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By Jessica Ruffin
The West Coast Swing concludes this weekend with Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR). The fifth race of the 2016 season, this is the only occasion during the year that drivers make the trip to the Southern California track. Brad Keselowski is the reigning race winner while California-native Jimmie Johnson is the all-time winner with five trips to Victory Lane. Here's all you need to know for Sunday's 400-mile event in the Golden State.2 of 7
Just the facts
Where: Auto Club Speedway, 2-mile oval in Fontana, California.
Green flag: 3:47 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR
Forecast: Sunny with a few clouds, high around 80 degrees. Winds southwest at 10-15 mph, according to Weather.com.
National Anthem: John Foreman of Switchfoot.
Grand Marshal: Actor Eric Dane, star of TNT's hit 'The Last Ship.'
Honorary starter: Staff Sgt. Charlie Linville, Retired USMC with the Heroes project.
Race distance: 200 laps, 400 miles.
Pit road speed: 55 mph.
Caution car speed: 65 mph.
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Last lap chaos
If history repeats itself, Sunday's event at Auto Club could come down to a nail-biting, last-lap drag race, as four of the past five races at the Southern California track were decided on a last-lap pass. The one that wasn't? A rain-shortened race in 2012 won by Tony Stewart. The track's history in combination with the exciting racing produced by the low downforce rules package will likely make for a Sunday afternoon thriller.
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Fastest in the field
After pacing the field in opening practice, Austin Dillon earned his first Coors Light Pole Award of the 2016 season and second of his Sprint Cup career. He'll start up front Sunday next to 2014 Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick, who qualified second. Dillon's No. 3 Chevrolet appeared to have plenty of speed the entire weekend, as he ran in the top 10 in all three practices in addition to qualifying -- and he won Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race and is aiming for a weekend sweep.
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California cool
Eight active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers hail from California: Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, Matt DiBenedetto, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Larson, Josh Wise and Cole Whitt. Of the eight, only Johnson and Harvick have taken the checkered flag at their home track.
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No rookie mistakes
Four of the five Rookie of the Year contenders qualified in the top 24, advancing to at least the second round of knockout qualifying. Chase Elliott led the pack and will roll off the grid eighth in his No. 24 Chevrolet, while current Rookie of the Year leader Ryan Blaney qualified next in 14th. Reigning XFINITY champion Chris Buescher nabbed a career-best 16th-starting position and RCR's Brian Scott qualified 21st.
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Behind, but not out
Dale Earnhardt Jr. may need some superhero power from his No. 88 Batman Nationwide Chevrolet this weekend. The No. 88 team struggled in the beginning of opening practice and while they seemed to find more speed in Saturday's opening practice (10th-fastest), they'll need to power back from a 26th starting position for Sunday's Auto Club 400. Kurt Busch will also need to fight some adversity, as a brush with the wall in Saturday's practice forced the No. 41 to a backup car. While Busch was unhappy with his primary car and likely welcomed a change, he will have to fight from the rear of the field to the front on Sunday.