his first victory in the spring event. Johnson earned his first win of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a sister 1.5-mile layout to TMS, in the second race on the schedule.

“I think the tracks with high-wear and bumps…I think the surface fits my style and Chad’s style and what we do together,” Johnson said in reference to crew chief Chad Knaus.

“This is a racetrack that falls into Jimmie’s liking,” said Knaus, still sporting his Victory Circle Stetson. “Do we always race at night (here) in the spring? We’ve run very, very well here in the spring race so I think it was just circumstances that we hadn’t been able to pull it off previously. Nothing specific.”

Johnson pitted with most of the lead pack during the race’s eighth and final caution period on Lap 310, when Knaus played it safe with a call for four Goodyear tires. Four drivers—McMurray, Kyle Larson, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr.—opted for right side tires only. Johnson exited pit road in seventh after Larson was penalized for driving through too many pit boxes.

Johnson moved into third on Lap 317, behind leader McMurray and Harvick. Johnson completed his charge to the front on Lap 321, with Harvick taking second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also passing McMurray. Earnhardt moved around Harvick on Lap 326 for second before Harvick returned the favor on Lap 329. Harvick then lost momentum on Lap 331 when he slid and scraped the wall in Turn 4 but still managed to maintain second. By then, Johnson was headed to the white flag.

Earnhardt, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, finished third in his No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS. Joey Logano, last year’s Texas spring race winner and the reigning Daytona 500 champion, finished fourth in the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion. Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NSCS champion and Logano’s Team Penske shopmate, finished fifth in the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford.

“I had the car I anticipated I would have,” said Earnhardt, who scored his 15th top-10 finish in 26 races at TMS. “We made some good adjustments. We seemed to have a good pattern of what was working for us and I think by the end of the race we had our car as good as we had it all night.

“I like racing here. I think it was a good show. It was raining debris out there for a while and we needed some green-flag runs to get some of the track position back that we were having trouble keeping. Finally the rain shower of debris ended and we were able to finish the race.”

Johnson led on nine occasions for a race-high 128 laps to become the third driver to record wins in the spring and fall races at Texas, joining Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, both of Joe Gibbs Racing. Harvick, a two-time winner this season for Stewart-Haas Racing, led nine times for 96 laps.

Harvick’s bid to end a winless streak at TMS that now stands at 0-for-25 was evident on Lap 314 after the last restart, when he nudged the rear bumper of Logano’s car and moved him out of the way while battling for third.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” said Harvick, who interpreted Logano’s tactic as blocking. “Like the No. 22 (Logano), you knock them out of the way and that’s the chance you take when you block.” Harvick setted for his 13th top-10 finish in those 25 TMS starts and his seventh top 10 in 2015.

Logano classified Harvick’s move as “hard racing,” then admitted he was blocking. “It’s the end of the race. I blocked him and he got into me,” Logano said. “I get it. Early in the race that’s not acceptable. End of the race, we’re racing for the win. I’d do the same thing.”

Harvick exited Texas with a 25-point (306-280) lead over Logano in the points standings, with Truex, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet SS, third and 40 points out of the lead after a ninth-place result.

April 12, 2015
Jones Speeds to First XFINITY Series Victory at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas—Teenager Erik Jones turned his first NASCAR XFINITY Series pole at Texas Motor Speedway into his first series victory Friday night, schooling NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. en route to the checkered flag in the 19th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Jones, 18, held off Keselowski on a restart on Lap 175 of the scheduled 200 around TMS’ high-banked, 1.5-mile quad-oval for a margin of victory of 1.624-seconds in the first night race of the season. Jones’ first series win came in his ninth start. In the process Jones became the second-youngest series winner at TMS at 18 years, 10 months, 11 days—a record set last year by Chase Elliott at 18 years, 4 months and 7 days when he scored his first series victory in this event.

“This is surreal. That confidence is something I never doubted in myself,” said Jones, who shared the Victory Lane celebration with crew chief Michael Wheeler. “This is just amazing. We beat Cup guys tonight! Just a really cool day and something I’m really proud of not only for myself but everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s a great feeling knowing you had to work for it, that it was not just handed to you.”

Jones, driver of the No. 20 GameStop/Mortal Kombat X Toyota Camry, previously had competed at TMS in the NASCAR Camping World Series. He started fifth and finished 11th in last June’s annual summer night race.

Jones took the lead for good on Lap 151 from Earnhardt and paced the final 50 circuits. Jones led six times for a race-high 79 laps, 23 more than Keselowski, who started from the rear of the field because of “unapproved adjustments.” Prior to taking the lead, Jones ran up to the back of Earnhardt’s rear bumper and gave him a warning tap.

“That was fun and frustrating,” Jones said. “I knew what he was doing. It was hard racing, two drivers giving 100 percent. I learned a lot from him. He definitely raced us hard and we raced him hard. At the end of the day we got to race against Dale Earnhardt Jr., a guy I’ve watched forever on TV. He’s a great race car driver and has a great team and to beat him is really, really cool. Man, what a battle. It was fun for me and I hope just as much fun to watch.”

Keselowski, meanwhile, sounded the horn for NASCAR’s latest youth movement. “Erik had a great car and did a great job,” Keselowski said. “We raced side-by-side for about two laps but eventually he cleared me, so that was good racing.

“It was good side-by-side racing and we ran wide-open there, and that’s always cool when you’re running wide-open and side-by-side. It was a matter of who was going to lift first and nobody lifted. We came up a bit short. We were pretty strong at times…got a little damage on that last pit stop cycle, but who knows? Just up-and-down and barley missed it at the end.”

Keselowski said he really didn’t consider the fact that Jones, a fellow-Michigander, celebrated his high school graduation ceremony at TMS last year so he could compete in that NCWTS event.

“We’re all racing and racing’s a very selfish sport,” said Keselowski, who scored his 11th top-10 result in 15 races at TMS. “I’ve watched him race in the Truck Series and he does a great job. He’s right there where that ‘youth movement’ demands you to be successful. This is certainly a notch in his belt and I’m happy for him.

“This is definitely not a good time to sit out of a car. You see this where it seems no one new is coming up and then where everyone new is coming up. It seems to be changing very rapidly in this last year or so. It’s a bad time to get hurt because there’s plenty of youth in this sport. That’s part of it. I don’t want to get out of the seat because I love racing—and I don’t know how to make money doing anything else.”

Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang fielded by Team Penske, overtook Earnhardt and his No. 88 Goody’s Chevrolet Camaro on Lap 167. Keselowski’s last best shot to beat Jones was set up after series veteran Brendan Gaughan and Cale Conley crashed exiting Turn 2 after Conley’s car blew a right front tire. But Jones held his ground on the restart against Keselowski, the 2012 NSCS champion.

Regan Smith finished fourth in the No. 7 TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet, with Austin Dillon fifth in the No. 33 Ruud Chevrolet. The top rookie finisher was Darrell Wallace Jr., who placed sixth in the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford after starting eighth and running as high as second.

“Good sixth-place finish, I think it’s the best for me with Roush Fenway,” Wallace said. “Exciting night for us. I could not go on the bottom; I hated the bottom. Every time I got on the bottom I wasted like eight years down there. It never helps when you’re trapped on the bottom. But we’re showing progression each and every week. Our time will come soon. I’m excited for Bristol, Richmond—those are good tracks for me.”

Earlier Friday, Jones qualified on-pole at 185.166 mph. The race, slowed by five cautions, took 2 hours, 15 minutes and 21 seconds. Jones’ winning average speed was 132.989 mph.

Team-owner Joe Gibbs acknowledged that Jones is on the “fast track” to an eventual Cup ride. “Erik has great family support and got everybody around him and carries himself well,” Gibbs said. “Very talented. I had to call Kyle (Busch) and give him credit (for discovering Jones). We’re really proud of him. I think he won his first Truck race in his fifth race. The big thing is tonight he beat some good people, good cars up front and really quality stuff. We’re proud of him and he should be proud of himself.”

Ty Dillon, who finished 12th, has a two-point lead over Chris Buescher (219-217) in the driver’s championship, with reigning series champ Elliott third, 11 points behind Dillon.

April 10, 2015
Kurt Busch Earns Sprint Cup Series Pole for Duck Commander 500

By TMS Media Relations | Apr 10, 2015

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 10, 2015) – Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch claimed the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole position for the Duck Commander 500 during Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet) recorded a top lap of 193.847 miles per hour (27.857 seconds) in the third and final round of knockout qualifying for his second pole in four Sprint Cup Series starts this season. It also was his first career pole at Texas Motor Speedway, eclipsing his previous best starting position of second at this event in 2013.

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet), the defending series champion and current points leader, gave Stewart-Haas Racing a sweep of the front row as his lap of 193.722 mph secured the outside pole.

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford) qualified third at 193.195 mph and was followed by the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet) at 192.933 and Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet) at 192.424 mph.

The Duck Commander 500 (334 laps/501 miles) will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday. Tickets are available at www.texasmotorspeedway.com or by calling the TMS ticket office at (817) 215-8500. The race will be televised live on FOX and also broadcast on PRN, Sirius XM and KRLD-AM 1080 (locally).

Below is the starting line-up for Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500:

April 10, 2015
Erik Jones Scores Pole for O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway

After scoring his best career XFINITY race finish with a third at Auto Club Speedway, Erik Jones scored his second consecutive pole award in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. Jones lapped the mile and a half oval with a lap of 29.163 seconds.

“It just worked out,” he commented. “We had a fast Camry. I didn’t really know that we would be that fast – I guess once we tape and get it going, it goes. It’s a good feeling two weeks in a row. Hopefully we can keep speed in it during the race. It’s pretty surreal. We put a lot of work in getting our mile and a half program better, and it’s paying off. I’m really excited about the race now.”

Brad Keselowski would qualify second, five hundredths off of Jones’ quick lap as he looks for his first win of the year. Austin Dillon was third after leading both practices yesterday, followed by Daniel Saurez, who continues his learning curve in the XFINITY Series. Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-five.

“It was good,” Saurez said. “Very happy with the car and all these guys from Joe Gibbs Racing did an amazing job. We gained a lot of speed from yesterday to today, so really looking forward to tonight’s race. Hopefully, things keep going this way.”

Regan Smith was sixth quickest, followed by Brian Scott, Darrell Wallace Jr., Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Brendan Gaughan.

April 10, 2015
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

The racing action continues this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Texas Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series is off for the next few weeks but will return May 8 at Kansas.

All times Eastern.

Thursday, April 9:

On Track:

4:30-5:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – No TV
6:30-8 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – No TV

Friday, April 10:

On Track:

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
2-3:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
4:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
6:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series O’Reily Auto Parts 300 – FOX Sports 1 (200 laps – 300 miles) (Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 8:46 p.m.)

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

10:00 a.m.: Carl Edwards

10:25 a.m.: Kyle Larson
10:50 a.m.: Michael Waltrip Racing Announcement
3:45 p.m.: Chris Buescher
4:15 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
7:30 p.m.: Post NSCS Qualifying – Time Approximate
10:45 p.m.: Post NXS Race – Time Approximate

Saturday, April 11:

On Track:

7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 – FOX (334 laps – 501 miles) (Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 7:46 p.m.)

Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

4:15 p.m.: Charlotte Motor Speedway Announcement

5:00 p.m.: Duck Commander Press Conference

11:15 p.m.: Post-NSCS Race – Time Approximate

Please note that some of the press conferences may not be streamed on NASCAR.com/Press Pass. Due to changes in schedule or extenuating circumstances, streaming availabilities are subject to change without notice.

April 9, 2015
Hamlin Holds Off Keselowski For Fifth Martinsville Speedway Victory

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 29, 2015) – Denny Hamlin rekindled his Martinsville Speedway magic Sunday afternoon to capture the STP 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

It was Hamlin’s fifth Martinsville Speedway win, but his first since the fall of 2010. The win also ended a 32-race winless streak for Toyota dating back to May of last year.

“Every time we got to the lead our car just got so loose that it was very hard for me to hang onto it,” Hamlin said after his 15th top-10 finish in 19 races at Martinsville Speedway. “The success that I’ve had at this race track comes from watching guys like Bugs Hairfield, Roy Hendrick, Ray Hendrick, Eddie Johnson and those guys that I idolized growing up racing late models and showed me the way to short-track racing. This win is for guys like that.”

Brad Keselowski turned in his best Martinsville finish, a second, and made several hard challenges to Hamlin down the stretch.

“It was a fun race. The best we’ve ever been here at Martinsville. I’m pumped about that but a little disappointed that I’m not taking home the clock (trophy),” said Keselowski after posting his fifth top-10 finish in 2015. “I did everything I could other than wreck him. I hit him pretty good a couple of times. Don’t know what more I could have done but drive through him.”

Hamlin appreciated Keselowski’s decision.

“Hat’s off to Brad. He had an option (to wreck him) and he took the latter and I thank him for that,” said Hamlin. “We had some great short-track racing the last few laps.”

Pole-sitter Joey Logano finished third, followed by Matt Kenseth and David Ragan. Martin Truex was sixth while Danica Patrick was seventh, her best Martinsville finish. Rounding out the top 10 were Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray.

There were 31 lead changes among 13 drivers. There were 16 caution periods for 112 laps.

NASCAR Sprint Cup racing returns to Martinsville Speedway on November 1 with the Goody’s® Headache Relief Shot® 500.
Tickets are on sale and start at just $40. Anyone ordering tickets through Friday, April 3 will become part of the MY MARTINSVILLE program, which include an exclusive My Martinsville℠ membership hard-card and lanyard which is separate from the race ticket; access to My Martinsville℠ quick-entry-gates; My Martinsville℠ members’ event Saturday of race week; and hot laps around Martinsville Speedway, dates TBA.

March 29, 2015
Logano Keeps Martinsville Hot Streak Alive With Kroger 250 Victory

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 28, 2015) – Joey Logano made a bold move pay off on a late restart Saturday afternoon to capture the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Logano started third on a green-white-checkered restart and shot under leader Matt Crafton headed into the first turn. Logano came out of the second turn in first and was never challenged again in picking up his first Martinsville Speedway win.

“I just had a good restart. The tires hooked up well. I had a good jump and then I just drove it in there and hoped for the best,” Logano said of the final restart.

“I felt like I had a decent restart, but he came like he was shot out of a cannon,” said Crafton, who finished second. “I could have come down and tried to block him, but that would have probably wrecked me too.”

Rookie Erik Jones finished third followed by veteran Johnny Sauter. Another rookie, Tyler Reddick, wound up fifth.

Logano led 150 laps and Crafton 100 in a race that was extended to 258 laps because of the final caution.

Saturday’s victory continued a weekend roll for Logano at the historic half-mile. He starts on the pole in Sunday’s STP 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. He was also the polesitter for Saturday’s race.

Crafton took the series points lead with his second-place finish and leads Reddick by two.

Great tickets are available for Sunday’s STP 500. Ticket prices start at $50 and can be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX, online atwww.martinsvillespeedway.com or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office.

The ticket office opens at 7 a.m. Sunday. Fan gates open at 9 a.m.

March 28, 2015
Logano Speeds to Virginia Lottery Pole Day Victory at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 27, 2015) – Joey Logano turned in the fastest lap of the day Friday to win the Virginia Lottery Pole Day pole and claim the top starting spot for the STP 500 Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

Logano had a lap of 19.232 seconds (98.461 mph) around the .526-mile oval to claim his second pole of the year and the 10th pole victory of his career.

“It feels great to finally get the pole here,” Logano said after winning his first Martinsville pole in 16 attempts. “We’ve been so close so many times and throughout my career I feel like we’ve always qualified well here, but was never able to get the pole.
“You win anything at Martinsville, it’s a big deal. This is such a tough race track and it means a lot to say you’ve won something here even if it’s a pole.”

Ryan Newman captured the second starting spot for the STP 500 with a time of 19.258 seconds (98.328 mph) followed by Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

There is a full day of action at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday with NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at 10 a.m., qualifying for the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at 11:15 a.m. and the final Sprint Cup practice at 1 p.m.

The Kroger 250 will begin at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and $5 for children 12-and-under. Ticket may be purchase online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office Saturday.

Great tickets are available for Sunday’s STP 500. Ticket prices start at $50 and can be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX, online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office.

Fan gates open at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Complete Starting Lineup for the STP 500:

1) Joey Logano
2) Ryan Newman
3) Martin Truex Jr.
4) Jeff Gordon
5) Jimmie Johnson
6) Tony Stewart
7) Kyle Larson
8) Matt Kenseth
9) Kasey Kahne
10) AJ Allmendinger
11) Carl Edwards
12) Brad Keselowski
13) Paul Menard
14) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
15) Denny Hamlin
16) Danica Patrick
17) Kevin Harvick
18) Aric Almirola
19) Jamie McMurray
20) David Ragan
21 )Justin Allgaier
22) Austin Dillon
23) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
24) Casey Mears
25) Greg Biffle
26) Kurt Busch
27) Chase Elliott
28) Michael Annett
29) David Gilliland
30) Clint Bowyer
31) Josh Wise
32) Jeb Burton
33) Brett Moffitt
34) Landon Cassill
35) Chris Buescher
36) Trevor Bayne
37) Cole Whitt
38) Sam Hornish Jr.
39) Alex Bowman
40) Mike Bliss
41) Alex Kennedy
42) JJ Yeley
43) Matt DiBenedetto

March 27, 2015
Four-tire Call Propels Brad Keselowski to Surprise Victory at Fontana
March 22, 2015
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

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.

Benefiting 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 of the season.

Trying to make one last desperation run at Keselowski, Busch scraped the wall in the final corner at the two-mile track, allowing Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick to pass him for the runner-up spot.

Keselowski arrived at the finish line .711 seconds ahead of Harvick, simultaneously taking the checkered flag and leading his first lap of the day. The 2012 champion, who led the series with six victories last year, recorded his first victory at Fontana—and his first finish higher than 18th—and the 17th of his career.

“At the end, we caught some breaks, made the most of the breaks we caught,” Keselowski said. “That was kind of the story of our race. It looked like we were probably going to finish sixth or seventh. That yellow came out (on Lap 185 for debris). We came in and pitted and drove up a little bit, then caught another yellow. Now what do we do?

“So (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) made the call to come down pit road and put four tires on. When he said that, I said, ‘This can either go really good or really bad.’ Didn’t know which one it was going to be. Some guys stayed out, some guys took two tires, all different types of strategies on the restart.

“We were able to find our way through the lanes and get to the front there, somehow end up in Victory Lane leading the last lap. Kind of a race car driver’s dream. This is one we’re going to sit back and go ‘Wow!’ for a while.”

Keselowski can call it a break, but it was theft, pure and simple. Aside from a stretch before the halfway point where Denny Hamlin got out front in clean air and led 56 laps, the cars of Busch and Harvick dominated the race, leading 65 and 43 laps, respectively.

But Keselowski’s Wolfe made what turned out to be the winning call on Lap 200, after NASCAR called the sixth caution of the race because of debris in Turn 4. Opting for four new tires, where the vast majority of the field took right sides only for track position, Keselowski restarted 18th on the first attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish on Lap 203.

The No. 2 Fusion quickly moved forward. When Kyle Larson lost his bumper cover during a melee on the restart, NASCAR threw caution No. 7, and by then, Keselowski was already up to seventh place.

Using the new tires to full advantage, Keselowski shot into second place like a lightning bolt after a green-white-checkered restart on Lap 208. As Greg Biffle crashed on the frontstretch on the white-flag lap, Keselowski rocketed past Busch off Turn 2 and pulled away for the win.

Busch came home third, followed by Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard and Ryan Newman. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon completed the top 10.

Having won at Las Vegas and Phoenix in the previous two races, Harvick fell one position shy of completing a sweep of NASCAR’s three-race West Coast Swing, but he could commiserate with Busch, who was trying to win for the first time this season after serving a three-race suspension.

“I hate that the 41 (Busch) wasn’t able to hold on for the win there,” said Harvick, who posted his eighth straight top-two finish, dating to last year, and extended his series lead over Logano to 28 points. “I would have loved to see those guys get their first win.

“But you never know how the strategy is going to play out here. There’s so many cars on the lead lap, you didn’t want to get buried in there (by taking four tires). One little bad move for Brad, he would have been stuck in the middle of that traffic. But it all worked out for him. The second restart, he was in prime position up on the outside with fresh tires.”

Busch was disappointed but philosophical about the result.

“It was a solid day,” Busch said. “I don’t know what we could have done different. We just got pinned in by the yellows and the sequence at the end on which tires we needed to have to optimize how many laps were left.

“We had two tires; Keselowski had four. We didn’t need that extra yellow at the end. That last restart, I just didn’t get the job done, and I just got out muscled by Keselowski.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Auto Club 400
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, California
Sunday, March 22, 2015
1. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 209, $357781.
2. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 209, $260130.
3. (1) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 209, $205055.
4. (11) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 209, $158505.
5. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 209, $156305.
6. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 209, $132045.
7. (13) Joey Logano, Ford, 209, $155803.
8. (12) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 209, $136240.
9. (14) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 209, $150831.
10. (7) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 209, $149406.
11. (23) Aric Almirola, Ford, 209, $141546.
12. (31) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 209, $135168.
13. (15) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 209, $98110.
14. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 209, $128474.
15. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 209, $109560.
16. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 209, $136696.
17. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 209, $113160.
18. (4) David Ragan, Toyota, 209, $145051.
19. (22) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 209, $105760.
20. (33) Chris Buescher(i), Ford, 209, $93860.
21. (26) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 209, $126451.
22. (30) Brett Moffitt #, Toyota, 209, $122974.
23. (37) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 209, $119218.
24. (32) Cole Whitt, Ford, 209, $108493.
25. (40) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 209, $93610.
26. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 209, $120793.
27. (25) Brian Scott(i), Chevrolet, 209, $103843.
28. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 209, $106485.
29. (36) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 209, $132835.
30. (10) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 209, $125668.
31. (3) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 209, $128746.
32. (29) Greg Biffle, Ford, 209, $121143.
33. (28) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 208, $96932.
34. (18) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 208, $105185.
35. (43) David Gilliland, Ford, 208, $94960.
36. (35) Josh Wise, Ford, 207, $86820.
37. (41) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 206, $86549.
38. (24) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 206, $80803.
39. (34) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 205, $78240.
40. (39) Mike Bliss(i), Ford, 205, $72740.
41. (38) Brendan Gaughan(i), Chevrolet, 205, $68740.
42. (42) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 203, $64740.
43. (16) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 155, $87585.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 140.662 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 58 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.710 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 31 laps.
Lead Changes: 19 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K. Busch 1-5; K. Harvick 6-24; A. Bowman 25; M. Kenseth 26-31; D. Hamlin 32-61; J. Gordon 62; D. Hamlin 63-88; M. Kenseth 89-94; K. Busch 95-99; M. Truex Jr. 100-104; K. Busch 105-137; C. Edwards 138; K. Busch 139-143; K. Harvick 144-154; M. Kenseth 155-185; K. Harvick 186-189; K. Busch 190-200; J. Gordon 201-202; K. Busch 203-208; B. Keselowski 209;.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch 6 times for 65 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 56 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 43 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 34 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 5 laps; J. Gordon 2 times for 3 laps; C. Edwards 1 time for 1 lap; B. Keselowski 1 time for 1 lap; A. Bowman 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 225; J. Logano – 197; M. Truex Jr. – 192; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 164; B. Keselowski – 163; R. Newman – 162; J. Johnson – 159; K. Kahne – 159; P. Menard – 152; A. Almirola – 138; A. Allmendinger – 137; C. Mears – 132; M. Kenseth – 127; D. Hamlin – 125; D. Ragan – 124; J. McMurray – 120.
March 22, 2015