2014 Auto Club 400

2014 Auto Club 400
Race details
Race 5 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway
Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway
Date March 23, 2014 (2014-03-23)
Location Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.000 mi (3.219 km)
Distance 206 laps, 412 mi (663.050 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km)
Weather Clear with a temperature around 73 °F (23 °C); wind out of the SW at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h).
Average speed 132.987 mph (214.022 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 38.438 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 104
Winner
No. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox & MRN
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Dan Hubbard (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 4.4/10 (Final)
4.2/9 (Overnight)
7.1 Million viewers

The 2014 Auto Club 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on March 23, 2014, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 206 laps on the 2 miles (3.2 km) asphalt D-shaped oval – extended from 200 laps due to a green–white–checker finish – it was the fifth race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Kyle Busch won the race, his first win of the season, while Kyle Larson finished as the highest rookie in second, while Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Tony Stewart rounded out the top five. Behind Larson, the top rookies in the race were Austin Dillon in 11th, and Cole Whitt in 18th.

Previous week's race

Just as the field was being lined up to restart the Food City 500, rain started to fall once again. After 503 laps, a two-hour delay to start the race, a three-hour delay at the quarter mark and multiple rain showers, NASCAR called the end of the race and Carl Edwards took the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. Edwards described his race as "awesome", after troubles on the previous day, stating that his car was "terrible on Saturday, so I'm just glad we turned it around". Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. scored his best career finish with a runner up spot, stating that he had "a lot of fun" and that his team was "just slowly working and getting better and better", as he continued to improve results in his first full season in the Sprint Cup. Aric Almirola also scored his best career finish, at the time of the race, in third place.

Report

Background

Auto Club Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

The track, Auto Club Speedway, is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The track's turns are banked from fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. Unlike the front stretch, the backstraightaway is banked at three degrees. The track has a seating capacity of 92,100 people. The race consisted of 200 laps, equivalent to a race distance of 400 miles (640 km). The defending race winner was Kyle Busch.

Entry list

The entry list for the Auto Club 400 was released on Tuesday, March 18 at 1:49 p.m. Eastern time. Forty-three cars were entered for the race which meant no one would fail to qualify.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Cole Whitt (R) Swan Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30 Parker Kligerman (R) Swan Racing Toyota
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 Travis Kvapil Go FAS Racing Ford
33 Brian Scott (i) Circle Sport Chevrolet
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
35 David Reutimann Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Circle Sport Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
66 Joe Nemechek (i) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie
(i) Ineligible for points
(PC#) Past champions provisional

Practice

First practice

Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.163 and a speed of 188.664 mph (303.625 km/h). Landon Cassill wrecked his primary car during the session and was forced to roll out the backup car. Because this change took place prior to qualifying, he did not have to start from the rear of the field.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.163 188.664
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.194 188.511
3 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.344 187.774
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Matt Kenseth scored the pole position.

Matt Kenseth won the pole with a time of 38.438 and a speed of 187.315 mph (301.454 km/h). Kenseth praised the performance of his Joe Gibbs Racing team and their qualifying setup, stating that "they gave me the car and really all I did was not mess it up". Joining Kenseth on the front row was Brad Keselowski, who noted a change in tire performance compared to qualifying sessions earlier in the season. He stated that Auto Club Speedway was "probably the first qualifying effort where the cars have gone slower in the last round with the tire fall off playing a factor in that. So, each week is different as far as what it is going to take to make it through all three rounds. I think that is part of the interest and the challenge for us as teams and drivers". He also noted a potential for unpredictability, stating that there was an "infinite amount of variables and teams that can dial that in the best are the ones that will be up front. So far we have been able to do that which I think is a strong statement for our team". Jeff Gordon, who qualified sixth, stated that the tires were unpredictable, adding that "you're having to keep the same set of tires on the car and guess which direction it is going to go".

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2 R3
1 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.418 38.423 38.438
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 38.913 38.725 38.481
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.306 38.618 38.516
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.303 38.701 38.523
5 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.568 38.625 38.614
6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.426 38.397 38.630
7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 38.913 38.725 38.681
8 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 38.824 38.768 38.707
9 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 38.773 38.643 38.735
10 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.739 38.723 38.753
11 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 38.839 38.559 38.757
12 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 38.602 38.808 38.767
13 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.825 38.851
14 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39.012 38.853
15 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.943 38.858
16 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.868 38.875
17 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.685 38.884
18 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 38.862 38.979
19 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.739 39.020
20 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.001 39.139
21 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 38.992 39.140
22 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 38.978 39.160
23 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 38.944 39.239
24 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 38.899 0.000
25 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39.019
26 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.062
27 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 39.067
28 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 39.134
29 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 39.147
30 27 Matt Crafton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.207
31 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 39.220
32 30 Parker Kligerman (R) Swan Racing Toyota 39.362
33 35 David Reutimann Front Row Motorsports Toyota 39.513
34 26 Cole Whitt (R) Swan Racing Toyota 39.664
35 32 Travis Kvapil Go FAS Racing Ford 39.668
36 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 39.699
37 33 Brian Scott Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.725
38 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 39.766
39 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 39.854
40 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 39.854
41 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 39.937
42 66 Joe Nemechek Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 39.998
43 40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 0.000
Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 38.706 and a speed of 186.018 mph (299.367 km/h). Martin Truex, Jr. hit the wall in turn 1 after his car cut down the left-rear tire, and this necessitated the rolling out of his backup car. Because this was a post-qualifying change, he was forced to start from the rear.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.706 186.018
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.777 185.677
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 38.789 185.620
Official second practice results

Final practice

Brian Vickers was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 38.725 and a speed of 185.926 mph (299.219 km/h). Joey Logano hit the wall in turn 2 after cutting down the left-rear tire. Like Truex, he was forced to start at the rear. Logano put the issue down to a combination of air pressure and car setup.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.725 185.926
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.743 185.840
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.965 184.781
Official final practice results

Race

Driver change

The night before the race, Denny Hamlin went to the infield care center at Auto Club Speedway due to an irritation in his eye. The irritation continued overnight, and it was reported at the time that he had a sinus infection. After being referred to a local hospital, the cause of the irritation was discovered to be a small piece of metal in his eye. J. D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Hamlin would not start the race less than an hour before the start. Sam Hornish, Jr., who was on standby for Matt Kenseth in the previous day's Nationwide Series race, drove the No. 11 car in his place.

First half

Start

The race started at 3:16 p.m. Eastern time with Kenseth leading the field to the green flag. He was passed by Brad Keselowski on the first lap. The first caution of the race flew on lap 19 after Kevin Harvick cut down his right-rear tire on the front stretch. Jeff Gordon exited pit road third, but was caught speeding and had to restart from the rear. David Ragan stayed out when Keselowski pitted to lead a lap before pitting. The race restarted on lap 24 with Keselowski leading the way, but Kyle Busch soon passed him for the lead. Keselowski retook the lead on lap 27, and held the lead until the second caution of the race flew on lap 43 after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. cut down the left-front tire and scraped the wall in Turn 1. Jimmie Johnson exited pit road first and assumed the lead for the restart on lap 48.

The third caution of the race flew on lap 57 after Tony Stewart spun out exiting turn 2. Clint Bowyer stayed out when Johnson pitted, believing that the light at the entrance to pit road to be red. Gordon and Keselowski did likewise, but Bowyer and Gordon pitted the following lap. The race restarted on lap 61 and Johnson had no trouble passing Keselowski for the lead with four new tires. The fourth caution of the race flew on lap 70 after Brian Scott got into Aric Almirola and sent them both spinning into the infield grass just past the entrance of pit road. Almirola had to back off the throttle when his forward progress was interrupted by Hornish. Scott was moving to the top of the race track and was caught by surprise. Upon being released from the infield care center, Almirola frankly stated that Scott was "out there having fun because his daddy gets to pay for it". Ryan Newman stayed out and took the lead.

Second half

Halfway

Kyle Busch won the race.

The race restarted on lap 75 and just like the previous restart, Kenseth had no trouble passing Newman with four new tires. Johnson retook the lead on lap 84, just before the fifth caution of the race flew on lap 86 after Parker Kligerman got loose and backed into the Turn 3 wall. Johnson and Kenseth swapped the lead on pit road, and Kenseth exited the leader. The race restarted on lap 91 and Johnson did not take long to pass Kenseth for the lead. Gordon took the race lead for the first time on lap 106, holding the lead to the sixth caution of the race, which flew on lap 118 after Carl Edwards cut down his left-rear tire and spun out in turn 2. Kenseth won the race off pit road and assumed the lead for the restart on lap 123. Johnson took back the lead on lap 127. Harvick was running third when he had another cut tire, this time the left-rear, with 63 laps to go.

Tire blowouts

Debris in turn 3 brought out the seventh caution of the race with 60 laps to go; Johnson and Gordon swapped the lead on pit road, but Johnson exited first, and the led the field to the restart, with 52 laps to go. The eighth caution of the race flew with 34 laps to go after David Gilliland rear-ended the wall in turn 4. Just like the previous pit cycle, Johnson and Gordon swapped the lead on pit road, and Johnson once again led off pit road, for the restart with 27 laps to go. With seven laps to go, Johnson cut down his left-front tire and Gordon took the lead. A number of cars started cutting down their tires including points leader Keselowski (right-rear), Marcos Ambrose (left-rear) and Bowyer who cut down his right-front tire; Bowyer spun out and brought out the ninth caution of the race with three laps to go, to cause a green–white–checker finish. Landon Cassill stayed out when Gordon pitted to assume the lead.

Finish

The race required only one attempt for the green–white–checker finish. Cassill did not put up a fight and Kurt Busch moved to the front. On the final lap, Kyle Busch passed his brother and held off a hard charging Kyle Larson to win the race. Upon exiting his car, Kyle Busch stated that the finish was exciting, and that "what do you expect when you have a green-white-checkered finish and everyone comes down pit road to put on four tires", believing the finish to be like something out of the movie Days of Thunder. After winning his first Nationwide Series race the previous day, Larson stated that it had "been a really good weekend" and that he had been battling "probably a 12th place car for most of the day".

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 14 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 206 47
2 11 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 206 42
3 17 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 206 42
4 1 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 206 41
5 10 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 206 39
6 25 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 206 38
7 19 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 206 38
8 18 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 206 36
9 30 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 206 35
10 9 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 206 34
11 20 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 206 33
12 15 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 206 32
13 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 206 32
14 27 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 206 30
15 31 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 206 29
16 5 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 206 29
17 13 11 Sam Hornish, Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 206 0
18 34 26 Cole Whitt (R) Swan Racing Toyota 206 26
19 23 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 206 25
20 16 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 206 25
21 36 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 206 24
22 40 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 206 22
23 12 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 206 21
24 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 206 22
25 43 40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 205 0
26 2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 205 19
27 41 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 205 18
28 28 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 205 16
29 33 35 David Reutimann Front Row Motorsports Ford 205 16
30 8 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 205 14
31 39 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 205 13
32 42 66 Joe Nemechek Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 205 0
33 35 32 Travis Kvapil Go FAS Racing Ford 205 11
34 22 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 204 10
35 37 33 Brian Scott Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 204 0
36 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 204 8
37 38 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 204 7
38 29 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 202 7
39 7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 195 5
40 24 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 193 4
41 26 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 180 3
42 32 30 Parker Kligerman (R) Swan Racing Toyota 85 2
43 21 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 68 1

Race summary

  • Lead changes: 35 among different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 8 for 38
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 5 minutes and 53 seconds
  • Average speed: 132.937 miles per hour (213.941 km/h)

Media

Television

Fox Sports
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Larry McReynolds
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip
Matt Yocum
Steve Byrnes
Krista Voda
Jeff Hammond

Radio

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard
Winston Kelly
Steve Post
Alex Hayden
Woody Cain

Standings after the race


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