20 great moments from Auto Club’s 20 years

By Kathy Sheldon | Published: March 20, 2017 20

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As Auto Club Speedway celebrates its 20th anniversary and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Fontana, California, we look at some of the highlights in track history.

1. Roger and Greg Penske cut the ribbon to open the track before the California 500 at the California Speedway in Fontana, California.

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2. Jeff Gordon wins the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club on June 22, 1997.

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3. Jimmie Johnson makes history during the '16 running at the California track when he beat Kevin Harvick to the start/finish line during overtime for his 77th career victory. The win allowed him to break a tie with Dale Earnhardt on the all-time wins list in NASCAR's premier series.

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4. Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt get caught up in a five-car crash on Lap 87 between Turns 1 and 2 in 1998. Elliott finished the day in 43rd while 'The Intimidator' rebounded nicely with a ninth-place result.

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5. Rusty Wallace pulls away with the win for the NAPA Auto Parts 500 on what would have been Dale Earnhardt's 50th birthday in 2001. Wallace carried the flag of the No. 3, made so famous by Earnhardt, during his victory lap.

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6. 2004 marks the first year that NASCAR raced twice at the two-mile track (until 2011). The spring event was filled with drama, especially when the No. 2 of Rusty Wallace and the No. 97 of Kurt Busch got tangled up on the front stretch, resulting in a crash.

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7. Then-rookie Kyle Busch wins the Sony HD 500 in 2005 after outracing Greg Biffle (second). Not only was this 'Rowdy's' first win in the premier series, but (at the time) he became the youngest winner in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at the age of 20.

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8. Jimmie Johnson visits Victory Lane for the first time in his Monster Energy Series career after winning the 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

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9. Johnson wins again at Auto Club in 2010, and has six wins at the track heading into the 2017 race.

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10. Kevin Harvick only led the final lap, and that was all he needed to win the 2011 Auto Club 400. Harvick tracked down Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, passing Johnson in the final turn to get his lone win thus far at the California track. The .144 seconds margin of victory is the closest finish at the track.

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11. Elliott Sadler wins the Pop Secret 500 in 2004 -- the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race under the lights at Auto Club Speedway.

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12. Matt Kenseth drives to his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory at Auto Club in 2006, sealing the win over Jimmie Johnson by .338 seconds.

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13. Fireworks erupt at the 2013 Auto Club 400, as Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin collide on the last lap and Hamlin is transported to a hospital with a back injury. Then Logano blocks Tony Stewart on the restart, and the pair scuffle on pit road after the race, won by Kyle Busch.

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14. Danica Patrick was hot after Kasey Kahne's No. 5 made contact with her No. 10 in the 2016 Auto Club 400. She later was fined $20,000 for approaching the racing surface to gesture at Kahne.

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15. Kurt Busch leads the field to green at the 2015 Auto Club 400. Busch has four poles at the track, the most of any Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver.

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16. Jeff Gordon dominates the 2004 Auto Club 400, finishing a whopping 12.871 seconds ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson. It remains the track record for largest margin of victory, and Gordon led 81 of the 250 laps that day, as well.

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17. Greg Biffle visits Victory Lane in the 2005 spring event after outracing Jimmie Johnson by .231 seconds. Biffle would go on to have his most successful Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with six wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s, ranking second in the series.

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18. Denny Hamlin sets the qualifying speed record for Auto Club Speedway on March 18, 2016 with a top speed of 188.57 mph. But the run came in the second round of qualifying, and Hamlin started third, behind polesitter Austin Dillon.

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19. Todd Bodine wins the inaugural XFINITY Series race at Auto Club Speedway, the 1997 Kenwood Home & Car Audio 300.

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20. Mike Bliss raises his arms in victory after driving the team ASE Racing Ford to the win in the No Fear Challenge, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' first race at Auto Club Speedway in 1997.