The craziness started before the green flag flew to get today’s Auto Club 400 from Auto Club Speedway underway. J.D. Gibbs announced about 30 minutes prior to the command to fire engines that Denny Hamlin wouldn’t race due to a sinus infection that affected his vision. He was transferred to a local hospital and Sam Hornish Jr. filled in for him in the No. 11 FedEx Camry, which eventually finished in 17th position. Also, something non-human gave the command to fire engines. It was Gonzo from The Muppets. Now, let’s get to the actual racing aspect of today.
Fontana set the track record for lead changes with 35 today, and Goodyear almost set the record for blown tires as around 15-20 cars had tire troubles. Some Goodyear executives said that it was due to the aggressive setups and the bumps on the backstretch, but nonetheless, Kyle Busch survived the troubles and came home with the win for a second straight year after an exciting green/white/checkered finish.
But let’s go back a few laps. Jimmie Johnson was leading the field, like he was for most of the day, but the tire trouble struck him with fewer than 10 laps remaining as a left front blew, spoiling his bid to win at his home track as he did to get his first career win. That handed the lead over to Jeff Gordon, who was experiencing a vibration as he was trying to chase down the No. 48 car. But with 2 laps to go, Clint Bowyer lost a tire and spun in turn 4 prior to the leader getting the white flag, bringing out the ninth and final caution of the afternoon.
Some cars took 2 tires (Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart), some took 4 tires (Kyle Busch was the first car off the pit road with four fresh ones) and some stayed out on the track (Landon Cassill) because they had nothing really to lose! On the restart, the No. 40 of Cassil was eaten up quickly as Kurt Busch and SHR teammate Tony Stewart ran first and second for the first lap and a half or so. They finished 3rd and 5th respectively. Then, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, Saturdays TreatMyClot.com 300 winner, got by the cars on two tires to battle for the lead and the race win.
The No. 42 car dive bombed it onto the apron in turn 3 as the No. 18 was just above the apron, but Busch had just enough momentum to get up off turn 4, clear Larson and secure a spot in the 2014 Chase for his No. 18 Interstate Batteries team.
As for the drivers that have already punched their tickets to the chase, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came home in 12th after having some tire issues, Kevin Harvick came home in 36th place, multiple laps down after blowing two tires. Brad Keselowski also had tire issues and came home in 26th place. Carl Edwards finished in 10th place after, yup, you guessed it, having a tire issue just past halfway in this afternoon’s race.
Almost every single car that had the lead under green at some point in the race had tire issues. But in the end, the one that prevailed after a last lap pass was Kyle Busch, who only led 5 laps today, but also led the most important one.
So, what did we learn today? 1).Tony Stewart is back, no matter what anybody says getting his 2nd straight top-5 finish. 2). Goodyear might have to tweak the tire for the race at this track later this season. 3). Auto Club Speedway might need to repave this race track in the next couple years, although the drivers and fans love the racing here due to the multiple grooves and last but certainly not least, 4). Kyle Busch is a wheel man, but I think we all already knew that one.
Next week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back east to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, the oldest track on the circuit. The Hendrick Motorsports cars (No. 24 and No. 48 in particular) have the momentum heading into one of their favorite tracks, even though the results today might make it seem otherwise. If you’re a NASCAR fan and you watched the NNS & NSCS races this weekend at Fontana, there isn’t one reason you shouldn’t walk away smiling at the racing that took place this weekend, because it was nothing short of stellar.
