NASCAR Auto Club 500 at Fontana

• Eric Taylor

  How they will start when the green flag drops.
  
  #1 Jamie McMurray
  #2 Juan Pablo Montoya
  #3 Clint Bowyer
  #4 Kasey Kahne
  #5 Dave Blaney
  #6 Kevin Harvick
  #7 Jimmie Johnson
  #8 Sam Hornish Jr
  #9 Kyle Busch
  #10 Mark Martin
  #11 David Reutimann
  #12 Kurt Busch
  #13 Scott Speed
  #14 Jeff Burton
  #15 David Ragan
  #16 Tony Stewart
  #17 Mike Bliss
  #18 Ryan Newman
  #19 Joey Logano
  #20 Matt Kenseth
  #21 Brad Keselowski
  #22 Regan Smith
  #23 Brian Vickers
  #24 Aric Almirola
  #25 Denny Hamlin
  #26 Marcos Ambros
  #27 Dale Earnhardt Jr
  #28 Jeff Gordon
  #29 AJ Allmendinger
  #30 Michael McDowell
  #31 Carl Edwards
  #32 Joe Nemechek
  #33 Bobby Labonte
  #34 Martin Truex Jr
  #35 Greg Biffle
  #36 Paul Menard
  #37 Elliott Sadler
  #38 Kevin Conway
  #39 Travis Kvapil
  #40 Robby Gordon
  #41 David Gilliand
  #42 Boris Said
  #43 Max Papis
  
  Failed To Qualify
  
  Casey Mears
  Johnny Sauter
  Terry Cook
• coyotes22

  

  Lets go JR!!!!
• Eric Taylor

  Montoya and Newman has both been knocked out of the race in the last 10 laps.
• Eric Taylor

  Through 149 Laps
  
  1 - Jeff Gordon
  2 - Sam Hornish Jr
  3 - Kyle Busch
  4 - Jeff Burton
  5 - Kurt Busch
  6 - Jimmie Johnson
  7 - Mark Martin
  8 - Matt Kenseth
  9 - Clint Bowyer
  10 - Greg Biffle
  11 - Joey Logano
  12 - Tony Stewart
  13 - Brian Vickers
  14 - David Reutimann
  15 - Kevin Harvick
• Darkon

  

  Eric Taylor wrote: Montoya and Newman has both been knocked out of the race in the last 10 laps.

  Montoya was my league pick this week. No points for me.
• Eric Taylor

  possible broken axel for Jr.
  
  Rain heading for Fontana.
  
  65 laps left.
• Speedofsand

  

  I can't believe they are going green again. Too bad for Hamlin and Speed having to pit.
  Go Jeff Burton - 31 is due.
• GoChiefs

  

  Same ol' Jr.
• Speedofsand

  

  I don't know if the left was down or not, but the RR was really spinning. Great move by him earlier not to run over Hornish.
  Great move by McMurray's crewman hopping Harvick's car.
  Anyone pick 78 Regan Smith today ? That is basically a Childress car.
• tigerfan82

  sorry folks.....watching moto x and the olympics today! I have checked in to see how it was going and found out that the seats were once again sparsly filled and the race is as boring as hell, IMO........wake up NASCAR!!!!
• GoChiefs

  

  Seats aren't full..no..probably at least 100,000 there though. And I disagree..I've actually enjoyed the race for the most part.
• Speedofsand

  

  I got home with 80 to go. Went for a bicycle ride on the beach.
  
  EFF Jimmie and Chad
• ts1227

  

  California NEVER fills the stands (yet get 2 races per year).
  
  The fall race was whacked down to 400 miles though, which will be nice.
• coyotes22

  

  GoChiefs wrote: Same ol' Jr.

  Douchebag.
• tigerfan82

  Chiefs, always respected your thoughts on racing.........well maybe not the bash Jr. any chance you get......but this one you and I disagree. Cali, Vegas, chicago, etc...... are all about the corporate money.....no fan bases, boring as all get out, dropped a DARLINGTON race because we had to get 2 races at these sorry ass tracks...........my goodness we already had 2 Pocono and Michigan races, why make the fans suffer through more????????? Wonder what the tv ratings soar to at these races?????? Bet they don't come close to a Bristol(They are trying to ruin this also), Charlotte, Atlanta, Dover, etc.....
• Speedofsand

  

  I was at the very first C.O.T. race at Bristol, and the new progressive banking is great if you ask me. They have to give Kansas another race, I believe it will come from Michigan or Martinsville. I can't see Martinsville losing a race after all the $$$ ISC has sunk into property upgrades the last 5 years.
  The best answer is to rotate races each year. Take one away from Mich, the next year give them 2 and take 1 from Martinsville, the next year take 1 from Calif., and so on.
  Corporate hospitality money dropped so much 2 years ago (for all races), you would not believe how many millions went bye bye. DuPont was spending $20 million a year on hospitality alone, for several years. The economy dropped and they've only had it for Daytona and I think Pocono because that near DuPont's HQ.
• GoChiefs

  

  tigerfan82 wrote: Chiefs, always respected your thoughts on racing.........well maybe not the bash Jr. any chance you get......but this one you and I disagree. Cali, Vegas, chicago, etc...... are all about the corporate money.....no fan bases, boring as all get out, dropped a DARLINGTON race because we had to get 2 races at these sorry ass tracks...........my goodness we already had 2 Pocono and Michigan races, why make the fans suffer through more????????? Wonder what the tv ratings soar to at these races?????? Bet they don't come close to a Bristol(They are trying to ruin this also), Charlotte, Atlanta, Dover, etc.....

  Oh..I don't disagree with you at all. I hate the track..I think they need to get rid of it. IMO..the only reason they have a race at Fontana is to try and help get rid of the "NASCAR is a southern/redneck thing" stereotype. I was just saying that the race yesterday..in particular..wasn't that bad of a race. Normally..they blow. Boring as hell. No doubt about it.
  
  Hell..I want to see them drop a California, Chicago, or Kansas date..and bring back freakin' Rockingham. They got rid of 'The Rock' b/c it wasn't selling out. Well..neither are the tracks they replaced Rockingham with. So why the hell not go back to the EXCITING race that didn't sell out instead of staying with a BORING race that doesn't sell out? They could go back there next year without any problems. Andy Hillenburg has done a GREAT job at maintaining the facility and even improving it since NASCAR left.
  
  I, personally, also believe they need to shorten the season. I think that's another reason why ratings and fans have been dropping. They made the season so long..so thats why they have to get to the boring ass tracks 2 times a year. So they have a track just to fill in the schedule. I'd LOVE to see them cut back down to a 26 week schedule and have a schedule similar to this
  
  Daytona - 2 races
  Atlanta - 2 races
  Bristol - 2 races
  Martinsville - 2 races
  Phoenix - 1 race
  Talladega - 2 race
  Richmond - 2 races
  Darlington - 2 races
  Dover - 2 races
  Charlotte - 1 race
  Pocono - 1 race
  Rockingham - 2 races
  Michigan - 1 race
  Sonoma - 1 race
  Loudon - 1 race
  Indianapolis - 1 race
  Watkins Glen - 1 race
  
  As for the 'Jr. bashing'...it's targeted more towards a poster or two than more towards the WHOLE 'nation'. LOL They know who they are! *looking at coyote* I actually do wish the guy luck and believe it or not..I do want to see him have success in this sport.
• GoChiefs

  

  Speedofsand wrote: Take one away from Mich, the next year give them 2 and take 1 from Martinsville, the next year take 1 from Calif., and so on.

  They won't take a date from Martinsville. It sells out most years as well and is a big ratings draw too. Plus..they have been using it as a lead up to Bristol. 2 short tracks back to back. I think they like the idea of something happening between 2 drivers at Martinsville..then they are just going to go to Bristol where they can continue that 'feud' and possibly have a 'payback'.
• Eric Taylor

  The crowd was horrible yesterday.
  
  It was sad to see the empty seats in turn 1.
  
  Nice to see Smoke with a top 10 run.
  
  I thought Montoya was going to win the race until his engine blew up. His car was pretty good until that point.
• Speedofsand

  

  Bristol is first, then Martinsville. I can assure you, Martinsville has been brought up in discussions. I don't see it happening, but they have to take from their own, because Bruton Smith will have 20 lawyers on it if ISC tried to take one away from his tracks.
• GoChiefs

  

  Yep..I seen that..I stand corrected. Either way..that's why they have them both back to back IMO. LOL I have no doubt M'ville has been brought up..but I'm sure at some point...besides Daytona..every track has been brought up. I just don't see them taking a date away from one of there biggest draws. That would just be plain stupid. Especially taking it away for a track like KANSAS.
• Speedofsand

  

  Kansas is guaranteed a 2nd date because of the casino deal. They don't know where it will come from yet, but it will be an ISC track.
• GoChiefs

  

  If indeed it has to be an ISC track..I say take one away from Fontana, Michigan, hell..even Talladega. Or even better..just get rid of the Chicagoland race altogether! Give Kansas that date.
• tigerfan82

  Bring back the ROCK!!!!!!! The crowd didn't stop coming because of the race, they stopped when they moved it to the second race of the season and the weather stunk!!!!! And i know who your Jr buddy is chiefs I vote that along with the Rock, bring back N. Wilks and drop some of these races all together......hell, atleast give the Kentucky track a race. All other series race there and it is good for the fans!
• GoChiefs

  

  And...it looks like Joe Menzer agrees about Fontana! Here's a pretty good article about the attendance at Auto Club Speedway.
  
  http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/opinion/02/22/one.menz.jmenzer.fontana.gzucker/index.html