Posted on by Reid Spencer

FONTANA, Calif. — Holding off teammate Riley Herbst with a determined run over the final 19 laps, 19-year-old rookie Harrison Burton charged to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in Saturday’s Production Alliance Group 300 at Auto Club Speedway.

Working his way through traffic in the closing laps in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Burton beat Herbst’s No. 18 Camry to the finish line by .455 seconds, with Austin Cindric trailing the winner by .642 seconds in third.

RELATED: Official results | ‘Big One’ in Fontana | At-track gallery

The victory was redemption of sorts for Burton, son of former NASCAR Cup Series star Jeff Burton, after last year’s winless season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

“Heck yeah, man, this is awesome,” said Burton, who protected the top lane over the final 19-lap green-flag run. “All we’ve heard is that we can’t do it … we’ll never do what last year’s (No. 20 team with driver Christopher Bell) did, but we’re off to a good start. It feels so good to win.

“There’s times when you go through a little bit of a drought, and you doubt yourself. But to get a win feels so good, especially after last year. We struggled a little bit. Once we moved up to the top (of the track) at the end, it was going to be really hard for (Herbst) to pass us. I was trying to be smart and not put it in the wall in the lead. The whole team was huge. I’m just so happy, man. This is something I’ve worked so hard for, and my team’s worked so hard for.

“Hell yeah, we won — that’s awesome!”

Herbst, who has yet to win a race in one of NASCAR’s top three national series, thought both he and Burton proved a point with their 1-2 run. Herbst felt he needed a few more laps to make a winning pass.

“I’m really, really proud of Harrison,” Herbst said. “Me and him have been working so hard this offseason. We’ve read it all — everything — that we aren’t ready for it, that we can’t do it in this series. Keep on talking because we’re coming for more wins for sure.”

In a third Joe Gibbs Racing car, the No. 19 Toyota, Brandon Jones led the first 73 laps in sweeping both the first and second 35-lap stages of the race. But Jones suffered a tire rub and subsequent flat tire after contact in traffic on a restart on Lap 102 of 150 and was relegated to 30th at the finish, four laps down.

Ryan Sieg ran fourth behind Cindric, posting his second straight top five and third straight top 10 to start the 2020 season. Justin Haley was fifth, followed by Anthony Alfredo (sixth in his first start in the series), Daniel Hemric, Ross Chastain, Jeremy Clements and Josh Williams.

Chase Briscoe, last week’s winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, led 16 laps, but his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford spun off Turn 4 on Lap 26 while chasing Burton for the lead. Briscoe finished 19th, two laps down.

Burton leaves California with the series lead, 10 points ahead of second-place Briscoe. Cindric is 18 points back of Burton in third, followed by Sieg, who trails the leader by 24.

Note: Coincidentally, Burton’s uncle, Ward Burton, collected his first Xfinity Series victory on Feb. 29, 1992 — also on leap day.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

FONTANA, Calif. — It’s Race 3 of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season: the Auto Club 400 (Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX/FOX Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Clint Bowyer scored the Busch Pole Award to lead the field to green, but is he worth the start in Fantasy Live? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft offers up his race-day lineup and bonus picks below.

RJ Kraft race-day lineup for Auto Club 400:
1: Joey Logano
2: Jimmie Johnson
3: Alex Bowman
4: Ryan Blaney
5: Kurt Busch
Garage: Kyle Busch
Just missing the cut: Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Elliott and Bowyer

Cars dropping to the rear: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece

MORE: No. 19 misses qualifying | Info on the JTG penalties

RELATED: Lap averages, practice results and more | Fantasy preview coming into Fontana

Analysis: Auto Club Speedway has long been a strong spot for Team Penske. Logano and Blaney look the best in that camp this weekend and were 1-2 in 15-lap averages for final practice. Logano has five straight top-seven finishes at this track. Blaney will start 16th, but there are guys ahead of him who elected for full-qualifying trim for their respective laps. He’s also got the hot hand with an average of 42.5 points in the first two races of 2020.

Bowman has been the talk of the garage this weekend as he led both practices and topped the 10-lap board in final practice. He backed that up with a strong qualifying effort, and I’m a believer the speed from Las Vegas Motor Speedway has carried over.

Johnson is a bit of sentimental pick, but I like his history in Fontana, California, the fact he starts on the front row, crew chief Cliff Daniels targeting stage points and the speed he showed at Vegas. He has also completed every lap of races he has run at this track.

Kurt Busch’s lap averages kind of snuck up on me, but I like that he did not have a drastic falloff across his averages. Veterans tend to take care of tires better at the rougher surfaces. He also finished sixth in this race last year.

For the garage, I’m playing a hunch Kyle Busch will look solid on race day. The averages weren’t eye-popping, but again, the falloff for him from 10- to 15-lap averages wasn’t as steep as others. Besides, I like the security blanket of having the defending race winner and reigning champion in the garage.

Larson was a tough omission for me, but I liked Kurt Busch’s lap averages a bit more. Bowyer is a bit more of wild card, even though he’s on the pole. He does not have a ton of practice averages to go off of, and his overall history at this track leaves a little something to be desired.

Bonus picks: I’m taking Bowman in Stage 1, Harvick in Stage 2 and the win with Ford as the manufacturer pick. The Harvick pick is some extra protection from not having him in my main roster. I wrote earlier this week about saving the use here and still believe in doing that, but his qualifying spot has me thinking that incorporating him into the bonus picks is a sound move.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FONTANA, Calif. — It’s far too early to be thinking about Christmas, but Clint Bowyer was the Grinch whole stole the thunder from local favorite Jimmie Johnson during Saturday’s time trials at Auto Club Speedway.

With a stronger run off Turn 4 on his qualifying lap, Bowyer edged Johnson by .007 seconds to earn the pole position for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The last driver to turn a lap, Johnson had the edge at the exit from Turn 4, but in a comparison with FOX Sports’ “ghost car” (representing Bowyer), the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion ran wider off the final corner and lost the top starting spot by roughly two feet.

RELATED: No. 19 misses qualifying after multiple inspection failures

“I was freaking out that the sun kept coming out,” said Bowyer, who claimed his first Busch Pole Award at Fontana, his first of the season and the fourth of his career. “You know the track’s building temperature. Everybody — you could see the data — kept getting looser and looser down in (Turns) 1 and 2.

“I knew coming to the green was important, tried to stay out high, try to get up through the gear box as good as you can, but that’s what it was. It stuck down there (in Turns 1 and 2), and everybody else had to kind of chase it up the track and lost speed and momentum.

“Then (Johnson), I’m thinking, ‘Man, if it comes down and I get beat by the last car on the race track, I’m going to freak out.’ I got a pole, baby! Looking forward to tomorrow. It’s going to be a hell of a race.”

Bowyer covered the two-mile distance in 40.086 seconds (179.614 mph) in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Johnson (179.582 mph) is facing his last race at Auto Club as a full-time driver, and his wife Chandra and daughters Genevieve and Lydia send him on his way from the flag stand above the start/finish line.

“I wish we were one spot further ahead, and clearly, off of Turn 4 there, I ran a little more distance to the start/finish,” said Johnson, who grew up in El Cajon near San Diego. “Such a fine balance trying to understand how much you can open the wheel and let the engine run. Clearly, I did a little too much.

“That’s just the competitor in me. But a very special weekend for me, and I can’t wait to see my girls up in the flag stand waving that green flag.”

Alex Bowman, who led both Friday practices, qualified third, followed by Kurt Busch, as Chevrolets claimed the second, third and fourth starting spots for Sunday’s race. Kyle Busch was 17th in the fastest Toyota.

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr., will start last (38th) on Sunday, having been barred from making a qualifying run after his No. 19 Camry failed inspection three times.

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola will line up fifth and sixth, respectively, for the third NASCAR Cup Series race of the season, followed by Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota failed pre-qualifying inspection three times Saturday at Auto Club Speedway while the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet failed twice, as confirmed by a NASCAR spokesperson. As a result, the No. 19 team of Martin Truex Jr. was not permitted to qualify for the race and will start from the back.

The team also loses a crew member (car chief Blake Harris) for the duration of the weekend and will serve a 15-minute practice penalty at the next NASCAR Cup Series event (Phoenix Raceway). The car passed on the fourth time through inspection. Truex was the 2018 winner of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club.

RELATED: Auto Club schedule

For his part, Truex is not concerned about having to come from the back of the field and his 38th-starting spot. He placed third in the 10- and 15-lap averages in final practice.

“I’m always optimistic,” Truex said. “I did feel good about our car. It seemed like long runs we were pretty strong. Hopefully, we will have a lot of those tomorrow and be able to use them to our advantage.”

For the No. 1 team and Kurt Busch, who is the 2003 Auto Club winner, they will be without car chief Nick Case this weekend and will serve a 15-minute practice penalty at the next event.

Contributing: RJ Kraft

Posted on by Staff Report

The biggest offseason question mark was answered this week:

Who will Doug Coby race for in his chase for a seventh NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship?

In the end, the 40-year-old Coby found the answer by looking in the mirror.

“This is a good thing going forward,” Coby told RaceDayCT.com in an exclusive interview. “Becoming a driver/owner wasn‘t necessarily what I expected to have happen. But the fact that I see how it‘s unfolding makes me really excited for the team‘s potential and what we‘re able to provide for the sponsors that will help us out.”

RELATED: Doug Coby Career Stats |Sixth Title Adds Coby To Historic NASCAR List

Coby announced that he had purchased one of his race winning Whelen Modified Tour cars from retiring owner Mike Smeriglio III, and start his own team in pursuit of defense of his 2019 crown.


Coby also confirmed that he was again pairing with longtime crew chief Phil Moran, and they would keep the rest of his former team together. The Milford, Connecticut, driver confirmed he would again pair with primary sponsor Mayhew Tools, associate sponsors Reynold‘s Auto Wrecking and Modzelewski‘s Towing, and additional sponsors would be announced.

RELATED: Family Time: Mike Smeriglio III Retiring As Car Owner on NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour

It isn’t the first time Coby has been looking for a ride following a successful season. He parted ways with car owner Wayne Darling after winning the 2012 title and finishing second in 2013. He paired with Smeriglio in 2014, and together they won 19 races and five drivers championships.

His sixth championship last year made him just he 13th driver all-time to to win six or more NASCAR national or regional/international series champions. It put his name on a list that includes the likes of Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik.

“I always try to remember that my last win could be my last win, and my last championship could be my last championship,” Coby said after the 2019 finale.

Coby appeared prophetic when news broke that Smeriglio committed to selling a pair of cars to the family driver Tyler Rypkema and selling the team hauler to Kevin Stuart Motorsports.

Friday, though, Coby confirmed exclusively to RaceDayCT his new team, Doug Coby Racing, will make its debut at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener on March 21 at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway. He also told the outlet the team is committed to running the full season and chase title No. 7.

Crew of #2 Doug Coby, driver of the Mayhew Tools Chevrolet during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Jersey Shore 150 on May 18, 2019 at Wall Stadium Speedway in Wall Township, New Jersey.

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.”