A portal to the world of Internet NASCAR info!
pace car

a Don Melford Image

GOD BLESS the USA!....and YOU!

JAYSKI's Semi-Live QUALIFYING/GRID page
for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway
  • Track Qualifying Record: Ryan Newman, April 2002, 187.432mph

  • 2004 Pole Sitter: #9-Kasey Kahne, 186.940,

  • Fastest Happy Practice Speed: #16-Greg Biffle, 186.809 (scheduled to go out 37th of 48 drivers)

  • Track Specs:
    Track/Race Length: 2.0 mile D-shaped oval, 250 laps, 500 miles
    Superspeedway: 2.0-mile oval 75 feet wide with a 15 foot apron
    Banking: turns: 14 degrees; frontstretch 11 degrees; backstretch 3 degrees
    Front Stretch: 3,100feet
    Back Stretch: 2,500feet
    Pit Road: 2,200 feet long with 44 individual pit stalls
    Pit Road Speed: 55mph
    Grandstand Seats: 92,000
    Approx: 1,800 Infield RV spaces

  • Track Homepage: californiaspeedway.com

  • Jayski's California Race Info Page

    THIS IS UNOFFICIAL

  • Pole Progression at California: (who had the pole first, who got it next and who ended up with it)
    #11-Jason Leffler, 1st out to qualify, 182.897mph, starts 39th
    #7-Robby Gordon, 2nd out, 184.833, starts 25th
    #41-Casey Mears, 3rd out, 185.883, starts 16th
    #17-Matt Kenseth, 6th out, 186.998, starts 6th
    #5-Kyle Busch, 7th out, 188.245, starts 1st TRACK RECORD
    (2-26-2005)

  • How did the non Top-35 teams do in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway qualifying? Eight got in and five will go home:
    #4-Mike Wallace - IN
    starts 33rd     #7-Robby Gordon - IN 25th
    #11-Jason Leffler - IN
    39th     #14-John Andretti - IN
    24th     #27-Kirk Shelmerdine - DNQ
    #34-Randy LaJoie - IN
    34th     #37-Kevin Lepage - IN
    43rd [the last spot goes to a Champ if needed or next fastest]     #44-Terry Labonte - IN
    11th     #66-Hermie Sadler - DNQ
    #73-Eric McClure - DNQ
    #79-Stan Boyd - DNQ
    #91-Bill Elliott - IN
    22nd     #92-Stanton Barrett - DNQ
    (2-26-2005)

  • Rookie of the Year Candidates: how fast were they and where do they start:
    #5-Kyle Busch, 188.245, starts 1st
    #73-Eric McClure, 0.000 spinout, DNQ
    #77-Travis Kvapil, 182.997, 35th
    (2-26-2005)

  • Some Qualifying Notes:
    #5-Kyle Busch wins the pole, he is the youngest pole sitter in Nextel Cup history at 19 years, 9 months, 24 days old
    The all-time record was held by Donald Thomas - 20 years old [no exact date] at Lakewood Speedway in GA on 11-16-1952.
    The modern-era [1972-present] record was held by Brian Vickers, 20 years, 6 months, 20 days at Richmond on 5-14-2004.(NASCAR Statistical Services Updates Book)
    #73-McClure spunout on his first lap and misses the race.
    #27-Shelmerdine supposedly lost fluids from his engine before he took the green flag and went back to the garage.
    #20-Stewart will have to start at the rear of the field as the team had to change transmissions, and this year there is a one transmission rule, just like the eone-engine rule.
    #07-Blaney backed into the wall in turn two and will have to go to a backup and had no speed, but since the team is in the top-35 in owners points, Blaney will make the race, but will fall to the rear of the field before the start of the race. (2-26-2005)

  • Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer::
    Chevy: #5-Kyle Busch, 188.245, starts 1st - New Track Record
    Dodge: #19-Jeremy Mayfield, 187.612, starts 3rd
    Ford: #16-Greg Biffle, 187.003, starts 5th
    Toyota - oops, not yet.......(2-26-2005)

    Qualifying is OVER

    starting lineup below qualifying results

    QUALIFYING RESULTS by SPEED

    THIS IS UNOFFICIAL

    Qualifying after 48 of 48 drivers:

    Pos Sched
    Qual
    Pos    		 Actual
    Qual
    Pos    		 Car# Driver Manu Qual
    Speed    		 Qual
    Time
    (secs)    		 Last
    Prac
    Speed    		 Prac
    Speed
    Rank    		 Diff
    Qual vs
    Prac    		 Owners
    Point
    Rank
    1 7 7 5 Kyle Busch Chevy 188.245 38.248 184.772 12 3.473 27
    2 33 33 25 Brian Vickers Chevy 187.740 38.351 185.691 8 2.049 26
    3 8 8 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 187.612 38.377 182.955 31 4.657 10
    4 35 35 01 Joe Nemechek Chevy 187.539 38.392 185.529 10 2.010 18
    5 37 37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 187.003 38.502 186.809 1 0.194 17
    6 6 6 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 186.998 38.503 185.974 6 1.024 8
    7 29 29 88 Dale Jarrett Ford 186.625 38.580 183.514 19 3.111 15
    8 47 47 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevy 186.480 38.610 185.596 9 0.884 2
    9 25 25 12 Ryan Newman Dodge 186.461 38.614 186.229 4 0.232 7
    10 16 16 0 Mike Bliss Chevy 186.403 38.626 184.857 11 1.546 31
    11 45 45 44 Terry Labonte Chevy 186.234 38.661 184.592 15 1.642 IN
    12 46 46 10 Scott Riggs Chevy 186.186 38.671 186.800 2 -0.614 30
    13 19 19 40 Sterling Marlin Dodge 186.123 38.684 181.589 39 4.534 20
    14 24 24 18 Bobby Labonte Chevy 185.998 38.710 184.332 17 1.666 12
    15 40 40 42 Jamie McMurray Dodge 185.907 38.729 183.113 27 2.794 11
    16 3 3 41 Casey Mears Dodge 185.883 38.734 184.488 16 1.395 23
    17 44 44 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 185.711 38.770 184.724 14 0.987 13
    18 12 12 6 Mark Martin Ford 185.696 38.773 184.734 13 0.962 4
    19 41 41 99 Carl Edwards Ford 185.653 38.782 186.417 3 -0.764 21
    20 28 28 97 Kurt Busch Ford 185.615 38.790 183.076 29 2.539 1
    21 42 42 21 Ricky Rudd Ford 185.486 38.817 181.000 41 4.486 25
    22 36 36 91 Bill Elliott Dodge 185.452 38.824 185.730 7 -0.278 IN
    23 14 14 2 Rusty Wallace Dodge 185.448 38.825 183.090 28 2.358 16
    24 20 20 14 John Andretti Ford 184.867 38.947 183.276 24 1.591 IN
    25 2 2 7 Robby Gordon Chevy 184.833 38.954 183.510 20 1.323 IN
    26 15 15 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevy 184.786 38.964 181.699 38 3.087 34
    27 22 22 22 Scott Wimmer Dodge 184.776 38.966 182.011 36 2.765 28
    28 9 9 24 Jeff Gordon Chevy 184.677 38.987 186.162 5 -1.485 3
    29 13 13 20 Tony Stewart Chevy 184.219 39.084 182.269 35 1.950 6
    30 30 30 15 Michael Waltrip Chevy 183.842 39.164 179.033 44 4.809 19
    31 17 17 29 Kevin Harvick Chevy 183.828 39.167 182.653 32 1.175 14
    32 34 34 31 Jeff Burton Chevy 183.645 39.206 181.296 40 2.349 24
    33 26 26 4 Mike Wallace Chevy 183.570 39.222 183.327 22 0.243 IN
    34 10 10 34 Randy LaJoie Chevy 183.043 39.335 178.904 45 4.139 IN
    35 31 31 77 Travis Kvapil Dodge 182.997 39.345 183.313 23 -0.316 29
    36 21 21 45 Kyle Petty Dodge 182.987 39.347 181.947 37 1.040 35
    37 43 43 43 Jeff Green Dodge 182.931 39.359 183.842 18 -0.911 32
    38 38 38 49 Ken Schrader Dodge 182.866 39.373 182.473 33 0.393 33
    39 1 1 11 Jason Leffler Chevy 182.597 39.431 183.164 26 -0.567 IN
    40 39 39 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 181.938 39.574 183.225 25 -1.287 5
    41 23 23 37 Kevin Lepage Dodge 181.507 39.668 173.218 47 8.289 IN
    42 4 4 92 Stanton Barrett Chevy 181.091 39.759 182.468 34 -1.377 DNQ
    43 5 5 66 Hermie Sadler Ford 179.991 40.002 180.773 42 -0.782 DNQ
    44 18 18 79 Stan Boyd Chevy 179.942 40.013 167.290 48 12.652 DNQ
    45 32 32 38 Elliott Sadler Ford 179.029 40.217 182.987 30 -3.958 9
    46 11 11 07 Dave Blaney Chevy 0.000 wreck 183.351 21 x 22
    47 27 27 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford 0.000 engine 175.012 46 x DNQ
    48 48 48 73 Eric McClure Chevy 0.000 spinout 180.732 43 x DNQ

    'x' means that team is NOT in the top 35 and must make the race by speed
    8 teams will get in by speed
    UNLESS #91-Elliott or #44-Labonte need to use the 43rd spot as a Champions Provisional
    #44-Labonte gets the spots first as he was last champ in 1996, Elliott was champ in 1988.
    Then the fastest non-Top 35 teams getting in on speed would be 7.

    a GREEN 'x' means that team/driver have made the race, NOT in the top 35
    a RED 'x' means that team/driver will miss the race, NOT in the top 35
    Speeds shown in GREEN are faster then the old track/event record

    • New Procedure for Determining Race Line-Ups - No more provisionals [accept the champ]: NASCAR will institute a new procedure for establishing the starting race field in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series effective with the 2005 season, NASCAR officials announced today. NASCAR has revamped the system by simplifying the procedure with teams no longer accruing provisionals throughout the season to gain entry into the starting fields. While starting positions one through 42 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series still will be determined by qualifying speed, the new system will assure the highest-ranked 35 positions of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series owner championship points that have entered the event prior to the entry deadline one of those starting positions in the field, providing they have made an attempt to qualify [which usually means the team at least practiced and made an effort to qualify]. The remaining seven positions will be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 35. The final starting position – the champion’s provisional – can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion who participated as a driver during their 2004 season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline. If there is more than one series champion vying for the position, it will be given to the most recent series champion. If the final provisional starting position – 43rd in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results. Through the first five races of the season for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the top 35 in the NNCS of the 2004 owner championship points entered in the event prior to the entry deadline will be assured one of the 42 starting positions in the field, provided they have made an attempt to qualify. From the sixth race on, the current owner championship points will be used to determine the top 35 each race week. In the event that conditions prevent qualifying from being run, starting positions will be assigned according to the respective series’ 2005 Rule Book.(NASCAR PR)

    • The Impounding Rules:
      Post-qualifying impound procedure will be used in all three national series
      Cost-containment measure for teams
      Following qualifying, starting field will be impounded until race day
      Teams will not be permitted to work on their cars unless for special circumstances and authorized by NASCAR officials
      New procedure will alter the traditional race weekend schedule
      Traditional race weekend (Friday-Sunday): two hours practice on Friday, qualifying Saturday and then the cars would be impounded immediately following post-qualifying inspection
      Nextel Cup events using the procedure [21 of 36]: California (both races); Atlanta (both - Jayski Note: not sure about this, Atlanta put out a PR saying they would NOT go to the new rule); Bristol (both - Jayski Note: last I heard, the April race still would be a 3-day deal with qualifying on Friday, race on Sunday, the August race is Saturday night); Phoenix (both); Darlington; Richmond (both); Pocono (both); Michigan (both); Daytona (July); New Hampshire (both); Watkins Glen; and Kansas.(Jayski Note: also Indiabapolis will probbaly use the rule as they already hold qualifying on Saturday's for a Sunday race]
      Additional events may be added during the season
      All Busch and Craftsman Truck events will use the impound procedure (FoxSports)(2-12-2005)

      • STARTING LINEUP

      THIS IS UNOFFICIAL
      Pos Sched
      Qual
      Pos      		 Actual
      Qual
      Pos      		 Car# Driver Manu Qual
      Speed      		 Qual
      Time
      (secs)      		 Last
      Prac
      Speed      		 Prac
      Speed
      Rank      		 Diff
      Qual vs
      Prac      		 Owners
      Point
      Rank
      1 7 7 5 Kyle Busch Chevy 188.245 38.248 184.772 12 3.473 27
      2 33 33 25 Brian Vickers Chevy 187.740 38.351 185.691 8 2.049 26
      3 8 8 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 187.612 38.377 182.955 31 4.657 10
      4 35 35 01 Joe Nemechek Chevy 187.539 38.392 185.529 10 2.010 18
      5 37 37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 187.003 38.502 186.809 1 0.194 17
      6 6 6 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 186.998 38.503 185.974 6 1.024 8
      7 29 29 88 Dale Jarrett Ford 186.625 38.580 183.514 19 3.111 15
      8 47 47 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevy 186.480 38.610 185.596 9 0.884 2
      9 25 25 12 Ryan Newman Dodge 186.461 38.614 186.229 4 0.232 7
      10 16 16 0 Mike Bliss Chevy 186.403 38.626 184.857 11 1.546 31
      11 45 45 44 Terry Labonte Chevy 186.234 38.661 184.592 15 1.642 IN
      12 46 46 10 Scott Riggs Chevy 186.186 38.671 186.800 2 -0.614 30
      13 19 19 40 Sterling Marlin Dodge 186.123 38.684 181.589 39 4.534 20
      14 24 24 18 Bobby Labonte Chevy 185.998 38.710 184.332 17 1.666 12
      15 40 40 42 Jamie McMurray Dodge 185.907 38.729 183.113 27 2.794 11
      16 3 3 41 Casey Mears Dodge 185.883 38.734 184.488 16 1.395 23
      17 44 44 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 185.711 38.770 184.724 14 0.987 13
      18 12 12 6 Mark Martin Ford 185.696 38.773 184.734 13 0.962 4
      19 41 41 99 Carl Edwards Ford 185.653 38.782 186.417 3 -0.764 21
      20 28 28 97 Kurt Busch Ford 185.615 38.790 183.076 29 2.539 1
      21 42 42 21 Ricky Rudd Ford 185.486 38.817 181.000 41 4.486 25
      22 36 36 91 Bill Elliott Dodge 185.452 38.824 185.730 7 -0.278 IN
      23 14 14 2 Rusty Wallace Dodge 185.448 38.825 183.090 28 2.358 16
      24 20 20 14 John Andretti Ford 184.867 38.947 183.276 24 1.591 IN
      25 2 2 7 Robby Gordon Chevy 184.833 38.954 183.510 20 1.323 IN
      26 15 15 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevy 184.786 38.964 181.699 38 3.087 34
      27 22 22 22 Scott Wimmer Dodge 184.776 38.966 182.011 36 2.765 28
      28 9 9 24 Jeff Gordon Chevy 184.677 38.987 186.162 5 -1.485 3
      29 13 13 20 Tony Stewart Chevy 184.219 39.084 182.269 35 1.950 6
      30 30 30 15 Michael Waltrip Chevy 183.842 39.164 179.033 44 4.809 19
      31 17 17 29 Kevin Harvick Chevy 183.828 39.167 182.653 32 1.175 14
      32 34 34 31 Jeff Burton Chevy 183.645 39.206 181.296 40 2.349 24
      33 26 26 4 Mike Wallace Chevy 183.570 39.222 183.327 22 0.243 IN
      34 10 10 34 Randy LaJoie Chevy 183.043 39.335 178.904 45 4.139 IN
      35 31 31 77 Travis Kvapil Dodge 182.997 39.345 183.313 23 -0.316 29
      36 21 21 45 Kyle Petty Dodge 182.987 39.347 181.947 37 1.040 35
      37 43 43 43 Jeff Green Dodge 182.931 39.359 183.842 18 -0.911 32
      38 38 38 49 Ken Schrader Dodge 182.866 39.373 182.473 33 0.393 33
      39 1 1 11 Jason Leffler Chevy 182.597 39.431 183.164 26 -0.567 IN
      40 39 39 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 181.938 39.574 183.225 25 -1.287 5
      41 32 32 38 Elliott Sadler Ford 179.029 40.217 182.987 30 -3.958 9/OP
      42 11 11 07 Dave Blaney Chevy 0.000 wreck 183.351 21 x 22/OP
      43 23 23 37 Kevin Lepage Dodge 181.507 39.668 173.218 47 8.289 IN
      DNQ'd Missed the race - Not in the Top 35 in 2004 Owners Points and not fast enough
      42 4 4 92 Stanton Barrett Chevy 181.091 39.759 182.468 34 -1.377 DNQ
      43 5 5 66 Hermie Sadler Ford 179.991 40.002 180.773 42 -0.782 DNQ
      44 18 18 79 Stan Boyd Chevy 179.942 40.013 167.290 48 12.652 DNQ
      47 27 27 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford 0.000 engine 175.012 46 x DNQ
      48 48 48 73 Eric McClure Chevy 0.000 spinout 180.732 43 x DNQ


    • Results: for results, links, owners/drivers points (after each race back thru the season)
      see my:
      2005 Nextel Cup Race Results
      2004 Nextel Cup Race Results

    Jayski's Silly Season Site - Nextel Cup News Page
    Jayski's Silly Season Site Main Page

    the Jayski site is housed at:


    Made in the U.S.A.

    This page designed by Jayski LLC, 1996-2009© All Rights Reserved.
    Jayski's® is a registered trademark of Jayski LLC
    Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form without permission or credit.