Sunday, February 24 Monday, February 25 California Speedway Fontana, California

Carl Edwards won the "24 Hours of California"...on a sunny dry Monday in California...



FONTANA, Calif. (February 25, 2008) – Carl Edwards might adopt the old Mama's and Papa's song, “Monday, Monday... so good to me!”

He won Monday's postponed NASCAR Sprint Cup race after two days of trying at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California.

Edwards took the lead for the final time with 14 laps to go and drove away from runner-up Jimmie Johnson and third-place finisher Jeff Gordon.

The 500-mile race over the rain-swept, two-mile track tried the patience of NASCAR's finest drivers and teams. They started the event Sunday afternoon and didn't finish until Monday afternoon. Mother Nature, indeed, threw unpredictable knuckleballs at the teams throughout the weekend.

One of numerous storms forced a halt to the event after 87 laps Saturday night and all attempts to dry the track failed, forcing officials to postpone the conclusion until Monday.

Sunshine finally broke through and Edwards wound up at the end of a rainbow in victory lane.

He raced with the leaders throughout the race and chased Johnson down after a caution flag with 19 laps remaining bunched the field.

The 11th caution of the day was caused by Jeremy Mayfield, and both Johnson and Gordon beat Edwards out of the pits after changing four tires. The Missouri native ran high, wide and handsome through the turns over the final laps, reeling in Johnson. NASCAR's defending champion actually wore out his right rear tire trying to stay ahead.

Finishing fourth behind Edwards, Johnson and Gordon was young Kyle Busch, who won the Craftsman Truck race Friday night, and was a factor in Monday's race. Matt Kenseth finished fifth, trailed by Martin Truex, Jr., Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman.

Rain created problems throughout the weekend with NASCAR's Nationwide Series event postponed from Saturday until after the Sprint Cup race Monday.

The delayed start was further delayed once they cranked the cars after Michael Waltrip's machine spewed oil on the track, forcing cleanup crews back on the track again.

Gordon jumped out front at the start and sped away to a three-second lead. Denny Hamlin spun and smacked the retaining wall to bring out the afternoon's first caution period.

On the restart, Johnson was out front briefly before Gordon took over again.

Just one lap later, a multi-car crash knocked several contenders out of the race. Casey Mears lost control of his Chevy between turns three and four and slid across in front of teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr., knocking Earnhardt into the outside wall. Sam Hornish, Jr., plowed into Mears' car, turning it on its side. Reed Sorensen was also involved.

Quick work by the Speedway safety crew doused a flash fire on Mears' car. None of the drivers were injured.

NASCAR stopped the race (red flag) to clean up the track. After an hour delay to repair seeping problems on the track, the race was restarted with Gordon still in the lead. Only 24 laps had been completed.

On the restart, it was Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, Kahne, Biffle, Edwards, Burton, Montoya, Ragan and Newman.

Johnson passed Gordon on lap 34 for the lead. Gordon took it back just a few laps later.

Another caution slowed the field at lap 43. On this restart, Gordon shot to the front like a rocket. Edwards moved past Johnson for second.

Joe Nemechek had a flat tire and spun just two laps after the restart, bringing out the fifth caution flag.

Robby Gordon spun a few laps later to bring out the sixth caution period. Elliott Sadler spun to avoid Gordon and hit the outside wall.

Biffle held the lead on the restart with Johnson in tow. Gordon was third and Kyle Busch fourth.

A seventh caution slowed the field at 83 laps when raindrops pelted the cars. NASCAR put the red flag out for the second time when the track became totally wet at 87 laps. A wet track delayed the continuation of the race until Monday.

Complete Race Results click here

Driver Point Standings click here

Unofficial Top 10 Finishers

4:15 p.m. Checkered flag just waved...Carl Edwards took the win in dominating fashion. The unofficial top 10 finishers are...
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Kyle Busch
5. Matt Kenseth
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Tony Stewart
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Kasey Kahne
10. Ryan Newman

Complete results, points, story and pictures to follow...

Auto Club 500 Postponed Until Monday

MONDAY 2 P.M./AT update It's sunny in southern California! Engines are fired and the cars are doing their pace laps before restarting the Auto Club 500. With the weather being so radically different than it's been all weekend, there are a lot of questions as to how the cars will handle...

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 has been postponed until Monday morning. The race will resume at 10 a.m. PT on FOX. The NASCAR Nationwide Series Stater Bros. 300. will run approximately one hour following the conclusion of the Auto Club 500 on ESPN2.

The Auto Club 500 was red-flagged after 87 laps due to inclement weather. Efforts to dry the track were halted at 11 p.m. PT. The race will resume with Lap 88.

nearly five hours were spent Sunday getting the track dry; the race start was first postponed two hours then early race wrecks, apparently caused by "weepers" in the track surface, caused further delays as TV viewers watched workers cutting the track surface to allow the water to escape.

Jeff Gordon led 57 of the 87 laps completed; Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson was leading when the race was halted by a heavy downpour on lap 87. Team efforts will rely on Johnson and Gordon as Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw both of their cars destroyed on lap 21 when Mears lost control of his car on one of the weepers and spun into a helpless Earnhardt.

Earnhardt minced no words in his post-wreck TV interview saying the track was not ready to be raced on.

Denny Hamlin, who had lost his racer in a lap 14 crash, agreed with Earnhardt in his interview, saying: "We should not be racing on that race track right now.”

Monday's Fontana forecast calls for sunny skies and 64 degrees (F).

Broadcast Times*

Practice: Friday, February 22 (SPEED at 4 p.m./AT)

Qualifying: Friday, February 22 (SPEED at 7:30 p.m./AT)

Practice: Saturday, February 23 (SPEED at 12:30 p.m./AT)

Final Practice: Saturday, February 23 (SPEED at 6 p.m.)

RaceDay: Sunday, February 24 (SPEED at 2:30 p.m./AT)

Pre-Race Show: Sunday, February 24 (FOX & TSN-alt at 4:30 p.m./AT)

Race: Sunday, February 24 (FOX & TSN-alt at 5 p.m./AT) Monday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m./AT (FOX)

*AT is one hour ahead of ET, i.e. if it's 2 p.m./AT - it's 1 p.m./ET...

Green Flag Fast Facts
The Race: Auto Club 500
The Place: California Speedway
The Date: Sunday, Feb. 24
The Green Flag: 5 p.m./AT, 4 p.m./ET
The Track: 2-mile oval
The Distance: 500 miles/250 laps
TV: FOX & TSN-alt, 4:30 p.m./AT, 3:30 p.m./ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Matt Kenseth
2007 Polesitter: Jeff Gordon
Pre-Race Schedule (local track time/PT): Friday—Practice, 12-1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:40 p.m. Saturday—Practice, 2-3:55 p.m.
Year-To-Date Standings click here

Event Stats PDF files unless otherwise noted

stay tuned...

Track Map



Pre-Race Pit Stops

• Three-Peat: Kenseth Looks For Third Consecutive California Win...It shouldn’t surprise if Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Carhartt Ford) makes a winning move in the final laps of Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. The 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion is pursuing his third consecutive victory in the track’s February event. NASCAR Loop Data statistics illustrate his excellence there. Kenseth leads several key pre-race categories for California, including Driver Rating (113.9), Average Running Position (7.242) and Fastest in Turn 1 (179.453 mph). And although he didn’t get the finish he wanted in last week’s Daytona 500 — Kenseth finished 36th after damaging contact with Roush Fenway Racing teammate David Ragan (No. 6 Southern California Insurance Ford) — he ran up front for much of the race and led one lap. Kenseth also was second-fastest during the Thursday night, Jan. 31 session of last month’s California test, while teammate Carl Edwards led two of the five sessions. “It's one we certainly look forward to,” Kenseth said. “You look forward to trying to get some momentum back after our disappointing Daytona 500. So hopefully it will be all right.”
• Hendrick Motorsports Looking To Erase Daytona 500 Disappointment... After a disappointing Daytona 500 performance, Hendrick Motorsports looks to rebound in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Just as they did last year. The dominant NASCAR Sprint Cup organization in 2007, Hendrick opened 2008 with similar expectations, plus a media consensus as preseason favorites. Reigning and two-time series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) won the Daytona 500 pole while newest teammate and fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) won the non-points Budweiser Shootout the week prior to the Daytona 500. Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Cromax Pro Chevrolet), last year’s series runner-up, sought his fourth Daytona 500 victory. Casey Mears (No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet), poised for a breakout year with new crew chief Alan Gustafson, played the dark-horse role. But only Earnhardt finished inside the top 10 at Daytona — ninth. Suspension problems relegated Gordon to 39th. A late-race spinout put Johnson in 27th. Mears, running in the top five with five laps remaining, finished 36th after hitting an outside wall. Fast-forward to California, where Hendrick teams hope to duplicate last season’s West Coast panacea — a rebound that followed similarly frustrating results in the 2007 Daytona 500. Gordon was Hendrick’s highest finisher in last year’s “Great American Race” — 10th. Mears finished 20th. Then-teammate Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota) finished 24th while Johnson finished 39th following an accident. Here’s the precedent: Seven Chevrolets finished in the top 10 of last year’s Auto Club 500 at California, including three HMS drivers. Gordon finished second behind winner Matt Kenseth. Johnson finished third and Busch finished ninth. Mears finished 31st.
• The Penske Racing Way: Daytona 500 Winner Ryan Newman’s Back... Ryan Newman’s last-lap victory last Sunday represents more than a one-race triumph in the 50th Daytona 500 — significant though it is. It also may function as his re-introduction to contender status, a label many media and fans affixed to Newman from the start. The 2002 NASCAR Sprint Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year, Newman began his series career the same season as reigning and two-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Both young drivers excelled immediately — Johnson, in his and Newman’s seventh season, has yet to finish outside the top five — but Newman has endured a rockier path, of late. After consecutive top-10 finishes from 2002-2005, Newman dipped to 18th in ‘06 and 13th in ‘07, noticeable because of his early exploits. Nicknamed “Rocketman,” Newman set the rookie record for poles in a season (six) in ’02. He also led the series with 11 poles in ’03, nine poles in ’04 and eight poles in ’05. He also had a series-high eight wins in ’03. Recent struggles, coupled with major Penske Racing changes — the departure of crew chief Matt Borland in late 2006 and the arrival of teammate Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) to begin the ‘06 season — also impacted Newman’s team. However, a good relationship with Busch and the 2008 addition of new crew chief Roy McCauley have proven positive factors. Busch, who finished as Daytona 500 runner-up, powered Newman across the finish line, helping the South Bend, Ind., native to grab his 13th career victory and break an 81-race winless streak. “It's a life-changing experience,” Newman said. “I'm trying to do my best to represent NASCAR and all the people that have made the difference in my life to get to this point.”
• History On The Move: NASCAR’S 60th Anniversary, California-Style... Although California Speedway marks its 11th birthday this season, NASCAR’s competitive presence in the Golden State extends back to 1951 — NASCAR’s fourth year of existence. As the sanctioning body celebrates its 60th season in 2008, consider that 15 California tracks have hosted events throughout the years. And that Sunday’s Auto Club 500 will be the 120th NASCAR event in the state of California. In April 1951, Marshal Teague won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in California, at Gardena’s Carrell Speedway, a dirt track. In the 1960s, California native Dan Gurney, an open-wheel and sports-car star, won five times at Riverside International Raceway, driving for two historic NASCAR organizations — Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers. In the 1970s, the legendary A.J. Foyt won the first Ontario Motor Speedway events, in 1971-72. In the 1980s, Tim Richmond won four times at Riverside (twice in 1982, then in 1986-87). In the 1990s, another California native — Jeff Gordon — rose to prominence, winning two of the first three races at California Speedway (1997 and 1999). This decade, another California native — Jimmie Johnson, also Gordon’s teammate — has two California Speedway wins. In fact, no other state boasts as many current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Including Johnson and Gordon, seven California natives will compete this weekend at California — Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, Robby Gordon (No. 7 Jim Beam Dodge), David Gilliland (No. 38 Freecreditreport.com Ford) and AJ Allmendinger (No. 84 Team Red Bull Toyota). Jeff Gordon hails from Mission Viejo, Johnson from El Cajon, Harvick and Mears from Bakersfield, Robby Gordon from Orange, Gilliland from Riverside and Allmendinger from Los Gatos. Other California natives attempting to qualify for Sunday’s Auto Club 500 include Burney Lamar (No. 08 Rhino’s Energy Drink Dodge) and Mike Skinner (No. 27 Bill Davis Racing Toyota).
• Off The Track: Special Events, Entertainment For Auto Club 500... Celebrities are no stranger to California Speedway, located only 50 miles from the world’s entertainment capital, Los Angeles. Perhaps the newest is California native Kina Grannis, who will sing the National Anthem prior to Sunday’s Auto Club 500. Grannis, who hails from Jeff Gordon’s hometown of Mission Viejo, won the recent Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” music challenge. She’s also a University of Southern California graduate. Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian Brad Garrett, of FOX’s “Til Death” comedy, will serve as Sunday’s Grand Marshal. Garrett also played Robert on “Everybody Loves Raymond.” The legendary blues-rock band ZZ Top, still comprised of original members Billy F. Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, will be featured at a pre-race concert on Sunday. On Saturday, George Thorogood and the Destroyers will perform at the Miller Lite Rock ‘n Racing Show following the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series doubleheader. That concert will take place in the Opportunity, California FanZone.
• Triple-Duty Man...KyleBusch will be busy this week at California Speedway, competing in Saturday’s scheduled NASCAR Craftsman Truck and NASCAR Nationwide Series doubleheader along with Sunday’s Auto Club 500.
• Milestone...Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s Mark Martin (No. 8 Principal Financial Group Chevrolet) is scheduled to make his 700th career start this Sunday

IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.