It was a wild conclusion to the Daytona 500 last week with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. claiming the checkered flag under caution. With Stenhouse Jr. having secured himself a spot in the playoffs with a win, the pressure is now on for other drivers to punch their ticket to the post-season by securing a victory.
NASCAR now switches coasts and heads west to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for what is set to be the last race at the track’s current format.
Kicking off the weekend with fireworks for our Infielders#PalaCasino400 | #PAG300 pic.twitter.com/WMb8rUSrVO
— Auto Club Speedway (@AutoClubSpdwy) February 25, 2023
Fontana produced one of the best races of the season last year so it seems a shame that this will be the final time NASCAR will but rubber to racing surface at a track that just seems to be hitting it’s stride but unfortunately a large portion the land hosting the track has already been sold. NASCAR has dipped it’s toe in to the Southern California market with the Clash at the Coliseum and I’m sure they will find a way to maintain a presence in the area whether that’s at a reconfigured half-mile track at the current Auto Club grounds or elsewhere.
While qualifying for the Daytona 500 featured a full house with some drivers needing to race their way in, it looks like the Pala Casino 400 will have just the 36 chartered entries meaning no one will be missing the big show on Sunday. Check out the entry list below:
| Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | JJ Yeley | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Noah Gragson | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
California’s own Kyle Larson was the winner last year in Fontana and will likely be a favorite once more at Auto Club Speedway. Kevin Harvick found his way to victory lane at a similar 2-mile track in Michigan last year so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Stewart-Haas Fords are up near the front as well. In fact, as a possible dark horse contender – I like Ryan Preece to find his way to victory lane in Fontana.
Check out the schedule below for this weekend but make a note that as Southern California experiences some uncommon winter weather, this could be subject to change.
Saturday 02/25
NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying – 11:30 a.m. CT on FS1
NASCAR Cup Series qualifying – 1:45 p.m. CT on FS1
Production Alliance Group 300 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 4:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Sunday 02/26
Pala Casino 400 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:30 p.m. CT on FOX
