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Jimmie Johnson Skipping Qualifying is More Important Than You Think

Never in my 25 years of watching NASCAR have I seen what I saw on Friday. Jimmie Johnson and his team elected to not qualify for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway electing to start in the rear of the field. It’s a bigger problem than you think.

In Friday’s lone practice session for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams Johnson lost control of his No. 48 Chevrolet and spun into the grass. There was enough damage on the car that the No. 48 team elected to go to a backup car. The team didn’t have enough time to make a lap by the time practice ended and never made a lap in the backup car. The first laps on the track in the backup car would have been during qualifying.

It was a risk for the team to go out and go as hard as they can during qualifying. Bringing a car onto a racetrack for the first time is always a risk. You don’t know how the car will handle and you don’t know if there are going to be any major issues with the car. Due to NASCAR’s chartering system, they were locked into the field so they were racing Sunday whether or not they took a lap. Instead of risking wrecking another car for a few qualifying positions the team decided to sit out qualifying and play it safe.

It’s a far cry from how NASCAR used to be. For years qualifying was one of the most important things during a weekend. On some weekends, there would be as many as 60 teams trying to qualify. You had to be on top of your game. If teams didn’t hit on the qualifying setup, there was a risk a team could go home and not race that weekend. Even if a team did qualify, starting in the back was a risk. The teams who started in the rear were usually ill-handling race cars. Being around those cars was risky because of the increased possibility of an accident. Plus, if you had a long green flag run to start the race, there was a risk of a team falling a lap down early in the event. Over the last five years that has completely changed.

Nowadays, qualifying is the least important thing of the weekend. It’s less important than practice. With the new format in NASCAR, there are at least two guaranteed caution flags, which means Johnson and his team have a chance to catch the field twice and there is little risk of falling a lap down. Accidents rarely happen anymore either. Between the technology in the sport and the lack of creativity NASCAR allows nowadays cars handle better than they ever have.

In 2017 NASCAR has a new rule where teams must start the race on the tires they qualified with. By not qualifying, Johnson and the team will have fresher tires than the teams who qualified. It’s a big deal considering the track surface at Auto Club Speedway is one of the oldest on the circuit and is really hard on tires. There will also be one less heat cycle on the tires that the No. 48 team uses to start the race and they have an extra set of tires at their disposal throughout the practice sessions on Saturday.

I believe this is an isolated incident but is something that has the potential to be an issue in the future. This is a monkey see, monkey do sport. If other teams see an advantage, teams will do this more often. I think it’s time to put a rule in that states teams must attempt a qualifying lap if they pass inspection. FOX and NBC pay a lot of money for the rights to broadcast qualifying and if one or more of NASCAR’s biggest stars elect to sit out, it could affect the relationship NASCAR has with the networks. It’s a bigger deal than you think.

March 25, 2017
Larson Right at Home with Coors Light Pole at Auto Club

By Staff Report | Nascar.com

California native Kyle Larson stormed to the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway.

Larson notched a best lap of 187.047 mph with the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet around the 2-mile track. He’ll lead the 39-car field to the green flag in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the series’ fifth race of the season and the closing event in the three-race NASCAR Goes West swing.

“Really happy, though, our Target team has been amazing to start the season and to get a pole is great,” the series points leader said following qualifying. “I haven’t gotten a pole since my rookie season. Yeah, this is awesome.

“I can’t say enough about everybody at our race shop for all the hard work they have been putting in.”

The Coors Light Pole is Larson’s first of the season, first at the home-state speedway and second of his Monster Energy Cup Series career. His other pole came at Pocono Raceway during his rookie season in 2014.

Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota will flank Larson’s car on the front row after grabbing the second starting position with a lap of 186.979 mph in the last of three qualifying sessions. Hamlin had the provisional pole until Larson knocked him off, leading the JGR driver to playfully fling water at Larson’s car as it came back to pit road.

Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and last week’s winner, Ryan Newman, completed the top five in Friday’s qualifying.

Larson’s pole run capped an eventful qualifying session, with five cars failing to make qualifying attempts for different reasons.

Jimmie Johnson, a six-time Auto Club winner, crashed his primary No. 48 Chevrolet near the end of opening practice. With no laps on an untested reserve car, the Hendrick Motorsports team opted to skip the session.

Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne, Gray Gaulding and Matt DiBenedetto failed to log speeds in the opening 20-minute round after their cars did not make it to the grid through pre-qualifying inspection.

“It happens. We’re a team, right?” Logano said after missing out on the first round. “Obviously, everyone’s trying to push it and get every ounce of speed out of our cars when we can. I don’t even know why we didn’t make it through on time. … No big deal.”

Keselowski and Paul Menard both drove away after scrapes with the Turn 2 wall during the second of three rounds.

Two more practice sessions are scheduled Saturday for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Qualifying results

March 24, 2017
Hendrick Teammates Have Differing Views on Plates at Indy

For the last few years, attendance at The Brickyard for NASCAR events has dwindled and the sanctioning body is looking for any measure to rectify the racing. Their solution, slap restrictor plates on the cars.

Last week, Michael Knight of The Arizona Republic reported on Twitter that NASCAR would run restrictor plates in the XFINITY Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Monday, Nate Ryan of NBC Sports confirmed Knight’s story after speaking to an unnamed NASCAR official. Yesterday, NASCAR officially announced that it was, in fact, running restrictor plates in the XFINITY Series race at The Brickyard.

The XFINITY cars will run a 7/8 inch plate, the same sized plate run at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, a taller rear spoiler and splitter and aeroducts on the lower front bumper area.

The aero ducts give the trailing car more of an advantage so that they don’t hit a “wall of air” when attempting to pass the leading car.

It’s the restrictor plates that’s raised most eyebrows, given that NASCAR tried them before at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September of 2000. Jeff Burton led all 300 laps on his way to victory that day, the third and, to date, the last time a driver has led every lap of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

The incorporation of plates won’t lead to the big packs that we see at Daytona and Talladega — according to Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR senior vice president of innovation and racing development, but you’ll most likely see groups of five or six cars “and in each of those groupings, we’re hoping to see passing on the straightaways.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., while not sure if restrictor plates at The Brickyard will work, said on Friday at Auto Club Speedway, that he’s open to it.

“That race is really suffering as far as the show and how entertaining I think it is to watch,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t really know what the answer is to make it more exciting, but I think this is a great opportunity to find out if this is the direction to go. I am all for it. And I like the idea of trying it in the Xfinity Series or the Truck Series or what have you whatever track it is at to try it in that feeder series. That is an opportunity to see if we can get it right without ruining anything for the Cup guys. Hopefully, I think NASCAR watches the Indy 500 and they see those guys drafting and passing and they are competitive. They have to try to put on that type of show if not better at that race track. It is not good in conversation to have the IndyCar race be more exciting to watch than the NASCAR race there. That is just business. I think it’s great for them to be aggressive. We tried something last year in the Cup cars with the big spoilers and all that drag, didn’t work, but I’m good with it.”

He also touched on how it’s in the best interest of NASCAR to make Indianapolis work for the XFINITY Series, from his perspective as co-owner of JR Motorsports in the XFINITY Series, rather than take it back to Lucas Oil Raceway Park across town.

“I really think it’s easy to say ‘hey man let’s go back to IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park, now Lucas Oil Raceway Park) for the Xfinity guys,” he added. “But how do you fix the Cup race? You want to fix the Cup race too. You want to try to improve Cup racing there if you can. We would love to keep the Xfinity Series at Indy if we can. If we can make that exciting that is where they belong. It’s great for our company. It’s great for us as owners to have that big marquee event and it’s a race that is easier to sell than maybe a Road America or something like that for sponsors. It’s a big deal. We want to be there. I would love to race at IRP. I would love to see a race at IRP, but it’s good for owners to be at Indy. If we can make that work that’s great. I’m open to trying anything.”

His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson isn’t convinced it’s the best idea. Saying on Friday at Auto Club Speedway when he heard the news of plates being used at Indianapolis for the first time that he doesn’t “see really any upside to it.”

“We are out of the gas so long there and brake for two of the four corners. I don’t see how it’s going to help,” Johnson said. “I guess it would put a bit more of an emphasis on the draft down the straight, but the corners are so challenging. I am not confident we will create the competitive passes that I assume they are looking for. You need multiple lanes to create passes and that track just doesn’t provide that. So, I think taking horsepower away you know if you are held up in the turn the less power the less of an opportunity to run up on somebody and to make the pass on one of those long straightaways. I would fear that it would go the other direction.”

March 24, 2017
Larson Fastest in First Cup Practice

Kyle Larson topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway.

The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 38.081 and a speed of 189.071 mph. Denny Hamlin was second in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 38.204 and a speed of 188.462 mph. Kevin Harvick was third in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with a time of 38.228 and a speed of 188.344 mph.

Jamie McMurray was fourth in his No. 1 Ganassi Chevrolet with a time of 38.310 and a speed of 187.940 mph. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 38.382 and a speed of 187.588 mph.

Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 182.404 mph.

Jimmie Johnson went to a backup car after spinning out in Turn 4 and digging his splitter into the infield grass.

The session was stopped once for a live owl on the frontstretch.

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March 24, 2017
The White Zone: Some good things in NASCAR right now

As much as I harp on NASCAR for getting things wrong and continuously point out the serious problems within it, I think it’s only fair to also give them their due when they get things right and point out the fantastic aspects in the sport at the moment.

Let me be clear. This isn’t me playing Ms. Pauliana, trying to brush a coat of gilded-color paint to cover up serious problems bubbling under the surface. In what I consider a make or break year for NASCAR with a decade of declining ratings and signing Monster Energy as the new title sponsor of the Cup Series, it’s not off to a hot start in the ratings and viewership department. The ratings for NASCAR this season, compared to last season so far are flat in ratings but up five percent in viewership (Daytona), down seven percent in ratings and three percent in viewership (Atlanta), down 18 percent in ratings and 17 percent in viewership (Las Vegas) and down 18 percent in ratings and 19 percent in viewership (Phoenix).

But while I find more wrong with the sport at the moment, I decided to do a column listing just a few items I believe show NASCAR is on course for better days when they also fix the bigger problems.

Without further adieu, here’s just a few things I feel are right with NASCAR at the moment.

1: Restrictor plate racing

I’m not talking about the “bet on disappointment” XFINITY Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this coming July where NASCAR is going to use restrictor plates. I’m talking about the events of Speedweeks.

During The Clash on a Sunday afternoon, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano worked together to breakup the Toyota contingent commanding the lead in the closing laps one by one until Denny Hamlin was left all by himself. When Hamlin tried to block Keselowski’s advance in Turn 1, he got loose and turned himself sideways. Logano drove to the high side of them and won the race.

Granted, the current restrictor plate aero package still gives too great of an advantage to the leader, especially when it allows them to block any advancing lane and not lose said aero advantage, and that is the most frustrating aspect of plate racing today. But it was less prevalent during the Daytona 500, thanks largely to NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France telling the drivers in the drivers meeting don’t look to NASCAR “when you block somebody out there.”

“When you block somebody out there — and it’s going to happen today — it causes almost all the big incidents — do not look for NASCAR,” he said. “You’d better hope there’s a Good Samaritan behind you who is going to accept that block, because they have that lane.”

Considering the carnage in the XFINITY Series race the day before, France’s comments weren’t so out of left field. But given most of the wrecks were the result of the close nature of plate racing and bump drafting, his comments still left more questions than answers.

Regardless, this running of the Daytona 500 was entertaining from start to finish. It wasn’t next to impossible to pass for the lead and unlike the XFINITY race the day prior, the carnage didn’t start until halfway through. Breaking from what’s become the norm of plate races, there wasn’t a caution in the closing laps. Instead, the race went straight to the green on the last 47 laps. In the closing laps, Chase Elliott ran out of gas while leading, Martin Truex Jr. ran out while leading and Kyle Larson ran out while leading. Kurt Busch took the lead exiting Turn 2 and won the Daytona 500.

If we get a race similar in entertainment while at Talladega, plate racing in NASCAR will finally be back to a great place.

2: The young guns

This season might be the true start of the youth takeover of the Cup Series in NASCAR.

After four races, Larson is riding a streak of three consecutive runner-up finishes. Even though he’s led just 26 laps, he’s leading the points thanks to those runner-up finishes and finishing top-10 in every stage segment so far this season, minus the final stage of the Daytona 500 where he finished 12th. While he’s yet to earn a playoff point, his consistent stage finishes demonstrate the importance of running well the entire race and not just at the end.

Compare this to Kevin Harvick who had dominant runs in the Daytona 500, winning the second stage, and Atlanta, winning the first and second stage, but an early exit at Las Vegas and another non-factor day at Phoenix has dropped him from the points lead to seventh.

Other impressive “young whipper-snappers” so far includes Elliott. He was a few gallons short of possibly winning his first NASCAR race in the Daytona 500 and led over 100 laps in a disappointing 12th-place finish at Phoenix.

Ryan Blaney is also making good of his runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, sitting sixth in points.

Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez quietly earned their first top-10’s in the Cup Series this past weekend at Phoenix.

Austin Dillon is off to a slow start, currently sitting 25th. But it’s too early in the season to write them off.

3. The finishes so far

So far, the racing this season isn’t good. It’s just where we left off with 2016, serviceable to mediocre on most weekends. The finishes have been the saving grace to each of these races: last lap pass for the win at Daytona, closing laps pass for the win at Atlanta, Truex passes Keselowski for the win with two to go at Las Vegas and Ryan Newman stays out on final caution to win at Phoenix.

The way these races have finished this season have somewhat made up for the fact the races haven’t been that good. Truth be told, the stage breaks and stage racing are the only things that’s made the racing this year tolerable to watch.

Jeff Gluck and I were talking on the exit of pit road at Atlanta after the Cup race ended and he asked me what I thought of the race. I told him I thought it was average for a race at Atlanta, and that was with the way it ended. I added that if you took Harvick’s speeding penalty out of the equation and he won, it doesn’t register. Gluck responds, “Oh agreed. It’s basically Truex at Charlotte if Harvick won.” We also talked about how this race was a race to “adjust our expectations” after Daytona. I told him while I know Daytona is its own animal, I thought the stage racing contributed to making the race far more intense and made passing at a track where it’s been next to impossible in the past easier. I thought if that’s what we got at Daytona, imagine what we’ll get at Atlanta where passing is much easier. But halfway through, I realized we were going to get the same kind of racing we got last season. The only difference is we have stages to break them up.

Yes, stage racing is contrived and cautions at the end of the stages are more contrived. I’m still skeptical as to whether the stage racing concept NASCAR has devised will stem the decade slide in television ratings it’s experienced. As I pointed out in the beginning of this piece, that doesn’t seem the case.

But the bottom line is these races outside of Daytona would’ve been far less interesting without the stage racing. However, we’ve only raced at downforce centered tracks so far. So that could change.

CONCLUSION:

There’s a lot wrong with NASCAR today, but these three huge things show this sport is set to head in the right direction if it fixes its other problems. If NASCAR does something about the quality of the racing and the XFINITY Series, it will find itself in a much better state.

March 24, 2017
Finley Factor: Let’s Fix The Serial “Buschwhacking” Problem

After weeks of falling races, NASCAR actually had a steady, even slightly up rating for a race on television. But, it wasn’t the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway; it was the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday.

.@FOXTV earned 1.853M viewers for Saturday's @NASCAR_XFINITY race at Phoenix, up 2% from 1.821M despite airing against Big Dance this year.

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) March 21, 2017

Now, this rating has two pretty large notes attached to it. First and foremost, as the tweet itself notes, this race actually went up against the NCAA Tournament this year and didn’t lose any viewers from last year. That’s pretty amazing, considering the Phoenix ratings for the Cup Series tanked.

Secondly, keep in mind this was a Dash 4 Cash Race this year. Dash 4 Cash Race rules dictate that no MENCS driver with five or more seasons of experience are eligible to compete. So there was no Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, or Kevin Harvick dominating the event flag-to-flag. Instead, the race was mostly a dogfight between XFINITY regulars Justin Allgaier, William Byron, Elliott Sadler, and young MENCS drivers Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, and Erik Jones.

The main argument for not restricting MENCS drivers from the XFINITY Series is that without the big name drivers, nobody will attend or tune into the race. Well, the rating went slightly up against much tougher competition this season, and the only real established name in the race was Sadler. From watching on television, the stands weren’t noticeably emptier than they usually are for the XFINITY Series. So while this is such a small sample size, it’s hard to use that argument anymore.

Last year, NASCAR created new rules to be put in place this year limiting MENCS drivers from competing in either the XFINITY Series or the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In addition to being barred from the four Dash 4 Cash Races, drivers with more than five years experience in MENCS full-time competition will not be allowed to enter playoff races or compete in more than 10 races in the XFINITY Series and seven in the Truck Series. Other MENCS drivers can compete in any race they want to aside from either series championship race at Homestead.

Fun fact, by the way: because of this guideline, if the No. 2 Chevrolet makes it to Homestead in the owner’s points championship four, the team that will primarily run Ty Dillon all season will have to rely on Florida journeyman Scott Lagasse Jr. to bring an owner’s championship home to Richard Childress Racing. It would be amazing to walk into the RCR Museum one day and see Lagasse’s championship winning car sitting next to Austin Dillon’s and all of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s.

Some in the industry such as Larry McReynolds believes the new rules do not do enough to limit MENCS drivers from participating in the XFINITY Series. As entertaining a driver like Kyle Busch can be to watch, nobody wants him or any other Cup veteran winning eight XFINITY Series races after leading 90 percent of the race in any given season. These rules don’t stop that, and NASCAR could very easily fix that problem for next season.

Keep in mind, however, that it would be beyond stupid to simply announce that a driver may only enter races in their given series. There are a lot of XFINITY Series sponsors that sign on to sponsor up-and-coming drivers as long as they get to have a Cup Series driver in the car for a race-or-two. I don’t think Dale Earnhardt Jr. really likes to go back down to the XFINITY Series all that much, but he’ll do a race or two for, say, TaxSlayer.com every year in return for them sponsoring Regan Smith for many more races.

The best way to somewhat restrict drivers from competing outside of their given series would be to set up some kind of system that would limit their total amount of national series races in any given season. For the purposes of this article, let’s call it the NASCAR License system.

For those who do not know, every season just about everybody competing in the sport needs to renew and receive a new NASCAR license. Not doing so makes it impossible to work in this sport on the at-track competition side of things.

Here’s how to change it: for the three NASCAR national series, there would be two different kinds of NASCAR driver licenses, generally limiting how many races a given driver may enter in a given season. These licenses would also stipulate which series said driver would receive points in.

Before getting into specifics, a quick note: the term “national series races” from now on refers to every points event in the Cup Series, XFINITY Series, and the Truck Series. All of these races would count under this plan, with one very notable exception. The Daytona 500 is the most prestigious and richest event on the NASCAR calendar, which typically draws a large number of entries and has a unique qualifying system. The 500 would be a freebie for any driver who attempts it, in order to help encourage more entries into the “Great American Race.” The Daytona Duels would also be excluded, even though they technically are point races now.

First and foremost, no driver would be allowed to compete in another series’ playoffs or the last race of the regular season. This would be similar to the current rule limiting experienced drivers from those same races- the only difference would be that it would apply to all series drivers. For example, Matt Crafton would not be allowed to enter the XFINITY Series race at Charlotte in October due to being a Truck Series driver. Due to the number of restrictions being put in place, there would no longer be much reason to limit Cup Series veterans from Dash 4 Cash Races.

Every experienced national series driver would be limited to 40 national series races, regardless of series. For Cup Series drivers, this would limit them to five XFINITY or Truck attempts. For XFINITY Series drivers, they would be limited to seven Cup and Truck attempts. Finally, Truck Series drivers would have the most wiggle room, with 17 out-of-series races they would be able to attempt. This is due in part to the pretty large amount of down time the series has in the early part of the season; after Atlanta, save for a single race at Martinsville, the Truck Series goes on hiatus until May.

Notice that I wrote there would be two different kinds of licenses. For drivers who either have over 100 total starts between all three series at the start of the season or are no older than 22 before July of the given year, they would be eligible for a special license that would allow them to enter in any national series race with no restrictions. They would even be able to declare for two series’ points, whether it be the Cup and XFINITY Series or the XFINITY and Truck Series.

This rule would be to allow inexperienced or young drivers chances to earn valuable experience. It may seem a bit extreme and not that limiting, but considering the six Cup Series drivers who would have been eligible for it before this season would have included Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Chase Elliott, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Corey LaJoie, and Gray Gaulding, it really isn’t that constricting. None of these drivers have a win yet in the Cup Series, and only Elliott has even run a full season in the Cup Series before this season. None of these six should really be restricted from running XFINITY every weekend if they so desire.

By the same token, if William Byron wanted to run double duty between the XFINITY and Truck Series and go for a championship in both, there should be nothing stopping him. By the time most drivers make it up to the Cup Series level, they would either be too experienced or too old to take advantage of this. If they do, they would probably only get a year or two in before reaching 23 and becoming too old. By the time said driver becomes too old, they should be about to enter their prime as a driver, like Kyle Larson or Austin Dillon.

Is this system perfect? Probably not, but no system would be perfect at this rate. This system would just lead to fewer fans and industry people being mad about how drivers can jump from series-to-series. Many fans reason that Major League Baseball players don’t go back down to the minors and dominate while still competing full time in the majors, but that’s apples to oranges at this point. NASCAR has three national touring series and the MLB has one major division; a more apt comparison would be if Kyle Busch decided to go down and lap the field in ARCA or the K&N Series. There will always be “bushwhackers” as long as NASCAR pays money at the end of XFINITY races, they will be there to pick up the check.

March 23, 2017
Auto Club Speedway – Did you Know?

This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It’s the final stop of the three-race westward swing. But did know that it is also the 20th anniversary of NASCAR Cup Series racing at Fontana?

The first Cup Series race was held on June 22, 1997, and was won by Jeff Gordon. He went on to capture two more victories in 1999 and 2004. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner and leads all drivers with six wins (2016, 2010 spring, 2009 fall, 2008 fall, 2007 fall and 2002). In 2008 he became the first and only driver to win from the pole at the 2-mile track.

While a front row starting position is generally considered critical, Auto Club Speedway may be an exception. Only two of the 27 races (7.4%) have been won from first and second place. And though 14 of 27 (51.8) races were won from a top-10 start, a closer look at the statistics shows that the most advantageous starting positions are third, ninth and 24th, having produced three winners each. Matt Kenseth holds the distinction of winning from deepest in the field (31st) in the 2006 spring race.

But, did you know that Johnson won at Auto Club Speedway and went on to win the Cup Series championship five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2016)? The only other driver to transition from a win at ACS to a championship in the same year was Jeff Gordon in 1997.

It should come as no surprise that Johnson, who has 13 top fives, 16 top 10s and one pole to go along with his six wins, has the top driver rating (119.7) at Fontana. Kyle Busch comes in at second (109.0) with three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s and one pole. Chase Elliott, who has the series-best average finish of 6th, enters the race with the third-best driver rating at 105.1. He’s followed by Kenseth (105.0) and Kevin Harvick (99.4).

A couple of drivers are close to achieving milestones Sunday at Fontana and one will receive a special honor

First up is Kyle Larson who posted his third consecutive second place finish this season at Phoenix. If he finishes second again this weekend, he will become only the fifth driver in Cup Series history to finish in the runner-up position in four consecutive races in a single season, joining Mark Martin (1998), Harry Gant (1985), Darrell Waltrip (1983) and Richard Petty (1964). No driver has ever finished runner-up five consecutive races in the Cup Series.

But, did you know that his three consecutive second-place finishes have already set a record? Larson is the only driver in series history to accomplish this during the first four races of a season.

Also of note, seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson will be honored this weekend as he is inducted into the Auto Club Speedway’s Walk of Fame on Friday. He scored his first of six Cup Series wins at ACS and also has the track record of five runner-up finishes.

Lastly is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who, when the green flag drops for the Auto Club 400, will become the 26th driver in Cup Series history to make 600 or more starts. To acknowledge this milestone, commemorative decals will be placed on his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

Earnhardt has achieved 26 victories during his career with his first coming at Texas Motor Speedway on April 2, 2000, where he led 106 laps on his way to victory lane. But, did you know it was only his 12th Cup Series career start?

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series action continues Sunday with the Auto Club 400 on FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be provided by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90.

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

March 22, 2017
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Auto Club Speedway

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California for the final stop of “NASCAR Goes West.” First up is the NXS Service King 300 on Saturday at 4 p.m. on FS1. The MENCS Auto Club 400 wraps up the weekend’s activities on Sunday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Saturday’s Service King 300 will consist of three stages. Stages 1 and 2 will be 35 laps each in length with a final stage of 80 laps (150 total laps). The Cup Series Auto Club 400 is also comprised of three stages. Stages 1 and 2 will be 60 laps each while the final stage will be 80 laps (200 total laps).

Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

Friday, March 24:

On Track:
1:30-2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
7:05 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
1 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
11:45 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
12 p.m.: Daniel Suarez
12:15 p.m.: Danica Patrick
12:45 p.m.: Chase Elliott
1 p.m.: Cole Custer and Ryan Reed
3:35 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
4:30 p.m.: Ryan Newman
6:15 p.m.: Kyle Larson
8 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying

Saturday, March 25:

On Track:
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
2:30-3:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
4 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series NXS 300 (150 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
6:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

Sunday, March 26:

On Track:
3:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) – FOX

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
2 p.m.: Auto Club Speedway Announcement
2:30 p.m.: Justice Brothers/Shav Glick Award
7 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race (time approx.)

Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Odds To Win Nascar Auto Club 400
https://www.bookmaker.eu/live-lines/motor-racing/nascar-pick-winner
Jimmie Johnson +700
Kevin Harvick +700
Joey Logano +700
Kyle Larson +700
Kyle Busch +800
Brad Keselowski +800
Martin Truex Jr +900
Chase Elliott +900
Matt Kenseth +1518
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1621
Denny Hamlin +1826
Kasey Kahne +2032
Ryan Blaney +2342
Kurt Busch +2653
Clint Bowyer +3595
Daniel Suarez +4000
Ryan Newman +4000
Erik Jones +4500
Austin Dillon +6000
Jamie McMurray +6000
Field (Any Other Driver) +3071

Auto Club 400 Entry List:

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Auto-Club-400-entry-list-C1705_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Auto Club 400 entry list C1705_PREENTNUM”]

March 22, 2017
Nos. 2, 4 Teams Penalized after Violations at Phoenix

By Staff report | NASCAR.com

NASCAR levied L1-level penalties against the No. 2 car of Team Penske and the No. 4 car of Stewart-Haas Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Wednesday following Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway.

The violation for the No. 2 car is detailed in sections 20.17.3.1.2 of the NASCAR Rule Book (post-race general inspection measurements), and driver Brad Keselowski’s fifth-place finish in the Camping World 500 is encumbered, per section 12.10 of the NASCAR Rule Book.

Meanwhile, the violation for the No. 4 car is detailed in sections 20.3.3.3 I-4 of the NASCAR Rule Book (track bar mount and supports) and driver Kevin Harvick’s sixth-place finish at Phoenix is encumbered.

As a result of the violation, No. 2 crew chief Paul Wolfe was fined $65,000 and suspended from the next three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points races. The team was assessed with the loss of 35 driver points and 35 owner points.

The No. 4 crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $25,000 and suspended from the next Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points race. The team was assessed with the loss of 10 driver and 10 team owner points.

Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing both have the option to file an appeal to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

March 22, 2017
Surprising and Not Surprising: Camping World 500 at Phoenix

Ryan Newman ended his winless drought at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman stayed out while most of the front runners pitted for two tires after Joey Logano blew a right front tire that brought out the final caution flag of the day with six laps remaining. Newman held off Kyle Larson on the two-lap overtime restart to win his first race since 2013 on Sunday in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500.

Surprising

Gambling on old tires, Newman and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) end their long winless streaks. Newman ended a 127-race winless streak and the victory is the first for the RCR in 112 events.

“I’ve lost count; that’s how long it’s been,” Newman said. “I’ve got to thank Grainger, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy for supporting our series, and Chevrolet. The list goes on and on. What a gutsy call by (crew chief) Luke (Lambert). I called for two tires and he called for none. I’ve won more races no tires than I have with four. I’m just proud of these guys. We had a good car all day. We kept it out of trouble and collected in the end.”

Not Surprising

Defending race winner Kevin Harvick finished sixth.

“We just didn’t ever get it exactly how we wanted all weekend,” Harvick said after the race. “Luckily it is a good race track for us and we were able to battle and use all the tricks of the trade we know to get ourselves up in contention. We definitely need to do some work on this style race track with our Jimmy John’s Ford but it was a heck of a battle all day.”

Surprising

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a strong run and finished fourth. Despite being on older tires, Stenhouse was able to capture a fourth-place finish, scoring his first top-five of the season.

“That was a great run,” he said. “I think we made a lot of changes overnight that really helped us turn. It was really nice for us. Everything stayed together. This is a big test for Doug (Yates) and Roush Yates Engines. They did their job and did their research from our test here when we had some issues. I am really proud of the whole team.”

Not Surprising

Kyle Larson’s second-place finish for this third consecutive race gives him the series points lead.

Larson was pleased with the finish, saying, “It’s really, really cool to be the point leader right now. That was a goal of mine going into today. So, thanks to everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing for all your hard work. We’ll hopefully continue to have this speed in our race cars and maybe close some of these races out.”

Surprising

Logano did not have to make contact with Kyle Busch this weekend to stop Busch from winning. Busch was in control of the race when Logano blew a tire, bringing out the overtime caution. Busch had to settle for third place while Logano finished 31st.

“The brakes are fine, we just blew a right front. Probably just overheated the bead. I am sure that is what it was. There is not much you can do when the right front blows out,” a disappointed Logano said after the race.

Not Surprising

Brad Keselowski drove another competitive race, claiming points in each stage and scoring his third consecutive top five this season. He is currently second in the points standings, only six points behind Larson.

“We were all real close there. Whoever got the track position was going to run away,” he explained. “The clean air was so important which was a bit frustrating. There was a lot of parity today and of course the crazy finish there at the end with the yellow coming out when it did and all the different strategies.”

March 21, 2017