NASCAR Auto Club Sunday, February 23, 2020

NASCAR CUP SERIES AUTO CLUB STATS HIGHLIGHTS

• Most Auto Club wins: 6 Jimmie Johnson
• Most Auto Club 2nd-place finishes: 5 Jimmie Johnson
• Most Auto Club top 3 finishes: 13 Jimmie Johnson
• Most Auto Club top 5 finishes: 13 Jimmie Johnson
• Most Auto Club top 10 finishes: 17 Jimmie Johnson
• Best Auto Club average finish: 7.6 Jimmie Johnson
• Most Auto Club laps led: 980 Jimmie Johnson
• Jimmie Johnson first career win: 2002 Auto Club Speedway (26-Years-old)
• California drivers: Cole Custer (Ladera Ranch 60 mi), Matt DiBenedetto (Grass Valley 500 mi),
• Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield 150 mi), Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon 120 mi), Kyle Larson (Elk Grove 430 mi) &
• Tyler Reddick (Corning 540 mi)
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• Auto Club Speedway 237 miles southwest on I-15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway 
• 70 Feet wide on turns – Interstate lane about 12 feet wide
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• Abrasive surface with lots of seams which can disrupt cars
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• Expect pit stops every caution
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• High temperature on race day last year (March 17): 86 Degrees
• 1-Kurt Busch: 2003 Auto Club winner – Winless last 23 Auto Club races
• 2-Brad Keselowski finished 9th or better last 5 Auto Club races – 4 Top 5 finishes
• 3-Austin Dillon won 2 of last 4 Auto Club poles – No laps led either race
• (Cole Custer on standby due to pole sitter Dillon illness last year)
• 4-Kevin Harvick: 2011 Auto Club winner – Closest finish (.144 over Jimmie Johnson)
• 11-Denny Hamlin winless in 18 Auto Club races – Wins at following 7 tracks (14 Total wins)
• 11-Denny Hamlin: 8 Straight Auto Club races led – 91 Laps led (0 for 18 at Auto Club)
• 12-Ryan Blaney finished 9th or better last 3 Auto Club races
• 18-Kyle Busch: First career win: Auto Club 9/05 – Youngest winner ever at the time (20 Years, 4 Months & 2 Days)
• 18-Kyle Busch won 2019 Auto Club race & championship
• 18-Kyle Busch became first repeat winner last season winning Phoenix & Auto Club races
• 18-Kyle Busch finished 8th or better last 3 Auto Club races
• 18-Kyle Busch won 3 of last 7 Auto Club races
• 18-Kyle Busch led 134 laps winning in 2019 – Most laps led in 400-mile Auto Club race
• 18-Kyle Busch won 2019 Auto Club after lap 123 pit road speeding penalty
• 19-Martin Truex Jr. finished 8th or better last 3 Auto Club races – 2 Top 5 finishes
• 22-Joey Logano finished 7th or better last 5 Auto Club races – 4 Straight top 5 finishes
• 22-Joey Logano passed for final lead change 2 Auto Club races including 2019 – Winless at Auto Club
• 22-Joey Logano won back-to-back races once – Charlotte 10/15, Kansas 10/15 & Talladega 10/15
• 42-Kyle Larson: 6 Career wins – 4 on 2-mile ovals (3 Michigan & 1 Auto Club)
• 48-Jimmie Johnson: 1 Win last 10 Auto Club races (2016) – 4 Wins previous 6 races
• 48-Jimmie Johnson went on to win 5 championships after winning at Auto Club in same season (2007-’10 & ’16)
• 17 Different winners in 30 NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club races (*10 Champions)
• 5 Won Auto Club more than once
• 4 Winners from California (11 Wins) – Jimmie Johnson (6), Jeff Gordon (3), Kevin Harvick (1) & Kyle Larson (1)
• 5 Different winners from 5 different teams last 5 Auto Club races
• Only 1 DNF each of last 2 Auto Club races
• Toyota won Auto Club 4 times (4 Wins last 7 races) – 2013, ’14 & ‘19 Kyle Busch and 2018 Martin Truex Jr.
• Final lead change with 6 or fewer laps to go 5 of last 7 Auto Club races – 3 Settled by last lap pass
• All 3 Team Penske finished top 5 in 2019 Auto Club race – Joey Logano 2nd, Brad Keselowski 3rd & Ryan Blaney 5th
• 13 of last 14 Auto Club races won by drivers that won championships
• Only 3 of 30 Auto Club races won from the pole – Jimmie Johnson 8/08, Kyle Larson 2017 & Martin Truex Jr. 2018
• 2 of last 3 Auto Club races won from pole – Only 1 of previous 27 Auto Club races won from pole
• No Ford pole last 19 Auto Club races – Last: Carl Edwards 9/05
• 4 of last 9 Auto Club races settled by last lap pass
• Winner led only final lap twice – Kevin Harvick (2011) & Brad Keselowski (2015)
• Stage 1 winner went on to win all 3 Auto Club races – Larson 2017, Truex Jr., 2018 & Kyle Busch 2019
• Martin Truex Jr. (2018) & Kyle Busch (2019) won Stage 1, 2 & race
• Tony Stewart won first Auto Club race in 19th try (10/10) – Most of all drivers
• Denny Hamlin competing in 19th Auto Club race (Winless)
• Jeff Gordon (1997) & Jimmie Johnson (2002) are only drivers to win at Auto Club in first try
• Worst starting position of Auto Club winner: 31st – Matt Kenseth 2/06
• 23 of last 24 Auto Club NXS winners competed in Auto Club NCS race on same weekend – Cole Custer won 2019 NXS race
• Auto Club NXS & NCS races won on same weekend 4 times
• 3 of 4 Auto Club wins were first win of season for Kyle Busch
• First win of season for 5 of last 7 Auto Club winners
• Only win of season for 2 of last 6 Auto Club winners – Kyle Busch (2014) & Brad Keselowski (2015)
• 2 Won first career race at Auto Club – Jimmie Johnson 2002 & Kyle Busch 9/05 (Both Hendrick Motorsports)
• Jimmie Johnson (10/09 & 2/10) & Kyle Busch (2013 & ’14) only drivers to win consecutive Auto Club races
• Kyle Busch only driver that did not defend previous Auto Club win (2015) – Did not race 2015 due to injury
• Jimmie Johnson (2002) & Kyle Busch (9/05) only Rookie of the Year candidates to win Auto Club race
• Tony Stewart won only shortened Auto Club race (2012) – 129 of 200 Laps
• 1 2-Day Auto Club NCS race – Started 2/24/08 (88 Laps) & Finished 2/25/08 (162 Laps)
• 6 Auto Club Overtime finishes – Leader at scheduled distance won 3
• 4 of last 6 Auto Club races finished in Overtime
• Most leaders: 16 (9/07)
• Most lead changes: 35 (2014)
• Most cautions: 12 (2/08)
• Most caution laps: 51 (9/04)
• Fastest race: 160.166 mph (2012)
• Closest margin of victory: .144 (2011) – Kevin Harvick over Jimmie Johnson
• Margin of victory under half-second 8 Auto Club races
• Auto Club Speedway hosted races in 8 different months
• Auto Club speeding penalties – 2014: 8 / 2015: 3 / 2016: 8 / 2017: 2 / 2018: 2 / 2019: 4
• 5 Drivers from Kentucky competed in first Auto Club race (1997) – Most of all states
• NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AUTO CLUB STATS HIGHLIGHTS
• 17 Different winners in 30 NASCAR Xfinity Series Auto Club races
• 5 Won multiple Auto Club races
• 3 Winners from California – Kyle Larson (2014 & ‘17), Kevin Harvick (2015) & Cole Custer (2019)
• 4 of last 6 Auto Club races won by drivers from California
• Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drivers won 9 of last 15 races (9 Straight) – 9 Is record for consecutive wins at one track
• Joe Gibbs Racing failed to win last 6 Auto Club races – Won previous 9 Auto Club races
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• 9 of last 15 Auto Club winners started on front row – Last 21 winners started 8th or better
• Ford won last 2 Auto Club races – Winless previous 14 races
• Pole won 5 of 30 Auto Club races – All 5 wins in last 14 races
• Joe Gibbs Racing won 6 of last 8 poles with 6 different drivers
• Kevin Harvick (2015) won first Auto Club race in 19th try – Most of all drivers
• Todd Bodine (1997), Mark Martin (2/05) & Scott Riggs (2002) are only drivers to win Auto Club race in first try
• Worst starting position of Auto Club winner: 28th – Todd Bodine 1997
• 2 Won first career race at Auto Club – Hank Parker Jr. (2001) & Kyle Larson (2014)
• Leader of most laps failed to win 4 of last 6 Auto Club races
• Kyle Busch led most laps 6 Auto Club races – 3 Wins in those races
• Leader at 10 to go mark failed to win 9 of 30 Auto Club races (30%)
• Scott Riggs (2002) & Carl Edwards (9/05) only Rookie of the Year candidates to win Auto Club race
• Most leaders: 12 (2001)
• Most lead changes: 23 (2/06)
• Most cautions: 10 (10/09)
• Most caution laps: 43 (2/05)
• Fastest race: 155.957 mph (2001)
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998) & Kyle Busch (2/09) only drivers to win Auto Club race & championship in same season
• 4 Drivers swept Auto Club NXS & NCS races on same weekend –
• Kasey Kahne (9/06), Matt Kenseth (2/07), Kyle Busch (2013) & Kyle Larson (2017)
• Only 4 Auto Club NXS winners did not compete in Auto Club NCS race same weekend
• 7 Different teams won last 7 Auto Club races
• Crew Chief Mike Shiplett won 2 of last 3 Auto Club NXS races – 2017 (Kyle Larson) & 2019 (Cole Custer)
• Joey Logano leader at scheduled distance both Auto Club Overtime finishes – 1 Win (10/09)