Auto Club Speedway
Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022
2-Mile Oval
3:30 PM ET
Location: Fontana, California
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (2 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 26th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
I SECOND THAT: On March 26, 2017, at Auto Club Speedway, Kyle Larson started first and led 110 of 202 laps en route to his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory. In a Chip Ganassi Racing entry, the 2014 rookie of the year led the final six circuits around the 2-mile track in Fontana, California.
2-MILERS: Michigan International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway are the only active 2-mile circuits on the Cup Series schedule. Larson holds a 12.75 average finishing position on the two tracks, which ranks third among active drivers. He trails only Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott (8.25) and Joey Logano (12.72) in that statistical category.
DAYTONA 475: Larson, who won the pole award for Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, led the field to the green flag in “The Great American Race” at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Larson was in position to battle for the win before his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 was collected in a multi-car accident with 10 laps to go in the race scheduled for 500 miles. The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion finished 32nd and is now 26th in the driver standings after one event.
TWO STRAIGHT: Dating back to the 2021 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Larson has won two consecutive pole positions. If the Elk Grove, California, native wins the pole for this weekend’s race, it will mark the first time a driver has won three straight since Kyle Busch did it in 2017. The last Hendrick Motorsports driver to accomplish the feat was Jeff Gordon in 2007.
TOPS SINCE THEN: The last time NASCAR’s premier series raced at Fontana was March 1, 2020. That event marked seven-time Cup Series champion and all-time ACS wins leader (six) Jimmie Johnson’s final start at the West Coast track. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman led 110 laps that day to capture the victory. Since then, Larson has paced the field 2,584 times in Cup Series competition, the most of any driver. The 29-year-old driver has done so while competing in only 38 of the 70 races held during that span.
CAREER YEAR: In 2021, Larson led the Cup Series in wins (10), top-five finishes (20), top-10s (26), stage wins (18), laps led (2,581) and average start (6.1) – all career-bests. His laps led in 2021 were more than the combined total of the second- and third-place drivers in that statistical category.
QUICK TIME: At 11.501 seconds, the No. 5 pit crew had the quickest four-tire pit stop in the 2022 DAYTONA 500. The over-the-wall crew is comprised of gasman Brandon Harder, jackman Brandon Johnson, tire carrier R.J. Barnette and tire changers Donnie Tasser (front) and Calvin Teague (rear). Their final performance of 2021 – a 12.345-second four-tire stop at Phoenix Raceway – moved Larson from fourth to first for the final restart and propelled the 29-year-old driver to his first Cup Series championship.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. From the convenience of home, customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.
WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HendrickCars.com.
OVER $200K: In March, Larson launched the Kyle Larson Foundation, which was established to better serve today’s youth, families and communities in need through hands-on support. The Sanneh Foundation and the Urban Youth Racing School are the primary beneficiaries of the foundation, which will also work closely with Hendrick Cares, the corporate social responsibility program of Hendrick Automotive Group. To kickstart the “Drive for 5,” Larson pledged a personal donation of $5 for every Cup Series lap he completed in 2021 and contributed another $5,000 for every top-five finish he earned. After 36 races, he pledged more than $140,000 and raised more than $200,000. To learn more, please visit KyleLarsonFoundation.org.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 26 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 10th
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
CONSISTENT AT ACS: On Sunday, Chase Elliott will make his sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at Auto Club Speedway. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s most recent start there in 2020 resulted in a fourth-place finish, his best at the 2-mile oval. While Elliott has never won a the track, he leads all active drivers there with an average finish of 9.4.
2-MILE STATS: This weekend, Elliott is set to make his 17th Cup start at a 2-mile track (ACS and Michigan International Speedway). In his 16 previous appearances, he has earned four top-five finishes – including three runner-up efforts – and 13 top-10 finishes.
GUSTAFSON AT ACS: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 23rd race from atop the pit box at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday. In his previous 22 starts at the Fontana, California, track, he has one win, five top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. His sole win at ACS came in September 2005 with driver Kyle Busch, marking his first career Cup victory as a crew chief.
COMING HOME TO CALI: No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS rear-tire changer Chad Avrit will compete at his home track in the Golden State this weekend. Avrit grew up in El Centro, California, and was an avid surfer before moving to Mooresville, North Carolina, to pursue a career in motor sports. When not at the track, he enjoys spending time with his two sons, hanging out on the lake and mountain biking.
FIVE MORE YEARS: On Sunday, it was announced that Hendrick Motorsports and Elliott reached a five-year contract extension that will keep the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion with the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team through the end of 2027. Elliott’s previous contract with Hendrick Motorsports ran through 2022.
DAYTONA REWIND: Elliott was the highest-finishing Hendrick Motorsports driver Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. The 26-year-old earned a 10th-place result, battling back after being involved in a late-race multi-car incident in the DAYTONA 500. Coming out of the weekend, Elliott sits 10th in the Cup Series standings.
NAPA KNOWS CALIFORNIA: This weekend, NAPA AUTO PARTS will serve as the No. 9 team’s primary partner. The Atlanta-based company’s colors have been on board Elliott’s Chevrolet for every one of his previous seven career starts across the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at ACS.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 35th
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
FONTANA FACTS: Checking in for the first stop on NASCAR’s West Coast swing, William Byron will make his fourth career Cup Series start at Auto Club Speedway this weekend in his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In three previous starts at the 2-mile oval, Byron has turned in three 15th-place finishes, which is the eighth-best average finish at ACS among active drivers. In fact, Byron has led laps in all three of his starts at the California track, the longest active streak in the field currently. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start under his belt at ACS in 2017 when he started from the sixth position and crossed the finish line in fifth.
DEUCES: The Cup Series races at 2-mile tracks twice a year, but when they do, Byron is one of the most consistent active drivers. With his results at ACS and Michigan International Speedway, Byron holds an average finish of 14.8 – eighth-best in the Cup Series.
BACK TO THE ROOTS: Byron competed in a super late model at New Smyrna Speedway during his time in Florida for the DAYTONA 500. The Cup Series driver raced the No. 24 for Wilson Motorsports three times across the week during the World Series of Asphalt event. On Sunday, Feb. 13, Byron suffered a mechanical issue in qualifying but was able to race his way to a ninth-place effort after 35 laps. The next day, Byron started fifth and hunted down the leaders late in the event to score the win in Monday’s 100-lap event. Looking for more, he returned to New Smyrna on Saturday and dominated, leading 76 laps en route to his second win of the week.
THREE FOR THE 24: In the Cup Series, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team has reached victory lane on three different occasions at ACS. The three wins tie the No. 24 with two other car numbers for the second-most wins at the California track behind only the No. 48 of Hendrick Motorsports, which has six. Byron hopes to add to that tradition with a victory in Sunday’s race.
FUGLE’S FIRST: While this may be crew chief Rudy Fugle’s sophomore season in the Cup Series, Sunday’s race will be his first at Auto Club Speedway at the highest level of competition. The Livonia, New York, native has three previous NASCAR starts at the 2-mile oval, all coming in the Xfinity Series. In those three starts, Fugle’s best finish came in 2009 with Michael Annett where the duo scored a sixth-place effort.
AXALTA AGAIN: After making its 2022 debut during last week’s DAYTONA 500, Axalta will adorn Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 once again for Sunday’s race in Fontana, California. Now in its 30th year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta will return as a primary partner on Byron’s No. 24 in 2021. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 25th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
FONTANA’S FINEST: Alex Bowman returns to Auto Club Speedway as the defending race winner. Due to the pandemic, the most recent time the NASCAR Cup Series visited the track was during the 2020 season. In that race, Bowman dominated, winning the first stage and leading 110 total laps en route to his second career Cup win. The driver won the race by a commanding 8.9 seconds.
WALK THIS WAY: Bowman will be inducted into Auto Club Speedway’s Walk of Fame on Saturday at 8 a.m. PT. The induction comes after his impressive win in the 2020 season. Hendrick Motorsports is well represented there, as Bowman will join previous inductees Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Bowman led the third-most laps of his career (110) en route to his win at Auto Club Speedway in 2020. His second-most came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2020 (164 laps led), and his personal best came at Phoenix Raceway in November 2016 (194).
IVES AT FONTANA: Crew chief Greg Ives will lead Bowman and the No. 48 team for the second points-paying race of the 2022 season at Fontana. Ives called the shots for Bowman’s 2020 performance that saw him lead 110 laps en route to the driver’s second Cup Series win. At Auto Club Speedway, Ives has tallied one victory, one top-five finish, two top-10s and has an average finish of 11.3. Before climbing atop the pit box, he was a race engineer for the No. 48 team from 2006-2012 when he garnered four wins, two pole awards and nine top-five finishes at the track.
STILL FAST: The No. 48 pit crew posted the fourth-fastest pit stop of Sunday’s season-opening DAYTONA 500, clocking in at 12.3 seconds on lap 130. The 2022 pit crew is made up of front-tire changer Scott Brzozowski, rear-tire changer Devin DelRicco, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Eric Ludwig, and fueler Jacob Conley.
SAVE THEM ALL: In 2022, Bowman and primary sponsor Ally are bringing back the Best Friends Animal Society’s year-long donation effort. Ally and Bowman are committed to donating $4,800 each week to Best Friends and a local network partner in the race market. The driver has committed a $48,000 donation to Best Friends that will be divided equally each week to support Best Friends. If the No. 48 team wins, Ally will increase its donation to $10,000. Bowman and Ally donated $4,800 to the Halifax Humane Society after kicking off the season at the DAYTONA 500.
SPEEDSTERS: With Kyle Larson earning the top starting spot for the season-opening DAYTONA 500, Hendrick Motorsports has won the pole position in four consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races where time trials were held. No team has won five poles in a row since Hendrick Motorsports accomplished the feat in 1986. The organization has now won at least one Cup Series pole in 39 consecutive seasons – every year since the team was founded in 1984. Hendrick Motorsports holds the all-time record with 232 Cup-level pole positions.
HIGH PERCENTAGE: Entering Sunday’s showdown at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Hendrick Motorsports has won 35% of the Cup Series races held there. The team went to victory lane with driver Jeff Gordon in the track’s inaugural event in 1997 and has won 11 of its 31 races.
CALIFORNIA LOVE: With 21 combined wins, no organization has enjoyed more success in the state of California than Hendrick Motorsports. In addition to its 11 wins at Auto Club Speedway, the team has earned seven at Sonoma Raceway and three at the defunct Riverside International Raceway. No other outfit has more than 10 combined Cup Series victories in the Golden State.
FONTANA FIRSTS: Hendrick Motorsports’ first win of a Cup Series season has come at Auto Club Speedway three times: 2002, 2010 and 2020. On six occasions, the team has earned its first win of the year in second race on the calendar: Rockingham Speedway in 1995 and 1998, Auto Club Speedway in 2010, Phoenix Raceway in 2011, and Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2015 and 2016.
SWING FOR THE FENCE: Historically, the long trek to the West Coast has been worth the trip for Hendrick Motorsports. The team has 39 combined points-paying wins at the tracks of Phoenix (12), Fontana (11), Sonoma (seven), Las Vegas (six) and Riverside (three). Hendrick Motorsports’ victory tally at those tracks is 16 more than second-best RFK Racing and 20 more than third-best Joe Gibbs Racing.
BACK FOR MORE: Entering the 2022 NASCAR season, Hendrick Motorsports will seek to defend as Cup Series champions and extend its current streak of consecutive titles to three. Chase Elliott won the coveted Bill France Cup in 2020, followed by teammate Larson in 2021. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 14 NASCAR Cup titles – the most in history – and holds series records in every major statistical category, including wins, pole positions and laps led.
BANNER YEAR: The 2021 season was one of the most memorable in the history of Hendrick Motorsports. In May, the team finished 1-2-3-4 at Dover Motor Speedway, won Chevrolet’s milestone 800th race at Circuit of The Americas and broke Petty Enterprises’ long-standing record for all-time Cup Series wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The organization recorded 17 points-paying victories, which rank as its second-most ever (18 in 2007). With its entire four-car stable contributing to the 2021 total, Hendrick Motorsports became the first team in Cup Series history with four race winners under the age of 30 in a single season. The year culminated with Larson’s victory at Phoenix Raceway, which clinched the organization’s record-extending 14th NASCAR Cup Series championship.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what to expect with Next Gen car at Auto Club Speedway: “I don’t know what to expect. Obviously, we will all learn a lot during practice and qualifying on Saturday. We used to run low for a few laps then move up a couple lanes. Then after seven or eight laps you could run all over the place. But I believe they put resin down, so I don’t know how that will affect it.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for the West Coast swing: “The West Coast swing is certainly a lot of work for the teams, but we have gotten accustomed to it over the years. There’s a lot of moving parts and pieces to get the cars and teams back and forth across the country. We don’t have an abundance of Next Gen parts right now, and we’re trying to be smart and diligent about the spare parts we do have. Everyone here at Hendrick Motorsports has done a great job of managing it (the West Coast swing) logistically in the past, and I know we will do so again in the coming weeks.”
Daniels on Auto Club Speedway: “It’s been a couple of years since we have been to Fontana, and I am definitely looking forward to it. Last time we were there (in 2020), we qualified on the front row with Jimmie (Johnson) and had a really strong race but missed an adjustment late that we needed. Now it’s a completely different car, different tire – everything is different. NASCAR is applying resin, which will change the characteristics and dynamics of the track surface. It’s going to be a big ‘guess’ for everyone in the field. And it’s a new weekend format with the short warmup followed by qualifying, but I have a lot of confidence in this HendrickCars.com team that we will be well prepared.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to Auto Club Speedway: “It doesn’t feel like it’s been two years. If you had told me we went there last year, I probably would have believed you. That’s how fast things have gone by the past couple of years. With these cars and what we’re doing setup-wise, it will be interesting how teams prepare for this track to not tear the underneath off the car and have it travel the way you need it to travel through the corners. I think that’s going to be a pretty steep learning curve for all of us. Somebody’s going to get it right and hopefully it’s us.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to Auto Club Speedway: “This race is one that I’ve been concerned about for a while. Not that I don’t love racing there. My first win was there. It’s a great track and fun to race on. The surface is really worn out. The back straightaway, they ground it down and are trying to rectify it as much as possible. We haven’t been there in two years, and we have a new car. So just a lot of unknowns, and with just 15 minutes of practice, it’s going to be really hard to get it right.”
Gustafson on the team’s expectations for the weekend: “Our expectation is to be perfect off the truck, but if not, we definitely have the mindset to be able to work through the weekend. For California and these next races coming up, guys are going to work on their cars more through the race and kind of evolve. It’s going to be a very tough race. Nobody’s car is going to drive perfect. Drivers will be able to move around and find some time in different lanes. They’re going to have to manage what they’ve got and get the most out of it. It’s going to be fun, but it’s going to be a challenge.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on why he feels optimistic racing at Auto Club Speedway: “It hasn’t been the best track in Cup for me, but I feel like that will likely change this year. I think I’ll have a better shot to compete there for a good finish if not the win. It’s a dynamic track that you will have to run in every lane to be successful. Honestly it drives a little bit like a short track in the corners. You have to revert back to what that feels like, but it’s also very fast down the straightaways. It’s a tough track that brings the best out of you.”
Byron on how important lane choice is at Auto Club Speedway: “You spend a lot of time listening to your spotter and your team on where other guys are running and what the data says. I think you also can feel a lot and see where other guys are running on track around you. It’s a track where you try to get out of the wake of the guy in front of you and try to find a lane that has clean air. I think that’s what makes it such a good race, you can find different lanes to run and you’re not dependent on the guy in front of you holding you up. It’s fun in that aspect. It really is a race-the-racetrack type of place. You can’t air-block somebody because they’re just going to find a new lane.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on why he likes Auto Club Speedway: “This used to be one of my favorite tracks and I’m excited to get back there. It’s been a while since I’ve been and I’m sure the track characteristics have changed a lot, but that’s what I love about it. This is a track where it takes everything to have a good run. You need the right car setup, great pit stops, the right strategy with tires being such a big factor, and a driver who knows when to be aggressive. It’s really a track that highlights who has it all clicking. One mistake shows a lot. This will be my first Cup start at Auto Club, but I’m more than ready to get there and see what we have.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on defending his 2020 Fontana win: “I’m excited to get back to Fontana. I feel like we had the best car we have had ever when we raced there in 2020. I love the track and how big it is, so going back with a win in my last appearance and a lot of good thoughts gives me a lot of confidence. Obviously, the car is different so we can’t lean too much on our notes from last time, but I know our team will put together a great car for this year’s event.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to Fontana: “When Fontana came off the schedule, I was pretty bummed about it especially with the way we ran in 2020. When I saw we got the chance to go back there, I was obviously pretty excited. We are still expecting to race well even though we have the Next Gen car, which is not the same as the Gen Six car. The racetrack is fun to drive. There is a lot of character to it, and you are able to run the bottom apron all the way to the wall, so it gives us a lot of options. There will be a lot of tire wear and I’m sure pit strategy will come into play. I’m looking forward to bringing a lot of speed with another great No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with this high-horsepower package.”
