NEWS AND NOTES INTO AUTO CLUB

Truex, Bowyer Riding High As Michael Waltrip Racing’s Fortunes Surge

Don’t be surprised if Michael Waltrip Racing lays claim to Toyota’s first NSCS victory at Auto Club Speedway.

MWR is running that well – and across the board.

Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer – along with first-time MWR competitor Brian Vickers – gave the organization an unprecedented three spots among the top five in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Truex, third in Bristol, has posted two top-five and six top-10 finishes in his last nine starts dating to last fall’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. The No. 56 Toyota outfit has come alive since Chad Johnston was appointed crew chief prior to last June’s event at Pocono Raceway. Truex is a heady fourth in the points standings, a top-10 ranking he shares with MWR newcomer Bowyer (eighth).

All three of MWR’s Camrys hold top-10 positions in the series’ owner standings, including the No. 55 being shared by Vickers, Waltrip and Mark Martin, who returns to the seat in Fontana. The organization is chasing history as the first car with multiple drivers to qualify on owner points for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.

Martin has a victory at Auto Club Speedway in 1998. Bowyer’s pair of top fives includes a second place in 2010. Truex has two top-five starts at the Southern California track with consecutive sixth-place finishes his best. 

Race Within A Race: Guaranteed Spots Up For Grabs In Battle Around The Bubble

Things could get hairy this weekend for the likes of Kasey Kahne, David Reutimann and Danica Patrick. After five races with the relative comfort of a guaranteed starting spot in each race, that luxury might vanish for those three big guns.

After this Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway, the 2012 owner points will be used to determine which cars land a guaranteed spot in each upcoming race. For the first five races, 2011 points were used. The top 35 in owner points are guaranteed a spot in each race.

Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet, owned by Linda Hendrick sits a surprising 34th in points, only seven points inside the top 35. Kahne, a preseason favorite to land a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ after joining powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, has stumbled to open the season. He has yet to crack the top 15 in any of the first four races. His best finish was 19th at Las Vegas.

Just as juicy is the battle by the No. 10 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet to climb back into the top 35. It inched closer to the bubble after a decent 21st-place finish by Reutimann at Bristol last weekend. The team now stands 36th in points, just four points behind the No. 83 of BK Racing in 35th. Patrick plans to next race at Darlington Raceway on May 12. Reutimann, who will start in the No. 10 at Auto Club this weekend, has two top 10s at the two-mile SoCal track.

Early Season Finds Junior Turning Aggression Meter Up A Notch

Auto Club Speedway would seem an unlikely place for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to rediscover Victory Lane.

Junior has yet to crack the top 10 at Fontana in a Hendrick Motorsports car, finishing 32nd or worse in three of his seven appearances with the team.

And yet, the Earnhardt of 2012 isn’t the driver of the past few seasons. If anything, Junior’s on-track demeanor is reminiscent of, well, another Earnhardt. Junior is racing more aggressively, having rubbed teammate Jeff Gordon the wrong way at Bristol after trading bumpers in Las Vegas with Mark Martin.

Earnhardt is solidly among the top 10 in points (sixth) and the highest ranked of HMS’ four drivers. It would probably be a mistake to write him off as a contender on Sunday as he works on ending a streak of 133 races since his 18^th series victory in 2008.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Etc.

Dodge’s win at Bristol Motor Speedway made it four different manufacturer winners in four races, matching a feat last achieved in 1986, when the season’s first four races were won by four different nameplates (Chevrolet, Ford, Oldsmobile, Buick). … On Wednesday, March 21, Keselowski will participate in the unveiling of a model of Kansas Speedway at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Miniland in Kansas City, Mo. Keselowski will also build a replica of his race car in LEGOs. … Jimmie Johnson will be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, March 22, at midnight ET on ABC. … On March 21, Joey Logano will participate in “Speedway Day L.A.” at L.A. Union Station.  Logano will hop in the Auto Club Speedway show car and arrive at the Speedway Day L.A. press conference in front of L.A. Union Station at 3 p.m. … In an event with Texas Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards will train with a SWAT team in Dallas, Texas, on March 21, participating in a variety of exercises such as: riding in the multi-million dollar Bearcat tactics vehicle, rappelling down an eight-story building, live range shooting and joining the SWAT for a tactical situation. … Milestone Marker: Ryan Newman continues his hunt to become the ninth driver to win 50 Coors Light poles. … Kurt Busch will attempt to post his 25th NSCS win, which would tie him with Jim Paschal and Joe Weatherly for 24th on the all-time list. Busch has one win at ACS (2003).