(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: As a result of the late February recent heavy rains, freezing cold weather, and rolling thunderstorms that battered Los Angeles and most of Southern California, from snow-capped Mt. Baldy and the majestic San Gabriel mountain range down to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA, this 50° breezy winter Sunday afternoon racing day was a perfect setting for the NASCAR Cup Series final event at the 2 mile oval racetrack.
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And add some very delightful news for the fans who overwhelmingly came out to support their favorite sporting event. Here’s why—due to the cancellation of Saturday’s Xfinity Series race because of the inclement weather, NASCAR fans were treated to a rare double-header event, as that race was scheduled just 1 hour after the Pala Casino 400 featured race.
We also bring you a great photo gallery with some behind the scenes activities showing pit crews and a short video of the cars as they raced in front of, and quickly past the 50,000 fans seated in the grandstands.
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[Overview]: The cold and overcast weather on this historic final Auto Club Speedway race-day, was a major factor in the strategic planning by the drivers, their crew chiefs, and their pit crews, when it came to the racing vehicles’ tires due to their constant high velocity accelerations, and mandatory braking over the 200 mile distance on the track surface, just for openers. Add in the split second reactions of drivers who were unable to see their comrades clearly at all times due to the congestion and proximity of their vehicles at critical moments of the race. Think of all those scenarios and then apply them to their critical air pressures, extreme tire wear and tear, the “weeping” track surface or defined as the “seeping” of much accumulated rainwater onto the asphalt race track. At the end of the day, there was certainly a lot to cope with, and a lot at stake, during this final and historic stop on the NASCAR Cup Series. From a lifelong NASCAR fan’s perspective, one could truly say—it was a great day at the Races!
[RACE SUMMARY]
It was a field of 36 cars and drivers that answered Grand Marshal, Michael Rooker’s call—“Drivers, start your engines!”
As a tribute to the City of Fontana’s faithful Auto Club Speedway fans through these 25 years of hosting racing events, NASCAR allowed all 36 drivers to show their gratitude by going (5) across during the pace laps before the green starting flag sent them off to their official start.
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For Stage 1, from Lap 1 to Lap 60, starting in the Row 1 pole position was #20/Christopher Bell/Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and to his immediate right was, #47/Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., followed in Row 2 by #22/Joey Logano and #48/Alex Bowman. Drivers had 10 laps in the books when the first yellow half appeared. And soon there would be more due to some of the incidental, but heavy bumping and grinding on the vehicles. First, there was a pit road penalty assessed to Martin Truex. Jr. for an uncontrolled tire. Battling for the Top 5 spots at this point were: Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Alex Bowman. Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace were also making their presence in the pack felt. At the end of this Stage, Daniel Suárez and Denny Hamlin looked like solid contenders.
Seated only in the Grandstand Areas, the “sold out” crowd’s reaction to the (10) car pile-up in Stage 2 (Lap 86) was palpable and worrisome due to the amount of favorite drivers it involved. Half escaped dire consequences and stayed in the race, but the other five, #20/Christopher Bell, #41/Ryan Preece, #45/Tyler Reddick, #16/AJ Allmendinger and #10/Aric Almirola, were done for the day due to mechanical and/or other problems associated with their vehicles.
Other drivers who sustained some non-disabling damage, but were not eliminated in this incident were: #12/Ryan Blaney, #6/Brad Keselowski, #38/Todd Gilliland, #51/Cody Ware and #77/Ty Dillon.
Stage 3 went as well as could be expected with some fierce competition for the lead. The quick new leader was #4/Kevin Harvick, followed by Busch, Logano, and Chastain. But shortly thereafter, #8/Kyle Busch, who started the race from the 21st spot, took the lead in Stage 3’s 165th lap from Ross Chastain, then regained it on Lap (180) at the end of a cycle of green-flag pit stops, as the race ran under green for the final (55) laps. And from then on, he drove determinedly hard, moderately cautious, and assuredly confident to the finish. Everything was working in great synergy and harmony, from tires, suspensions, fuel consumption, windshield maintenance, all the way to his outstanding Crew Chief and pit crew. He took the checkered flag after (3) hours and (8:00) minutes of competitive racing and finished with a (:02.998) second lead over 2nd place finisher, Chase Elliott.
The NASCAR records now reflect for Busch’s career, the most consecutive years of Cup Series wins with (19), breaking the unforgettable and legendary Richard Petty’s record. It was his 61st career win among active drivers, putting him at 9th spot on the all-time list. He also won his 5th Auto Club Speedway race, and his name will be recorded for the record books as the final winner of this well-loved event.
The Pala Casino 400 winner, who was the 3rd place finisher here in Los Angeles for the Busch Light Clash At The Coliseum, on 2/5, and drove the Lucas Oil–Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing (RCR), had this to say about his owners, his crew chief, and the race.
“I can’t thank Richard and Judy (Childress) enough, Austin (Dillon) for calling me and getting me talking and getting me the opportunity to come over here to RCR.”
“The guys did a great job. (Crew Chief/Randall Burnett)—everybody that worked so hard in the offseason. We did a lot of sim stuff, a lot of testing in general, just trying to get up to speed. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to go to Victory Lane.”
“You put yourself in a different situation and you’re able to reward your guys. It’s not about me always winning, but about the guys. I’ve worked with a lot of great people who’ve given me a lot of great opportunities in my career. It’s awesome to be able to reward them.”
Included in our coverage, we are keeping our new and watchful eye on Mexican driver, #99/Daniel Suárez/Freeway Insurance/Chevrolet, the (7) year veteran and native of Monterrey, Nuevo León, MX, and we’re glad to report that he finished in 4th place, earning (47) points. In his best showing to date, he was in the mix during Phase 2 as he challenged for the lead, moving up to as high as 3rd place, but then dropped back to the middle of the pack, at the start of the 3rd and final Stage of the race. Suárez did find himself at an unexpected disadvantage during Stage 2 as he was penalized for a mistake that occurred on pit road. But with good fortune, excellent driving skills, a lot of patience, and his crew chief’s great situational awareness, he managed to work his way back for a “Top 5” finish.
Also on our radar screen is #23/William Darrell “Bubba” Wallace/Leidos Toyota/23XI, who bowed out at the (173) lap mark due to engine problems and wound up finishing in 30th place. Wallace earned (7) points for his day. He began his NASCAR career, when in 2010 he drove for Rev Racing as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program and was signed as a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. He soon became the first African-American driver to win the Rookie of the Year award in a NASCAR series.
We will also be looking more at #10/Aric Almirola, the Cuban-American driver for Ford/Smithfield, Stewart Haas Racing, who is starting to attract more attention to himself with excellent performances in this season’s NASCAR Cup Series.
The Daytona 500 winner, #47/Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., encountered several issues with his vehicle but managed to complete the race. He finished in 12th place, earning (25) points to his Series credit.
{NOTEWORTHY AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY/PALA CASINO 400 RACE STATS}
[Attendance 50,000/Sold-out]
{200 Mile Stage Leaders}
[Stage 1/60 laps]: #1/Ross Chastain/Kubota Chevrolet/Trackhouse Racing Team
[Stage 2/60 laps]: #1/Ross Chastain/Kubota Chevrolet
[Stage 3/80 laps]: Top 3 Positions – Ross Chastain/Kyle Busch, #22/Joey Logano
[Most Laps Led]: #1/Ross Chastain (91)
[Caution Flags]: (8) for (38) laps
[Lead Changes]: (28) among (13) drivers
[TOP 10 Finishers & Starting Positions in Parentheses]
1. (21) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 200.
2. (33) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.
3. (8) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.
4. (7) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 200
5. (10) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 200.
6. (13) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
7. (16) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.
8. (4) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 200.
9. (28) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
10. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
[Las Vegas Motor Speedway Results from 3/5/23]:
Pennzoil 400/1st- William Byron; 2nd-Kyle Larson; 3rd- Alex Bowman; 4th-Bubba Wallace; 5th- Christopher Bell
[Next Stop]:
Sunday, March 12th, 12:30 PM PT; United Rentals Work United 500; PHOENIX RACEWAY; Avondale, Arizona- 312 laps / 312 miles
