March 20, 2017
Entry List for the Auto Club 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is posted, 39 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
36 teams with Charters are guaranteed to make the field. The rest need to make the field via qualifying / qualifying races / rules book (owners attempts/points).
Some of the drivers entered include: #15-Sorenson, #23-Gaulding, #33-JEarnhardt, #51-Hill*, #55-Cope*, #83-LaJoie*
Drivers who currently to not drive for a team with a Charter and need to race into the field: #51-Hill*, #55-Cope*, #83-LaJoie*.
Drivers who would miss the race if qualifying is canceled (least race attempts): none
Since only 39 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
Austin Dillon will face no further penalties for XFINITY race incident UPDATE Austin Dillon will not face additional penalties today for deliberately wrecking Cole Custer in Saturday’s DC Solar 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR parked Dillon for the remainder of Saturday’s race, but a NASCAR representative confirmed to FOXSports.com that Dillon will not face additional sanctions today.(FOXSports.com)[More](3-19-2017)
UPDATE NASCAR plans to meet with Austin Dillon and Cole Custer this weekend at Auto Club Speedway after their incident in Saturday’s Xfinity race at Phoenix Raceway. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said Monday on “The Morning Drive” that officials parked Dillon after his actions in the Xfinity race and met with Dillon, his crew chief and spotter.(NBC Sports)[More](3-20-2017)
Keselowski’s #2 Ford fails post race inspection at Phoenix Brad Keselowski’s #2 Team Penske Ford team could face penalties this week after his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride failed post-race inspection at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday night. The #2 failed weights and measures after Keselowski piloted it to a fifth-place finish. No other cars failed post-race tech inspection.(NASCAR)[More](3-20-2017)
Phoenix Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2017 Camping World 500 For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Sunday’s race. Began recording the times at the Invocation of the race at 3:30 PM, and stopped at the waving of the checkered flag at 6:49 PM (all times are EDT). Did not keep records for the pre- and post-race coverage. Fox was the broadcast team for this event.(CawsnJaws.com)[More](3-20-2017)
Sunday Phoenix Notebook Erik Jones’ #77 Furniture Row Racing team did everything right in Sunday’s Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway-except for predicting how many cars would take two tires versus four on the final pit stop before overtime. Jones was running fifth when a melted bead caused Joey Logano’s right front tire to explode and sent the #22 Ford of the polesitter into the Turn 1 wall on Lap 307 of a scheduled 312. Jones took four tires under the ensuing caution and restarted 14th. He was able to regain six positions in the two-lap overtime that took the race to Lap 314, but for the third straight week, Jones finished lower than where he had run for much of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. The eighth-place finish nevertheless was the first top-10 of Jones’ fledgling Monster Energy Series career. Jones was one of two Sunoco rookies to get a maiden top 10 on Sunday. Fellow Toyota driver Daniel Suarez finished seventh, gaining five positions after the final restart.
Though Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t win Sunday’s Camping World 500 at Phoenix by staying out on old tires-as Ryan Newman did-the driver of the #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford did hold onto fourth place during a two-lap overtime. That Stenhouse was able to score his eighth career top five is emblematic of improved performance at Roush Fenway Racing, but Stenhouse says there’s still work to do.
Joey Logano started Sunday’s Camping World 500 from the pole and led 82 laps, but his race ended suddenly and dramatically when his right front tire blew as the #22 Ford approached Turn 1 on Lap 307 of a scheduled 312. Logano’s misfortune stalled a promising run by Kyle Busch-his adversary from a week ago at Las Vegas-and gave Ryan Newman’s crew chief, Luke Lambert, the opportunity to make the strategic call that won the race.(NASCAR Wire Service)[More](3-20-2017)
XFINITY Entry List: There are 42 cars on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s XFINITY 300 at Auto Club Speedway.
See the complete list on the Auto Club entry list page. (3-20-2017)
XFINITY to run restrictor plates at Indianapolis: NBC Sports has confirmed that NASCAR will use restrictor plates for the Xfinity race July 22 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The decision, which initially was reported by freelance journalist Michael Knight on Twitter last weekend, will take effect after NASCAR was pleased by the results of a successful Xfinity test with plates last year at the 2.5-mile track. [More](3-20-2017)
April possible date for future spring NASCAR PIR race The nearly $180 million facility redevelopment project at Phoenix International Raceway might not be the only big change eventually coming to the Avondale track. Preliminary discussions have taken place between PIR and NASCAR about moving the track’s spring weekend to April from the mid-march March date it’s had since 2015. Nothing is likely to happen for next year, but there’s little doubt PIR would eventually love to reclaim the mid-April Saturday evening date it enjoyed from 2005-10.(Arizona Republic)[More](3-20-2017)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway considers eliminating seats for NASCAR races The bloody gash on Kyle Busch’s forehead wasn’t the only cut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last week. The track appears poised to ax more seats that were largely empty at the Kobalt 400, and TV ratings for the March 12 NASCAR race were down 17 percent. What, if anything, does it mean for the viability of a second NASCAR race in Las Vegas? The Kobalt 400 produced a late pass for the lead and a pit road fight pitting hometown hero Busch against Joey Logano and members of Logano’s pit crew. It seemed to be the shot in the rocker arm LVMS was seeking. It was announced March 8 that Las Vegas also will host a fall playoff race starting in 2018. LVMS President Chris Powell said he was “thrilled” with the early demand for tickets. But fans who sought to renew seats in Sections 1 and 3 – the lower grandstands fronting the Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Terraces – were told they could not purchase them for 2018. “We are not prepared to sell tickets in those areas,” Powell said. Does that mean Sections 1 and 3 will be eliminated? “A final decision hasn’t been made.” A 2018 seating chart on the speedway’s website shows the lower grandstands in front of the terraces grayed out. If the sections in front of the terraces are eliminated, it would trim LVMS capacity to around 80,000.(Las Vegas Review-Journal)[More](3-20-2017)
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