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Pala Casino 400

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Pala Casino 400
NASCAR Cup Series
VenueAuto Club Speedway
LocationFontana, California, United States
Corporate sponsorPala Casino Resort and Spa
First race1997 (1997)
Last race2023 (2023)
Distance400 miles (643.737 km)
Laps200 (Stages 1/2: 60 each
Final stage: 80)
Previous namesCalifornia 500 Presented by NAPA (1997–1999)
NAPA Auto Parts 500 (2000–2002)
Auto Club 500 (2003–2010)
Auto Club 400 (2011–2020)
WISE Power 400 (2022)
Most wins (driver)Kyle Busch (4)
Most wins (team)Hendrick Motorsports (8)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chevrolet (13)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Turns4

The Pala Casino 400 was a 400-mile (643.737 km) NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It was the second race of the Cup Series season (after the Daytona 500) during its final years as well as from 2005 to 2010.

History

[edit]
The 2022 race logo

Prior to 2005, the race was held in late April or early May, and until 2010, the race was run at a length of 500 miles. When the NASCAR Realignment of 2005 was made, the race was moved to February and the week following the Daytona 500.[1] The race was moved from February to March in 2011. After being pleased with the results of the shortening of the track's former fall race date, the Pepsi Max 400, from 500 to 400 miles, this race was also shortened to 400 miles in 2011.[2]

The Automobile Club of Southern California, the title sponsor of the track, was the title sponsor of the race from 2003 to 2020. WillCo Intelligent Stored Energy (WISE) Power became the title sponsor of the race in 2022.[3] The Pala Casino Resort and Spa became the title sponsor of the race in 2023.[4]

Past winners

[edit]
Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Sponsor Race distance Race time Average speed
(mph) 		Report Ref
Laps Miles (km)
1997 June 22 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont 250 500 (804.672) 3:13:32 155.012 Report [5]
1998 May 3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline/Cummins 250 500 (804.672) 3:33:57 140.22 Report [6]
1999 May 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont 250 500 (804.672) 3:19:38 150.276 Report [7]
2000 April 30 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Kranefuss Racing Ford Mobil 1 250 500 (804.672) 3:20:50 149.378 Report [8]
2001 April 29 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford Miller Lite 250 500 (804.672) 3:29:37 143.118 Report [9]
2002 April 28 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's 250 500 (804.672) 3:19:53 150.088 Report [10]
2003 April 27 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Rubbermaid 250 500 (804.672) 3:34:07 140.111 Report [11]
2004 May 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont 250 500 (804.672) 3:38:33 137.268 Report [12]
2005 February 27 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford Post-It/National Guard 250 500 (804.672) 3:34:45 139.697 Report [13]
2006 February 26 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt 251* 502 (807.89) 3:23:43 147.852 Report [14]
2007 February 25 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford Carhartt/DeWalt 250 500 (804.672) 3:36:41 138.451 Report [15]
2008 Feb 24/25* 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford Dish Network 250 500 (804.672) 3:46:04 132.704 Report [16]
2009 February 22 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford Carhartt 250 500 (804.672) 3:40:51 135.839 Report [17]
2010 February 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's/Kobalt Tools 250 500 (804.672) 3:31:24 141.911 Report [18]
2011* March 27 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Jimmy John's 200 400 (643.737) 2:39:06 150.849 Report [19]
2012 March 25 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Office Depot/Mobil 1 129* 258 (415.21) 1:36:39 160.166 Report [20]
2013 March 24 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Interstate Batteries 200 400 (643.737) 2:57:19 135.351 Report [21]
2014 March 23 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Interstate Batteries 206* 412 (663.05) 3:05:53 132.987 Report [22]
2015 March 22 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford Wurth 209* 418 (672.706) 2:58:18 140.662 Report [23]
2016 March 20 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's/Superman 205* 410 (659.831) 2:59:17 137.213 Report [24]
2017 March 26 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Target/Cottonelle 202* 404 (650.175) 2:57:46 136.359 Report [25]
2018 March 18 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota Bass Pro Shops/5-Hour Energy 200 400 (643.737) 2:42:41 147.526 Report [26]
2019 March 17 18 Kyle Busch* Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Interstate Batteries 200 400 (643.737) 2:47:42 143.113 Report [27]
2020 March 1 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Cincinnati 200 400 (643.737) 2:37:07 152.753 Report [28]
2021* Race moved to the Daytona road course (O'Reilly Auto Parts 253) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [29]
2022 February 27 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet HendrickCars.com 200 400 (643.737) 3:03:07 114.222 Report [30]
2023 February 26 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lucas Oil 200 400 (643.737) 3:08:05 127.603 Report [31]

Notes

[edit]
  • 2006, and 2014–2017: Race extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish. The 2015 race took two attempts.
  • 2008: The race started on Sunday but was finished on Monday due to rain.
  • 2011: Race distance changed from 500 miles to 400. Kevin Harvick passed Jimmie Johnson on the last lap to win, the first final-lap pass in ACS history.
  • 2012: Race shortened due to rain.
  • 2019: Kyle Busch's 200th-career NASCAR win across all top three divisions.
  • 2021: Race canceled and moved to the Daytona road course (O'Reilly Auto Parts 253) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[29]

Multiple winners (drivers)

[edit]
Wins Driver Years won
4 Kyle Busch 2013, 2014, 2019, 2023
3 Jeff Gordon 1997, 1999, 2004
Matt Kenseth 2006, 2007, 2009
Jimmie Johnson 2002, 2010, 2016
2 Kyle Larson 2017, 2022

Multiple winners (teams)

[edit]
Wins Team Years won
8 Hendrick Motorsports 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2016, 2020, 2022
7 Roush Fenway Racing 1998, 2003, 2005-2009
3 Team Penske 2000, 2001, 2015
Joe Gibbs Racing 2013, 2014, 2019
2 Richard Childress Racing 2011, 2023

Manufacturer wins

[edit]
Wins Manufacturer Years won
12 Chevrolet 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2010-2012, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023
10 Ford 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005-2009, 2015
4 Toyota 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019
[edit]
Wins Sponsor Years won
3 DuPont 1997, 1999, 2004
Lowe's 2002, 2010, 2016
Interstate Batteries 2013, 2014, 2019
2 Mobil 1 2000, 2012
DeWalt 2006, 2007
Carhartt 2007, 2009

History

[edit]
  • 1997: After nearly a decade, NASCAR came back to Southern California on June 22 with the inaugural California 500. The race featured 21 lead changes among a dozen different drivers. Jeff Gordon passed Mark Martin with 11 laps remaining and sped to victory. Terry Labonte took second, giving Hendrick Motorsports another 1–2 finish.
  • 2000: Jeremy Mayfield scores a win for Penske Racing South, his second of his career. During the post-race celebration, Mayfield jumped on the roof of the car and dented it, leaving the car to be too short and penalizing Mayfield championship points. For a while following the incident, NASCAR prevented drivers from being on the roof of the car in the Victory Lane, although drivers were later allowed to jump on the roof during victory celebrations.
  • 2001: On what would have been Dale Earnhardt's 50th birthday, the race was running with Rusty Wallace holding off Jeff Gordon at the end. During the celebration, Rusty had a 3 flag to fly around the track in the reverse direction. In 1993, Earnhardt and Wallace ran in reverse to hold Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison flags at the last race in Atlanta that year. After Dale's death, Rusty was the last driver of that group of four drivers to race.
  • 2002: There were ten drivers who failed to finish the race; with five of the drivers forcing to leave the race due to terminal crashes while five other drivers had engine issues. Nearly 10% of the 199-minute race was held under a caution flag and the average green flag run was approximately 38 laps. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s unfortunate accident forced NASCAR to pass a regulation forcing drivers to take the ambulance ride to the infield care center every time they crashed; he did not admit to having this injury until mid-September, resulting in changes to NASCAR's concussion policy. In the end, Jimmie Johnson holds off Kurt Busch to score his first career win.
  • 2008: The race started on Sunday, completing only 87 laps with 7 yellow flags and 2 red flags. One red flag was caused on lap 21 during the first day when Casey Mears spun upon hitting the water that had seeps up through cracks in the track, collided with Dale Earnhardt Jr., then got turned over on his roof by Sam Hornish Jr. NASCAR postponed the remainder of the event to Monday due to a lengthy red flag for rain. The rain delay on Sunday also delayed the Stater Brothers 300 to Monday. Carl Edwards would go on to win the event, while he finished 5th in the Nationwide Series race. The Cup Race was postponed at 2 AM ET on Monday and resumed at 1 PM ET the same day. The Nationwide Series Race was held shortly after 5 PM ET on Monday.
  • 2013: Kyle Busch won after Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin crashed fighting hard for the lead on the last lap. Busch also took the weekend sweep by winning the Nationwide race the day before. It is the first Fontana victory in the NASCAR Cup Series both for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. From 2011 to 2013, Busch finished a reverse order: 3rd (2011), 2nd (2012), and 1st (2013). The last lap crash between Logano and Hamlin sent Hamlin into the inside wall (without a SAFER Barrier) head-on. As a result, he suffered a compression fracture of his L1 vertebra in his back, which forced him to miss four races.
  • 2014: Denny Hamlin missed the race when he came down with a sinus infection that impacted his vision about an hour before the race, necessitating Joe Gibbs Racing to hire Sam Hornish Jr. to drive the car. The race was marred by a massive rash of tire failures, with over 20 tire failures happening in the race itself. Multiple drivers, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose, and more, fell victim to tire failures and had to work their way back through the field to salvage a lead lap finish. A spin by Clint Bowyer with two laps to go set up a dramatic green-white-checkered finish. Over the second-to-last lap, the field went five wide, with Kurt Busch leading. Over the last lap, Kyle Busch and Nationwide race winner Kyle Larson overtook Kurt for the lead. A side-by-side battle for the lead between Busch and Larson nicknamed the "Kyle and Kyle Show" unfolded. Larson looked like he was going to win his first Cup race, but Busch cleared and moved in front of Larson out of turn 4 and took his second straight win at Auto Club. There were a race-high 35 lead changes among 15 leaders.
  • 2016: After a late-race caution, Jimmie Johnson pulls out of the crowd to hold of leaders Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin to claim his 77th career win in the Superman car, passing Dale Earnhardt in career wins. Johnson would later win his 7th Championship, tying Earnhardt and Richard Petty in most career championships.
  • 2019: Kyle Busch earns his 200th win after sweeping all 3 stages and coming back from a penalty on pit road, tying Richard Petty for the most NASCAR National Series wins.
  • 2020: Following a pre-race tribute to Jimmie Johnson in his final race at Fontana, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman leads a race-high 110 laps to earn his second career victory.
  • 2022: The Cup Series returned to Fontana after a two-year absence. The race featured 12 cautions (a new track record) and 32 lead changes, the last being defending series champion Kyle Larson's pass of Daniel Suarez with three laps to go.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ NASCAR announces schedule realignment for 2005 Cup season Retrieved on March 27, 2018.
  2. ^ Pockrass, Bob (January 11, 2011). "Auto Club Speedway race changed from 500 miles to 400 miles". Scene Daily. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  3. ^ "WISE Power to sponsor NASCAR Cup Series Race at Auto Club Speedway". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Christie, Toby (November 6, 2022). "Pala Casino to Support Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Team in 2023 Race at Auto Club Speedway". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "1997 California 500 presented by NAPA". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  6. ^ "1998 California 500 presented by NAPA". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "1999 California 500 presented by NAPA". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  8. ^ "2000 NAPA Auto Parts 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "2001 NAPA Auto Parts 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "2003 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "2004 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "2005 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "2006 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "2007 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  16. ^ "2008 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  17. ^ "2009 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "2010 Auto Club 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  19. ^ "2011 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "2012 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  21. ^ "2013 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  22. ^ "2014 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  23. ^ "2015 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  24. ^ "2016 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  25. ^ "2017 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  26. ^ "2018 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  27. ^ "2019 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  28. ^ "2020 Auto Club 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  29. ^ a b Crandall, Kelly (December 8, 2020). "Fontana dropped, Daytona races added to 2021 NASCAR schedule". Racer. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  30. ^ "2022 WISE Power 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  31. ^ "2023 Pala Casino 400". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
[edit]


Previous race:
Daytona 500 		NASCAR Cup Series
Pala Casino 400 		Next race:
Pennzoil 400
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