The 2019 Auto Club 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on March 17, 2019, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 200 laps on the D-shaped oval, it was the fifth race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was won by Kyle Busch, his 200th win across all three of NASCAR's national divisions.
Report
Background
Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023. It was also used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and was the only track owned by ISC to have its naming rights sold. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstate 10 and Interstate 15 freeways as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch.
Entry list Driver Team Manufacturer 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 36 Matt Tifft (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 47 Ryan Preece (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Cody Ware (R) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 52 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 66 Joey Gase (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 77 Garrett Smithley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing ToyotaOfficial entry list
First practice Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 40.137 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.137 179.386 2 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40.145 179.350 3 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 40.229 178.975Official first practice results
Qualifying Austin Dillon scored the pole for the race with a time of 39.982 and a speed of after no drivers completed a lap in the final round of qualifying.
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 13 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40.011 39.982 0.000 24 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 40.416 40.137 0.000 310 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 40.122 40.205 0.000 418 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 40.482 40.247 0.000 522 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 40.108 40.248 0.000 611 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 40.415 40.312 0.000 76 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 40.273 40.334 0.000 89 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.110 40.356 0.000 914 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 40.389 40.368 0.000 1012 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 40.117 40.378 0.000 1148 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.173 40.380 0.000 1217 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 40.516 40.405 0.000 132 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 40.395 40.448 — 1437 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 40.170 40.491 — 1542 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 40.408 40.505 — 1613 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 40.518 40.523 — 178 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40.275 40.545 — 1820 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 40.491 40.590 — 1938 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 40.436 40.613 — 2041 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 40.321 40.620 — 211 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 40.436 40.644 — 2224 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.213 40.733 — 2388 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.502 41.141 — 2495 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing Toyota 40.254 41.497 — 2521 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 40.534 — — 2647 Ryan Preece (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 40.572 — — 2719 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 40.580 — — 2843 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 40.666 — — 2934 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 40.874 — — 3032 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 40.941 — — 3115 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 41.158 — — 3236 Matt Tifft (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 41.184 — — 3300 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 41.400 — — 3451 Cody Ware (R) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 41.745 — — 3527 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 42.442 — — 3652 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 42.755 — — 3777 Garrett Smithley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 42.806 — — 3866 Joey Gase (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 43.519 — —Official qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 40.940 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 40.940 175.867 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 40.962 175.773 3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 40.992 175.644Official second practice results
Final practice Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 40.759 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 40.759 176.648 2 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40.782 176.548 3 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 40.841 176.293Official final practice results
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 102 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 93 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 84 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 75 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 66 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 48 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 210 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1Official stage one results
Stage Two Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 102 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 93 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 84 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 75 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 66 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 57 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 48 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 210 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage two results
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 80
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 4 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 602 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 200 513 13 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 200 434 2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 200 455 10 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 200 426 21 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 347 6 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 408 27 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 299 3 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 200 4010 1 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 2711 8 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 2712 15 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 2513 20 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 200 2814 12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 2315 22 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 2216 14 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 200 2117 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 2318 24 95 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing Toyota 200 1919 18 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 2720 25 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 1721 23 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 1622 7 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 199 1523 26 47 Ryan Preece (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 199 1424 29 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 198 1325 19 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 198 1226 32 36 Matt Tifft (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 197 1127 16 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 197 1028 31 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 195 029 33 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 195 830 28 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 194 731 30 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 193 632 34 51 Cody Ware (R) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 192 533 17 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 192 534 35 27 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 192 335 38 66 Joey Gase (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 188 036 37 77 Garrett Smithley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 188 037 36 52 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 172 038 9 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 130 1Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 18 among 9 different drivers Cautions/Laps: 4 for 22 Red flags: 0 Time of race: 2 hours, 47 minutes and 42 seconds Average speed:
Media
Television The race was the 19th race Fox Sports covered at the Auto Club Speedway. Mike Joy, three-time Auto Club winner Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip called the race in the booth for Fox. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties for the television side.
Fox Booth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Jeff GordonColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip Jamie LittleVince WelchMatt Yocum
Radio MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 2001 race winner Rusty Wallace called the race from the booth when the field raced their way down the front stretch. Kyle Rickey called the race from a billboard outside turn 2 when the field raced their way through turns 1 and 2 & Dan Hubbard called the race from a billboard outside turn 3 when the field raced their way through turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelley, Steve Post and Dillon Welch had the pit road duties for MRN.
MRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Alex HaydenAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Kyle RickeyTurns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard Winston KelleySteve PostDillon Welch
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 237 2 Joey Logano 222 (–15) 3 Kevin Harvick 213 (–24) 4 Denny Hamlin 205 (–32) 3 5 Brad Keselowski 176 (–61) 1 6 Aric Almirola 174 (–63) 2 7 Martin Truex Jr. 169 (–68) 2 8 Kyle Larson 163 (–74) 9 Kurt Busch 160 (–77) 2 10 Ryan Blaney 155 (–82) 1 11 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 146 (–91) 1 12 Chase Elliott 135 (–102) 1 13 Erik Jones 133 (–104) 1 14 Jimmie Johnson 121 (–116) 4 15 Clint Bowyer 119 (–118) 16 Alex Bowman 110 (–127)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 189 2 Ford 182 (–7) 3 Chevrolet 159 (–30)
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
References