Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary

RELATED: Aspen Dental, NASCAR, Patrick grow relationship

NASCARu00ae and Aspen Dental, one of the largest and fastest-growing networks of independent dental care providers in the United States, announced today a multi-year official partnership, designating the brand as the "Official Dentist of NASCAR." The announcement coincides with the launch of Aspen Dental’s "Get Started" awareness building health initiative with NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing driver Danica Patrick. 

"Aspen Dental’s level of dedication to drive awareness and educate fans about the importance of dental health, especially as it relates to quality of life for everyday Americans is inspiring and contagious," said Chad Seigler, vice president, business development, NASCAR. "We welcome Aspen Dental to our family of Official Partners and look forward to adding our voice to amplify the important message behind Aspen Dental’s ‘Get Started’ initiative."

This partnership is important because nearly 150 million Americans didn’t visit a dentist in the past year, due to barriers like access, fears and lack of insurance.  For many of these everyday Americans, poor oral health has resulted in chronic pain and inflammation, limiting many from living a healthy life, and sometimes, impacting other health conditions. Aspen Dental’s "Get Started" initiative will help NASCAR fans take a simple step to start or restart and gain control of their oral health by seeing a dental professional. Aspen Dental-branded practices offer patients a safe, welcoming and judgment-free environment to get the full range of dental care they need along with the convenience and speed of onsite denture labs. 

"Our goal is to help race fans through Aspen Dental practices and encourage them through this official partnership with NASCAR to ‘Get Started’ on their road to better oral health and make dentistry easier," said Bob Fontana, chairman and CEO of ADMI. "Together, with the help of Danica Patrick, we want to tell race fans that all you need to do is ‘Get Started’ to gain control of their oral health."


Aspen Dental has been a partner of Stewart-Haas Racing since 2012 and aligned with Patrick since 2014. This year, the brand will serve as the lead sponsor of Patrick’s No. 10 Ford Fusion for a double-digit slate of races. Patrick has shined a spotlight on oral health across multiple channels, promoting Aspen Dental’s Healthy Mouth Movement – a community-giving initiative which has delivered more than $7.5 million in donated dentistry for veterans since its inception. Additionally, she has appeared in "A Taste of the Future" – a hidden-camera video campaign designed to raise awareness about the long-term consequences of delaying dental care.

"I’m really excited about working with Aspen Dental to support them in breaking down the barriers to better care, better smiles and better lives," said Patrick. "Starts and restarts are part of our sport. The same is true for gaining control of your oral health. Through ‘Get Started,’ we will encourage NASCAR fans to get started – or restarted – on their own road to better oral health."

Fans can visit AspenDental.com/GetStarted to be entered to WIN an all-expense paid, VIP trip experience for two to the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race November 5, 2017 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for a VIP experience and a meet-and-greet with Patrick.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season will continue with the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the races at Auto Club

FONTANA, Calif. — A week after an on-track run-in with Austin Dillon, NASCAR XFINITY Series rookie Cole Custer, 19, maintained the two had found a version of racing Kumbaya.

 

The two drivers met with NASCAR officials early Friday morning at Auto Club Speedway, spoke their minds and shook hands, both ready to move on and race.

 

Custer acknowledged he mistakenly hit Dillon, 26, last week during the Phoenix race, which resulted in on-track retaliation by Dillon.

 

NASCAR did not feel Dillon’s retaliatory move warranted a penalty this week, instead calling the two drivers in for a meeting and detente.

 

"I got into the corner way too deep," Custer acknowledged. "It was a mistake and I wish I didn’t do it.

 

"I probably got in a half-car length too deep. … Took him out and it was a mistake and I wish I didn’t do it. I didn’t have much anxiety (going into NASCAR meeting with Dillon) because I didn’t think we were on bad terms. I wasn’t too nervous. It went fairly well."

 

And he added with a slight smile, "I’ve been in the NASCAR hauler before. It’s not a new thing."

 

WATCH: Custer sends Dillon into wall, Dillon bumps back

 

The Ladera Ranch, California, native has two top-11 finishes in four XFINITY races this year driving the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing and appeared eager to put the Phoenix incident behind him as he prepared to race at his "home" track Saturday.

 

"Cost us and the 2 (Dillon) a good finish, 100 percent my fault. Happy with how much better we got our car, pretty good there at the end," Custer tweeted earlier in the week before meeting up with Dillon at Auto Club.

 

Mostly, Custer is looking forward to his "home track" racing debut.

 

"I’m really excited. I’ve never raced here, just excited to get on track," Custer said. "We’ve had some pretty solid finishes, had good enough cars for top-10. Hopefully we can start out the weekend good.

 

"A lot of things translate from track to track. We’re looking forward to seeing what we have unloading here. We should be pretty good. I’m confident. It’s just me getting used to the track since I’ve never been here before."

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Read more Inside Groove

 

NASCAR’s latest brush with wildlife stopped practice Friday at Auto Club Speedway as an owl decided to set up camp on the racing surface during opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice.
 
Practice was interrupted until safety workers were able to corral the bird, which initially took low-flying evasive action on the track apron. No word on whether NASCAR race official David Hoots or Chase Elliott sponsor Hooters were involved.
 
Friday’s incident marked the third consecutive year that nature has caused a disruption at the 2-mile California track. A swarm of bees crowded the Auto Club flag stand between practices last season. The previous year, bees were a menacing presence around Derrike Cope’s hauler, trapping the team inside the transporter.
 

MORE ANIMALS: Groundhog at Michigan | Bees at Auto Club

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Practice 1 results | Buy tickets for Auto Club


Kyle Larson put his name atop the early speed charts at Auto Club Speedway, topping the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice.


Larson powered to a best lap of 189.071 mph on the 2-mile track, setting the early pace in the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet. The unofficial lap was better than the track qualifying record of 188.511 mph, set by Denny Hamlin in Coors Light Pole Qualifying last year.


Hamlin continued his show of California speed, logging the second-fastest lap in the 85-minute session, posting a lap of 188.462 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota.


Kevin Harvick (188.344 mph), Jamie McMurray (187.94 mph) and Joey Logano (187.588 mph) completed the top five in preparation for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the final event of the three-race NASCAR Goes West swing.


The opening practice was an eventful one with three stoppages — including one for an incident involving seven-time series champ Jimmie Johnson, a six-time Auto Club winner.


Johnson spun his Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet off Turn 4, narrowly avoiding the car of Kurt Busch on the apron before his car’s body plowed into the infield grass. The damage was not major, but significant enough that the crew opted to unload and prep its reserve car for the balance of the race weekend.


"We just showed up at the track swinging hard and trying to get all that we can," Johnson said, noting to FS1 that the team was focused on improving its qualifying efforts. "We crossed the line there for sure and the car came around on me."


The session’s other interruptions were varied. The opening of practice was delayed for sweepers and blowers to clean off the backstretch. Shortly after practice began, an owl planted itself on the race track, halting the cars until safety workers were able to remove it.


RELATED: Owl disrupts opening practice


Ryan Newman, last week’s winner at Phoenix Raceway, was 15th-fastest at 188.921 mph in the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet.


Several drivers served penalties at the start of practice for their teams’ tardiness to inspection last weekend at Phoenix. The following drivers were held 15 minutes for being late to qualifying inspection: Trevor Bayne, Daniel Suarez, Chase Elliott, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chris Buescher, David Ragan, AJ Allmendinger, Timmy Hill, Derrike Cope, Corey LaJoie and Michael McDowell. The cars for Erik Jones and Matt DiBenedetto were held 30 minutes for being late to pre-qualifying and pre-race inspection.

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary

RELATED: No. 48 team opts out of qualifying | Lineup


FONTANA, Calif. — More than once while meeting with reporters in the Auto Club Speedway media room Friday, Jimmie Johnson motioned to a framed poster showing a 15-years-younger version of himself celebrating his first-ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory here at his "home" track in 2002.


That was 79 victories, seven championships ago — a definitive day in his career and life.



And still, Johnson smiled — even bristled just a bit — receiving immediate questions about when he might win a race this season after only one top-10 finish through the first four races.



"Sixteen years, 80 wins, and seven championships and people want to question us? I mean come on," Johnson said. "You can’t be on top forever. I think that we do have some work to do, especially on the short run. We haven’t executed as cleanly as we need to. 



"Daytona, we are running second or third and get crashed. Last week we were a good top-five — maybe top-three — car on the long run, but finished with some short restarts that was our weak point. Yeah, sure, absolutely we have work to do, but nobody should panic."



Johnson certainly is not in panic mode, and certainly not here. He left the press conference to be enshrined in the track’s Hall of Fame. He is the defending winner of this race and has six victories here in all.



This is home for the California native.


And even for one of the sport’s biggest champions, that feeling is warm and distinctive. Listening to Johnson recall the importance of that inaugural win on this particular venue, on a warm spring afternoon, it’s easy to see the difference it made for him. And, ultimately, for NASCAR.

"If any driver could script their first win, I think they would choose a path similar to what I went through," Johnson said. "It was my 13th start ever in the Cup Series, 10th start of that season, running my home track. You just couldn’t script it any better and when I look back, I’m still amazed that it turned out that way. I’m still amazed that it has turned out how it has to start with. 

 

"When I go back mentally to that point in my life, I just wanted to win a race. I’ve said it many times — and I’m very serious about this — with Jeff (Gordon) winning the championship the year before and they gave me his inventory of cars and equipment, I felt like I had to win. Deep down in my heart I felt like Lowe’s signed up because they felt that I could win. 

 

"There was this pressure," Johnson acknowledged. "Granted it was early in the year, but standing there climbing out of that car and the minutes that followed that, the relief that came off of my shoulders knowing that I could win. … I was very relieved and that triple chin smile (in the photo) is more about the relief of all this pressure that I had put on myself to win and I was able to do it very early at my home track."

 

Johnson said he and wife, Chandra, took their two young daughters, Genevieve and Lydia, to visit his small hometown of El Cajon, about two hours south of the Fontana track. Johnson, a high school sports star, still is a hero in the area, which is located just outside San Diego — a gateway between beach and desert. 

 

In showing his children the house he grew up in, Johnson said he was quick to remind that his upbringing was very modest compared to the luxuries he has been able to share with his young family as a multi-time NASCAR champion.

 

"It’s so different," Johnson said. "And as a parent I know that I want my kids to appreciate what they have and work hard for the world they want to create for themselves. And my kids are starting a heck of a lot better off than I did from that perspective. 

 

"I grew up in a house full of love and understanding and highly motivated parents that pushed me to chase my dreams, and I want to give that to my children as well, obviously. But, to take them back and show them the street I played on — and I even saw some of my old bicycle jumps that are kind of eroded away now on the side of the road up in Crest (California) where I grew up.

 

"They are young, but I feel like they need to see that, and to hear my daughter Genevieve’s comments about the house and how small it was and things like that, it’s like, ‘Yep that is why we are here.’ 

 

"Certainly, from their standpoint it was great to show them around, but for me it’s just such a nice reminder to go back. I do shake my head and find it hard to believe that is where I came from and that I made it to where I am, but more than anything the memories — it’s just wild how the old memories and stories come up. I just pepper my wife with these stories and she is like, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard that 15 times and that one 20 times.’ So it is just fun to open up the memory bank and experience those things again."

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary
RELATED: Johnson at ‘home track’ | No. 48’s Auto Club stats

 

FONTANA, Calif. — Defending race winner Jimmie Johnson did not make a qualifying attempt for Sunday’s Auto Club 400, the team announced late Friday afternoon just before qualifying was to begin at the 2-mile track.

 

Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet was involved in a single-car incident during practice and the team opted to bring out a backup car. Work on the car was not completed in time for him to turn any laps in the final practice and his Hendrick Motorsports team decided not to participate in qualifying with the car untested.

 

"We had a tough practice session and mid-pack was probably going to be our goal anyway so to take our lumps here at a track that’s really wide with a lot of lanes, a long race … we’ll take our lumps and get the car right," Johnson said. "We’ll take advantage of the precious minutes we’ll have in Saturday’s practice session and go from there.

 

"Pit road is going to be a problem," the six-time California winner conceded. "We’re not going to have a good pick there. We’re definitely not in a position we want to be in, so we’re going to take the time now and make sure we get everything right, get the car right."

 

WATCH: Johnson spins in practice | Lineup in photos

 

Said No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus: "I just felt it was wiser to get the car prepared correctly rather than qualify poorly. I wasn’t comfortable putting Jimmie in a position where he would have to hustle a car that he hasn’t turned a lap in yet.
 
"We are all the way out here on the west coast, and brought two race cars. If we were to crash this car, we would have to pull a car from a teammate and it would be a very difficult obstacle to overcome. We want to be prepared to put the best race car on the track for our driver, Lowe’s, Chevrolet and all of our sponsors. So, we are going to take the time to do that by working on it this afternoon."

 

Johnson will start 37th for Sunday’s race, but he did not seem overly concerned. He started last in the 2016 season finale at Miami and rallied to win the race and his record-tying seventh Cup title.


RELATED: Full lineup for Sunday — Johnson starts 37th

"If I was to tear this car up again in qualifying we’d be heading next door to the 88 team to get their backup car, put a wrap on it, change (the) interior," Johnson said. "We just felt it best to get everything right and get prepared for (Saturday). We’ll start from the tail end, but I think my history shows I can make up plenty of spots, pass plenty of cars.

 

"We’ll just make it exciting coming back."

 

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary
RELATED: No. 48 opts not to make qualifying run  | Larson on pole


FONTANA, Calif. — Joey Logano will join defending Auto Club 400 race winner Jimmie Johnson near the rear of Sunday’s starting grid. 

 

They are among a small group of drivers who did not turn a single qualifying lap in Friday afternoon’s time trials at 2-mile Auto Club Speedway.

 

While Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports team chose not to attempt a qualifying lap after going to a backup car, Logano’s Team Penske group was unable to clear inspection in time to get his car on track. It had been fifth fastest in opening practice.

 

MORE: Starting lineup for Sunday’s race

 

Five cars in all did not participate in qualifying. Trevor Bayne, Matt DiBenedetto and rookie Gray Gaulding joined Logano and Johnson without a qualifying attempt in the late-afternoon session.

 

While frustrated with the turn of events, Logano remained optimistic about his chances come race day.

 

"No sense being mad about it now," said Logano, driver of the No. 22 AAA Southern California Ford. "You have to look ahead and I think our car is fast. Tires wear out here so as everyone is making laps on their first run tires now, that’s our advantage. The disadvantage is we’re starting form the back.

 

"But here we go. It’ll be exciting. We’ll be making big moves, I know that."

 

Bayne, Logano, DiBenedetto and Gaulding all will lose 15 minutes of practice time because of the qualifying inspection issues. The No. 6 failed LIS twice; the Nos. 22, 23 and 32 all failed LIS the second time through. In addition, David Ragan will be on a 15-minute practice hold Saturday after his No. 38 was found to have missing seals.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: Qualifying results | See every car | Buy tickets for Auto Club
WATCH: 1-on-1 conversation with Larson


California native Kyle Larson stormed to the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway.


Larson notched a best lap of 187.047 mph with the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet around the 2-mile track. He’ll lead the 39-car field to the green flag in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the series’ fifth race of the season and the closing event in the three-race NASCAR Goes West swing.


"Really happy though, our Target team has been amazing to start the season and to get a pole is great," the series points leader said following qualifying. "I haven’t gotten a pole since my rookie season. Yeah, this is awesome.


"I can’t say enough about everybody at our race shop for all the hard work they have been putting in."


The Coors Light Pole is Larson’s first of the season, first at the home-state speedway and second of his Monster Energy Cup Series career. His other pole came at Pocono Raceway during his rookie season in 2014.


MORE: Larson tops first practice, too


Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota will flank Larson’s car on the front row after grabbing the second starting position with a lap of 186.979 mph in the last of three qualifying sessions. Hamlin had the provisional pole until Larson knocked him off, leading the JGR driver to playfully fling water at Larson’s car as it came back to pit road.


Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and last week’s winner, Ryan Newman, completed the top five in Friday’s qualifying.


Larson’s pole run capped an eventful qualifying session, with five cars failing to make qualifying attempts for different reasons.


Jimmie Johnson, a six-time Auto Club winner, crashed his primary No. 48 Chevrolet near the end of opening practice. With no laps on an untested reserve car, the Hendrick Motorsports team opted to skip the session.


RELATED: Johnson sits out qualifying


Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne, Gray Gaulding and Matt DiBenedetto failed to log speeds in the opening 20-minute round after their cars did not make it to the grid through pre-qualifying inspection.


MORE: Logano, more miss qualifying after tech holdups


"It happens. We’re a team, right?" Logano said after missing out on the first round. "Obviously, everyone’s trying to push it and get every ounce of speed out of our cars when we can. I don’t even know why we didn’t make it through on time. … No big deal."


Keselowski and Paul Menard both drove away after scrapes with the Turn 2 wall during the second of three rounds.


Two more practice sessions are scheduled Saturday for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.


Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary

MORE: See where Junior’s lining up for 600th start


FONTANA, Calif. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his 600th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. And for all the glory, trophies and adoration, his two-time Daytona 500 winning career hasn’t necessarily been as NASCAR’s most popular driver imagined it to be.

 

Earnhardt’s initial motives were simpler and his goals modest. But he’s enjoying the long ride and the achievement and respect he’s accumulated in 18 full-time seasons on NASCAR’s main stage.

 

"I just wanted to drive," Earnhardt said of the milestone. "I wanted to race cars for a living. I wanted to do it well enough to be able to afford to make a living doing it.

 

"I didn’t have vision or assume that I was going to make all of the money and success that we have made, but all I really wanted to do was to do it long enough so I didn’t have to get a real job. I mean that as sincere as I can. I’m real thrilled that I’ve had the opportunity to stay around and drive for some really great teams. Some really awesome owners. Worked with a lot of amazing crew chiefs and crew members."

 

Earnhardt, who missed the second half of the 2016 season recovering from concussion symptoms, returned to competition this year more grateful for the opportunity and with perhaps a different perspective.

 

MORE: Dale Jr.: ‘I feel really good’

 

He acknowledged Friday in California that he has had preliminary talks with team owner Rick Hendrick about extending his contract with the championship organization. Earnhardt has maintained that he wanted to see how he felt behind the wheel again before committing to a contract process.

 

"We have had some discussions about planning to get together," Earnhardt said. "It’s not something I put on the shelf for sure. We are getting closer and closer.

 

"I have done some things that I really think have (given) me a lot of confidence in the car and in my ability to continue to race and so … yeah, I’m not in any hurry to sit down and have those discussions, but we have been chit-chatting a little bit about what we need to go ahead and start heading in that direction."

 

As for the weekend’s important milestone, only Matt Kenseth has more (618) starts among active drivers. And despite the large number, Earnhardt concedes there are typically a few he hears about most — and he gets it.

 

"They talk about wins," Earnhardt said of his fans. " ‘I was at Daytona when you won in ’04, I was at Daytona when you won in ’14, I was at the All-Star race when you won or I’ve watched every race you’ve ran.’ You know you hear … really, they remember the moments on the track more than anything. And I do the same thing.

 

"I think back about the wins and maybe not even the wins, some races are really fun and satisfactory, but you are the only one that will remember them because you ran third or fifth or something like that and they are kind of obscure in most people’s minds.

 

"I think about winning the All-Star race as a rookie, just how fortunate we were to do that. Winning the Daytona 500 twice. I didn’t know that I would even win it once and everything that has happened. The list goes on and on."

 

Despite the success — the Daytona 500 wins, the dramatic Daytona summer race win in 2001 following his father’s death in that year’s Daytona 500, the All-Star race win, the streak of four consecutive Talladega trophies — Earnhardt humbly and vividly remembers the first of his 599 starts.

 

"My first Cup race? I was really nervous," Earnhardt said. "I remember sitting on the starting grid or sitting in qualifying for the race and telling (then crew chief) Tony (Eury) Jr. that I would switch with him for a million dollars so he could do this instead of me because I was scared to death.

 

"Just they had made such a big deal about that whole thing."

 

And to think, that was only the beginning of the making of a superstar, the most popular driver — a talent that earned his place in the record books. And in hearts.