SPRINT CUP SERIES – AUTO CLUB 400

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – AUTO CLUB 400, SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 3 P.M. EDT ON FOX

Keselowski New Standings Leader As Series Moves West

Brad Keselowski carries the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship lead to Auto Club Speedway where he hopes to improve upon a career-best finish of 18^th at the Los Angeles-area track. Keselowski remains red hot in defense of his 2012 Sprint Cup title – the only competitor to record four top-five finishes and lead all four of this season’s races.

California Natives Dominate Auto Club 400 Entry List

California is the epicenter of the NASCAR Sprint Cup world this Sunday with running of the 17^th Annual Auto Club 400. The entry for the 400-mile, 200-lap race boasts seven California natives – most from any state – who include five-time Auto Club winner Jimmie Johnson; three-time winner Jeff Gordon; 2011 winner Kevin Harvick; and AJ Allmendinger, David Gilliland, Casey Mears and Josh Wise.

Toyota Tracking First Backyard Sprint Cup Victory

Southern California is home to Toyota Racing Development but Auto Club Speedway remains one of three NASCAR Sprint Cup tracks on which the Toyota Camry has yet to win a race. Sunday’s race could be the icebreaker. Las Vegas winner Matt Kenseth, now driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, counts three ACS victories. Mark Martin, whose No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota is fourth in series owner points, has won in all three national series at the track as has JGR’s Kyle Busch.

Reigning Auto Club 400 Winner Stewart Needs To Win Again

Tony Stewart won last year’s weather-shortened Auto Club 400. The three-time Sprint Cup champion could use a third victory at the two-mile track to lift him out of a very deep hole in the standings. Stewart sits 24^th in points after a 31^st-place finish in last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Stewart has finished outside the top 30 in two of the season’s four opening races with a best placing of eighth.

Domination Describes Hendrick Motorsports’ Exploits At Auto Club

Hendrick Motorsports is the leading winner at Auto Club Speedway with nine victories, most recently in 2010 with Jimmie Johnson. Johnson won an ACS race in four of his five championship seasons (2007-10). HMS drivers Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne – winner of Sunday’s Bristol race – also have victories in Southern California. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still looking but finished third a year ago, his best at the track since joining HMS.

Gen-6 Gets Baptism By Fire At Fifth Different Track Configuration

Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway marks the fifth different track configuration on which the new Gen-6 NASCAR Sprint Cup car will compete. Auto Club Speedway can be termed a multi-lane track – like Michigan International Speedway – where drivers truly have the option of choosing a racing groove. Expect a high-speed chess match with cars boasting more down force and less weight than the model raced in 2012.