The Race: Auto Club 400 The Place: Auto Club Speedway The Date: Sunday, March 18 The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) #4 For No. 4 Kevin Harvick’s victory Sunday at ISM Raceway in Phoenix set him up with a historical opportunity. It was the third consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win in the young 2018 season for Harvick. Should he win this Sunday at Auto Club Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in his native California, he would become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson (2007) to win four consecutive Monster Energy Series races. The two-mile track has potential for the feat. Harvick won there in 2011 and scored back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2016. In 24 starts at the track, he has six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes to go with the win. After winning his third in a row in Phoenix, Harvick admitted that the motions are high as he heads back home to attempt to continue his winning ways. “He [Rodney Childers] knows I put a lot of emphasis on California. Racing in your home state, a racetrack that I really enjoy racing at, I got so amped up that I wrecked it on lap zero last year, knocked the grille out of it, knocked the hood off of it, never got a chance to race. “Yeah, I’m excited about it.” Phoenix Rising Birds of a feather flocked together in Phoenix. Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford), Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) and Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) put together impressive team performances in the final race of the “old” configuration of ISM Raceway. Stewart-Haas Racing captured the checkered flag with Kevin Harvick and tallied an average finish amongst their four cars of 6.0. The complete SHR contingent finished in the top-10 with Clint Bowyer in sixth, Aric Almirola in seventh, and Kurt Busch rounding out the group in 10th. Joe Gibbs Racing may not have won the race, but their average finish with their four entries was a 5.75. They also put all four teammates into the top 10 – Kyle Busch was second, Hamlin placed fourth, Daniel Suárez was eighth, and Erik Jones crossed the line in ninth. With SHR and JGR taking up so many slots in the top 10, there wasn’t much room for anyone else. But Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott came home third and his three teammates all placed in the top 14 (William Byron – 12th, Alex Bowman – 13th, Jimmie Johnson – 14th). West Coast Kings Three of the five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers from California have wins at Auto Club Speedway – led by Jimmie Johnson’s track-best six victories. The El Cajon, California, native – who captured the first of his 83 Monster Energy Series trophies at the track – has finished in the top-10 in a remarkable 16 of his 23 starts and won a pair of Busch Pole awards too. His five runner-up showings at Auto Club are also a series record. Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick has a win (2011) and 11 top-10 finishes in 24 starts as he goes for his fourth win in a row this weekend. Kyle Larson, of Elk Grove, dominated the event last year winning the race from the Busch Pole and leading 110 of the 202 laps. He finished runner-up at the track in his 2014 Monster Energy Series debut there. Kurt Busch Riding SHR Wave Of Success A trip home didn’t fare too well for Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, who finished 35th following an accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But Busch didn’t let that stumble completely derail his west-coast jaunt. At Phoenix, he collected his second top 10 of the season, joining the other three Stewart-Haas Racing cars in the top 10. Now 11th in points, Busch looks to crack another top 10 – that of the championship standings. The last two races at Auto Club Speedway weren’t to Busch’s liking (he finished 24th and 30th), but prior to that, he scored three consecutive top fives. He won the Auto Club Speedway race in 2003. Some more news is on the horizon for Busch. Be sure to visit NASCAR.com on Thursday, where Stewart-Haas Racing will make a special announcement about his No. 41 car. So Close… Kyle Busch’s runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick last week at ISM Raceway marked his third runner-up showing in the last five races – dating back to the 2017 Homestead-Miami Speedway season finale. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has 43 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories and – incredibly – nearly that many (42) runner-up finishes. Now on a two-race runner-up streak, Busch has twice recorded three runner-up finishes in a row between other top-five finishes. He was runner-up three times in a four-race span in 2014 (at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis) and three times in a six-race span in 2015 (at Watkins Glen, Richmond and Dover). Looking For California Gold Three of the sport’s highest-profile drivers – including reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. – are still looking for their first-ever win at Auto Club Speedway. Truex, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano are a combined 0-for-44 at the track. And all three are hoping to score their first win of the 2018 season in Fontana this week. Truex’s finish of fourth-place in this race last year was a career best in 17 starts at the two-mile track. Hamlin has won three Busch Pole positions at Auto Club Speedway, but his best finish in the race is third in 2016. Logano is 0-for-11 with a best showing of third-place in 2013. He does have top-five showings in his last two visits to the track, including a fifth-place in the race last year. Still Chase-ing A Win Last week’s third-place finish for Chase Elliott was a season high for the Hendrick Motorsports driver and perhaps a solid launching point as he heads to one of his historically best venues, Auto Club Speedway. The third-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver’s season to date has consisted of a pair of DNFs – at Daytona Beach and Las Vegas, and a pair of top-10s – at Atlanta and Phoenix. But he must be eager to arrive in Fontana this week, where he boasts the best average finish (6.5) of anyone in the field with two top-10 finishes in two starts. Dusting Off the Rookie Rust William Byron led the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series laps of his career Sunday at ISM Raceway, pacing the field for 15 laps and recording a season-best 12th-place finish. He moved up to 21st position in the standings coming to Auto Club Speedway, where he has only one NASCAR national series start, which resulted in a fifth-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last year. Fellow Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., finished 25th at Phoenix and still maintains a slight rookie edge in the overall Monster Energy Series standings in 19th position. He never finished worse than 12th at Auto Club Speedway in three Xfinity Series starts that included a pair of top-10 efforts. In Form Stewart-Haas Racing’s first ever top-10 team sweep last week at Phoenix was indicative of how the team’s fortunes have been so far this season. Clint Bowyer’s hold on ninth place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings is his best showing through the opening four races of the season since 2013. The second-year Stewart-Haas Racing driver has two top-10s, including a sixth-place run at ISM Raceway last weekend and a third-place effort at Atlanta three weeks ago. Although Bowyer has not won at this week’s California venue, he finished third there last season – his best run at the track since a runner-up finish in 2010. And SHR’s newest driver, Aric Almirola, is 10th in the standings – a career best for the driver in his seventh Monster Energy Series season. He has four top-13 finishes through four races and is coming off a season-best seventh-place finish at Phoenix. Two of a Kind California natives Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson are the only drivers in the field Sunday to have won the race from the pole position. And Johnson (six wins) and Kyle Busch (three) are the only multi-time winners in the field. … Stage Points Update Three-time race winner Kevin Harvick leads all drivers with 53 stage points. Kurt Busch (42) and Martin Truex Jr. (41) round out the top-three. The Race: California 300 The Place: Auto Club Speedway The Date: Saturday, March 17 The Time: 5 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 4:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 150) West Coast Love A total of 56 different drivers representing three countries (U.S.A., Mexico and Canada) and 26 different states have made at least one start this season in the first four races of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. And of those drivers, six are from the state of California. California is tied with Florida (six each) for the second-highest number of series participants this season behind North Carolina’s eight drivers. The six drivers that call California home are Cole Custer (Ladera Ranch), Ryan Reed (Bakersfield), Dylan Lupton (Sacramento), Tyler Reddick (Corning), Kyle Larson (Elk Grove) and Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield). Of the six California natives who have made series starts this season, four are entered in Saturday’s California 300 at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio): Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang hails from Ladera Ranch, California, which is about 60 miles south of Auto Club Speedway. The 20-year-old in his sophomore season is currently 11th in the series driver standings after posting two top 10s in his first four starts of 2018. Custer made his series track debut last season at Auto Club Speedway and started fourth before getting caught in an incident on Lap 105 and that relegated him to a 35th-place finish. The So-Cal youngster will be looking to redeem himself in front of the home track fans this weekend. Ryan Reed, driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang is from Bakersfield, California, which is about 155 miles north of Auto Club Speedway. Reed isn’t the only Californian on the No. 16 team, the car chief, Dan Bormann, is also from The Golden State (Shingle Springs, California). The 24-year-old Reed has been the model of consistency during his career, finishing in the top 10 in points ever since he started running full-time in 2014. Reed is ninth in the series standings heading into this weekend. In his first four starts of the season, he has posted one top five and two top 10s. “It’s (Auto Club Speedway) so much fun, I love going there, it’s one of my favorite race tracks we go to, if not my favorite, and also it’s a home track for me since I grew up in Bakersfield a few hours away,” said Reed. “I look forward to going there every year and it just means a lot to have a lot of friends and family there.” Reed has made four series starts at Auto Club Speedway, posting an average finish of 14.2, including a 15th-place finish last season. Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 28 JGL Racing Ford Mustang is from just outside of Sacramento in Wilton, California, which is about 450 miles north of Auto Club Speedway. The 24-year-old is currently 22nd in the series standings after posting an average finish of 27.8 in his first four starts of the season. Lupton made his series track debut and lone start at Auto Club Speedway in 2016, where he started 22nd but finished 36th after being caught in an incident on Lap 56. “Auto Club Speedway is my favorite track that we race at all year long,” said Lupton. “The worn-out surface, the seams, and all the different lanes you can run on the track makes Auto Club really unique. I look forward to racing in my home state and having my friends, family, and Fatal Clothing guests join us at the track this weekend.” Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, is from Corning, California, which is about 550 miles north of Auto Club Speedway. The 22-year-old Reddick is currently second in the series standings, just one point behind his JRM teammate and the series standings leader Elliott Sadler. In the first four races of the season, Reddick has posted one win (Daytona) and three top 10s. His average finish of 9.5 this season is second only to Sadler’s 5.3 among title contenders this season. Reddick will be making his NASCAR national series track debut at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. Impressive Part-Timers Nemechek And Preece Return Two talented drivers who have made the most of their recent part-time status in the NASCAR Xfinity Series are Chip Ganassi Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ryan Preece. Both are returning this weekend for Saturday’s California 300 at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). John Hunter Nemechek made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway for Chip Ganassi Racing two weeks back, and did so in impressive fashion by etching his name alongside just 21 other drivers in NASCAR Xfinity Series history to finish in the top-four in their series debut. Nemechek is the second driver this season to accomplish the feat, joining Kaz Grala who also finished fourth at Daytona in the season-opener. This weekend, Nemechek will again be piloting the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro with crew chief Mike Shiplett. Nemechek will be leaning on Shiplett quite a bit this week as it will be his series track debut, and because Shiplett led Nemechek’s CGR teammate Kyle Larson to the win at Auto Club Speedway last season. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ryan Preece has also returned and will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series season debut this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Preece has been climbing the NASCAR ladder in his career and each step he has taken he has impressed, especially last season when he signed with JGR to run four races. The 27-year-old from Berlin, Connecticut proved he deserves a shot by winning at Iowa and finishing in the top-five in the other three races. Preece made his series track debut at Auto Club Speedway in 2016, driving for JD Motorsports. He started 24th and finished 25th. Preece will be driving the No. 18 Toyota Camry with crew chief Eric Phillips on the pit box. Joe Gibbs Racing leads the series in wins at ACS with eight victories (Kyle Busch has five wins for JGR, Joey Logano has two and Tony Stewart has one). Double Dippers Just two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway this weekend – Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro) and Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang). Dillon and Logano are also the only former winners entered this weekend. Dillon captured the checkered flag at Auto Club in 2016 and Logano visited the ACS Victory Lane twice, in 2009 and 2012. Xfinity Stage Points Accumulators Through four races, stage points are proving to be evermore important to a title run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The following drivers are the top five in gathering stage points – Christopher Bell (40 stage points; which is 27.9% of his driver standings total), Justin Allgaier (38), Tyler Reddick (36), Daniel Hemric (31) and Elliott Sadler (24). Next Race: Stratosphere 200 The Place: Martinsville Speedway The Date: Saturday, March 24 The Time: 2 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 131.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 70), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250) source – NASCAR communications
