NASCAR at California 2019: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues on Sunday, with 38 drivers taking to the track at Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 400, the fifth race of the year.
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile track, which will be the longest track since the season opener at Daytona (2.5 miles). The last three races (Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix) have been at tracks that were each 1.5 miles.
This race used to be 500 miles long (from 1997-2010), but it was shortened to 400 miles beginning with the 2011 season.
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Four different drivers have won the first four races of the 2019 season—Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch.
Auto Club 400 Information
Where: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
When: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: StubHub
Auto Club 400 Starting Lineup (Car Number in Parentheses)
1. Austin Dillon (3)
2. Kevin Harvick (4)
3. Aric Almirola (10)
4. Kyle Busch (18)
5. Joey Logano (22)
6. Denny Hamlin (11)
7. Ryan Newman (6)
8. Chase Elliott (9)
9. Clint Bowyer (14)
10. Ryan Blaney (12)
11. Jimmie Johnson (48)
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17)
13. Brad Keselowski (2)
14. Chris Buescher (37)
15. Kyle Larson (42)
16. Ty Dillon (13)
17. Daniel Hemric (8)
18. Erik Jones (20)
19. David Ragan (38)
20. Daniel Suarez (41)
21. Kurt Busch (1)
22. William Byron (24)
23. Alex Bowman (88)
24. Matt DiBenedetto (95)
25. Paul Menard (21)
26. Ryan Preece (47)
27. Martin Truex Jr. (19)
28. Bubba Wallace (43)
29. Michael McDowell (34)
30. Corey LaJoie (32)
31. Ross Chastain (15)
32. Matt Tifft (36)
33. Landon Cassill (00)
34. Cody Ware (51)
35. Reed Sorenson (27)
36. B.J. McLeod (52)
37. Garrett Smithley (77)
38. Joey Gase (66)
2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Standings Leaders
1. Kyle Busch, 177
2. Joey Logano, 171
3. Kevin Harvick, 168
4. Denny Hamlin, 165
5. Martin Truex Jr., 140
6. Kyle Larson, 138
7. Aric Almirola, 134
8. Brad Keselowski, 133
9. Kurt Busch, 126
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 123
11. Clint Bowyer, 118
12. Ryan Blaney, 113
13. Chase Elliott, 108
14. Erik Jones, 106
15. Jimmie Johnson, 98
16. Alex Bowman, 94
Drivers to Watch
Kyle Busch
Busch has been the most consistent driver through the first four weeks of the season, and last week, he notched his first win of the year at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. He finished second, sixth and third in the first three faces, respectively, and he currently leads the points standings.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Busch win again this weekend. He won the Auto Club 400 in 2013 and 2014, and he finished third in last year's race.
Busch is also starting near the front of the field, as he'll be fourth when the green flag drops.
The next win for Busch will be the 200th of his NASCAR career across the three national series—Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series. However, Busch isn't focused on that as he enters the weekend.
"It doesn't change anything," Busch said, according to NASCAR.com's Holly Cain. "Just come out here and we're entered in both [Cup Series and Xfinity Series] races. We come out here and try to do the best we can to win. If we win on Saturday and that's Win 200, then so be it. It is what it is."
Kevin Harvick
Last year, Harvick won three straight races leading up to the Auto Club 400, in which he finished 35th. He hasn't won a race yet this season, but that shouldn't last long.
Harvick won the Auto Club 400 in 2011, the first year the race was shortened to 400 miles. He also posted second-place finishes in the race in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016.
This year, Harvick will start on the front row alongside Busch Pole Award winner Austin Dillon. It wouldn't be surprising to see Harvick pull out front and stay up there most of the day.
Although Harvick hasn't won yet in 2019, he's had three strong showings since finishing 26th in the Daytona 500. He has finished fourth, fourth and ninth in the last three races, respectively, and he's third in the points standings behind only Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.
Martin Truex Jr.
Truex is looking for his first win of the season, and he's also looking to become the first driver to win the Auto Club 400 in back-to-back seasons since Kyle Busch in 2013-14. Last year, Truex notched the first of his four 2018 wins in the race.
If Truex is going to win this race again, it could take a bit of work. He's starting 27th and will need to move his way up through the field during the 200-lap race.
In addition to last season's win, Truex has had some strong recent showings at Auto Club Speedway, finishing eighth in 2015 and fourth in 2017. He's also rebounded nicely this season from a 35th-place finish in the Daytona 500, finishing second, eighth and second in the past three races, respectively.
Building momentum, Truex is excited to race at Auto Club Speedway this weekend.
"It's one of my favorite tracks, and I felt good about the test back in January," Truex said, according to Cain. "I'm excited to see if we can go back-to-back there because it's really turned into one of the most fun tracks on the circuit."
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