Auto Club Speedway:

Auto Club Speedway:

History

·         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 (ACS) in February 2008.

Notebook

·         There have been 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway, the track hosted one NSCS race a season from 1997-2003, then two races per season from 2004-2010. In 2011 Auto Club Speedway returned to a single race season.

·         125 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club; 105 in more than one.

·         Three drivers have participated in all 23 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte.

·         Joe Nemechek won the inaugural pole with a speed of 183.015 mph (39.341 secs.)

·         15 drivers have poles at ACS, led by Kurt Busch with three.

·         Kurt Busch (2006) and Jamie McMurray (2010) are the only two drivers to win consecutive poles at Auto Club Speedway.

·         Youngest ACS pole winner: Kyle Busch (2/27/2005 – 19 years, 9 months, 25 days).

·         Oldest ACS pole winner: Mike Skinner (4/30/2000 – 42 years, 10 months, 2 days).

·         14 different drivers have won at ACS, led by Jimmie Johnson (five). Three other drivers have multiple wins at Auto Club Speedway: Jeff Gordon and 2012 Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth each have three wins, Tony Stewart has two.

·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Auto Club Speedway with nine, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.

·         California-native Jimmie Johnson became the first and only driver to win from the pole at Auto Club Speedway in 2008.

·         Only two ACS races have been won from the front row both by five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson,  fall of 2008 (pole); and the fall of 2007 (second-place).

·         12 of the 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Seven of the 23 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 31st, by Matt Kenseth in the spring of 2006.

·         Youngest ACS winner: Kyle Busch (09/04/2005 – 20 years, 4 months, 2 days).

·         Oldest ACS winner: Rusty Wallace (04/29/2001 – 44 years, 8 months, 15 days).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Auto Club Speedway with five; followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon with four.  

·         Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-five finishes at Auto club Speedway with 12; followed by Jeff Gordon (10) and Matt Kenseth (eight).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes with 14; followed by Matt Kenseth (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Tony Stewart (12).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finish at ACS with a 5.389;

·         Jimmie Johnson (5.3)and Carl Edwards (8.7) are the only two active drivers with an average finish in the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway.

·         There have been two green-white-checkered finishes at Auto Club Speedway: 2005 (250/254) and 2006 (250/251).

·         Kyle Busch won his first pole (2/27/05) and first series win (9/4/05) at Auto Club Speedway. Jimmie Johnson also posted his first series career win at ACS in (4/28/02).

·         Greg Biffle (4/28/02) and J.J. Yeley (9/5/04) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Auto Club Speedway.

·         Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win consecutive races at Auto Club Speedway (fall of 2009 – spring of 2010).

·         12 of the 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Auto Club Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon (1997 – inaugural event) and Jimmie Johnson (2002) are the only drivers to win at ACS in their first appearance.

·         Tony Stewart competed at Auto Club Speedway 18 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the 14 winners. Only Stewart (18) and Kevin Harvick (17) have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Auto Club Speedway.

·         Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte lead the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 23.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway was the March 27, 2011 race won by Kevin Harvick with an MOV of 0.144 second.

·         Three reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions have gone on to win at Auto Club Speedway the following season: Jeff Gordon (1999), Jimmie Johnson, whois the only one to do it multiple times,(2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) and Tony Stewart (2012).

·         Two drivers have won at Auto Club Speedway and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season: Jeff Gordon (1997) and Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010).

·         This weekend will be Danica Patrick’s first attempt at Auto Club Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Shawna Robinson is the only female driver to have made a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Auto Club Speedway to date. She did so on April 28, 2002 starting 43rd and finishing 42nd.

·         Only three car numbers have produced three or more Auto Club Speedway NSCS wins:

Car Number – Drivers – (Years)

o    No. 48  – Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010)

o    No. 17 – Matt Kenseth (2006, 2007 and 2009)

o    No. 24 – Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2004)