Kyle Busch becomes fifth chase prospect

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Staff Report

Busch takes advantage of late caution for repeat win at Auto Club 400

Kyle Busch has become the fifth driver to practically clinch a spot in the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after winning the Auto Club 400 in Fontana, Calif., for the second year in a row on Sunday.

Busch’s win moved him up from 14th to seventh in the Sprint Cup Series points standings; he started the race 14th and led just five of the 206 laps.

Jimmie Johnson led more than half the laps (104), and was trying to hold off teammate Jeff Gordon when he blew a tire with seven laps to go. Johnson ended up 24th.

Busch now has 29 career Sprint Cup wins at the age of 28. He held off hard-charging rookie Kyle Larson, who won the Nationwide Series race a day earlier.

Carl Edwards, who finished 10th Sunday, became the fourth driver to essentially punch his Chase ticket when he won the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend.

The top five drivers in the points standings are separated by just seven points. Edwards (186 points) leads, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (185 points), Jeff Gordon (184 points), Brad Keselowski (182 points) and Matt Kenseth (179 points).

Two weeks ago, Keselowski won at Las Vegas by passing Earnhardt Jr., who ran out of gas on the final lap.

Earnhardt Jr. and his team were the first to win this season when he opened the season with a win at the Daytona 500, and Kevin Harvick won the season’s second race at Phoenix.

While the other four race winners currently rank among the top seven in the points standings, Harvick is in 25th.

Drivers with a win need a top-30 standing after 26 races to earn a spot in the 10-race playoff, which concludes with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

If Kyle Busch, Edwards, Keselowski, Harvick or Earnhardt Jr. win again this season, they will be guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

After the fifth race of NASCAR’s regular season, here is how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings look:

Pos.	Driver	Chase berth
1.	Carl Edwards	Winner: Bristol
2.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Winner: Daytona
3.	Brad Keselowski	Winner: Las Vegas
4.	Kyle Busch	Winner: Auto Club
5.	Kevin Harvick	Winner: Phoenix
6.	Jeff Gordon	3rd in points
7.	Matt Kenseth	5th in points
8.	Jimmie Johnson	6th in points
9.	Ryan Newman	8th in points
10.	Austin Dillon	9th in points
11.	Joey Logano	10th in points
12.	Denny Hamlin	11th in points
13.	Jamie McMurray	12th in points
14.	Brian Vickers	13th in points
15.	Paul Menard	14th in points
16.	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	15th in points

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Posted on March 23, 2014 by Zack Albert

Gordon: ‘I’m so disappointed. I don’t know where to begin’

FONTANA, Calif. — After overcoming a battery of early pitfalls to eventually and perhaps improbably contend for a victory, it was a dejected Jeff Gordon who emerged from the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports hauler post-race Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.

There was plenty of unhappiness to go around, but he didn’t know at whom or at what to direct his displeasure.

"I’m so disappointed. I don’t know where to begin," said Gordon, whose string of four straight top-10 finishes to open the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was snapped with an unsatisfying 13th in the Auto Club 400. "I have a laundry list of things to be upset about."

After sidestepping tire issues and later rallying from an early pit-road speeding penalty and a pit-entrance warning light mixup, Gordon had a potential fourth career victory at the 2-mile track in sight. On what was shaping up to be the final green-flag run, Gordon was running second to teammate Jimmie Johnson before his car developed a vibration with 15 laps left in regulation for the 200-lap race.

With tires wearing out 20 to 25 laps into a green-flag stretch, Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson read the tea leaves and backed off their pace. When Johnson’s No. 48 slowed with a flat left-front tire with six laps left in regulation, it left Gordon in front by a comfortable margin but with a cautious outlook for the home stretch.

"We knew today was going to be about survival, but we also had an awesome race car," Gordon said. "It was like holding the reins back on a thoroughbred. The car just wanted to go, and we were trying not to abuse it."

The conservative approach ran crosscurrent to Gustafson’s mantra.

"The whole day is tough. I’m a racer purist at heart, right, so you just try to go as fast as you can and race the car as fast as you can," Gustafson said. "Today is a difficult situation. … We got a bad vibration and Jeff backed off. It takes a lot of discipline to do that when you know you’re right there and can win the race."

But the lifespan on tires was beginning to expire on the Southern California pavement as the checkered flag neared. Shortly after Johnson’s trouble, Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose and Clint Bowyer developed problems, forcing Bowyer into a spin and bringing out a final caution period to put the race into green-white-checkered overtime.

The final yellow spelled disaster for Gordon. He dropped from the lead to take four fresh tires and emerged from pit road in seventh place behind gambling teams who took two tires or none. Though he was lined up directly behind eventual winner Kyle Busch, who restarted fifth, he found himself pinched on the low side and bogged back in the running order after the frantic scramble for positions in the two-lap shootout.

"I just don’t know where to begin with the disappointment," Gordon reiterated. "Between Goodyear being unprepared for this issue, that call that NASCAR made on going green with the pit road opening at the last second, to the caution coming out at all there at the end. … All in all, all it comes down to is I did a terrible job on the restart. Kyle Busch started in front of me and won the race. There’s no reason we shouldn’t have been in the top five."

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development, addressed the caution light issue in a post-race news conference. Gordon, Bowyer and Brad Keselowski were caught by the confusion, where the caution lights above the pit entrance flashed red and white to indicate pit road was closed but the official’s waving green flag indicated that pit road was open. Pemberton said that the manual signal overrules the computer-controlled signal in the event of a conflict.

"They had trouble getting to the switch, as there’s an area there for the official to reach through to display the flag," Pemberton said. "He actually, according to the official, his uniform got hung in the fence and couldn’t move."

As strong as Gordon’s Chevrolet was, it was almost enough to hurdle all the unusual obstacles until the final restart.

"Just tough," Gustafson said. "It’s one of those deals you try not to just let it go because you need to try to improve, but I don’t really know what else I would’ve done."

And while he moved into third place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points, just two behind new leader Carl Edwards, it was small consolation for the four-time series champion. Even though the new "win-and-you’re-in" mentality for converting regular-season victories into Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff berths had Gordon within sniffing distance of sealing his postseason fate early on, the big-picture incentives held no comfort compared to Sunday’s dismay.

"I’m not thinking about the Chase," Gordon said. "I’m thinking about winning."

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Posted on March 23, 2014 by Staff Report

Keep yourself posted with up-to-the-minute updates from Auto Club Speedway

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch battle in the final laps for second

MORE: Larson wouldn’t relent | View full results | Updated standings

FONTANA, Calif. – Heralded NASCAR neophyte Kyle Larson finally had his day in the sun.

When a cloud cover lifted with roughly 50 laps left in Saturday’s TreatMyClot.com 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway, Larson’s No. 42 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet came to life.

Larson, who had posted five second-place finishes in 37 previous NNS starts, grabbed the lead after a restart on Lap 135 of 150 and survived an intense battle against Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch to win for the first time in the Nationwide Series, arriving at the finish line 0.342 seconds ahead of Harvick, who edged Busch for second by 0.04 seconds.

Joey Logano, who led 96 laps, came home fourth, followed by Coors Light Pole Award winner Elliott Sadler. Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Ty Dillon, Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith completed the top 10, leaving Smith and Bayne tied for the series points lead through five races.

“I’m shaking still; this is awesome,” said Larson, who got an ice-water bath in Victory Lane. “I thought maybe we could get away [after the last restart], but the 54 (Busch) and 5 (Harvick) were really good behind us, and I had to race with those guys.

“Man, it was amazing. Those last 11 or 12 laps were the longest laps of my life… It was pretty cool to beat those guys. The 54 and the 22 (Joey Logano) have dominated the series for a while now, and Harvick’s with a good team. It was a blast.”

Larson, Busch and Harvick spent the last 16 laps dicing for position, with Busch actually leading Lap 145 before Larson charged back past him on the outside and stayed out front to the finish. For Harvick and Busch, the quality and intensity of the racing took some of the sting out of finishing second and third.

“The fans won today,” Busch said, summing up the electric atmosphere of the closing laps.

With a rear axle housing that was skewed outside of NASCAR’s tolerances, Busch’s No. 54 Toyota failed to clear inspection before the end of the first round of knockout qualifying and started the race from the rear of the field.

What might have been a daunting challenge to a lesser driver was a mere inconvenience to Busch, who advanced to 25th on the first lap and was 16th by the time he completed the second-green flag lap after an early caution for Jamie Dick’s collision with the Turn 3 wall on Lap 1.

That was the start of Busch’s methodical march through the field. By Lap 8, Busch was 10th. On Lap 14, he passed Brian Scott for the fifth spot. On Lap 22, he grabbed second place from Harvick.

And when Logano had issues with the right front tire during a green-flag pit stop on Lap 41, Busch had the lead, with a margin of more than three seconds. Just as methodically as Busch had carved his way through the field, however, Logano cut the No. 54 Toyota’s advantage to nothing and retook the lead with a pass on Lap 61.

After pit stops under caution for debris on the backstretch, Busch regained the top spot following a restart on Lap 72, moving past Logano to the inside. Contact in Turn 2 between the Chevrolets of Dylan Kwasniewski and Chase Elliott, which knocked Elliott into the outside wall, slowed the field for the third time and gave Logano a chance to regain the lead, which he did soon after a restart on Lap 78.

Logano took control of the race, despite a charge from Larson, who found warmer, slicker conditions more to his liking after the sun broke through the clouds as the race reached Lap 100 of a scheduled 150.

Following a round of green-flag pit stops, Logano led Larson in second by 4.147 seconds on Lap 116, but the 21-year-old California native immediately began cutting into the deficit, chopping it down to 0.233 seconds by Lap 125.

Larson had the lead by a nose when the cars crossed the stripe on Lap 128, but Logano regained the point a moment later, before NASCAR called the fourth caution when Josh Wise’s Chevrolet dropped fluid on the track.

Pit stops under the yellow scrambled the running order, putting Harvick in the lead for a restart on Lap 135, with Larson, Logano, Busch and Sadler lined up in second through fifth, respectively. Larson rocketed to the lead after taking the green flag and held off repeated challenges from Harvick and Busch to secure his first Nationwide Series victory.

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by Holly Cain

Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray also experienced similar tire dilemmas

FONTANA, Calif. — A rash of tire issues during Saturday’s final practice sessions at Auto Club Speedway forced Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. to back-up cars after blown tires put their cars into the wall and heightened concerns about tire performance for Sunday’s Auto Club 400.

There were 10 tire issues Saturday — including four for Team Penske alone. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Jamie McMurray had a similar tire problem in Friday’s opening practice.

Instead of turning laps, Logano spent much of Saturday’s final practice in his garage stall as the Penske squad surveyed the damage and ultimately decided to get the back-up No. 22 AAA Southern California Ford out. Instead of the seventh place starting position he earned in qualifying, Logano will roll off along with Truex from the rear of the grid.

“We have an issue, for sure; I’m really concerned,’’ said Logano, who didn’t get any practice in the back-up. “I had two of them [tires] go down today and [teammate] Brad (Keselowski) had two and now I have a new car.

“I am definitely concerned about tomorrow. I think Goodyear should be more concerned than I am. There are 43 of us out there that can have the issue.”

Goodyear engineers and executives were very visible Saturday, looking over the blown tires and discussing the situation with both drivers and crew members.

Goodyear Director of Race Tire Sales Greg Stucker addressed the concerns with reporters later in the afternoon and felt confident the problem came down to teams finding the right air pressures.

All of the incidents involved left side tires and came with teams admittedly running lower than the Goodyear-recommended 22-pounds of pressure in the left front and 20-pounds in the left rear. Lower air pressure creates more grip for the cars and helps their handling, but it also creates a delicate and volatile situation around the famously bumpy California 2-mile speedway.

“Everything we can glean from talking to the teams that have had issues is one common denominator: air pressure,’’ Stucker said. “And we recognize everyone tries to be as aggressive as possible here on air pressure. That’s always been the case and continues to be.

“Everyone that has had issues has been below our minimum pressures, but there are a lot of guys below our minimums making it work, too. So it’s not just air pressure, it’s whatever else is under the race car.

“It’s the same package we’ve run here for years. I think everyone is being aggressive and trying to get as much grip as possible.”

After practice concluded, team owner Roger Penske went into Brad Keselowski’s garage and the two managed a smile despite the challenging afternoon.

“I think we’re going to be fine,’’ Penske said. “This is part of racing. Just a matter of taking the time and making sure we get it right.’’

The situation is particularly frustrating for this team considering Keselowski — who will start from the front row — and Logano are considered race favorites. But like their leader, both drivers were optimistic about race day.

“I’m pretty concerned,’’ Keselowski allowed. “From the team side, it’s the same tire and same setup we used last year. But the cars are a lot faster and the loads a lot higher so we’re learning.

“Unfortunately today we learned the hard way, but that’s better than not learning at all and experiencing it on Sunday. We’ll get it figured out and be ready for tomorrow."

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by Holly Cain

Reigning Sprint Cup champion knows plenty of time remains to pick up first win

FONTANA, Calif. — Jimmie Johnson smiled and offered polite reassurance to fans and media who may be getting antsy all because the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion hasn’t won yet in 2014 — four races into the schedule.

"It’s not even close to time yet (to be worried)," a good-natured Johnson told reporters Friday at Auto Club Speedway, where the six-time Cup champ is an all-time best five-time winner.

Johnson, who will start his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet third in Sunday’s Auto Club 400, may not have a win, but he has certainly been a factor in every race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver reeled off three top-six finishes in the first three events, then led 44 laps last week at Bristol, Tenn., before a tire problem ruined his day, resulting in a 19th-place finish.

"It would be great to get the win and get ourselves locked into the Chase," Johnson said. "But I think we are in a good spot and we’ve been very competitive. We have had a shot to win a couple races. All in all things are well and we will hopefully get a win before long."

Johnson said he personally — as well as the team — spoke with Goodyear representatives about the tire situation at Bristol.

"We had a great conversation about the wear on the tire and what potentially could have happened," Johnson said. "From a team standpoint we are still very adamant that the wear on the tire was not the issue. We are very confident and the tire was still intact. Just a half inch strip came unwound from the inside corner of the tire and it was some 60 feet long.

"We just try to learn from it and try to give them the tire and all the information we can so they can make a better product."

Johnson comes to his home state fifth in the points standings. And he was adamant this week that points will still matter in setting the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field, despite a tweak in the format rewarding race-winners with a berth in the playoff field.

And how do you argue with a driver that’s won more titles than anyone other than Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt during a decade when the championship format has changed multiple times.

His Hendrick Motorsports team seems to have a handle on things.

"I absolutely care about points," Johnson said. "I think it’s a pretty rare situation to have 16 different winners in 26 races. There will be people transferring into the Chase based on points."

Johnson said the team will have a better assessment on the 2014 program after this week’s race on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway. By then teams will have raced on the short track Bristol, the Phoenix one-miler, Las Vegas Motor Speedway — one of 11 intermediate (1.5-mile) tracks on the schedule — and Daytona Beach’s superspeedway.

"We showed up at four of the five pretty far off, especially off the truck," Johnson explained. "We didn’t test as often as we would have liked during the off-season to understand the new rules package and we have been playing a bit of catch-up.

"The next five are going to be real good races for us. If we can come off the truck how we start a race I think we will be in that race-winning window."

And history offers another reason to comfort Johnson and his supporters. He boasts one of the most impressive stats in the garage: winning multiple races in every single one of his 12 previous full-time seasons.

"We have been able to win multiple races a year with a certain mindset. I am not going to chase home runs. I’m looking at a smooth and consistent 26 races and when we get a look at a home run we are going to swing for it. But we are not stepping up to the plate every time trying to hit it out."

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by Staff Report

Elliot Sadler will start in the lead position in the TreatMyClot.com 300

"#" signifies a rookie; (i) signifies driver is not eligible to earn points in the race

Entry.	No.	Driver	Sponsor
1	11	Elliott Sadler	Sport Clips Toyota
2	20	Matt Kenseth (i)	GameStop/Turtle Beach Toyota
3	3	Ty Dillon #	Wesco Chevrolet
4	22	Joey Logano (i)	America’s Tire Ford
5	9	Chase Elliott #	NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
6	5	Kevin Harvick (i)	TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
7	31	Dylan Kwasniewski #	Rockstar Chevrolet
8	42	Kyle Larson (i)	Cartwheel Chevrolet
9	2	Brian Scott	Anderson’s Maple Syrup Chevrolet
10	62	Brendan Gaughan	WIX Filters Chevrolet
11	7	Regan Smith	Best Foods Chevrolet
12	99	James Buescher	Rheem Toyota
13	6	Trevor Bayne	AdvoCare Ford
14	93	JJ Yeley (i)	Dodge
15	16	Ryan Reed #	ADA DrivetoStopDiabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes Ford
16	98	David Ragan (i)	Carroll Shelby Engine Co. Ford
17	39	Ryan Sieg (i)	Pull-A-Part Chevrolet
18	19	Mike Bliss	DoubleTree by Hilton – Claremont Toyota
19	60	Chris Buescher #	Roush Performance Ford
20	51	Jeremy Clements	RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet
21	44	David Starr	Niece Equipment Toyota
22	46	Matt Dibenedetto	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
23	01	Landon Cassill	Flex Seal Chevrolet
24	40	Josh Wise (i)	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
25	4	Jeffrey Earnhardt	K1 Speed/Shakey’s Pizza Chevrolet
26	28	Mike Wallace	Dodge
27	43	Dakoda Armstrong #	Charter Ford
28	74	Kevin Lepage	WCIParts.com Dodge
29	91	Jeff Green	Toyota
30	52	Joey Gase	D and B Sales/Axe Equipment Chevrolet
31	17	Tanner Berryhill #	NationalCashLenders.com Dodge
32	10	Blake Koch	Supportmilitary.org Toyota
33	14	Eric McClure	Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Toyota
34	55	Jamie Dick	Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
35	87	Daryl Harr	iWorld Chevrolet
36	70	Derrike Cope	CharlieSoap.com Chevrolet
37	23	Carlos Contreras	Voli 38 Special Chevrolet
38	24	Jason White	Be/More/Friday Night Tykes Toyota
39	54	Kyle Busch (i)	Monster Energy Toyota
40	79	Carl Long	Toyota

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by Staff Report

See the pit stall assignments for the Treatmyclot.com 300

MORE: Sadler takes Coors Light Pole Award | Lineup

The pit stall assignments are out for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Treatmyclot.com 300 (Saturday, ESPN at 5 p.m. ET).

Elliott Sadler, the Coors Light Pole Award winner for the race, has the pit stall assignment closest to the exit of pit road.

Sadler will have no one in front of him. Matt Kenseth (starting second), Dylan Kwasniewski (starting seventh) and Brian Scott (starting ninth) also chose stalls with empty space in front of them.

Ryan Reed, who will start 15th, has the pit stall closest to the pit road entrance.

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by Staff Report

Kyle Busch to start at the back of the field after tech issues in qualifying

MORE: Lineup for Treatmyclot.com 300

Elliott Sadler won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Treatmyclot.com 300 with his qualifying speed of 176.991 mph in the final round of the knockout-style qualifying.

This is the Sadler’s first Coors Light Pole Award of the season and his first since October of 2012 at Charlotte.

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Kyle Busch, a winner of two Nationwide Series races this season and the winner of six of the past eight races at Fontana, did not make it out for qualifying. Busch’s car failed the technical inspection several times with issues involving wheel studs and the skew of the vehicle from a rear axle housing issue. He will start at the back of the field for the race.

Matt Kenseth (176.948 mph), the Coors Light Pole Award winner for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race, will join his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on the front row for the Treatmyclot.com 300 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Auto Club Speedway.

Rookie Ty Dillon will start third (176.696 mph), with Joey Logano starting fourth (176.687 mph) and rookie Chase Elliott rounding out the top five (176.579 mph).

Points leader Regan Smith will start 11th (175.756 mph). Smith holds a one point lead in the series over Trevor Bayne.

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Posted on March 22, 2014 by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing driver shows plenty of speed in practice; Vickers leads final session

Sprint Cup Series Practice Session 2 | Results | Race lineup

Kevin Harvick led Saturday’s first session of Sprint Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway.

Harvick topped the charts with a speed of 186.018 mph. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver will start fourth in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX).

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Jeff Gordon was second in the day’s opening practice with a speed of 185.677 mph. Joey Logano was third (185.620 mph), Coors Light Pole Award winner Matt Kenseth was fourth (185.319 mph) and Kurt Busch (184.943 mph) rounded out the top five.

Jimmie Johnson, who led Friday’s lone Cup practice, placed seventh (184.483 mph). Points leader Brad Keselowski, who will start the race on the front row next to Kenseth, placed 15th (183.720 mph).

Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 20th in practice (183.379 mph).

Martin Truex Jr. ran into some trouble in the practice session as he hit into the outside wall in Turn 2. A backup car was unloaded for Truex Jr., who was slated to start 12th in the race and he will now have to start at the back of the field.

Tony Stewart also made some contact with the wall and his team was working on his car in the latter stages of practice.

Paul Menard, who missed Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions following the birth of his daughter this week, was back at the track on Saturday and he finished 25th in practice.

Sprint Cup Series Final Practice | Results

Brian Vickers topped the Sprint Cup Series’ final practice for the Auto Club 400. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver topped the speed charts with a fast lap of 185.926 mph.

Jeff Gordon was again the second fastest with a fast lap of 185.840 mph. Jimmie Johnson placed third (184.781 mph) followed by Brad Keselowski (184.743 mph), with Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounding out the top five (184.705 mph).

Kevin Harvick, who topped Saturday’s first practice session, finished 15th (183.730 mph) in the final session.

Joey Logano hit the wall in final practice after a tire went flat and suffered some damage to his car. Logano, who was slated to start seventh in Sunday’s race, will start at the back of the field after Team Penske brought out the backup car for him.

Keselowski also reported having an issue with his left rear tire in practice, succumbing to a flat twice in the session. Kurt Busch also suffered a left rear flat tire at the end of the practice session.

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