2017 NASCAR - Auto Club 400 Fontana

The Auto Club 400, March 2017

My first oval race ever, was actually the twentieth running of the Auto Club 400 at Fontana.  This is a fast oval that was originally designed for Indy cars.  Pole position went to Kyle Larson at 187 mph and cars were passing us in the stands at well over 200mph.

Five wide auto racing at Fontana.

Kyle Larson is the NASCAR man of the moment having finished second in the last few races and thus it was no surprise for him to score a win at Fontana.  Four late cautions made it a messy finish and teams had to decide when and whether to pit for tyres or not.  Kyle chose to pit and eventually beat the three drivers who stayed out. With the last late caution the race was extended from 200 to 202 laps.  This only Kyle’s second NASCAR win but he is now the points leader.   The other driver who looked as if he might win for most of the day was Martin Truex who finished at the front of the second stage shoot-out but lost out in the end because he chose not to pit.  There was a good comeback from Bard Keselowski who fought back to second after an early incident.  

Kyle Larson leads at turn 4 late in the race.

Last year’s winner Jimmy Johnson had a difficult weekend as he started from the back of the grid and never really challenged; this is rather unfortunate as he hasn’t managed a top 5 finish this year yet.  Rookie Daniel Suarez took a top ten position again after at one point falling off the lead lap.  Dale Earnhardt Jnr made his 600^th start and finished 16^th.  Chase Elliott was in contention during the first two stages but eventually could only come in tenth.  Clint Bowyer was the guy who was on the rise all afternoon, being sixth at the end of the first stage, fourth at the end of the second stage and finally finishing third.  Denny Hamlin qualified on the front row but spun his tyres too much at the start and went backwards after that.

The battle for the lead after one of the last cautions.

So my thoughts after my first oval race.  Frankly I remain a die-hard road racing fan.  The pit stops were especially fun to watch and the racing is close and the cars are loud and fast but somehow it doesn’t translate into a great spectacle for me.  I think you really need to be a big supporter of a particular driver or team to really enjoy this type of racing.  That was clear from the supporters around me who certainly had their favourites and anti-heroes as well!   Nevertheless I enjoyed the day.

One of the full course yellows with everyone following the pace car through turn 1.

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The drivers and cars in the order they were classified at the finish of the Auto Club 400 in 2017.

1 No.42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet

Kyle takes the chequered flag after 202 laps.

Kyle makes a lot of tyre smoke on his victory lap!

2 No.2 Brad Keselowski Wurth Ford

3 No.14 Clint Bowyer Rush Truck Centers Ford

4 No.78 Martin Truex Jr Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota

5 No.22 Joey Logano AAA Southern California Ford

Scrutineering inspection.

6 No.1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet

7 No.19 Daniel Suarez Subway Toyota

8 No.18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota

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9 No.21 Ryan Blaney Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford

Srcutineering inspection.

10 No.24 Chase Elliott NAPA Chevrolet

11 No.3 Austin Dillon American Ethanol Chevrolet

12 No.77 Erik Jones Toyota Service Centers Toyota

13 No.4 Kevin Harvick Busch Beer Ford

14 No.11 Denny Hamlin Sport Clips Toyota

15 No.31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet

16 No.88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Axalta Chevrolet

17 No.47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet

18 No.13 Ty Dillon Twisted Tea Chevrolet

19 No.43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford

20 No.5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet

Srutineering inspection.

21 No.48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet

22 No.17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr Fastenal 50th Anniversary Ford

23 No.6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford

24 No.41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford

25 No.37 Chris Buescher Bush's Beans Chevrolet

26 No.10 Danica Patrick Aspen Dental Ford

27 No.34 Landon Cassill Love's Travel Stops Ford

28 No.27 Paul Menard Jack Links/Menards Chevrolet

29 No.32 Matt DiBenedetto Can-Am/Kappa Ford

30 No.83 Corey Lajoie Bubba Burger Toyota

31 No.38 David Ragan Camping World/Good Sam Ford

32 No.72 Cole Whitt Southern California Chevy Dealers Chevrolet  

33 No.95 Michael McDowell LFR Woodie Chevrolet

34 No.15 Reed Sorenson VIPRacingExperience.com Toyota

35 No.51 Timmy Hill Bubba Burger Chevrolet

36 No.20 Matt Kenseth Peak Toyota  

Matt Kenseth being towed after a late incident sent him into the wall.

37 No.23 Gray Gaulding SunFrog.com Toyota

38 No.55 Derrike Cope Chevrolet

Scrutineering inspection.

39 No.33 Jeffrey Earnhardt K1Speed Chevrolet 

For NASCAR action from Sonoma in 2015, click here.

Victory Lane.

Timmy Hill

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John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.