Fansided

Auto Club 400 Race Preview, TV Schedule

By Bryant Douglass

facebooktwitterreddit

This week the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series head back out west to Fontana, California for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Last week, Kasey Kahne finally closed the deal and got his first win on this season and his first at Bristol Motor Speedway. This week there could be a good chance Kahne finds himself running up front again.

March 25, 2012; Fontana, CA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (51), Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Montoya (42), Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola (43) and Sprint Cup Series driver Paul Menard (27) ace for position during the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 25, 2012; Fontana, CA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (51), Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Montoya (42), Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola (43) and Sprint Cup Series driver Paul Menard (27) ace for position during the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The defending race champion, Tony Stewart, has found himself struggling so far this season. He has two wins, six top-fives, and twelve top-ten finishes at Fontana. He has an average finish of 13.5 and has the fourth best driver rating of 102.4 at Auto Club Speedway.

Capturing his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing back at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was Matt Kenseth. Kenseth finds himself returning to another track where he has found some success at. He has three wins, eight top-5’s, and thirteen top-10’s.

[Related: Landon Cassill Sues BK Racing]

If I were a betting man though, I’d put all my money on Jimmie Johnson. He had a rough race last weekend, but this is the perfect place for “Five-Time” to rebound and get himself back on top of the Sprint Cup Series standings. He has five wins, twelve top-5 finishes, fourteen top-10’s and a pole position. Let’s not ignore the fact that he can claim he holds the following titles at Auto Club Speedway: Series-best average running position, series-best driver rating, series-high fastest laps, series-best average green flag speed, and a series high of laps run in the top-15.

[Related: Kasey Kahne Talks Bristol, Season Ahead]

Television Schedule:

Friday, March 22nd

2:30 p.m: Practice on SPEED

7:00 p.m: Qualifying on SPEED

Saturday, March 23rd

12:30 p.m: Practice on SPEED

3:30 p.m: Final Practice on SPEED

Sunday, March 24th

12:30 p.m: NASCAR RaceDay on SPEED

2:30 p.m: NASCAR Pre-race Show on FOX

3:00 p.m: Auto Club 400 on FOX | Announcers: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds

For more NASCAR coverage on FanSided, head over to Beyond the Flag and Stock Car Spin to get your latest scoop of motorsports news!

Home/NASCAR