Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s / Superman Chevrolet, races Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2016 Photo – Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s / Superman Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2016 Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s / Superman Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2016 Photo – Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s / Superman Chevrolet, celebrates after taking the checkered flag during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2016 Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s / Superman Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2016 Photo – Jonathan Moore/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson won the battle between hometown heroes on Sunday, outdueling Kevin Harvick in overtime at Auto Club Speedway
“Awesome teamwork, boys!” Johnson shouted on his radio after taking the 77th checkered flag of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, breaking a tie with the late Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the all-time victory list. “There’s nothing like winning at home.”
The six-time series champion from El Cajon got the chance he needed when Kyle Busch blew a tire and hit the turn three wall on lap 198 of a scheduled 200 to cause the sixth and last caution of the afternoon. With the race destined for overtime, the lead-lap cars came to pit road for new tires, with Denny Hamlin leading Harvick and Johnson back on to the track. Continue reading →
Austin Dillon, driver of the #2 Rheem Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series TreatMyClot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway on March 19, 2016 Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Austin Dillon, driver of the #2 Rheem Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series TreatMyClot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway on March 19, 2016 Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Austin Dillon, driver of the #2 Rheem Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series TreatMyClot.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway on March 19, 2016 Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
Seconds after crossing the finish line 0.715 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon summed up Saturday’s TreatMyClot.com 300 by Janssen in one short sentence.
“I’d rather be lucky than good,” Dillon chortled on his team radio after ending evading Busch’s last-ditch attempt to pinch the winning No. 2 Chevrolet into the outside wall at Auto Club Speedway.
And that was just the last stanza of a crazy last lap that saw: 1) Busch slow to a crawl, short on fuel; 2) Daniel Suárez take the lead from his Joe Gibbs racing teammate on the backstretch, only to run out of fuel; 3) Busch regain the lead despite cutting a left front tire on his last lap; and 4) Dillon come from a half-lap down to pass Busch as the drivers approached the finish line. Continue reading →
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: TreatMyClot.com 300 by Janssen
The Place: Auto Club Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 19
The Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (150 laps)
Suárez Extends Standings Lead on Way to California
Following the second installment of the #NASCARGoesWest part of the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule, Daniel Suárez now finds himself with an eight-point lead over second-place Elliott Sadler. Continue reading →
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, beats Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, to the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 13, 2016 Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Just four races into the 2016 Sprint Cup Series season, NASCAR’s new low downforce and Goodyear’s soft tires are giving drivers and fans two close finishes – Daytona and Phoenix – and setting track records along the way. That makes the rest of the season seem much more intriguing with 22 more races until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins in September.
Although Carl Edwards came within inches and just 0.010 seconds short of his first Sprint Cup win of the season, he made it clear in his post race comments that he was having fun racing Kevin Harvick to the Good Sam 500 checkered flag at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday afternoon – the closest finish ever at that track. Continue reading →
