2019 Auto Club 400

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 two-mile (3.2 km) 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.

2019 Auto Club 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 5 of 36 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway
Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway
DateMarch 17, 2019 (2019-03-17)
LocationAuto Club Speedway in Fontana, California
CoursePermanent racing facility
2 mi (3.22 km)
Distance200 laps, 400 mi (640 km)
Average speed143.113 miles per hour (230.318 km/h)
Pole position
DriverRichard Childress Racing
Time39.982
Most laps led
DriverKyle BuschJoe Gibbs Racing
Laps134
Winner
No. 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersMike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip
Nielsen Ratings4.178 million[10]
Radio in the United States
RadioMRN
Booth AnnouncersAlex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace
Turn AnnouncersDan Hubbard (1 & 2) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4)

Report

Background

Auto Club Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a two-mile (3.2 km), 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

No.DriverTeamManufacturer
00Landon CassillStarCom RacingChevrolet
1Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
6Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord
8Daniel Hemric (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
13Ty DillonGermain RacingChevrolet
14Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord
15Ross Chastain (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet
17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
20Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
21Paul MenardWood Brothers RacingFord
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
27Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet
32Corey LaJoieGo Fas RacingFord
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
36Matt Tifft (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
37Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
38David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord
41Daniel SuárezStewart-Haas RacingFord
42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
43Bubba WallaceRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet
47Ryan Preece (R)JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
51Cody Ware (R)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet
52B. J. McLeod (i)Rick Ware RacingFord
66Joey Gase (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota
77Garrett Smithley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
88Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
95Matt DiBenedettoLeavine Family RacingToyota
Official 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 179.386 mph (288.694 km/h).[11]

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed
148Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.137179.386
23Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet40.145179.350
337Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet40.229178.975
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Austin Dillon scored the pole for the race with a time of 39.982 and a speed of 180.081 mph (289.812 km/h) after no drivers completed a lap in the final round of qualifying.[12]

Qualifying results

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerR1R2R3
13Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet40.01139.9820.000
24Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord40.41640.1370.000
310Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord40.12240.2050.000
418Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota40.48240.2470.000
522Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord40.10840.2480.000
611Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota40.41540.3120.000
76Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord40.27340.3340.000
89Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.11040.3560.000
914Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord40.38940.3680.000
1012Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord40.11740.3780.000
1148Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.17340.3800.000
1217Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord40.51640.4050.000
132Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord40.39540.448
1437Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet40.17040.491
1542Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet40.40840.505
1613Ty DillonGermain RacingChevrolet40.51840.523
178Daniel Hemric (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet40.27540.545
1820Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota40.49140.590
1938David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord40.43640.613
2041Daniel SuárezStewart-Haas RacingFord40.32140.620
211Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet40.43640.644
2224William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.21340.733
2388Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.50241.141
2495Matt DiBenedettoLeavine Family RacingToyota40.25441.497
2521Paul MenardWood Brothers RacingFord40.534
2647Ryan Preece (R)JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet40.572
2719Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota40.580
2843Bubba WallaceRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet40.666
2934Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord40.874
3032Corey LaJoieGo Fas RacingFord40.941
3115Ross Chastain (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet41.158
3236Matt Tifft (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord41.184
3300Landon CassillStarCom RacingChevrolet41.400
3451Cody Ware (R)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet41.745
3527Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet42.442
3652B. J. McLeod (i)Rick Ware RacingFord42.755
3777Garrett Smithley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet42.806
3866Joey Gase (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota43.519
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 175.867 mph (283.031 km/h).[13]

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed
14Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord40.940175.867
218Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota40.962175.773
32Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord40.992175.644
Official 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 176.648 mph (284.287 km/h).[14]

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed
12Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord40.759176.648
28Daniel Hemric (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet40.782176.548
341Daniel SuárezStewart-Haas RacingFord40.841176.293
Official final practice results

Race

Stage Results

Stage OneLaps: 60

PosNoDriverTeamManufacturerPoints
118Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota10
222Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord9
311Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota8
44Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord7
510Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord6
620Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota5
741Daniel SuárezStewart-Haas RacingFord4
848Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3
912Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord2
108Daniel Hemric (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet1
Official stage one results

Stage TwoLaps: 60

PosNoDriverTeamManufacturerPoints
118Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota10
22Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord9
312Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord8
422Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord7
510Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord6
64Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord5
720Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota4
81Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet3
911Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota2
109Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage ThreeLaps: 80

PosGridNoDriverTeamManufacturerLapsPoints
1418Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20060
2522Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord20051
3132Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord20043
424Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord20045
51012Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord20042
6211Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet20034
7611Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20040
82719Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota20029
9310Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord20040
1013Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet20027
1189Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20027
121542Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet20025
132041Daniel SuárezStewart-Haas RacingFord20028
141217Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord20023
152224William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20022
161437Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet20021
171148Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20023
182495Matt DiBenedettoLeavine Family RacingToyota20019
191820Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20027
202521Paul MenardWood Brothers RacingFord20017
212388Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20016
2276Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord19915
232647Ryan Preece (R)JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet19914
242934Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord19813
251938David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord19812
263236Matt Tifft (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord19711
271613Ty DillonGermain RacingChevrolet19710
283115Ross Chastain (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet1950
293300Landon CassillStarCom RacingChevrolet1958
302843Bubba WallaceRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet1947
313032Corey LaJoieGo Fas RacingFord1936
323451Cody Ware (R)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet1925
33178Daniel Hemric (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet1925
343527Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet1923
353866Joey Gase (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota1880
363777Garrett Smithley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet1880
373652B. J. McLeod (i)Rick Ware RacingFord1720
38914Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord1301
Official 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: 143.113 miles per hour (230.318 km/h)

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 Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip
Jamie Little
Vince Welch
Matt 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.

MRN
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace
Turns 1 & 2: Kyle Rickey
Turns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard
Winston Kelley
Steve Post
Dillon Welch

Standings after the race

Manufacturers' Championship standings
PosManufacturerPoints
1Toyota189
2Ford182 (–7)
3Chevrolet159 (–30)
  • Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.

References


Previous race:
2019 TicketGuardian 500
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
2019 season
Next race:
2019 STP 500