March 20, 2015
- Kurt Busch wins Auto Club pole: #41-Kurt Busch won the Coors Light pole for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway with speed of 185.142mph for his 1st pole of 2015, 4th at Auto Club and 17th of his career.
#4-Harvick is on the outside pole followed by #20-Kenseth, #18-Ragan, #42-Larson, #11-Hamlin, #24-Gordon, #2-Keselowski, #31-Newman, #15-Bowyer, #27-Menard, and #78-Truex, Jr..
Missing the race were: #29-Sorenson, #44-Kvapil.
See the starting lineup, round-by-round qualifying results and more on Jayski.com’s Auto Club Qualifying Page.(3-20-2015) - Qualifying Fast Facts – Auto Club:
Kurt Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 19th Annual Auto Club 400 with a lap of 38.889 seconds, 185.142 mph.
This is his 17th pole in 509 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2015.
This is his fourth pole in 22 races at Auto Club Speedway, a track record.
Kevin Harvick (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2015 and his seventh in 22 races at Auto Club Speedway.
Matt Kenseth (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Auto Club Speedway. It is his third in five races this season.
Jeb Burton (34th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(3-20-2015) - Second Round of Qualifying for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over after 10 scheduled minutes.
#41-Busch 185.038
#11-Hamlin 184.615
#24-Gordon 184.535
#18-Ragan 184.478
#4-Harvick 184.237
the rest of the top 12: 2 20 31 15 42 78 27;
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 22 48 19 9 88 47 5 14 3 10 43 46
(3-20-2015) - First Round of Qualifying for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over, after 15 scheduled minutes.
#20-Kenseth 185.610
#4-Harvick 185.066
#41-Busch 184.715
#18-Ragan 184.511
#42-Larson 184.459
the rest of the top 24: 11 48 2 88 27 31 22 24 5 3 19 9 47 15 78 10 14 43 46;
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 33 1 17 7 16 55 51 35 34 26 98 6 13 62 32 44 40 29 23 83 38
Drivers who will miss the race: #44-Kvapil & #29-Sorenson.
(3-20-2015) - Friday practice for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over after 76 minutes, the top five, slowest two and some notes:
#41-Busch 186.741
#11-Hamlin 185.385
#78-Truex, Jr. 185.180
#2-Keselowski 185.019
#48-Johnson 185.000
Most laps run: #24-Gordon 22, #88-Earnhardt, Jr. 17
slowest: #83-DiBenedetto 175.174 & #62-Gaughan 174.571.
notes: #16-Biffle scraped the wall early in the session, suffering some sheet metal damage. #19-Edwards hit the wall coming off Turn 4 just minutes before practice ended. He will go to a backup car.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 Consecutive Lap Average on the Auto Club practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(3-20-2015) - Chris Buescher to replace Moffitt in the #34: Front Row Motorsports announced that Chris Buescher will replace Brett Moffit in the #34 Ford this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Buescher drives full time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for Roush Fenway Racing.(3-20-2015)
- Moffitt replacing Vickers in the #55 at Auto Club Speedway: Brett Moffitt will drive Michael Waltrip Racing’s #55 Toyota in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The team’s regular driver Brian Vickers informed MWR he has experienced a reoccurrence of blood clots, which will require the 31-year-old driver to begin taking blood-thinning medication and he is not able to race while on the medicine. “First and foremost our thoughts are with Brian and his family,” said MWR founder and co-owner Michael Waltrip. “He isn’t just our race car driver, he is our friend and we know the NASCAR community will continue to rally around Brian. We are fortunate to have Brett Moffitt in our system and marveled at his great drive in Atlanta three weeks ago, so we know he can get the job done in the #55 this weekend. As this news is very fresh and the situation is very fluid, we can only plan for this weekend at this point.” Vickers missed the season’s first two races recovering from December heart surgery. He finished 15th at Las Vegas and 41st at Phoenix. “Thankfully, because I recognized the signs and symptoms, the doctors caught this early and I’m going to be ok. I had finished my treatment for the clot I had in my leg back in 2013 and I haven’t needed to be on a blood thinner for a clot in my leg or lung since,” said Vickers. “Now I won’t be able to race because I’ll need to be back on a blood thinner. I’m going to follow doctor’s orders and do everything I need to do to get well.” “Believe it or not, it’s Blood Clot Awareness Month and I was supposed to be at the track this weekend doing some work with my partners at Janssen focused on getting the word out. I’m disappointed I can’t be there but if there is a silver lining in all of this, hopefully what’s happened to me will help to raise awareness on this important health issue,” said Vickers.(MWR)(3-20-2015)
- Justin Boots joins Hillman Racing: Landon Cassill and the Hillman Racing team adds Justin Original Workboots (JOW) as a major associate sponsor for the 2015 race season. The #40 Chevy SS will display the Justin Original Workboots branding for the two NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway on April 11 and November 8, along with the endorsement of being “The Official Workboot of Hillman Racing.” The team’s mission will be to shine a spotlight on this incredible brand and will offer some great events and giveaways through the different social media platforms to offer race fans a chance to bag some swag.(Hillman Racing)(3-20-2015)
- France speaks to Detroit Economic Club: It was a tough question for someone so steeped in American motorsports history. But NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France took it on the chin today in Dearborn: What was his biggest failure in his 12-year reign as stockcar racing’s top executive? France, 52, whose grandfather, Bill France Sr., founded NASCAR in 1948, didn’t flinch in admitting it was the “Car of Tomorrow,” the fifth-generation style Sprint Cup Series race car that was introduced in 2007 and was replaced in 2013 by the smaller, lighter Gen-6 model.
“We are going to make mistakes,” said France, who has pushed the competitive envelope at NASCAR since taking over from his father Bill France Jr. in 2003, making significant changes to series qualifying rules and the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship format, among other things. “Occasionally, we make a big one now and again. I would say that if there is one thing we could have done better in the last 10 years under my watch, is when we launched what we called ‘the new car.’ It is now called the Gen-5. We just didn’t get the collaboration we needed to get from the industry, the owners, the drivers, the engineers and car manufacturers. They had a voice, but they didn’t have a loud enough voice, and so we changed that.”
The Gen-6 car that is now used in Sprint Cup looks a lot more like your Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota. It has generally been embraced by teams and drivers, though not universally, for its racy nature. France, whose audience today included students from Henry Ford High School, Martin Luther King Jr. High School, Clarkston High School, Macomb Community College and Northwood University, also fielded and discussed topics such as NASCAR’s growth, diversity initiatives, safety standards and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, who will retire from full-time driving at the end of this season.(Detroit Free Press)(3-20-2014) - Talladega adding SAFER barriers: Talladega Superspeedway will add an energy-absorbing barrier to three areas of its inside wall prior to its May 1-3 NASCAR race weekend. The high-banked track, configured much like Daytona International Speedway, will add SAFER barriers on its inside wall at the entrances to pit road, Turn 1 and Turn 3, track chairman Grant Lynch said Thursday in a statement. “We are committed to making Talladega Superspeedway a safe environment for drivers as well as our fans,” he said. Kyle Busch broke his right leg and left foot when he crashed into a concrete inside wall near the entrance of Turn 1 in February at Daytona. He is out for months, with no timetable announced for his return. NASCAR mandated that the steel-and-foam energy reduction barriers be placed on the outside walls of all ovals 10 years ago. Tracks have added them in select other areas — often in reaction to crashes. Busch’s crash resulted in NASCAR announcing it would re-evaluate its tracks to determine if more SAFER barriers are needed.(ESPN.com)(3-20-2015)
- Rule change allows Kenseth and Newman to be eligible for All-Star Race: A rule change for the Sprint All-Star Race will allow #20-Matt Kenseth and #31-Ryan Newman to compete in the event, NASCAR confirmed to NASCAR Talk on Thursday. NASCAR stated that it changed the eligibility requirements so that any full-time driver who is a former Cup champion or former All-Star winner is eligible for the non-points event. Previously, a driver had to have won a Cup title within the past 10 years or won the All-Star event within the past 10 years to be eligible. Eliminating the limit on when a driver won a Cup title or the All-Star race is important for Kenseth and Newman. Neither driver meets the criterial of a race win either this year or the preceding year to be eligible. Both were winless last year and have not won this year. Kenseth’s title came in 2003. Newman’s All-Star win came in 2002.(NBC Sports)(3-20-2015)
- Different look for the #48 Lowe’s Chevy at Auto Club: Jimmie Johnson will debut the #48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevy in this weekend’s race at Auto Club Speedway. Lowe’s Commercial Services are designed to help customers save time and money and make their businesses run smoother. Stores across the country have a dedicated ProServices team ready to help by offering five percent off everyday purchases with a Lowe’s Business Credit Account, quick-turn, customizable quotes on volume purchases, providing an order ahead option and pulling materials for pick up, giving reduced delivery rates and offering bulk discounts on supplies used the most. The Lowe’s ProServices paint scheme will adorn the #48 in eight races this season: Auto Club Speedway in March, Texas in April, Richmond in April, Dover in May, Sonoma in June, Kentucky in July, Bristol in August and New Hampshire in September (HMS), see images of the scheme on the #48 Team Schemes page.(3-19-2015)
- Auto Club Speedway Notes & Facts – Friday – poles:
” 16 drivers have poles at Auto Club Speedway, led by Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch with three each.
” Denny Hamlin (2011, 2012), Kurt Busch (2006 sweep) and Jamie McMurray (2010 sweep) are the three drivers to win consecutive poles at Auto Club Speedway.
” California-native Jimmie Johnson became the first and only driver to win from the pole at Auto Club Speedway in 2008.
” Only two ACS races have been won from the front row both by six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, fall of 2008 (pole); and the fall of 2007 (second-place).
” Nine of the 25 (36%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from a top-five starting position.
” 13 of the 25 (52%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
” Seven of the 24 (28%) races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
” The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 31st, by Matt Kenseth in the spring of 2006.
” The most proficient starting position at ACS is pretty random. Three starting positions (third, ninth and 24th) have produced three winners each.
” Three active drivers have posted their first NSCS Coors Light pole at Auto Club Speedway: Carl Edwards (9/4/2005) and Joe Nemechek (6/22/1997). Kyle Busch won his first pole (2/27/05) and first series win (9/4/05) at ACS in 2005.
(NASCAR)(3-20-2015) - Austin Dillon fastest in happy hour: #33-Austin Dillon was quickest during happy hour for the Drive4Clots.com 300 with a speed of 174.914mph. He was followed by: #22-Brad Keselowski, #7-Regan Smith, #88-Kevin Harvick, #62-Brendan Gaughan, #2-Brian Scott, #9-Chase Elliott, #54-Denny Hamlin, #20-Erik Jones, and #10-John Wes Townley. 39 drivers participated in the session. See complete results on the Auto Club practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(3-20-2014)
- Harvick fastest in first practice: #88-Kevin Harvick was fastest during opening practice at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 174.961mph. #54-Denny Hamlin was second, followed by: #22-Brad Keselowski, #7-Regan Smith, #20-Erik Jones, #42-Kyle Larson, #9-Chase Elliott, #2-Brian Scott, #62-Brendan Gaughan, and #33-Austin Dillon. 37 drivers practiced during the session. See complete results on the Auto Club practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(3-20-2014)
- Dwight Yoakam named honorary starter in Fontana: Global country music legend and superstar of the screen, Dwight Yoakam, will serve as Honorary Starter for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 22. With more than 25 million albums sold worldwide, and major motion picture roles alongside some of the world’s top thespians including Jodie Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Forest Whitaker, and Nicolas Cage, Yoakam is amongst an elite cadre of global superstars. As Honorary Starter, Yoakam will wave the green flag to start the Auto Club 400, and watch the stock cars take their first lap on the circuit’s final stop on the West Coast Swing. As an Honorary Race Official, Yoakam will be involved with pre-race ceremony activities including driver introductions and special NASCAR awards. For over three decades, Yoakam has entertained fans across 12 gold and 9 platinum or multi-platinum albums, 5 of which have topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart, with another 14 landing in the Top 10. He is a 21-time nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award-winner, and in 2013 was named the Americana Music Association’s Artist of the Year, the most prestigious honor offered by the organization.(Auto Club Speedway)(3-20-2015)
- Grand Home Furnishings renews as provider of Martinsville Grandfather Clock: Martinsville Speedway and Grand Home Furnishings, two companies with long and storied histories and deep Virginia roots, are continuing their long-standing relationship. Roanoke-based Grand Home Furnishings, which has long been the source of the iconic grandfather clock winner’s trophy, has extended its status as the official provider of the grandfather clocks. This marks the 51st year the track has given a grandfather clock to the race winner. Fred Lorenzen took home the first clock in 1964. Since then the clock has found its way into the homes of the sport’s biggest stars. Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are just some of the drivers who have taken home multiple clocks. Most recently Dale Earnhardt Jr. added his name to the list of clock owners, with his win last fall.(Martinsville Speedway)(3-20-2015)
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