Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance
Auto Club 400
Auto Club Speedway
Sunday, March 27, 2011
DODGE MOTORSPORTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We’ve had a solid start to our 2011 season and I’m so proud of the great job everyone on our ‘Double Deuce’ Dodge team has done. Four races and four top-10 finishes – that’s laying a pretty good foundation – but there’s never any time in our sport to rest on your laurels. It’s always a ‘you snooze and you lose’ situation out there.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Auto Club Dodge Charger R/T
DODGE NEWS AND NOTES • Dodge’s Kurt Busch is the only Sprint Cup driver who has recorded top-10 finishes in all four races this season. • A Dodge driver sits atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings for the first time since Kurt Busch held the lead following the 2009 spring event at Talladega Superspeedway.
DODGE AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
• Dodge has one Sprint Cup win at Auto Club Speedway (Kasey Kahne – 2006).
• A Dodge has started from the pole four times at Auto Club Speedway. The most recent came at the fall event in 2007 when Kurt Busch recorded one of his three career poles at the two-mile track. He has started from the pole at ACS more than any other track. He started from the pole at both events in 2006, his first with Penske Racing.
THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge has 207 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.
• Dodge’s most recent win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch led 252 of 400 laps en route to victory in the 2010 Coca-Cola 600.
• Dodge claimed two Sprint Cup victories in 2010.
• Dodge teams have posted 47 wins since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
• Dodge has posted wins each season since it’s return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).
DODGE HISTORICAL DATA
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.
• Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Win at Auto Club Speedway: Kasey Kahne, 5/4/04, Sony HD 500, 137.268 mph avg. speed.
FROM THE ENGINEER “Going from the tight half-mile confines and high banks of Bristol to the wide open and flat spaces of Auto Club Speedway will be a big adjustment for drivers and teams alike this week. From 120 mph laps at Bristol to 190 mph laps at Auto Club Speedway means aerodynamics and engine reliability are going to be major concerns for every team. The wide flat corners mean drivers need maximum aerodynamic downforce to maintain their momentum lap after lap and the long sweeping straight-aways mean that engines will be strained to their breaking point for more than thirty seconds of every lap. Worrying about both problems will likely keep crew chiefs awake at night this weekend.” Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports Engineering
FROM THE ENGINE DEPARTMENT “The top RPM is 9800 for five hours. Auto Club Speedway is the most demanding track because of the wide RPM range we experience there. The engine sweeps thru the peak torque point two times every lap and also sustains very high RPM down the front stretch. It is the ultimate test of engine reliability in my opinion.” Scott Corriher, Penske Racing
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Dodge’s Kurt Busch leads all Cup drivers with three poles at Auto Club Speedway.
• Dodge’s Brad Keselowski earned his second top 20 of the season last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 18th in his Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Penske Dodges will test at the half-mile oval of Gresham Motorsports Park just outside of Atlanta this week.
DID YOU KNOW
• There have been 129 Sprint Cup races at 15 California tracks over the years. Of the 15, only two continue to host Cup events – Auto Club Speedway and Infineon Raceway. Riverside International Raceway hosted 48 events before the final race in 1988.
• The Sprint Cup champion the last five seasons has averaged 23 (63%) top 10s in the 36 point races.
• Penske Racing has two wins at Auto Club Speedway.
• Only one of the 21 races at Auto Club Speedway has been won from the pole; 10 of the 21 races have been won from starting positions outside the top 10.
2011 SPRINT CUP SERIES SEASON BEST
• Kurt Busch Start: 2nd – Phoenix Finish: 5th – Daytona • Brad Keselowski Start: 9th – Phoenix Finish: 15th – Phoenix • Robby Gordon Start: 30th – Daytona Finish: 16th – Daytona AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY BEST
• Kurt Busch Start – Pole (2006 both, 2007 fall) Finish – Win (2003) • Brad Keselowski Start – 21st (2010 spring) Finish – 21st (2010 spring) • Robby Gordon Start – 12th (2009 spring) Finish – 9th (2004 fall)
DODGE QUOTES “When we finished seventh last Sunday at Bristol, that’s pretty much what was going through my head is that yes, it was another top-10 finish, but it should have been better. Like I told them after the race, it was a point-leader type effort and finish. We just have to keep pushing hard and find the ‘mojo’ we need to run up front and compete for the win.” Kurt Busch, No. 22 Auto Club Dodge Charger R/T
“We ran really well with the Nationwide car at Auto Club Speedway last year. That was a huge boost of confidence for me because it has been one of the tougher tracks for me over the years. I’m really looking forward to going back this weekend and having a solid race with the Cup car. The Cup car was a little up and down last year at Fontana, but it was really fast at times. Everyone on the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge is excited about the car we are taking this weekend. There has been a lot of work put into it and I think it will race well.” Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T
“Heading to California is going to be a fun weekend. Fontana is a track where I grew up from 30 miles away and have a lot of friend and family in the area. We’ve got a local company on board for us – Food 4 Less. It’s going to be an exciting weekend. We need to get a good result and go out and score some points for this SPEED Energy Dodge.” Robby Gordon, No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger R/T
