March 24, 2017
- Trying to shed bridesmaid role, points leader Kyle Larson wins pole at Fontana: The driver who has finished second in the last three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races will start first on Sunday. Moving up the track for his final run, series points leader Kyle Larson navigated rough, bumpy Auto Club (Fontana, California) Speedway in 38.493 seconds (187.047 mph) on Friday to win the pole for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX), the fifth race of the season. The 24-year-old Larson edged Denny Hamlin by .014 seconds, as Hamlin covered the two-mile distance at 186.979 mph. The Coors Light Pole Award was Larson’s first at Auto Club, first of the season and second of his career.[More](3-24-2017)
- Larson wins Auto Club pole: #42-Kyle Larson won the Coors Light pole for the Auto Club 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway with speed of 187.047mph for his 1st pole of 2017, 1st at Auto Club and 2nd of his career.
#11-Hamln will start 2nd followed by #2-Keselowski, #78-Truex, Jr., #31-Newman, #20-Kenseth, #4-Harvick, #1-McMurray, #18-Busch, #19-Suarez, #3-Dillon, and #5-Kahne.
#48-Johnson did not make a qualifying attempt after the team went to a backup car following an incident in practice. He will start the race in 37th.
#11-Hamlin was fastest in the second round with a speed of 186.921mph, will start 2nd
#4-Harvick was fastest in the first round with a speed of 188.260mph, will start 7th
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 39 were entered for 40 spots
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Auto Club qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Auto Club Starting Lineup page (pdf).(3-24-2017) - Second Round of Qualifying for the Auto Club 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over, after 10 scheduled minutes.
#11-Hamlin 186.921
#4-Harvick 186.775
#20-Kenseth 186.674
#1-McMurray 186.393
#18-Busch 186.200
the rest of the top 12: 42 19 78 2 3 5 31
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 24 77 41 17 14 88 21 37 13 10 27 47
(3-24-2017) - First Round of Qualifying for the Auto Club 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over, after 20 scheduled minutes.
#4-Harvick 188.260
#2-Keselowski 187.237
#18-Busch 187.076
#42-Larson 186.766
#11-Hamlin 186.761
the rest of the top 24: 20 31 78 5 1 88 14 41 19 10 24 17 13 3 37 21 27 47 77;
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 95 34 38 15 83 43 55 51 33 23 48 6 22 72 32.
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 39 entered
(3-24-2017) - Friday practice for the Auto Club 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over, after 85 minutes, the top-five and notes:
#42-Larson 189.071
#11-Hamlin 188.462
#4-Harvick 188.344
#1-McMurray 187.940
#22-Logano 187.588
slowest: #33-Earnhardt 171.895 & #51-Hill 170.446
most laps run: #1-McMurray, #22-Logano, and #14-Bowyer (18 laps)
Just 2 drivers ran 10 consecutive laps during this practice: #42-Larson and #1-McMurray
There was a short red flag during practice when an owl landed on the track and had to be moved away.
#48-Johnson spun in turn 4 with just over 20 minutes remaining in practice. The car slide down the track and ran the nose into the grass. The team will go to a backup car.
See fastest speeds, laps run on the Auto Club Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf)(3-24-2017) - Austin Dillon warned by NASCAR in meeting with Custer: #3-Austin Dillon indicated that a repeat offense of wrecking another car under caution would result in NASCAR suspending him. Dillon, after a meeting with NASCAR officials Friday at Auto Club Speedway a week following his running into Cole Custer under caution, said: “NASCAR did a really good job of sharing with me that if I make a mistake like that again that the penalties would be very harsh. … I love to race and I don’t want to be on the sideline, ever.”[More](3-24-2017)
- Aspen Dental becomes ‘Official Dentist of NASCAR.’: NASCAR and Aspen Dental, one of the largest and fastest-growing networks of independent dental care providers in the United States, announced a multi-year official partnership, designating the brand as the ‘Official Dentist of NASCAR.’ The announcement coincides with the launch of Aspen Dental’s ‘Get Started’ awareness building health initiative with NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing driver Danica Patrick.[More](3-24-2017)
- Southern California Chevy Dealers sponsoring Whitt: Joining Whitt this weekend, Southern California Chevy Dealers, the largest Chevy inventory provider in the Southern California area, will serve as the primary sponsor of the #72. Hoping to have the same luck this year in Fontana, Whitt is ready to tighten the belts and score a solid finish at Auto Club Speedway.[More](3-24-2017)
- Sport Clips sponsoring Hamlin in California: For the first of three races with Hamlin during the 2017 season, Sport Clips will serve as the primary sponsor this weekend at Auto Club Speedway on the #11 Toyota Camry in the Cup Series. Sport Clips will also be on the #11 Camry at Darlington Raceway in September, as well as the #18 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Darlington Raceway in September.[More](3-24-2017)
- Interstate Batteries making first appearance on the #18: Kyle Busch will pilot the colors of Interstate Batteries at Fontana for the first of six Cup Series races this season. The founding partner of JGR, Interstate Batteries has been powering the championship-winning organization for more than 25 years and is the “Official Battery of Joe Gibbs Racing.” This year, the iconic brand is celebrating its 65th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, special 65th anniversary branding will be featured in each of the paint schemes JGR will race during the 2017 NASCAR season.[More](3-24-2017)
- OneLegacy/Donate Life California teams up with Gase: Joey Gase and Jimmy Means Racing are excited to announce their partnership with OneLegacy and Donate Life California. Both OneLegacy and Donate Life California’s logos will adorn the hood of the #52 Chevy driven by Gase for this weekend in Fontana to promote organ, eye, and tissue donation.[More](3-24-2017)
- Logano paces final XFINITY practice: #22-Joey Logano was quickest in final practice at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 176.804mph.
#20-Erik Jones was second, followed by: #2-Paul Menard, #33-Brandon Jones, #42-Kyle Larson, #19-Matt Tifft, #9-William Byron, #3-Ty Dillon, #11-Blake Koch, and #18-Kyle Busch.
37 drivers practiced during the session.
See complete results on the Auto Club final practice speeds page (pdf).(3-24-2017) - Logano fastest in first XFINITY practice: #22-Joey Logano was fastest during opening practice at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 178.904mph.
The rest of the top 10: #42-Kyle Larson, #20-Erik Jones, #2-Paul Menard, #00-ColeCuster, #1-Elliott Sadler, #3-Ty Dillon, #18-Kyle Busch, #11-Blake Koch, and #21-Daniel Hemric.
37 drivers practiced during the session.
See complete results on the Auto Club practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(3-24-2017) - ‘Cars 3’ Road to the Races tour visits Texas Motor Speedway:Disney*Pixar’s “Cars 3” opens its Road To The Races nationwide tour today that will include a stop at Texas Motor Speedway on April 7-9 for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend. The 27-city, nationwide tour features life-size, character look-alikes of five-time Piston Cup champion Lightning McQueen, tech-savvy trainer Cruz Ramirez and the sleek next-gen racer Jackson Storm to celebrate the new “Cars 3” movie, which opens June 16.[More](3-24-2017)
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997