Posted on by Staff Report

Busch Pole Award winner Martin Truex Jr. grabbed Stage 1 and Stage 2 victories in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway.

In Stage 1, Kyle Busch finished second after flanking Truex on the front row. Busch led 19 laps in Stage 1 after taking the lead away from Truex on Lap 11. Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.

RELATED: Stage 1 results | Photos from Fontana | Lap-by-Lap updates

The biggest news in Stage 1 occurred on Lap 37 when Kevin Harvick made contact with Kyle Larson on the backstretch, sending the No. 4 Busch Beer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford into the outside wall.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 10
2  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3  Joey Logano  Team Penske 8
4  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske 7
5  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports 6
6  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 5
7  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 1

Stage 2

Stage 2 winner at Auto Club, MTJ.

Martin Truex Jr. did more Martin Truex Jr. things at Auto Club Speedway, earning the Stage 2 victory to sweep both stages of the Auto Club 400.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Truex led 48 circuits of the 60-lap stage on his way to the win. Brad Keselowski finished second as Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones completed the top five-finishers.

The only caution flag of the stage occurred on Lap 108 when Trevor Bayne slammed the outside wall in Turn 4.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 10
2  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske 9
3  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6  Joey Logano  Team Penske 5
7  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports 4
8  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 3
9  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10  William Byron  Hendrick Motorsports 1
Posted on by Reid Spencer

FONTANA, Calif. – Make no mistake — there were heated words on the radios of Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick after their collision on the backstretch on Lap 38 of Sunday’s Auto Club 400 that ended Harvick’s bid to win a fourth straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Harvick wondered aloud what Larson was doing when the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet turned up the track after Harvick moved down to side-draft the Chip Ganassi Racing machine.

Larson questioned why Harvick would race him so hard for position so early in a 200-lap event.

But after Larson recovered to run second to race winner Martin Truex Jr., and Harvick rolled home 35th in a heavily damaged car, the drivers were far more conciliatory.

WATCH: See what Harvick saw during wreck 

“I went down to side-draft, and he (Larson) was coming up and we touched, and it just knocked the thing to the right and spun out,” Harvick said after watching the video replay. “I don’t know that it’s his fault. I think that’s my fault for coming down the race track right there and trying to side-draft, and then as we touch it just came back up the race track.

“I was just trying to get a little too much right there. I knew the stage was coming (to an end). I’ve just got to thank all of my guys. They did a great job on our Busch Beer Ford, and it was just my fault back there.

“That was just a dumb mistake on my part… The race car was there. It was just a mistake.”

Larson likewise took a more amicable tone after his runner-up result.

“We were racing really hard, and I was better than him in (Turns) 3 and 4, and he was better than me in (Turns) 1 and 2,” Larson said.

“I would side-draft him down the frontstretch, and he would side draft me down the backstretch, and I don’t know if he was just coming down to side draft me or what, but we made contact and it spun his car to the right. So you never want to make contact with anybody, but all in all it was a good day for our DC Solar Chevrolet team.”

WATCH: Harvick: ‘Just my fault back there’

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App |  How to find FS1, FS2 | Get FOX Sports GO | How to find NBCSN

Monday, March 19
12 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400, FS1 (re-air)
12 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400, FS2 (re-air)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN:
12 p.m.: MRN Motorsports Monday presented by Outback Steakhouse (Hosts: Steve Post, Erin Evernham)

Tuesday, March 20
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
11 p.m.: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Kern County Raceway Park, NBCSN

On MRN:
7 p.m.: NASCAR Live (Host: Mike Bagley)

Wednesday, March 21
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m.: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Performance Plus 150 from Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway, NBCSN

On MRN:
Noon: MRN Crew Call presented by Hercules Tires (Hosts: Dion Williams, Sammi Jo Francis)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (Hosts: Kyle Rickey, Hannah Newhouse)

Thursday, March 22
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN:
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday presented by Sunoco

Friday, March 23
1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
2 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
3 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
9 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS2 (re-air)
10 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS2 (re-air)

On MRN:
11 a.m.: Inside Line Fantasy Racing Show (Hosts: Tyler Burnett, Robbie Mays)

Saturday, March 24
6:30 a.m.: Classic NASCAR: 1988 Daytona 500, FS1
7 a.m.: NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville, FS1
8 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice (re-air), FS1
9 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (re-air), FS1
10 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO)
11 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1
12 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
12:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO)
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2:00 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250, FS1

Sunday, March 25
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500, FS1 (Canada: TSN 3) POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY, 2 P.M. 
Approx. 7 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250 resumes, FS1 POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY, 11 A.M. 

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series take on the first short track of the year in a doubleheader at Martinsville Speedway. The NASCAR Xfinity Series is off. Check out the tentative full schedule below, subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

Monday, March 26
11 a.m.: Conclusion of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (250 laps, 131.5 miles), FS1 (Results)
Approx. 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 (500 laps, 263 miles), FS1 (Canada: TSN 1); (Results)

Pre-race schedule
10:58:00 a.m.: Trucks restart engines
11:00:00 a.m.: Trucks roll off pit road to resume Alpha Energy Solutions 250
12:00:00 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver/crew chief meeting
1:20:00 p.m.: Monster Energy Series Driver Introductions
1:48:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by: Martinsville-Henry County Combined Law Enforcement Color Guard
1:48:20 p.m.: Invocation by: Martinsville Speedway Track Chaplin, Mike Hatfield
1:49:00 p.m.: National Anthem by: Ted Alt, Virginia Tech Department of Music
1:50:30 p.m.: Flyover:  2 – F18 Hornets, VFA Tact 37 Ragin’ Bulls from Naval Air Station Oceana  (Turn 4 to Turn 1)
1:55:30 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: Executive Chairman of Spectrum Brands, parent company of STP; David Maura And his Daughter Emily
2:01:00 p.m.: Start of the STP 500 (500 Laps, 263 Miles)

Press Pass (Watch live)
Approx. 1 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series race
5:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

Sunday, March 25
2:07 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 (500 laps, 263 miles), FS1 (Canada: TSN 3); (POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY at 2 P.M. ET)
Following STP 500 (approx. 7 p.m.): NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (250 laps, 131.5 miles), FS1 (POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY AT 11 A.M. ET)

Saturday, March 24
10:05-10:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO); (Results)
11 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1 (Results)
12:30-1:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO); (Results)
2 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (250 laps, 131.5 miles), FS1 (POSTPONED UNTIL SUNDAY)
5:10 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Award qualifying, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO); (CANCELED, Lineup)

Press Pass (Watch live)
9 a.m.: Chase Elliott
9:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
11:15 a.m.: Darrell Wallace Jr.
11:30 a.m.: Brad Keselowski
Noon: Denny Hamlin

Friday, March 23
11:05 -11:55 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series first practice (Results)
1:05-1:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series second practice, FS1 (Results)
3:05-3:55 p.m.:Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1 (Results)

Press Pass (Watch live)
10:15 a.m.: Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson
10:30 a.m.: Kyle Benjamin, Timothy Peters, Ben Rhodes

Posted on by Zack Albert

FONTANA, Calif. — William Byron has made rapid advances up NASCAR’s national series ladder in a brief amount of time, and he’s in elite territory that 20-year-old rookies rarely visit.

His Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series experience in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet is just four races old, but Byron is already benefiting from the influence of veteran crew chief Darian Grubb. Byron’s maturation is ongoing, but Grubb says he’s also studying right alongside him.

“We’re definitely learning every week,” Grubb told NASCAR.com. “Every time we go on track, we’re learning a little bit more about each other and what the car needs and what William needs as a driver and how we can compare it to our teammates. It’s definitely been a learning experience so far, for all of us.”

RELATED: Johnson: ‘I will be around a while’

Byron led his first laps in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition last weekend at ISM Raceway, setting the pace for 15 circuits. Grubb called the stint up front a “big confidence booster” that exposed Byron to running with the lead group.

Though Byron has exceeded expectations with winning campaigns in both the Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series, Grubb says they’ve made more measured goals for their progress this season.

“It’s one of those things that we didn’t expect to go out and win the first three races,” says Grubb, whose last full-time season as a Cup Series crew chief came in 2015. “We knew it was going to be a learning process. We thought we’d be a little better than we are right now, but I can sit and look and make a list for each race of what we did wrong as a team, where we missed on the setup and what we did wrong for adjustments during the race to where we needed to be. So the speed’s definitely not just on him being a young driver. It’s all team and us growing together and learning how to set the car up.”

As for Byron, the 42-year-old Grubb says he’s become a more vocal contributor in the shop for Hendrick’s four-car organization. It’s made him adopt a dual role as a student, both at Liberty University and learning the ropes with Hendrick’s development and communication tools — homework all around.

“He’s been a good team member so far,” Grubb said. “He’s in all the meetings we have and when we ask him to be at the shop. Doing all the simulator work and all those things, too, so it’s been really good.”

Contributing: Pat DeCola

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FONTANA, Calif. – The best measure of Joey Logano’s dominance in Saturday’s Roseanne 300 at Auto Club Speedway came during one of the rare instances when the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford didn’t have the lead.

 

Off-cycle on pit stops late in the race, Logano chose to pit under caution on Lap 122 while most of the other contending cars stayed out on tires that had only six green-flag laps of use. Logano restarted 16th on Lap 125. By Lap 126, he was third.

 

On Lap 127, Logano passed Justin Allgaier for second. One Lap later he sailed past Elliott Sadler for the lead.

 

In claiming his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season and the 29th of his career, Logano survived a late restart on Lap 143 and pulled away to win by 1.429 seconds over Allgaier, who passed Sadler for the runner-up spot.

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

“It was a great car—oh, my gosh,” said Logano, who led 139 of 150 laps in winning for the third time at the two-mile Fontana track. “It’s one of those races where you feel relieved when you win. It wasn’t a cheerful one—you’re supposed to win when you have a car that fast.”

 

That didn’t keep Logano from second-guessing crew chief Brian Wilson for choosing to keep Logano on the track after a Lap 110 caution for Dylan Lupton’s blown engine.

 

“Brian opted (to stay out),” said Logano, who won the first and second stages of the race. “That was not my thought at all. But it ended up working out. I thought we were going to lose more track position than we did. We were able to stay out front, actually, on older tires, which I didn’t think we had a chance of doing.

 

“It just showed how fast our car was. It was an amazing day.”

 

Allgaier edged Sadler for the runner-up spot by .047 seconds, but much earlier than that Allgaier realized he was probably racing for second place, the position he also claimed a week earlier in Phoenix when Brad Keselowski drove the No. 22 to victory for Team Penske.

 

“The 22 was definitely the class of the field today and had everybody covered,” Allgaier said. “So hats off to those guys.

 

“I’ve been following the 22 for a couple of weeks now, and that’s getting kind of depressing.”

 

Austin Dillon ran fourth behind Sadler, followed by Richard Childress Racing teammate Daniel Hemric. Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick, Matt Tifft, Ryan Preece and Ross Chastain completed the top 10.

 

Pole winner Christopher Bell brushed the wall early, spun off Turn 4 on Lap 97 and was collected by the No. 5 Chevrolet of Michael Annett eight laps later. Bell salvaged a lead-lap, 21st-place finish and held fourth place in the series standings.

WATCH: Bell’s spin through the grass with visor cam | Bell, Annett collide

Sadler leaves Auto Club with a slim lead over his JR Motorsports teammates. Reddick is second in the standings, four points back, with Allgaier five points behind Sadler in third.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will have two weeks off before returning to action at Texas Motor Speedway for the My Bariatric Solutions 300 on April 7 (3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN , SiriusXM).

Pit Notes: Post-race inspection found that the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (driven by Ryan Preece to a ninth-place finish) had one lug nut unsecured. The No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, the No. 18 JGR Toyota, the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford will all be heading back to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on by Brad Norman

We might enjoy retired Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon more than when they wore fire suits every weekend.

The two former Hendrick Motorsports drivers have had a number of back-and-forth banters on social media, but Saturday’s Twitter conversation may be the best one yet.

It began when Dale Jr. poked fun at ‘most famous people to wear coonskin hats’ in a photo collage. Of course, a black-and-white picture of a young Gordon made the cut. A bold move by Earnhardt, but Gordon was ready with a zinger of his own.

In true Junior fashion, he made a witty comeback while the Earnhardts eagerly await the birth of their daughter.

However, not to be outdone, the former pilot of the No. 24 punched right back. This time he included a throwback photo of Dale Jr. that immediately became internet gold.

We may have this battle end in a tie because each driver stepped up his jokes with each click of the keyboard — and we aren’t complaining.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Martin Truex Jr. will start on the pole for the second straight race in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Busch will start on the front row and defending race winner Kyle Larson is lurking in the third position. With all three practice sessions for this race in the books, we’ve dissected the numbers and 10-lap averages to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you go to make roster decisions for the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018.

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Auto Club | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and qualifying:
1: Kyle Busch
2: Kyle Larson
3: Kevin Harvick
4: Brad Keselowski
5: Erik Jones
Garage: Clint Bowyer

Analysis: The big move for me is my decision to play Kevin Harvick. All week long I have been fretting about the usage limit but I’m deciding to ride the hot hand one more week. The No. 4 car has shown no signs of slowing down — topping the 10-lap averages board in Saturday’s two practices — and has to be considered the favorite as he goes for his fourth win in a row. This play will potentially bite me down the line but I’m willing to live with the consequences of that decision. If you have used Harvick less than twice, he is a must-start here. If you are concerned about the usage, stacking the deck on bonus picks with Harvick is advisable.

Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer were part of my initial lineup and nothing I’ve seen this weekend has convinced me to change that. Busch is a three-time winner at Auto Club Speedway and topped the board in final practice. Larson is the defending race winner, has won the last four races contested on 2-mile tracks and has been fast all weekend long. Keselowski has a win and a 4.0 average finish in his last three starts at Auto Club. He was second in the 10-lap average in second practice and I like his ability to nab some stage points as he starts 11th. Bowyer was my original garage pick, has shown speed all weekend and finished third in this race last year. Despite starting 26th, I like stashing him in reserve if something goes wrong with one of my starters.

My other roster change is swapping in Erik Jones for Chase Elliott. I love Elliott’s record on the 2-mile tracks but the 31st-place starting position has me concerned that I will miss out on valuable stage points. I like having one of the drivers starting at the back in my lineup (for me, that’s Bowyer) but I’d prefer not to have two in that regard especially since the teams will be on equal footing when it comes to tires. Enter Jones into the fray, who was in the top six of 10-lap averages for both Saturday practices. Considered Ryan Blaney for this spot as well, but Jones has a more favorable history here and will start in the top five.

RELATED: Teams that made qualifying lap have tire option

Remember to set your roster and bonus picks ahead of Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. ET start time and to keep tabs on your team during the race with the ability to go to the garage locking at the completion of Stage 2.


Posted on by Zack Albert

FONTANA, Calif. — The Southern California full celebrity treatment welcomed Kyle Larson upon his Friday arrival to Auto Club Speedway.

The track brought some Hollywood glitz and glamour to its Walk of Fame, and Larson rolled up in style, chauffeured by the speedway’s 1948 Chevrolet woodie wagon. A gathering of adoring fans cheered the home-state favorite’s return to the 2-mile track, but his appearance took an odd turn when hosts opened the ceremony up for a brief Q&A.

PHOTOS: See Larson honored and more scenes from the track

“Hey, why don’t you do us all a favor and take (Kevin) Harvick out this week?” blurted out one fan, prompting a nervous smile from the guest of honor. However blunt the wording, the question of how to halt Harvick’s three-race win streak remains a front-burner issue for Larson and the rest of the field entering Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I don’t think you can slow him down. We’ve all got to get our stuff to be able to compete with him right now,” Larson said. “I don’t think we’re far off. We were definitely off at Phoenix, but in Atlanta, he’s always fast. And then Vegas he was fast, too. But I think we’re only something small away from getting to be as good as he is.”

RELATED: Historic streak in Harvick’s sights

The closing race of NASCAR Goes West marks a time of transition for the defending Auto Club winner, both personally and professionally. On the career side, Larson joins Chip Ganassi Racing and the rest of the Chevrolet campaigners in the sorting-out period for the new Camaro ZL1, now entering just its fifth race in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition.

Larson noted that Toyota experienced similar growing pains last year with the racing debut of the automaker’s new Camry. He said that Team Chevy was on a similar, if not quicker pace with its progress, and Auto Club presents a unique sweet spot for Larson: Four of his five big-league victories have come on 2-mile circuits (three at Michigan, one in California).

“There’s still a lot of opportunity to learn about these cars and what their different characteristics are, really for the bodies,” Larson said. “The chassis, suspension and all that stuff is basically the same. I feel like we’re off to a good start with it.”

On the personal side, Larson and his fiancée, Katelyn Sweet, are expecting their second child in May. The couple already have hands full with their energetic 3-year-old son, Owen, who added his own handprints in the wet cement for Larson’s Walk of Fame marker.

RELATED: Larson, Sweet get engaged

The family wrapped up an extended stay in the Phoenix area after last weekend’s race, taking some time off for golf and visiting with friends. But after the California weekend, it’s back to North Carolina for a two-day test next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course and the continuing preparation for baby No. 2’s arrival.

“Everything’s been good. I think with the first one, you think about it every day and it goes super-slow, the nine months,” Larson says. “With this one, we haven’t found out gender, haven’t done any parties or anything like that. This one’s gone by a lot faster, so far the pregnancy has, so it’s creeping up on us. It’s only a couple months away, really.

“So we’ve got to get to work on rooms and clothes — but we don’t know the gender yet, so we can’t really do any of that. But it’s going to creep up on us.”