Posted on February 27, 2022February 27, 2022 by RJ Kraft

Race No. 2 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is here and it’s time to set those Fantasy Live lineups for Sunday’s Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). What six drivers should comprise your lineup? Does Kurt Busch’s pass-through penalty change things if you were thinking about using him? Let’s answer that and offer up my race-day lineup and bonus picks below.

RJ Kraft’s race-day lineup for Auto Club:
1-Austin Cindric (one use already)
2-Ryan Blaney
3-Chase Elliott
4-Tyler Reddick
5-William Byron
Garage: Kyle Busch

Next in line: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski.

Analysis: Multiple incidents in practice and qualifying plus Kurt Busch’s pass-through penalty had me rethinking how I wanted to position my lineup and trying to decide how many max-use plays I wanted to slot in. And the conclusion I came to was that I didn’t want to use more than three-to-four of those plays.

I was set to play Logano, even though I used him at Daytona. However, he did scrub the wall in the final round of qualifying and indicated during his role as an analyst for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on FS1 that he would be going to the back, a point that was later confirmed by NASCAR.

Why did I slot in Byron? I like the 10-lap average he had (better than Hamlin and Keselowski) and he had less fall off in his 5- to 10-lap average than others (h/t @P2Inc). Busch also talked about a transmission issue during qualifying — if he does go to the rear — I’d be inclined to leave him as a garage play given his strong Auto Club history.

I’ve had Blaney and Reddick as part of my lineup from the outset this week and nothing I saw Saturday changed my thoughts there. Blaney qualified well and I expect Reddick to find speed on the high line.

Cindric earns a spot in my lineup thanks to his pole run as well as not wanting to carry a roster full of max-use drivers and wanting to take advantage of the run he’s currently on. Penske has a strong history at this track, so I like throwing him in here. Elliott replaces Larson in my lineup based on his stout 10-lap average that was best in practice and if it wasn’t for a spin in final round qualifying, he’d likely be on the front row with Cindric. By playing the 2020 Cup Series champ, I’m electing to sit the reigning champ, who has a win here, but I just feel a little bit better about other opportunities with him moving forward.

Jones was also a consideration, but I’d rather be a day late to that party without having a feel for how the tire fall off would be over a 10-lap run for him. He has a good history at this track from his Joe Gibbs Racing days and there is an upshot to trying to steal a use here if you are feeling bold, but I’m not there on the No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports car just yet.

Featured Matchup bonus picks
Austin Cindric vs. Ryan Blaney: Cindric is on the pole but I’ve been on Blaney as a play all week and I think he’ll finish better than the rookie. My pick: Blaney.

William Byron vs. Alex Bowman: Bowman did win the last race here, but Byron posted a solid 10-lap average and I think he’d due for a good run here. My pick: Byron.

Bubba Wallace vs. Chase Briscoe: Before a practice incident, Wallace laid down some solid lap times and the Toyotas as a whole ran well in practice. The Stewart-Haas Racing cars weren’t impressive in practice or qualifying, so I’ll take my chances with Wallace starting 34th against Briscoe starting 24th. My pick: Wallace.

Erik Jones vs. Daniel Suarez: Jones earned a primo starting spot (second) and showed some speed in practice, while Suarez was 29th in practice and posted a decent qualifying effort (15th). My pick: Jones.

Posted on February 26, 2022February 26, 2022 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for the Wise Power 400 on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on February 26, 2022February 26, 2022 by Reid Spencer

Californian Cole Custer was the only former Auto Club Speedway winner in the field for Saturday’s Production Alliance 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Fontana, Calif.

Three overtimes, 12 cautions and more than three hours of official race time later, Custer was still the only former winner in the Fontana field, having beaten runner-up Noah Gragson to the finish line by .565 seconds.

RELATED: Official results | Weekend schedule

It was a long day’s journey into night, a race that started in mid-afternoon and unexpectedly ended under the lights in temperatures that dropped appreciably between the start and the finish. The three overtimes extended the event 15 laps beyond its scheduled distance of 150 circuits at the 2-mile track.

But Custer was the clear class of the field, leading 80 of the 165 laps and twice charging like a rocket from the outside of the fourth row to the lead after slower-than-usual late pit stops.

He got his second victory at Fontana in a No. 07 Ford that was a partnership entry between Stewart-Haas Racing and Bobby Dotter-owned SS Green Light Racing.

Custer was moonlighting — literally, as it turned out — from his Sunday ride in the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang, which he’ll be racing in the WISE Power 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Man, it was just an awesome car,” Custer said during his post-race frontstretch interview. “That thing was just a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Bobby Dotter enough — everybody that was involved on this car.

“It was unbelievable how fast we were. … It’s awesome to win at home — can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Gragson was competitive all day, leading 25 laps. Despite sliding though his pit stall during a pit stop under the eighth caution on Lap 125, he surged back to the front from 14th, retaking the top spot on the second lap after a restart on Lap 129.

Five laps later, however, Custer regained the lead and held it for all but one of the last 31 laps, through four more cautions and three overtime restarts.

“I felt like the car was really close all day, just struggled with the cloud cover and the temperature change — too loose or too tight,” Gragson said. “Hats off to all the guys on the 07 car and Cole Custer. He was really fast today.”

Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, ran third in his first Xfinity Series start since a one-off in 2016. Josh Berry was fourth, as JR Motorsports drivers claimed four of the top eight finishing positions, with Gragson second, Sam Mayer sixth and Justin Allgaier eighth.

Anthony Alfredo parlayed tire strategy into a fifth-place finish. Pole winner AJ Allmendinger recovered from an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel to come home seventh. Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg were ninth and 10th, respectively.

The biggest late-race incident was a heavy hit by the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Brandon Jones, who took the brunt of a multi-car tangle that sent his car into the sand barrels that protect the edge of the outside pit wall. That crash forced a 23-minute red flag for clean-up at pit entry.

Austin Hill, winner of last weekend’s season opener at Daytona International Speedway, encountered trouble early after a bump from Berry’s No. 8 Chevy on Lap 3. Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet scraped the outside retaining wall, dropping four laps off the pace after repairs. He finished 27th, three laps down.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ next stop is Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Alsco Uniforms 300 on Saturday, March 5 (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Notes: There were no issues during the post-race inspection in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage. The No. 07 SS Green Light Racing Ford of Cole Custer is the official race winner. … Jeremy Clements finished 17th in his 400th Xfinity Series start. … The event marked the first Xfinity Series race in two years at the 2-mile track. Last year’s race weekend at Auto Club was canceled by COVID-19 concerns.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on February 26, 2022February 27, 2022 by Sean Montgomery

2022 Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway
(⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s return to Auto Club, the second regular-season NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2022 campaign.

Race-day info

Where: Auto Club Speedway, a 2-mile D-shaped oval located in Fontana, California
Green flag: 3:47 p.m. ET
Grand Marshal: Andrew Whitworth, LA Rams tackle and Matthew Stafford, LA Rams quarterback | 2022 Super Bowl champions
Flyover: F-18s, VFA-122 Flying Eagles
TV/Radio: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71, according to NOAA.gov
Race Purse: $8,035,061
Race Distance: 200 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 65 | 130 | 200
Pit-road speed: 55 mph
Caution car speed: 65 mph
Competition caution: Lap 20
Auto Club 101: Get the full lowdown
Entry list: See every driver and team
Lineup: Starting lineup for Sunday | Multiple spins in last round of qualifying | Chase Elliott spins, too
Practice happenings: Results | Kevin Harvick takes damage | Big hit for Ross Chastain
Prepping for pit road: How Next Gen pit stops work | Pit-stall assignments
Pre-race penalties: Kurt Busch to serve pass-through penalty

Five things to watch

1. Sunday will mark 728 days since the NASCAR Cup Series last turned laps at Auto Club Speedway and many key events have happened since then. Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson retired after that farewell season, Clint Bowyer gave up the No. 14 seat for a chair in the FOX Sports booth, Kyle Larson brought the Bill France Cup back to Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR ushered in a new era with the Next Gen car — all among other important changes to the sport’s landscape. Cars took to the track Saturday for practice and qualifying sessions, giving drivers a first taste of the Next Gen on a 2-mile layout. The results? Challenging — just the way drivers like it. “I wasn’t even hardly in the throttle,” Kevin Harvick radioed his No. 4 crew after skidding to a stop following a spin that sent him into the Turn 4 wall, one of several single-car incidents during the on-track activity. It should set up for an unpredictable, frenzy-filled afternoon as drivers engage the Next Gen’s learning curve. | Drivers ready for ‘unknowns’ in long-anticipated Fontana return

2. For years, California-native Jimmie Johnson dominated the grooves of Auto Club Speedway before seemingly passing the baton to Kyle Busch — the active driver with the most wins at the track. Busch’s success here has been consistently dominant, earning an remarkable 11 top fives and 16 top 10s in 22 starts. In fact, Busch has only one finish outside the top eight in more than a decade. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota isn’t surprising anyone as one of the favorites to win this weekend. But another Kyle — Larson, to be exact — tops the BetMGM oddsboard for this weekend. And after the historic 2021 campaign he and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team put together, you’d be hard-pressed to bet against him and Hendrick’s pure speed at a 2-mile track. Larson’s lone win at Auto Club came in 2017 and teammate Alex Bowman rattled off the latest victory in 2020. Sandwiched in between the two, Martin Truex Jr. (2018) and Busch (2019) both found Victory Lane. Sunday may provide us with a way-too-early answer to which driver, or team, has the Next Gen edge. | Battle of the Kyles: Busch vs. Larson

3. Don’t forget, Bowman isn’t the only driver in the current Cup Series field to win in their last stock-car start at Auto Club. Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing’s talented rookie, raced his way to victory in the 2020 Xfinity Series race. For a young driver looking to bounce back after Daytona, heading to a place with its Victory Lane still fresh in the memory is a good remedy. And Burton’s No. 21 Ford flexed speed already this season, with a solid showing in the Clash and front-running ability in the Daytona 500. Cindric’s memorable win last Sunday definitely gave him a leg up on the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle, but expect Burton to bounce back sooner rather than later.

4. The last six trips to Auto Club have produced six different winners and only six active drivers have ever won at the track — Kyle Busch (four wins), Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman. Busch is certainly aiming to start the Next Gen era with his fifth, but the host of winless drivers is more confident than ever with the increased parity this year’s racer brings — so far. That means, this weekend, drivers will be looking to pounce on the advantage of the unknown. In the 2021 regular season, 14 different drivers picked up wins, securing all but two of the coveted NASCAR Playoffs spots on that basis. This number could easily be a playoff-era record to watch this season, likely starting off two-for-two in Fontana. We didn’t see a repeat winner last season until Truex earned his second in April.

5. With the Next Gen car comes new car configurations. Sunday’s action at Auto Club Speedway will be the highly-anticipated 2-mile speedway debut of the baseline 670-horsepower, four-inch spoiler configuration. The number jumps up from 550 a year ago at intermediate tracks and brings with it a smaller rear spoiler. You’ve seen how Next Gen cars look at the LA Memorial Coliseum and Daytona International Speedway (though this was a seven-inch spoiler), now tune in Sunday to watch them race. | Base rules configurations set | Configurations by track for 2022

A five-wide salute in 2020 for Jimmie Johnson’s last race in Fontana. | Getty Images

Race-day staples

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Power Rankings: Chase Briscoe starts sophomore season with a spark | Latest rankings
• Paint Scheme Preview: Next Gen cars arriving in style at Auto Club | See the schemes
• Preview Show: 2-mile Kyle Larson or Busch? | Watch the show
• Fantasy Fastlane: Ready to roll with Blaney at Auto Club | Top plays, sleepers

Catch the pack

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Busch vs. Larson: Both Kyles have strong Auto Club potential | Full analysis
• Key to SHR turnaround: Two team veterans point to one person as the key to a rebound in 2022 | Read more
• Penalties: Two Cup Series teams penalized for lost wheels, statement issued | Official statement
• ‘Candy Man’ in Cali: Kyle Busch relishes return to Auto Club | Read more
• Hollywood calling?: Netflix docuseries ‘Race’ starring Bubba Wallace launches worldwide | Sneak preview
• Path to success: O’Donnell says Next Gen car ‘performed really well’ at Daytona | Hear more
• Trust the process: NASCAR’s Scott Miller gives update on wheels, other Daytona developments | See details
• Behind the scenes: Darwin Patterson runs the show in NASCAR Victory Lane | Inside look
• Watering the roots: NASCAR, NBC Sports announce grassroots racing coverage on USA Network | More info

Get in on the action

NASCAR Creative Design

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Don’t sleep on No. 8: Is Tyler Reddick a fantasy darkhorse at Fontana? | Making the case
• What are the odds?: Betting odds for Auto Club | See the favorites
• BetMGM: Betting insights for features matchup at Auto Club | Expert tips
• The Action Network: Why Ryan Blaney is a bet to make right now for Auto Club | Find out why
• The Action Network: Bowman over Byron? | Which Hendrick Motorsports driver wins Fontana battle?
• Backseat Bettors: Which drivers are flying high at Fontana? | Which bets are best?
• Going all the way: Updated 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Arriving at Auto Club

The California speedway has had its share of incredible moments — take a look back at the race’s history and track features.

• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders at Auto Club Speedway | See the list
• Club conquerors: All-time wins at Auto Club Speedway | Every winner
• Cherish the times: Memorable moments from Auto Club | Relive the moments
• How wide?: Breaking down Auto Club’s wide pit road | Watch breakdown
• Take me back: Recap of Alex Bowman’s 2020 victory | Read more
• Press rewind: All of the best 2020 race highlights | Watch them here

Fast facts

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• West Coast drivers have won 19 of 31 Auto Club Speedway races, including 11 wins by drivers from California.
• Alex Bowman is the only driver without a Cup Series championship to win in the last 15 races at ACS (2020).
• Kyle Busch has led laps in nine of his last 11 starts at Auto Club Speedway, totaling a series-leading 579 in that span.
• The last driver to win the first two races of the season was Matt Kenseth in 2009.
• Kyle Larson‘s No. 5 crew had the fastest four-tire stop in the Daytona 500 at 11.501 seconds. The fastest in 2021 was 11.611 seconds by Kevin Harvick‘s No. 4 crew.

Say what?

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

Martin Truex Jr. | Getty Images

• “I think Fontana is probably gonna be one of the toughest ones we go to just because of the seams, the bumps, the camber changes in the road. I feel like Vegas will probably be a more predictable race for us. I think Fontana is definitely more of a wild card and I wouldn’t say doesn’t suit the car, but we haven’t raced there in two years and I’m sure it hasn’t gotten any grippier, and I’m sure the seams haven’t gotten any better, so I’m very curious to see what that’s like. We have a very limited amount of practice, so look for a lot of comers and goers in the race, I think.” — Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, on preparing for Fontana after winning the Daytona 500

• “We think we know what to expect based on the testing that we’ve done and just previous experience at the track, but it’s a new car with a new tire, so a lot of it is based on simulations, and you just hope you’re making the right assumptions. This will definitely be one of the bigger unknowns that we’ve faced in a long time because we’re not getting a ton of track time for practice and once you practice and qualify, it’s impounded until Sunday. Hopefully we unload where we need to be and can qualify up front and run well. It’s a very unique situation, but it’s the same for everyone so we just need to be able to take advantage of the opportunity.” — Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Posted on February 26, 2022February 26, 2022 by Pat DeCola

Stewart-Haas Racing finally saw one of its drivers other than Kevin Harvick land in the top five of a NASCAR Cup Series race last year at Nashville Superspeedway — on June 20.

It’s a small encapsulation of the season-long drawdown in performance from what we’ve come to expect from the powerhouse Ford organization owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, who has seen a pair of championships under his watch since breaking into the ownership ranks in 2009.

This year? The team has already accomplished the feat twice, just one race in.

Sophomore Chase Briscoe piloted Stewart’s former No. 14 to a career-best third-place finish in last Sunday’s Daytona 500, followed closely behind by teammate Aric Almirola in fifth.

An SHR resurgence was on everyone’s “to watch” lists entering the season, but is it possible a rebound is here already?

“I feel really good, but we always do at this time of year,” Almirola said Saturday morning at Auto Club Speedway, site of Sunday’s Wise Power 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM). “There is so much optimism starting the year. Nobody starts out the year going, ‘Man, we are going to be terrible this year.’ You don’t think that or feel that way until you realize it and usually, it is too late and you are scrambling and trying to figure out how to turn the ship around and that takes time. I feel good about it.”

RELATED: Auto Club weekend schedule | Fontana 101

While Daytona results can sometimes be a mixed bag and not the truest test of a team’s capabilities, there are plenty of reasons for Almirola and Co. to feel good.

The No. 10 driver announced before the season he’d be hanging up the full-time fire suit to spend more time with his family. Almirola isn’t the type to just ride things out and accept his track retirement gifts on a weekly basis — expect the team’s only 2021 winner to be grinding out each race and competing for wins if his car performance is there. He’ll be doing so with a new but familiar crew chief in 2021 Daytona 500 winner Drew Blickensderfer, who worked with Almirola at Richard Petty Motorsports in 2017.

The change atop the box is part of a shakeup the team announced last month, seeing former No. 10 pit boss and longtime SHR employee Mike Bugarewicz promoted to a newly formed performance director role overseeing all four cars.

The full impact of the move can’t be fully measured with just one 2022 race under our belts, but it’s one that Almirola expects to pay tremendous dividends. After all, Bugarewicz has won with every driver he’s worked with, including his three-time champion owner.

MORE: SHR adds Blickensderfer; Bugarewicz promoted

“I feel like Mike Bugarewicz is one of the smartest individuals in this entire garage and I felt that way when he was my crew chief as well,” said Almirola. “Moving him to a more leadership position in the organization and allowing him to focus on our entire organization versus just one car is going to be hugely beneficial. Just even after Daytona we came back and had meetings at the shop and his insight and his recommendations and the things that he sees and just his work ethic is already proving beneficial for our entire organization.

“I think it is going to be a huge bonus for our team to have him in that role. On the flip side, I think Drew is a great team leader and a great crew chief and has a proven track record with a lot of success when he was at Roush and has been at teams that haven’t had as much resources as he has now at SHR. I think he is going to be a great addition to our organization.”

Consider also that Briscoe is just two seasons removed from a nine-win Xfinity Series campaign and appears primed for a ’22 breakout, No. 41 driver Cole Custer is still just 24 and has proven himself to be a Cup Series winner, and SHR’s outlook across the board isn’t just encouraging after a perceived down year, there’s actually very little to be concerned about whatsoever.

And then, of course, there’s the 2014 champ Harvick — whose winless ’21 after a nine-win ’20 season of his own was the spotlight of so much attention last year. Yet, when all was said and done, he finished in the same spot in the standings as the year before, with an average finish (10.9) two full positions higher than in his title campaign (12.9).

Thus, perhaps 2022 isn’t quite a “rebound” at all.

“I think for our team (2021) was probably our best year that we have had; last year, working through all the things that we did and wound up in the same spot we did winning nine races the year before,” Harvick said Saturday in his native California. ” … We are going to do the exact same thing that we have done for the last eight years. Last year is irrelevant. There is nothing to take from last year. It is all so much different. We could have a good week or a bad week and last week is irrelevant, too. It is no different.

“In the end, you look at the box score and we finished fifth in the points both years. Top 10s, top fives we were about the same. We just didn’t get to Victory Lane but we had our chances to win a few of them and didn’t get to Victory Lane. It is just the way this works.”

In other words, there was nothing quite amiss last year; just a team on the wrong side of in-race circumstances more often than not, and in racing sometimes them’s the breaks.

But now there’s one extra brain in the shop fully focused on orchestrating and spreading his knowledge throughout all four corners of its Kannapolis, North Carolina, shop as everyone continues to learn the intricacies of the new Next Gen racer.

“I think obviously Mike Bugarewicz is going to be a big key in the whole process and trying to speed that up and implement things and get the information to the crew chiefs and do the things that we need to do there,” said Harvick. “He has a great relationship with all the guys on the shop floor from his crew chief role and doing the things that he did. … I can’t speak for the others and what they think but I can speak on what I think of Mike and his position is ultra-important because the process that we are going to go through with these cars as we go to these race tracks is going to be pretty rapid as far as the evolution of the car and understanding everything that comes with the car.

“Right now it is just a guess. It is a very well-educated guess but you truly have no idea until you put all the cars on the race track.”

Posted on February 26, 2022February 26, 2022 by Staff Report

Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric kept his momentum rolling, securing the Busch Light Pole Award on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway as the NASCAR Cup Series debuted its new practice and qualifying format for intermediate tracks for the 2022 season.

Cindric clocked a clinching best lap of 174.647 mph in the final round of qualifying in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. It marked his first pole this season and the first of his Cup Series career.

“Pretty dramatic. I thought my lap wasn’t going to stand,” said Cindric, who notched his first Cup Series win last weekend in the Great American Race. “I thought my (turns) one and two was money, but my three and four were a bit conservative mostly because my one and two was money. I didn’t talk myself into going deep like I wanted to in three. Anyway, just an awesome couple of days and an awesome way to start things out, but I don’t think it guarantees anything for the race but is certainly a lot of fun to be able to go through that.”

Erik Jones was second-fastest at 174.157 mph in the No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet, grabbing the other front-row starting spot for Sunday’s Wise Power 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It’s Jones’ best starting position since a second-fastest qualifying effort at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2019.

Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Hemric finished out the top five in that order.

Different practice and qualifying formats were used at the Busch Light Clash exhibition in Los Angeles and in the season-opening Daytona 500. For Auto Club, the 36-car field was divided into two groups (A and B) for 15 minutes of practice/warm-up each, then for single-lap qualifying. The fastest five from each qualifying group advanced to the last round, where Cindric topped the 10 finalists.

Brad Keselowski made the final 10 but spun exiting Turn 2 during his qualifying lap. He did not make contact with the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, but the car was towed back to the garage area. Joey Logano was the next finalist to qualify, but he lost control and scrubbed the Turn 4 wall with the No. 22 Team Penske Ford during his lap. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott suffered nearly the same fate during their final-round laps, but both managed to avoid contact.

In the opening round, Logano (174.090 mph) was fastest in Group A, and Elliott (174.855 mph) sat atop Group B.

Kurt Busch did not participate in time trials after his 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota failed pre-qualifying inspection three times. The team will start at the back of the pack, and Busch will have to serve a pass-through penalty at its soonest opportunity after the green flag. Additionally, No. 45 car chief David Bryant was ejected.

Kevin Harvick, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace also did not register speeds in qualifying after incidents during practice.

Alex Bowman, the most recent Cup Series winner at the 2-mile California track, was 14th-fastest in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet.

Hamlin, Reddick top incident-filled practice sessions

Denny Hamlin (173.415 mph) bested the Group A session, and Tyler Reddick (172.472 mph) was fastest in Group B – third overall.

The practice sessions were eventful from the start, with the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Kevin Harvick spinning and backing into the Turn 4 retaining wall just two minutes into the Group A session.

“I wasn’t even hardly in the throttle,” Harvick radioed his No. 4 crew after skidding to a stop. His car was towed back to the garage with significant rear-end damage.

Two minutes later, Ross Chastain crashed hard in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet in Turn 4, almost simultaneously while Chris Buescher looped the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford behind him in Turn 3. Christopher Bell capped the first 15-minute session with another Turn 4 spin in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

MORE: Kevin Harvick spins, hits wall in practice | Hard hit in practice for Ross Chastain

Bubba Wallace scraped the outside wall in Turn 1 nearly four minutes into Group B, causing minor right-rear damage to the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota.

The on-track activity was the first for the NASCAR Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway since 2020. COVID-19 concerns nixed last year’s scheduled event, which was reassigned to the Daytona International Speedway road course.

Posted on February 26, 2022April 14, 2023 by NASCAR Foundation Release

Daytona Beach, FL (February 26, 2022) – The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival powered by Kaulig Racing kicked off the season on Friday, February 25 at Auto Club Speedway. This season, the partnership between the Foundation and Matt Kaulig’s multi-car NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series organization expands to nine race markets, bringing healthy living programming to children across the country.

The NASCAR Foundation

The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival powered by Kaulig Racing will bring the sport of NASCAR to life for kids ages 7 – 12 through a specialized curriculum and a NASCAR-themed at-track festival before NASCAR race weekends at Auto Club Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway, Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“The Speediatrics Fun Day Festival has continued to grow over the last six years into a meaningful program that introduces kids to the sport of NASCAR while inspiring them to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR Foundation Chairman. “Thanks to Matt Kaulig and Kaulig Racing, we’re able to elevate our efforts with this program to a level that will provide even more momentum for future growth.”

As part of the partnership, and to enhance the curriculum provided to the Foundation’s community partners, Kaulig Media has produced six new videos featuring Kaulig, members of his race team — including NASCAR Cup Series driver Justin Haley — Motor Racing Network reporter Kim Coon and Executive Director of The NASCAR Foundation Nichole Krieger. The videos complement an activity book provided to participants and introduces them to healthy living concepts through the sport of NASCAR. The week-long program leads up to the main event the Speediatrics Fun Day Festival happening on track property.

“We are proud to team up with The NASCAR Foundation again and help provide an influential program for kids who are impacted by the Foundation’s Speediatrics Children’s Fund,” said Matt Kaulig, team owner of Kaulig Racing and founder of Kaulig Giving. “Our partnership with The NASCAR Foundation is a natural fit for us as both of our organizations look to improve lives beyond the track. We look forward to continuing to impact local communities by helping children live a healthier lifestyle and provide them with new opportunities.”

The partnership between The NASCAR Foundation and Kaulig Racing is facilitated by Kaulig Giving, the philanthropic arm of Kaulig Companies. As Kaulig’s community impact organization, Kaulig Giving supports the well-being of children and families and develops partnerships with like-minded nonprofits, especially in Northeast Ohio.

The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival powered Kaulig Racing is a program of the Foundation’s Speediatrics Children’s Fund, which supports needs expressed by hospitals, specialty clinics, camps and other organizations providing children’s medical and healthcare services.

Since 2017, The NASCAR Foundation has encouraged nearly 3,500 children to live a healthy lifestyle through the Speediatrics Fun Day Festival program. In addition, the Foundation also provides a charitable donation to the community partner in each market to help support ongoing healthy living programs long after the festival is over.

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Pat DeCola

NASCAR last raced at Auto Club Speedway 727 days ago.

Alex Bowman led 110 laps and claimed his second career win — the final victory for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet — in teammate Jimmie Johnson’s last race at his home track and site of his first Cup Series triumph. Former Auto Club winner Brad Keselowski claimed yet another top five for Team Penske, his longtime home as one of the sport’s most tenured drivers. Ross Chastain, filling in for an injured Ryan Newman, finished 17th in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Bubba Wallace, in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevy, finished 27th — a familiar part of the pack at the time for Wallace.

There was even, if you can believe it, a race at Phoenix the following weekend, won by Joey Logano.

Then everything changed.

Bowman is now driving the No. 48 that Johnson inhabited for nearly two decades — because the seven-time Cup Series champ retired from full-time racing and now has his hands on an IndyCar steering wheel. Keselowski hopped in the No. 6 in place of Newman before this season — and changed the team name to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing because he left Penske to become part-owner at RFK. The 2012 champ’s former No. 2 Ford was taken to Victory Lane in this year’s Daytona 500 less than a week ago by Austin Cindric, who coincidentally becomes the first rookie to lead the points since Johnson, himself, did so in 2002 — the year of his first career victory, at Fontana. The journeyman Chastain now drives the No. 1 Chevrolet … for a new team co-owned by music mogul Pitbull.

And Wallace, well, he’s perhaps had the most interesting 727 days of ’em all. In short, he’s become a household cultural icon while also adding “Cup Series winner” and “driver for another fresh team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan” to his resumé.

Not to mention, you know, an entirely new car.

Got all that? Good.

Of course, the spark for much of the upheaval, game of musical drivers and interruption to Auto Club being a fixture on the annual NASCAR schedule is the global fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Racing was paused less than two weeks after the last Auto Club race for roughly two months in the initial stages of the crisis. And last year’s Fontana race wound up being run on the infield road-course layout at Daytona International Speedway as the sport continued to navigate uncharted waters in regards to public safety.

Sunday’s Wise Power 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the sport’s return to the deliciously worn, 2-mile tri-oval just east of Los Angeles, where the series raced earlier this month in the preseason Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.

And drivers are pumped.

“It feels like it has been forever,” Bowman said Thursday during a teleconference with reporters. “… You know, I think it is an amazing race track. Super bumpy, really slick, the seams add a whole other element to it. It’s a track that drivers really like.”

Last year’s race on the Daytona Road Course was entertaining — and resulted in Christopher Bell’s first career win — but Auto Club left a noticeable, 2-mile-sized hole in last year’s schedule.

The track, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, also tends to produce marquee NASCAR moments — from Kyle Busch’s 200th career national series win to Johnson breaking his tie with Dale Earnhardt at 77 wins to Logano’s infamous, fiery run-in with former teammate Tony Stewart. And that’s all just in the past decade.

MORE: Memorable moments at Auto Club | Auto Club 101

Now, with a return imminent set to showcase the Next Gen racer in its first crack at a 2-miler — which Chastain calls “the coolest 2-mile track we go to as a driver” — competitors are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the challenges to come.

“Heading back to Auto Club Speedway for the first time in two years and with the new Next Gen car will bring a lot of unknowns,” said Tyler Reddick in a team release. “I’ve only been to Auto Club in the Cup Series once and it was in 2020. It’s just that type of race track, even when you’ve got the best car, it’s easy to make mistakes and step over the line. This car has already proved it’s unforgiving, you’ve got to drive the daylights out of it, but it will fight you if you don’t respect it. Maybe the drivers will play it safe, maybe I’m wrong, but I expect some mistakes.”

Cliff Daniels, who sat atop the box as crew chief for Johnson’s No. 48 in his Fontana farewell, remembers that day and admits there’s very little, if anything, he can take from then to now.

“Last time we were there, we qualified on the front row with Jimmie and had a really strong race but missed an adjustment late that we needed,” said Daniels, who guided Kyle Larson to his first Cup title in 2021. “Now it’s a completely different car, different tire – everything is different. NASCAR is applying resin, which will change the characteristics and dynamics of the track surface. It’s going to be a big ‘guess’ for everyone in the field. And it’s a new weekend format with the short warmup followed by qualifying, but I have a lot of confidence in this HendrickCars.com team that we will be well prepared.”

Yeah, that’s right — new weekend format, as well, as Daniels alluded to. On most ovals this season, including this week at Auto Club, teams will be split into two groups based on odd/even finishing order from the week’s previous race for one 15-minute warm-up/practice session per group. That will lead directly into single-car, single-lap qualifying. The top five drivers from each group will then advance to the second round of qualifying to fight for the pole with another single-car, single-lap run.

MORE: Practice groups, qualifying order for Auto Club

Expect Martin Truex Jr., the 2018 Auto Club winner and top-10 finisher in three of the last four races there, to be among the quickest learners.

“We think we know what to expect based on the testing that we’ve done and just previous experience at the track, but it’s a new car with a new tire, so a lot of it is based on simulations, and you just hope you’re making the right assumptions,” said the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota wheelman. “This will definitely be one of the bigger unknowns that we’ve faced in a long time because we’re not getting a ton of track time for practice and once you practice and qualify, it’s impounded until Sunday. Hopefully, we unload where we need to be and can qualify up front and run well.

“It’s a very unique situation, but it’s the same for everyone so we just need to be able to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Posted on February 26, 2022February 27, 2022 by Staff Report

Seven NASCAR Cup Series teams failed pre-qualifying inspection multiple times Friday night at Auto Club Speedway and face penalties, with the most egregious impact coming to the No. 45 23XI Racing team of driver Kurt Busch.

The No. 45 Toyota failed pre-qualifying inspection three times, meaning it wasn’t eligible to qualify for Sunday’s 400-mile race (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and then must serve a pass-through penalty once the race goes green. In addition, car chief David Bryant was ejected from the event.

The following cars failed inspection twice, and will have a crew member ejected from the event and lose their respective pit stall selection for the race: the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team of driver Kevin Harvick (car chief Robert Smith ejected); the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team of Brad Keselowski (car chief Nick Case ejected); the No. 12 Team Penske team of Ryan Blaney (car chief Raymond Fox ejected); the No. 22 Team Penske team of Joey Logano (car chief Jerry Kelly ejected); the No. 23 23XI Racing team of Bubba Wallace (engineer Etienne Cliche ejected); and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports team of B.J. McLeod (car chief Tyler Graf ejected).

UPDATE: The following cars were confirmed to be dropping to the rear before the green flag for Sunday’s race: No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain for backup car; No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Kevin Harvick, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford of Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota of Bubba Wallace and No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of Justin Haley, all for unapproved adjustments.

For the first time since March 2020, practice was back as a regular staple on the NASCAR schedule as the garage opened on Saturday.

On most ovals this season, including this week at Auto Club, teams will be split into two groups based on odd/even finishing order from the week’s previous race for one 15-minute warm-up/practice session per group. That will lead directly into single-car, single-lap qualifying. The top five drivers from each group will then advance to the second round of qualifying to fight for the pole with another single-car, single-lap run.

Posted on February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 by Chase Wilhelm

Trevor Bayne has high hopes in his NASCAR Xfinity Series part-time return. Making a comeback with a caliber of team like Joe Gibbs Racing, however, perhaps the better term is “expectations.”

The 2011 Daytona 500 champion will compete in his first of seven races during the 2022 Xfinity Series season in Saturday’s Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Bayne’s last stint in NASCAR occurred in 2020, when he ran eight races with Niece Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series. A second-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway was his best in that span.

Bayne’s last race in the Xfinity Series was in 2016, placing fifth at Watkins Glen International in a one-off race for what is now Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

In an effort to reignite his NASCAR career, Bayne will work with crew chief Jason Ratcliff, competing in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota Supra at Phoenix Raceway (March 12), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 28), Nashville Superspeedway (June 25), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 16), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 15) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 22).

“I fought for another opportunity for the last three years,” Bayne said. “I did not want to be done in the race car. I still wanted to drive. I still wanted to be at the track. I just didn’t have another opportunity. I didn’t have a chance to go drive for another team where I feel like I could win, or really any chance for that matter.”

Bayne admitted that his coffee business located in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee was a way for him to run away from racing. But when he would view races on television, he was immediately drawn back.

MORE: Where are they now? Catching up with Trevor Bayne

Last year, Bayne built a dirt late model to scratch his competitive itch, participating in a handful of events, including Charlotte Motor Speedway’s dirt track. But the yearning for another quality NASCAR ride still burned within Bayne, which sparked conversations in mid-December with his primary sponsor, Devotion Nutrition, and his father. It was that discussion that led Bayne to call Joe Gibbs Racing’s Executive Vice President Steve deSouza for an opportunity.

“I want to come back to win,” Bayne said. “I want to come back to make a statement, show what I can do as a driver. If I can’t get it done, I want to know I was in the best ride possible and it just didn’t work out.”

Outside of his opportunity to win the 2011 Daytona 500 in Wood Brothers Racing’s famed No. 21 Ford, Bayne feels like this is the best shot of his career. Now, he just needs to back it up with victories.

“To me, this feels like the reset,” Bayne said. “I don’t know what comes of this. I don’t know if I end back up in a Cup car full time or an Xfinity car contending for championships that I would love to see happen. But I feel like in seven races, I need to go win three to five races if I’m going to have a shot at a comeback. That’s my goal.”

2022 Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway (⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)