Posted on by Staff Report

There is no better welcome to Fontana, California, than a behind-the-scenes look at the speedway. In true Hollywood fashion, NASCAR will bring you some lights, camera and racing action.

NASCAR.com is set to go live from the garage and red carpet at Auto Club Speedway at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, as host Alex Weaver takes in the sights and sounds from Southern California. Be sure to check out the action in the garage and hear from drivers about what to expect Sunday on the track.

Check back at NASCAR.com for the full show, which also will air on its YouTube, Facebook and Twitter handles.

RELATED: Full Fontana at-track schedule

Posted on by RJ Kraft

FONTANA, Calif. — The speed Alex Bowman had at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has him feeling confident and comfortable heading into Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

At Las Vegas, Bowman was catching then-race leader Ryan Blaney in the closing laps before an untimely caution flag came out and the ensuing pit strategies left him with a 13th-place finish.

“Nobody knows what everybody has until you get to that first downforce track,” Bowman told NASCAR.com on Friday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway. “We started the last few years pretty poorly so to start one off on a good note was good. Obviously, bummed we didn’t get a win but at the same time it was nice to have a lot of speed and at least have a shot at it.”

PHOTOS: Career highlights for Alex Bowman

Crew chief Greg Ives made the call for Bowman to follow Blaney down pit road on Lap 263. Eventual race winner Joey Logano stayed out along with Matt DiBenedetto and Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron. Monday-morning quarterbacking the finish may not bring solace, but Bowman views it as a learning opportunity.

“We’ve talked about it quite a bit,” Bowman said. “Obviously, it didn’t end up working out for us, but if the whole field pits behind us and we stay out, you’re screwed at that point. It could have gone either way. Looking back, we definitely should have stayed out, but it is what it is. You can’t go back and change it. You can just learn from it moving forward.”

The 26-year-old’s success at 1.5-mile tracks in the last year-plus has led the No. 88 team to identify and dissect that approach and attempt to bring it to other tracks. That plan appeared to pay dividends Friday as Bowman led both 50-minute practice sessions. The California track hasn’t been too kind to him, with a best finish in four starts of 13th in 2018.

RELATED: Bowman tops practices at Fontana

“Fontana is a place that we’ve really struggled at in the past,” Bowman said. “It’s such a fun race track. I really enjoy coming here. We’ve just been really bad the last two years here. Hopefully starting the year a little stronger this year, the new race car, will help us out.”

While there have been no points-paying race wins for the Hendrick camp to open the year, there have been plenty of positives with a new-look Chevrolet Camaro to boot. Chase Elliott has three stage wins, while Byron won one of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel races and was in the top four for the last restart at Las Vegas. Jimmie Johnson finished in the top five at Las Vegas and seems to have an extra edge as he embarks on his final full-time season.

Those good vibes extend to Bowman in his third full season with Hendrick and his pairing with Ives. The driver of the No. 88 is focused on not only maintaining his intermediate strength but making improvements on tracks that have been a bugaboo for him and the team.

“Anywhere we go, I feel like we have a shot,” Bowman said. “We have the places that we struggled at — Phoenix (Raceway) being one of them — that we really need to improve on. Last year (at Phoenix) was embarrassing quite honestly. Those places bring a little bit more stress just trying to improve on some pretty poor runs. At the same time, I feel like every week we go anywhere with Hendrick Motorsports, we have the resources and tools we need to run well. We just have to do our job.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FONTANA, Calif. – Eighteen years ago, Jimmie Johnson came to Auto Club Speedway with no job security.

This weekend, Johnson returns to the 2-mile track for his last ride as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver with 83 victories, seven championships and nothing left to prove.

RELATED: Auto Club weekend schedule

That wasn’t the case in 2002 in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports. Despite assurances to the contrary, Johnson thought he was on a short leash with the organization — even though he had won the pole for the Daytona 500 as a rookie and followed with another pole at Talladega in the ninth race of the season.

A week later, Johnson came to Fontana and qualified fourth for the NAPA Auto Parts 500. He led three times for 62 laps, the final stint a 14-lap run to the checkered flag after the final caution. In the 10th start of his rookie season — and his 13th Cup start overall — Johnson earned his first victory at the speedway closest to his childhood home in El Cajon.

“That’s the day I knew I was going to be employed,” Johnson quipped during a Friday visit to the media center at the speedway, site of Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Jeff Gordon handed me all of his championship equipment from the year before, and they told me they’d be patient and I had time, but in my heart I didn’t think that was the case, and I knew I needed to win. So to leave here with a trophy meant that I’d have a job for a few years, and I was pretty stoked about that.”

MORE: Memorable moments at Fontana

To honor Johnson on his “farewell tour,” the speedway commissioned a mural of the seven-time champ, and wife Chandra and daughters Genevieve and Lydia will wave the green flag to start the race after a five-wide salute to the driver.

“Just really excited for it,” Johnson said. “This year, we’re really trying hard to enjoy as much as we can and really take any opportunity that comes our way. This is certainly a different one for us and my family. I’m very thankful that the track came to us with that suggestion to get my family up there in the stands.

“I think prerace will be full of emotions. They will have a chance to come across the stage with me and be introduced with their responsibilities. Being a part of the five-wide salute at the front of the field, and then see those hands up there in that flagstand is going to be cool.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Alex Bowman surged to snag the fastest lap in final NASCAR Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway, sweeping the top spot of both Friday sessions.

Bowman backed up his opening practice performance with a 176.626 mph in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He was just ahead of Ryan Blaney, who posted the second-best speed at 176.186 mph in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

RELATED: Final practice results | Weekend schedule

Bubba Wallace logged a 176.177 mph lap in the Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 Chevrolet to place third on the leaderboard in the final tune-up for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kurt Busch and rookie Christopher Bell filled out the top five in that order in the 50-minute final run.

Kyle Busch, a four-time Auto Club winner, was 10th fastest, but his Joe Gibbs Racing crew was forced into repair mode after the No. 18 Toyota scraped the outside retaining wall roughly 15 minutes into the final session. He returned to the track with minimal right-side damage.

Ross Chastain, making his second straight substitute start in place of the injured Ryan Newman, notched the 11th-best lap in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. He was 14th fastest in first practice.

Busch Pole Qualifying is set for Saturday at 2:35 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Four teams served penalties in final practice because of inspection issues during last weekend’s event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The following teams sat out the final 15 minutes of practice: No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for driver Chase Elliott, the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Michael McDowell and the No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Ford of JJ Yeley. The No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet for driver Garrett Smithley missed the final 30 minutes of final practice.

Bowman also swift in opening practice

Alex Bowman swooped to the top of the NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard Friday in opening practice at Auto Club Speedway.

A top-of-the-heap lap of 179.439 mph around the 2-mile California track put Bowman’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet atop the early speed chart. Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will mark his fifth start at the track, with Bowman still seeking his first top-10 finish.

RELATED: Practice 1 results

Former Auto Club winner Kyle Larson posted the second-fastest lap at 177.703 mph in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet. Rookie Tyler Reddick, Kurt Busch and Matt DiBenedetto completed the top five in order in the 50-minute tune-up. The top four were all in Chevrolets.

Daytona 500 champ Denny Hamlin was 12th fastest in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Ross Chastain, making his second straight substitute start in place of the injured Ryan Newman, notched the 14th-best lap in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Posted on by Alex Weaver

FONTANA, Calif. — When a crew chief shows up to the track in a sling, it naturally begs the question — what happened?

For Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Chase Elliott, that was the reality he was confronted with Friday at Auto Club Speedway after a mountain biking accident.

California is known for its outdoor adventures, and Gustafson is an active person and enjoys riding his mountain bike whenever he can. He had no idea a solo mountain bike ride around Laguna Beach, California, would turn into an urgent care visit and a new accessory to his crew chief uniform.

“I wrecked my mountain bike while riding in Laguna,” Gustafson told NASCAR.com. “It was pretty gnarly. I have a torn AC joint and a hairline fracture in my clavicle, along with no skin left on my arms and elbows.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Auto Club weekend

After the spill, Gustafson was forced to walk the 2.5 miles back off of the trail, carrying the bike. His next stop was urgent care — and then some sleep.

“Getting dressed this morning was pretty hard, and don’t get me started on the shower,” Gustafson said.

The injuries didn’t prohibit the crew chief from being here first thing Friday morning when the garage opened. It is a normal business weekend and an opportunity to get the No. 9 into Victory Lane for the first time in 2020.

“Not much they can do for it,” Gustafson said. “Surgery, or leave it alone and it can heal itself. It’s a race weekend so here I am, and I’ll be fine.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

FONTANA, Calif. — Ross Chastain has no timeline on how long he’ll be in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford as Ryan Newman remains sidelined following his crash on the last lap of the 2020 Daytona 500 earlier this month.

“It is week to week. It’s whatever they want to do,” Chastain said Friday ahead on-track activity at Auto Club Speedway.

RELATED: Chastain back in No. 6 | Weekend schedule

Chastain will be in the car once again for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He has double duty with his full-time Xfinity Series ride at Kaulig Racing and the No. 10 Chevrolet on track for Saturday’s Production Alliance Group 300 (4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Newman visited the Roush Fenway Racing shop on Wednesday but will remain out of the car.

“I talked to Ryan last week,” Chastain said. “I missed him at the shop. I had to fly out Wednesday with Nutrien Ag Solutions so I didn’t get a chance to catch up with him.”

Roush Fenway Racing president Steve Newmark also said last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway there is no timeline for Newman’s return.

“I can tell you what his timetable would like to be, which is as soon as possible, but there are some other hoops he’s got to jump through before that happens,” Newmark said. “Right now, we’re just taking it one step at a time. … He has expressed unequivocally that this is where he wants to be and he wants to be back in a race car.”

In that same availability, Newmark said “our arrangement with Ross is that if we need him, he should be available.”

RELATED: Full Ryan Newman statement

For Chastain, the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas was a learning experience. The 27-year-old used Newman’s steering mechanism but it was a bit too tight for his liking. On the plus side, he did earn a stage point for the No. 6 camp in the opening 80-lap run before a combination of factors and a late-race spin led to a 27th-place finish.

“Everybody at the shop made it as seamless as possible to plug in,” Chastain said. “Obviously, trying to fill somebody like Ryan Newman’s shoes is an impossible task. To me, he’s larger than life in how he carries himself on and off the track. They made it great.

“Got to the track. Did a lot of things right but towards the end of the race, definitely did some things wrong so a lot to build on.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

FONTANA, Calif. – Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have accepted the bounty but Kyle Busch remains unfazed by any challengers he may have in his remaining four Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts in 2020.

RELATED: Elliott, Larson take challenge

“It’s all good. I think it’s going to be interesting, exciting,” Busch said. “… It’s a unique opportunity for more attention on the series, which is good.”

Busch later added: “I don’t remember who I told, but once (Kevin) Harvick kind of put the idea out there (I thought) the guy that’s really going to have a shot is Larson at Homestead, so bring it on.”

Following Busch’s 57th career Gander Trucks victory last Friday night at Las Vegas, Harvick offered up a $50,000 bounty for any full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who can find a truck ride and beat Busch in one of his remaining four events this season. The ante was raised when Gander RV & Outdoors CEO Marcus Lemonis committed to matching Harvick’s bounty, putting a full total of $100,000 on the table.

Elliott and Larson have each nabbed rides for Gander Trucks races — Elliott at Atlanta (March 14, 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1) and Larson at Homestead-Miami (March 20, 8 p.m. ET on FS1) — with GMS Racing in its No. 24 Chevrolet entry. In addition to Atlanta and Miami, Busch is slated to also run the Gander Trucks races at Texas (March 27 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1) and Kansas (May 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

“I’d like to beat him,” Larson said of Busch. “It’s really not about the money to me. I think its a cool, fun challenge and I look forward to trying to beat him and if the money is still out there when I do get that chance, it will be a lot of fun. Kyle Busch is the best. Doesn’t matter what type of car he’s in.”

Larson also clarified his “cherries” tweet that jumpstarted the whole bounty idea.

“It was really a joke,” Larson said. “I’m not offended when Kyle Busch wins Truck races. “I actually like it a lot because it helps expose the guys who are good and the ones who aren’t. When he does win and he has to battle for the wins, I think it shows the kids are really good. I more just dropped some cherries on there because when I do win dirt races I do get a lot of that as well.”

Larson also added that he wished the bounty would extend to any Gander Trucks series regular if they beat Busch and got the victory in a race that “Rowdy” was in. And he’s in luck because Michael Waltrip revealed on Twitter Friday night that someone is putting up their own $50,000 bounty if a series regular knocks off Busch.

And Elliott and Larson may not be the only drivers to take part. Would Joey Logano want a shot to beat Busch in a truck? How about Austin Dillon?

MORE: 10 drivers who could win

“If the opportunity was there, I’d probably take a look at but I haven’t been searching at this point,” Logano said. The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion added that he “loved the idea” put forth by Harvick and the buzz around the series.

Dillon was a fan of the idea when it was first conceived and the 2011 Gander Trucks champion admits he is lurking if Elliott and Larson can’t get it done.

“I’d like to build a chassis out of (Richard Childress Racing) and get to Texas or Kansas,” Dillon said. “I really wanted Homestead. That was my first goal but we just can’t get it done in time. I’m still working on it. If those two that are out there running it now — Larson and Chase — can’t get it done, then maybe we’ll sneak and run one if we can get a truck done by then.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Cory Dunn was in Victory Lane before he was even born.

Dunn’s dad was celebrating at Motor Mile Speedway with his former team, which he managed in the ’90s and 2000s. Alongside was Dunn’s mom, who went into labor and had Dunn later that night.

Cory Dunn

In 2019, more than 20 years later, Dunn was back in Victory Lane at Motor Mile, a 0.416-mile paved oval track in Radford, Virginia. This time, he was celebrating his own win.

Dunn moved up to Motor Mile’s NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Division II, limited sportsman division, in 2019 after spending three years in the track’s Mod-4 division. It didn’t take long for the new driver to find success in his new car. He won three races in 2019, was runner-up six other times, in 10 starts on the way to a track championship and a rookie of the year title.

Dunn’s dad managed a team that won a track championship at Motor Mile in 1999, when Dunn was 5 years old. The Virginia speedway is more than just a hometown track to Dunn, and winning a title there was extra special. He even runs the same number his dad’s team ran all those years ago.

“For me, it’s pretty cool to be able to see everything come full circle,” Dunn said. “I saw it when I was a little kid being in Victory Lane, winning races and championships. Now I’m lucky enough to be able to do the same thing at the same track too.”

Motor Mile Speedway | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Dunn didn’t get the chance to drive on his own until four years ago when he was 21. He won co-rookie of the year in the Mod-4 division his first season driving after taking three different cars to third-place finishes.

Dunn’s expectations for 2019 were to go for the rookie of the year award in the limited, and said running for a championship wasn’t part of the team’s mindset at all, especially while moving up a division.

“We figured it would probably take us a little while to get adjusted to moving up to the limited,” Dunn said. “And it progressed a lot quicker than we thought it was going to.”

The adjustment to a new car was most difficult for Dunn. His team, consisting of his dad, friends Colby Bryant and Alisha Bryant, who serves as his videographer, mechanics Jason and Nicole Green, and crew chief and spotter Daniel Williamson, all had experience with working on limited sportsman cars. They reached out and offered to help when they heard Dunn was moving up a division.

For Dunn, knowing that he had a good crew behind him helped make the transition easy.

“I had a really great group of guys and girls actually step up and want to help me out when I moved up,” Dunn said. “And I knew that the talent surrounding me pushed me to levels I hadn’t been before as far as racing goes. I knew that I had a really great group of people that knew what they were doing and how to set up the cars and they coached me along. I had all the faith in the world in them, it was just getting me there catching up to everything else.”

Cory Dunn

Dunn made sure to make use of having a videographer filming every race and practice. Having the video allowed him to be able to go back and see what he was doing right and wrong, and also things he can try the next time on the track.

The car was never a concern. Even on the final night, Dunn didn’t have the championship sewed up yet. He needed to finish within four spots of the driver in second place, who won the pole for the final race.

But, given the fact he had yet to finish outside of the top 3 all season, the car his team gave Dunn was enough to feel confident on championship night.

“All year long we had a really, really good race car. It was consistent every week,” he said. “As far as where the set up was and the consistency of the car, I had a pretty good feeling that as long as I stayed out of trouble that I would be able to continue finishing up near the front.

“That’s a testament to my crew putting in a lot of hard work, a lot of hours to get the car to be that way every single week.”

Dunn will be back in the limited at Motor Mile when the track opens the season on April 25. The difference for 2020 will be the fact he’s no longer the new guy. He’s the defending champ.

“I’m sure it’s going to be tough because after coming in and doing that and having the success that we did, it’s hard to back that up two years in a row,” he said.

But nothing could ever top the feeling of winning his first championship.

“I still don’t really know how to put this kind of season into words,” he said. “It was unexpected for us to have as much success as we did. And right off the bat too. We banded together and we had speed from the beginning and we kept it all year long.

“I think if it could sum it up it would be unexpected success, honestly.”

Posted on by Nascar

Name: Joe
Current City: Indianapolis, Indiana
Member Since: 2017

Getting to know Joe:
​
Q: ​How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“I grew up watching Petty and Andretti race on the TV with my dad, as I was growing up in Central Texas. I had “43” stickers on my furniture as a kid. I can distinctly remember watching Petty’s last race, and Gordon’s first. I liked watching the rivalry between Dale and Jeff, but I cheered them both on from my living room… I have been following racing ever since.”

Q: What is your favorite part about NASCAR?
“I like the personalities of the drivers and seeing everything they do on and off the track. Out of all the sports, the drivers feel the most natural and real. I’ve watched them grow up, have families, welcome new competitors, and retire. They’ve always been in the backdrop of my life, and I am amazed at all they do for the communities.”

Q: What is your favorite NASCAR memory?
“I got to take my son down to ‘Dega’s fall Truck and Cup race last year as a father/son trip. We did a track ride around, he stood in Chase Elliott’s pit box, and we met David Ragan & Jeff Gluck at the Tweetup. Being there with him and experiencing our first plate race together was pretty amazing.”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Drivers: “Right now I like Blaney and Bubba, as well as Brad K. and Kyle Busch.”
Tracks: “Bristol and ‘Dega are favorites to watch, and Vegas for the 1st track I ever visited.”
OEM: “Ford.”

Q: What are some of your Raceday Traditions?
“I like to watch the races on TV with my wife and son, it’s always better to enjoy the sport with those you love.”

​FROM ALL OF US AT NASCAR, WE THANK JOE FOR HIS CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM IN 2020!

Look for Joe on the Official NASCAR Fan Council page on NASCAR.COM.