NASCAR Pre-race: FOX - 2:30pm/et

Television Race Coverage: FOX, 3:00pm/et

In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda

Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip

Virtual Garage: Jeff Hammond

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 12:30 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times: Wednesday, March 28 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

motorracingnetwork.com

MRN Live Streaming

siriusxm.com

Practices:
Friday, March 23, 3:00 - 4:30pm/et, TV-SPEED
Saturday, March 24, 12:30 - 1:20 pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Saturday, March 24, 3:50 - 4:50pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, March 23 at 7:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, re-air scheduled for 10:30pm/et.

Track Specifications:
Track/Race Length: 2.0 mile D-shaped oval, 200 laps, 400 miles
Superspeedway: 2.0-mile oval 75 feet wide with a 15 foot apron
Banking: turns: 14°; frontstretch 11°; backstretch 3°
Front Stretch: 3,100feet
Back Stretch: 2,500feet
Pit Road: 2,200 feet long with 44 individual pit stalls
Pit Road Speed: 55mph
Pace Car Speed: 60mph
Approx: 1,800 Infield RV spaces
Grandstand seating capacity: 92,000
Seating Chart
Opened: 1997

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: The Three Stooges: Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos
Command to start engines: The Three Stooges
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Actress Kristy Swanson
Invocation: MRO's Jeff Hamilton
National Anthem: Night Ranger
Military Flyover: Two F-18 Hornets, ATE Squadron 9. China Lake, CA

Track Websites:
Auto Club Speedway
ISC Motorsports
Auto Club Speedway - Twitter
Auto Club Speedway - Facebook
Auto Club Speedway - MySpace

March 2011: see my Auto Club Race Info page

March 2011 Race Winner: #29-Kevin Harvick, 150.849, started 24th

March 2011 Pole Sitter: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, 184.653, finished 10th

The Numbers for the Auto Club 400, Caution Recap:
2  races won from the front row at Auto Club Speedway; one from the pole (2008, Jimmie Johnson)
4  number of drivers that have competed in all 22 races at ACS (Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek)
4  fewest cautions for a Sprint Cup race (twice, most recently 3/27/11)
8  number of jet dryers available for track drying during race weekend
9  most wins by a car owner in previous 22 races (Rick Hendrick)
11  races won from a starting spot outside the top 10
12  most cautions (2/24/08)
14  different winners in previous 22 races
15  different pole winners
16  fewest caution laps (3/27/11)
18  fewest lead changes (three times, most recent 3/27/11)
33  most lead changes (2/24/08)
51  most caution laps (9/5/04)
120  minutes, the amount of time it takes to dry the 2.0-mile track after a significant rainfall
188.245  mph, track qualifying record (Kyle Busch, 1/25/05)
1995  year track construction began on site of the former Kaiser Steel Mill; completed in 1996
1997  year first Sprint Cup race held at the track (6/22/97)
2008  year facility changed name from California Speedway to Auto Club Speedway
2012 Caution Recap
30  cautions in the first four Sprint Cup races; 41 after four races last year
16 of 30  cautions have been for accidents; 24 of 41 for accidents last year
161 of 1,281 laps completed have been under caution; 195 of 1,287 in 2011
217.617 of 1,484.000 miles completed have been under caution; 275.881 of 1,499.000 in 2011
BONUS: Although only two tracks currently host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, 15 California tracks have hosted a total of 131 Sprint Cup races over the years. Riverside International Raceway had the most  48  with the last event in 1988. Only Riverside, Ontario Motor Speedway (nine) and the two tracks currently on the Sprint Cup schedule  Auto Club Speedway (22) and Infineon Raceway (23)  have hosted more than six Cup races.(Darnell Communications for SRT Motorsports & Dodge)(3-22-2012)

Facts & Notes Auto Club Speedway:
· Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.
· The first race at Auto Club Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 22, 1997 and won by Jeff Gordon.
· September 2004 was the first night race at Auto Club Speedway and that also was the first year both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series ran two races in a season there.
· The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway in February 2008.
· There have been 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway since the track opened in 1997.
· Four drivers have competed in all 22 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
· Joe Nemechek won the pole for the inaugural race in 1997.
· There have been 15 different pole winners, led by Kurt Busch (three). Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon each have two poles.
· Fifteen different drivers have posted victories. Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with five wins. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth each have won three races.
· Hendrick Motorsports has won nine races, more than any other team.
· Eleven of the 22 races were won from starting positions outside the top 10; only one has been won from the pole (Jimmie Johnson in 2008). The most prolific two starting positions are third and 24th, with three victories each.
· Matt Kenseth won the 2006 spring race from the 31st starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Jimmie Johnson (5.1), Carl Edwards (9.0) and Matt Kenseth (9.9).
· Jimmie Johnson (9.0) is the only active driver to have an average starting position in the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway.
· Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole (2/05) and first race (9/05) at Auto Club Speedway.
· Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at ASC on April 28, 2002.(NASCAR)(3-20-2012)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Auto Club Speed Track News/Rumors/Links page

Stewart wins at Auto Club: #14-Tony Stewart won the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway for his 2nd win of the year, his 2nd at ACS and 46th win of his career. The race was called early after 129 of 200 scheduled laps due to rain. #18-Busch led the most laps with 18.
#18-Busch finished 2nd followed by #88-Earnhardt Jr., #29-Harvick, #99-Edwards, #16-Biffle, #39-Newman, #56-Truex Jr., #51-Busch and #48-Johnson. The pole sitter, #11-Hamlin, led 2 laps and finished 12th after pitting just before the rain came. #48-Johnson's car was smoking from a hole in the oil cooler just before the rain fell and finished 10th.
There were 1 cautions for 5 yellow flag laps. There were 9 lead changes among 5 drivers. The estimated attendence was 90,000, up from 88,000 in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Auto Club Race Results page (pdf).(3-25-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Auto Club, race 5 of 36]
1) #16-Greg Biffle [0 wins], 195
2) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 188, -7
3) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 178, -17
4) #14-Tony Stewart [2 wins], 177, -18
5) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 175, -20
6) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 173, -22
7) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 171, -24
8) #15-Clint Bowyer [0 wins], 157, -38
9) #48-Jimmie Johnson [0 wins], 156, -39
10) #39-Ryan Newman [0 wins], 155, -40
11) #27-Paul Menard [0 wins], 148, -47
12) #99-Carl Edwards [0 wins], 146, -49
13) #20-Joey Logano [0 wins], 146, -49
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings page (pdf).
and Owners Points on the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).(3-25-2012)

Race Fast Facts - Auto Club Speedway:
#14-Tony Stewart won the 16th Annual Auto Club 400, his 46th victory in 469 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He ties Buck Baker for 14th on the all-time Sprint Cup Series win list.
This is his second victory and second top-10 finish in 2012.
This is his second victory and 12th top-10 finish in 21 races at Auto Club Speedway. His previous win came on Oct. 10, 2010.
#18-Kyle Busch (second) posted his 10th top-10 finish in 15 races at Auto Club Speedway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2012.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 20 races at Auto Club Speedway.
#26-Josh Wise (37th) was the highest finishing rookie.
#16-Greg Biffle leads the point standings by 7 points over #29-Kevin Harvick.
This is the first Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway to be shortened by weather.
The last NSCS race to be stopped short of its scheduled distance was in 2009 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (winner Joey Logano).(NASCAR Statistics)(3-25-2012)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Martinsville:
#10 moved back into the top 35, falling out was the #83 team by 5 points over the #33 & #10 and has to race into Martinsville.
After Auto Club Speedway, 2012 owners points will be used to set the top-35 in owners points each week.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
29) #13-Mears/Germain, 81, +19
30) #93-Kvapil/BK Racing, 80, +18,
31) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane Racing, 80, +18
32) #38-Gilliland/Front Row, 80, +18
33) #34-Ragan/Front Row, 79, +17
34) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 67, +5
35) #33-Guaghan/Childress, 67, +5 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 62, -5 from the top 35
37) #30-Stremme/Inception, 44, -23
38) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers, 44, -23
39) #26-Wise/Front Row, 43, -24
40) #49-Yeley/Robinson, 42, -25
41) #98-McDowell/Parsons, 40, -27
42) #87-Nemechek/NEMCO, 27, -40
After the race at Auto Club Speedway, the 5th race of the season, teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).(3-25-2012)

Auto Club Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Tony Stewart scored his 46th career win in his 467th career race.
" Tony Stewart posted his second career win at ACS in his 21st start; he has won two of the past three races there.
" Tony Stewart scored his second win of 2012, the first driver to win multiple races this season; he has won seven of the past 15 races, dating to Chicagoland (September 2011).
" Tony Stewart scored his third career win in a rain-shortened event: Michigan (June 2000), New Hampshire (July 2000).
" This is the first race to be rain-shortened since June 2009 at New Hampshire.
" Tony Stwart led twice for 42 laps, including the final 22.
" Stewart-Haas Racing posted its 15th career win.
" Chevrolet scored its 12th win at ACS, most of all makes; it has won the past five races there.
" Kyle Busch (second) scored his best 2012 finish; he led a race high 80 laps.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr. (third) has finished 15th or better in all five races in 2012.
" Kevin Harvick (fourth) has finished 11th or better in all five races this season.
" Carl Edwards (fifth) matched his best finish in 2012; he also finished fifth at Las Vegas.
" Greg Biffle (sixth) scored his fourth top-10 in five races this season; all five of his finishes are 13th or better.
" Martin Truex Jr.(eighth) posted his best finish and only top-10 in the past seven races at ACS.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(3-25-2012)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Auto Club: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #22-Allmendinger, 15th
(3-25-2012)

Race Coverage of the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, March 25, 2012.
Television (TV): FOX at 3:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 2:30 pm/et; green flag approx 3:16pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: on SPEED, Wednesday, March 28 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #11-Hamlin chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #18-Busch took pit stall 12A(13), the first pitstall in front of the start finish line.
#55-Martin, who starts 3rd took the 12th pit stall, the 1st stall with an opening behind it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #39-Newman, who starts 6th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(3-24-2012)

Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Starting Lineup
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 2 Speeds
Qualifying Results
Practice 1 Speeds page

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.

See Jayski's - 2012 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Happy Hour practice for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over, after 60 scheduled minutes, the top five fastest, slowest, notes:
#11-Hamlin 182.034 mph
#24-Gordon 181.360
#15-Bowyer 181.214
#1-McMurray 181.132
#18-Busch 181.050
slowest: #23-Riggs 173.837 & #19-Bliss 174.250
no speed listed: #30-Stremme
See fastest speeds, best ten-lap averages. laps run and more on the Auto Club Happy Hour Practice Speeds (pdf), no average speeds all laps and NOT changing back to the old way, just posting the pdf's.(3-24-2012)

Saturday's first practice for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five fastest, slowest, notes:
#11-Hamlin 186.018 mph
#17-Kenseth 185.209
#39-Newman 184.928
#14-Stewart 184.554
#29-Havick 184.270
slowest: #23-Riggs 174.999 & #32-Schrader 176.199
See fastest speeds, best ten-lap averages. laps run and more on the Auto Club Practice 2 Speeds (pdf), no average speeds all laps and NOT changing back to the old way, just posting the pdf's.(3-24-2012)

Hamlin wins pole at Auto Club: #11-Denny Hamlin won the pole for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway with a speed of 186.403mph for his 1st pole of 2012 which put him in the 2013 Shootout, 10th career pole, and 2nd pole at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin is the fifth different pole sitter in the first five races of the season.
#18-Busch was 2nd fastest followed by #55-Martin, #5-Kahne, #16-Biffle, #39-Newman, #29-Harvick, #20-Logano, #14-Stewart and #48-Johnson.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #30-Stremme, #26-Wise, #98-McDowell, #36-Blaney, #23-Riggs, #49-Yeley, #19-Bliss and #74-Sorenson.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (3): #7-Gordon, #87-Nemechek & #37-Hill.
See qualifying results, pole pregression, starting lineup on my Qualifying Results / Starting Lineup or the starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(3-23-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Auto Club Speedway:
#11-Denny Hamlin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 16th Annual Auto Club 400 with a lap of 38.626 seconds, 186.403 mph.
This is his 10th pole in 228 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2012. He qualifies for next year's Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.
This is his second pole in 12 races at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin's previous Sprint Cup pole here came on Oct. 11, 2009.
#18-Kyle Busch (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2012 and his eighth in 15 races at Auto Club Speedway.
#55-Mark Martin (third) posted his 11th top-10 start at Auto Club Speedway. It is his second in four races this season.
#26-Josh Wise (30th) was the fastest qualifying rookie. (NASCAR Statistics)(3-23-2012)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is scheduled for Friday, March 23, 2012 at 7:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 7:00pm/et
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: 10:30pm/et

Qualifying Order for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is posted. 46 cars/drivers are listed, so 3 will go home.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #37-Hill, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #15-Bowyer, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Auto Club Qualifying Page.(3-23-2012)

Friday practice for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is over. After scheduled minutes, the top five fastest, slowest, notes:
#15-Bowyer 185.109
#55-Martin 184.322
#5-Kahne 183.946
#2-Keselowski 183.290
#11-Hamlin 183.187
slowest: #7-Gordon & #37-Hill
This practice sets qualifying order, scheduled for 7:10pm/et on SPEED. #37-Hill goes out first and #15-Bowyer goes our 46th/last.
See fastest speeds. laps run and more on the Auto Club Practice 1 Speeds (pdf), no average speeds am NOT changing back to the old way, just posting the pdf's.(3-23-2012)

Go-or-Go Homers practice for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway.
the practice rank for the go-or-go homers (drivers not in the top 35 of 2011 owners points)
These drivers would make the race if things stay the same:
#30-David Stremme, 28th fastest overall
#26-Josh Wise#, 31st
#49-J.J. Yeley, 32nd
#98-Michael McDowell, 35th
#36-Dave Blaney, 39th
#87-Joe Nemechek, 40th
#23-Scott Riggs, 41st
#74-Reed Sorenson, 42nd
These drivers would miss the race if things stay the same:
#19-Mike Bliss, 44th
#7-Robby Gordon, 45th
#37-Timmy Hill#, 46th/last
(3-23-2012)

Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.

The Entry List for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is posted, 46 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#7-Robby Gordon(44 in 2012 owners pts/3 attempts)
#19-Mike Bliss (0/0)
#23-Scott Riggs (45/4)
#26-Josh Wise (39/4)
#30-David Stremme (38/4)
#36-Dave Blaney (25/4)
#37-Timmy Hill (46/4)
#49-J.J. Yeley (41/4)
#74-Reed Sorenson (47/1)
#87-Joe Nemechek (43/4)
#98-Michael McDowell (40/4)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 36,30,26,98,49,87,23,37
missing the race would be [3]: # 7,74,19
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Auto Club Entry List.(3-19/23-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Bristol, race 4 of 36]
(revised after #48-Johnson's penalty was reduced and the 25 points put back)
1) #16-Greg Biffle [0 wins], 157
2) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 148, -9
3) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 145, -12
4) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 139, -18
5) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 137, -20
6) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 137, -20
7) #14-Tony Stewart [1 win], 130, -27
8) #15-Clint Bowyer [0 wins], 126, -31
9) #20-Joey Logano [0 wins], 126, -31
10) #27-Paul Menard [0 wins], 123, -34
11) #48-Jimmie Johnson [0 wins], 121, -36
12) #31-Jeff Burton [0 wins], 120, -37
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings page (pdf).
and Owners Points on the Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
And see the Bristol Official Race & Points Report (pdf).(3-21-2012)

Chassis selections for Bristol: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Auto Club Speedway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #11, #24, #56 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate team will bring Chassis #1120 to Auto Club Speedway this weekend. This chassis made its debut last season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October with a 27th-place finish. The #1 team also ran this chassis at Homestead-Miami Speedway where it came home in 14th-place.
#2-Brad Keselowski: and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-816 during Sunday's Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway (ACS). This is a new chassis to the #2 fleet.
#5-Kasey Kahne: crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-713, a new car that has not been tested or raced.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 784 for this weekend's race at Auto Club Speedway. This DEWALT Ford was previously run last season at several intermediate tracks.
#10-David Reutimann will pilot chassis No. 356 which was bought in the off-season from Richard Childress Racing. Reutimann drove the chassis at Las Vegas this season. He started in the 31st position, and a sparking wire in the cockpit relegated the team to a 31st-place finish.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-706 is a brand-new racecar that has never turned a wheel on the racetrack, but it has been wind-tunnel tested numerous times. It is a clone to Chassis No. 14-640, which won two weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
#15-Clint Bowyer: The 5-hour ENERGY team will race chassis No. 727 at Auto Club Speedway. Chassis No. 721 will serve as the backup. Chassis 721 also served as the backup in Las Vegas. Both chassis are new in 2012.
#16-Greg Biffle: is racing primary chassis RK-803 which is a brand new chassis. The backup chassis is RK-786 which last ran Homestead in 2011 and finished 35th.
#17-Matt Kenseth: will run primary chassis RK-787 which last ran at Texas in Nov 2011. Kenseth will pilot the #17 Ford Eco Blast Ford Fusion.
#22-A.J. Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing #22 Team will be racing their "PRS-817" AAA Dodge Charger this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. It is a brand new race car and Friday's opening practice will mark the first time it has taken to a race track. The "PRS-814" Dodge Charger will serve as the backup race car this weekend. It is a brand new car, also. It served as the backup for the Las Vegas battle.
#27-Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 384 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevy is a brand new addition to the RCR fleet and will log its first laps on the track at during Friday's practice session at at Auto Club Speedway.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 374 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This brand new Jimmy John's Chevy will be put through its first paces this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.
#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 393 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This is a brand new #31 Caterpillar Chevy that will turn its first laps at the Fontana, Calif., track this weekend. Johnson Machinery will be featured on the deck lid of the #31 Caterpillar Chevy this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Johnson Machinery is Caterpillar's only Platinum-level dealer and has served Riverside and San Bernardino counties since 1940.
#33-Brendan Gaughan: will pilot Chassis No. 392 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This South Point Hotel & Casino Chevry was built brand new for the 2012 season and will see its first competitive laps this weekend in the 200-lap event.
#36-Dave Blaney will pilot chassis No. 100 this weekend. The chassis was built in-house at TBR and will make its debut this weekend.
#39-Ryan Newman Chassis No. 39-677 made two runs last season, which resulted in two top-15 finishes at Indy and Michigan in August.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: crew chief Chris 'Sunshine' Heroy and the #42 Target team will bring Chassis #1119 to Auto Club Speedway this weekend. This chassis first saw track time at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, where it finished 14th and led two laps. The No.42 team also ran this chassis at Texas Motor Speedway where it finished 18th.
#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 Medallion Financial Ford will be chassis number 752. It's the first time that it has been raced in 2012, but made three starts last fall at Dover, Atlanta and Texas.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 681 serves as the primary for Johnson at Auto Club Speedway. No. 681 had four starts in 2011 finishing 11th at Texas in Nov., winning at Kansas in Oct, 10th in Chicago and 19th at Indy. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup which ran five races in 2011 with 4 top fives and 5 top tens.
#51-Kurt Busch This weekend's Auto Club 400 will be the first race of the season for Chassis No. 578:. The #51 Phoenix Racing team competed with this chassis a handful of times during the 2011 season, with the most recent race being at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2011, where driver Landon Cassill earned a 22nd-place finish after starting from 37th.
#55-Mark Martin: will drive a new MWR chassis (No. 726) at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. Chassis 708 will serve as backup. It raced as the #00 at Texas and Homestead in 2011.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-711 for this weekend's 400-mile event at Auto Club Speedway. This is a new chassis that has not been raced. By coincidence, Chassis No. 88-711 will feature the convenience store 7-Eleven's logo on the rear quarter panel as an associate partner with Diet Mountain Dew.
#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Subway crew will unload RK-782 this weekend. This car most recently finished second at Phoenix last November. It also ran at both New Hampshire races in 2011 finishing eighth and 13th.
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(3-22-2012)

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,200, Right-side -- 1,200;
Nationwide: Left-side -- 500, Right-side -- 500

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice and qualifying, and 11 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for the event

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4522; Right-side -- D-4408

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.5 in. (2,224 mm); Right-side -- 88.4 (2,245 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi
; Right Front -- 45 psi; Right Rear -- 42 psi

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Fontana this weekend . . . while these teams ran this right-side tire code (D-4408) at this track in 2011, this is a brand new left-side code (D-4522) . . . compared to what was run at Fontana last year, this left-side features mold shape and construction changes, which will give the cars more grip . . . this tire set-up came out of a Goodyear test at Fontana last October 18 . . . participating in that test were Greg Biffle in the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, Landon Cassill in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Sam Hornish in the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge and David Reutimann in the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Fontana . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.