March 21, 2014
- Janssen Pharmaceuticals joins NASCAR as official partner: NASCAR announced that it is teaming up with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to help make a difference for racing fans who are at risk for or are living with blood clots. Janssen, the maker of XARELTO (rivaroxaban), an important medicine used to treat and help prevent blood clots, is now the Official Cardiovascular Partner of NASCAR. Blood clots have hit close to home for the NASCAR community. Brian Vickers, full-time driver of the #55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, recently overcame his second episode with the condition. Having completed his treatment with XARELTO and being cleared by his physician, Brian is now competing again in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and is currently 18th in points. 900,000 Americans experience blood clots every year2 that result in nearly 300,000 deaths. According to The National Blood Clot Alliance, many factors can increase a person’s risk for developing blood clots, including age; being overweight; having other chronic diseases; immobility; hormones and pregnancy; long air travel; surgery; trauma or injury.(NASCAR)(3-22-2014)
- Open wheel split caused Toyota to look to NASCAR: Had the CART-IRL split of the mid-1990s never occurred, Toyota might still be racing open-wheelers instead of having a huge presence in NASCAR. But according to Toyota’s U.S. racing boss, the split diluted the value of Indy car racing so badly that it ceased being of interest to the automaker. “To demonstrate the lack of value … in 2003, we won the Indy 500, we won the race in Japan, we won 13 out of 16 races that year, and that fall, we still had to sell to our management to stay in the sport,” said David Wilson, president and general manager of TRD, U.S.A., the Costa Mesa, Calif.-based racing arm of Toyota. “As much as we loved it from an engineering standpoint, we also starting realizing that there were a lot of empty seats,” said Wilson. “And open-wheel in the United States was not exactly catching fire, so that started our … relationship with NASCAR.”(Fox Sports)(3-22-2014)
- Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #20-Kenseth chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #2-Keselowski took pit stall 12a, with an opening in front of it.
#48-Johnson, who starts 3rd took pit stall 43, the final pit stall in pit road
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(3-22-2014) - Kenseth wins Auto Club pole: #20-Matt Kenseth won the pole for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway with speed of 187.3015mph for his 1st pole of 2014, 1st at Auto Club Speedway and 12th of his career.
#2-Keselowski is on the outside pole, followed by #48-Johnson, #4-Harvick, #15-Bowyer, #24-Gordon, #22-Logano, #9-Ambrose, #99-Edwards, #14-Stewart, #42-Larson, and #78-Truex, Jr.
#24-Gordon was fastest in the second qualifying session with a speed of 187.515mph.
#4-Harvick paced the first qualifying session at 187.975mph
With 43 cars at the track, no drivers missed the race.
See the full starting lineup, qualifying results & order on the Auto Club Starting Lineup / Qualifying Page.(3-21-2014) - Friday practice: for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway is over after 90 scheduled minutes. The top 5, slowest, and notes:
#48-Johnson 188.664
#24-Gordon 188.5113
#15-Bowyer 187.774
#88-Earnhardt, Jr. 187.740
#2-Keselowski 187.003
slowest: #66-Nemechek 177.607 & #40-Cassill 177.550.
All 43 driver have practiced.
Notes: #1-McMurray spun coming off Turn 4 and slid through the infield, but did not hit anything. #40-Cassill broke something on his car, hit the wall in turn 4 and will have to go to a backup.
Qualifying is this evening at 7:40pm/et and will be shown on FoxSports 1
See the speeds, laps run, 10-lap averages on the Auto Club Practice 1 speeds page.(3-21-2014) - Qualifying Order for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is posted. 44 cars/drivers are listed. This is the order drivers can go through inspection.
The first of the drivers listed is #24-Gordon.
The final driver is #27-Crafton.
Fastest in Friday practice, #48-Johnson, is 36th.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw about an hour before the first practice.
See the complete list on the Auto Club Qualifying Page.(3-21-2014) - Final Bristol TV Ratings: FOX aired only a pittance of live NASCAR racing on Sunday, but the numbers still held up well compared to last year. Abbreviated coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 from Bristol earned a 4.5 final rating and 7.3 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen fast-nationals – down a tick in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (4.6, 7.5M), and up 2% and flat, respectively, compared to 2012 (4.4, 7.3M). Of course, comparisons to previous years have little value considering that FOX aired less than an hour of live racing. The telecast still ranked as the top sporting event of the weekend on broadcast. Sunday’s race was delayed twice – first before the start and then again after 124 laps. Two hours of rainout coverage earned a 3.7 and 6.1 million viewers on FOX. The race resumed in the evening on Fox Sports 1, which earned 3.2 million viewers for its coverage. The conclusion of the race ranks as the second-most viewed program on FS1 since it rebranded from Speed Channel last August.(Sports Media Watch)(3-21-2014)
- Crafton to sub for Menard Friday: Matt Crafton will substitute for #27-Paul Menard in practice and qualifying Friday at Auto Club Speedway as Menard remains in North Carolina with his wife and newborn daughter. Menard, whose daughter was born on Tuesday, will arrive in California in time for practice Saturday and the race on Sunday. He will have to start at the rear of the field because he will miss qualifying. NASCAR requires a driver to either qualify or race the car for every event in order to be eligible for a Chase for the Sprint Cup based on wins. NASCAR officials have indicated that an injury waiver would not be available for a driver for the birth of a child.(Sporting News)(3-21-2014)
- SK Hand Tool sponsoring Go FAS Racing in Auto Club 400 SK Hand Tool will sponsor the #32 car and Go FAS Racing team in the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race this weekend. The #32 car will sport a wrap displaying SK’s well-known Made-in-USA wrench design on the side of the Ford Fusion. The #32 car will continue to be driven by Travis Kvapil. Travis’ background as an automotive technician and career in NASCAR has given Travis a strong appreciation of high quality, dependable tools. SK is proud to offer a hand tool line that is Made in the USA and created by American Craftsmen, for the professional technician.(Go FAS Racing), see an image of the car on the #32 team paint schemes page.(3-21-2014)
- Phil Parsons Racing gets Auto Club sponsor: Trench Shoring Company, a leader within the construction industry that provides customers the finest shoring equipment and services, will extend their marketing reach through a strategic partnership with Phil Parsons Racing and driver Josh Wise. The company will serve as the primary sponsor on Wise’s #98 Chevy for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. This is Trench Shoring Company’s second outing with Phil Parsons Racing this season. The Corona, Calif.-based company also served as an associate sponsor for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Las Vegas. Trench Shoring Company has the largest inventory of shoring equipment within Southern California and Southern Nevada.(Phil Parsons Racing), see an image of the car on the #98 team paint schemes page.(3-21-2014)
- Dillon fastest in happy hour: #3-Ty Dillon was quickest during happy hour for the TreatMyClot.com 300 with a speed of 176.462 mph. He was followed by: #9-Chase Elliott, #99-James Buescher, #31-Dylan Kwasniewski, #2-Brian Scott, #54-Kyle Busch, #6-Trevor Bayne, #22-Joey Logano, #5-Kevin Harvick, and #60-Chris Buescher. 38 drivers participated in the session. See complete results on the Auto Club practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(3-21-2014)
- Busch fastest in first practice: #54-Kyle Busch was fastest during opening practice at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 174.157mph. #5-Kevin Harvick was second, followed by: #22-Joey Logano, #20-Matt Kenseth, #6-Trevor Bayne, #9-Chase Elliott, #31-Dylan Kwasniewski, #2-Brian Scott, #98-David Ragan, and #7-Regan Smith. 35 drivers practiced during the session. See complete results on the Auto Club practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(3-21-2014)
- ANP Lighting joins Clements: ANP Lighting, a leading producer of lighting fixtures for residential and commercial use, will sponsor Jeremy Clements and the #51 Chevy for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway. ANP Lighting has the manufacturing, engineering and design expertise to create custom lighting that fits everyone’s needs. Their privately owned foundry and experienced in-house engineering department gives the company the ability to fabricate a wide array of custom/replica pieces as well as to inventory standard product, available for immediate delivery. From massive area lighting on the busy streets of Los Angeles, to the custom, laser cut shades creating ambiance in Bass Pro Shop’s restaurant, to custom home designs for a patio, their lighting stands apart with expert workmanship, engineering and design.(JCR)(3-21-2014)
- ROUSH Performance Parts to sponsor 10 races for Buescher: ROUSH Performance Parts has announced it will serve as the primary partner on the #60 Ford Mustang piloted by NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Chris Buescher for 10 races during the 2014 season. RPP will make its debut on Buescher’s Ford Mustang at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, March 22. Created in 1995, ROUSH Performance Products combines race-proven technologies with advanced automotive engineering to continually provide customers the ultimate driving experience – the perfect combination of racecar and road car. Created as the first specialty-vehicle company to adhere to O.E. standards, RPP offers an extensive line of aftermarket performance parts and vehicles.(RFR)(3-21-2014)
- Gresham joins GMS: GMS Racing is pleased to announce the team has signed 2011 K&N Pro Series East Champion Max Gresham to pilot the #23 AmWINS Chevy Silverado for five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events in 2014. Gresham is coming off his first full NCWTS season, where the 20-year-old captured one top-five and four top-10 finishes. Gresham’s first NCWTS race of 2014 will come at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, followed by Kentucky Speedway in June, Bristol Motor Speedway in August, Martinsville Speedway in October, and Texas Motor Speedway in November. When not behind the wheel, Gresham will attend ARCA Racing Series and NCWTS events, spotting and lending a helping hand to fellow GMS Racing drivers Joey Coulter and Spencer Gallagher.(GMS Racing))(3-21-2014)
- Bode & Morgan Miller named hornorary starters in California: Olympic Medalist skier Bode Miller and his wife, AVP pro beach volleyball player, Morgan, will serve as Honorary Starters for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 23. As Honorary Starter, the Millers will wave the green flag to get the Auto Club 400 underway. Miller, who took home a bronze medal in the Olympic Super-G competition recently in the Sochi Olympics in Russia is considered one of the greatest World Cup racers of all time with 33 victories – one of five men to win World Cup events in all five disciplines. He won six medals in the Winter Olympics, the most of any U.S. skier – two silvers (Giant Slalom and Combined) in Salt Lake City 2002, a gold (Super Combined), a silver (Super-G) and a bronze (Downhill) in Vancouver 2010 and a bronze (Super-G) in Sochi. Morgan Miller is a professional beach volleyball player and model. As a professional, Miller plays for Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP). In 2010 she was featured in a Nike ad campaign. The Newport Beach, Calif. native honed her skills at the college level at Cal where she was named to the PAC-10 All-Freshman team and was twice an Honorable Mention All-PAC-10 selection.(ACS)(3-21-2014)
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