End of an Era in Fontana: NASCAR Auto Club Recap

This race weekend at Auto Club Speedway was one to remember as this would be marked as the final race on the current 2-Mile Oval Configuration. NASCAR has sold 80% of the track area for over $500 Million and plans to turn the track into a short track. To also make a note, it has been confirmed that Auto Club will not host a race in 2024 and possibly 2025 depending on how long the reconfiguration will take place. The weekend had a change of plans as California was met with not only rain but snow as well, causing the Xfinity race to be run after the Cup Series race on Sunday.

Pala Casino 400 (Cup Series)

In the fall of 2005, a young man named Kyle Busch in his rookie season driving for Rick Hendrick took home his first checkered flag at Fontana. Fast forward to February 2023, 60 wins and 2 Championships later, Kyle Busch took home his first win with Richard Childress Racing in just his second points race with the team after spending 15 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch showcased a strong showing in his No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet. It was Busch’s win since the Bristol Dirt Race last season and he now holds the all-time record for most consecutive Cup Series seasons with a win at 19 seasons, surpassing The King, Richard Petty.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to go to Victory Lane,” Busch said in his post-race interview. “I think the win ranks high, just because it ranks to the fact that I can do it. I never doubted myself, but sometimes you do. You kind of get down, you wonder what’s going on and what’s happening, you put yourself in a different situation and you’re able to come out here and reward your guys. It’s not about me always winning, but it’s always about the guys.

“I’ve been with a lot of great people that have given me a lot of great opportunities in my career. So it’s awesome to be able to reward them. I’m gonna enjoy it for sure, and hopefully, there’s many more left to go.”

Kyle Busch took the lead with 21 laps to go in the race. However, Ross Chastain looked to have the fastest car in the field, as he led 91 of the 200 laps in the race. His Trackhouse teammate, Daniel Suarez, also finished fourth behind Chastain with an impressive showing. Early on, Trackhouse is showing that 2022 was not a fluke. Chastain swept both stages in the race.

Busch’s teammate, Austin Dillon, also got a top-ten finish, placing ninth. Even though it is two races into the season, it’s a possibility that having Kyle Busch at RCR could make the team even better. RCR should be a team to watch in the coming weeks, as Dillon and Busch have so far worked very well together.

2023 Pala Casino 400 Top Ten:

1. #8 – Kyle Busch
2. #9 – Chase Elliott
3. #1 – Ross Chastain
4. #99 – Daniel Suarez
5. #4 – Kevin Harvick
6. #11 – Denny Hamlin
7. #6 – Brad Keselowski
8. #48 – Alex Bowman
9. #3 – Austin Dillon
10. #22 – Joey Logano

2023 Production Alliance Group 300

45 minutes after the Cup race was completed, the NASCAR Xfinity Series cars were all lined up and ready to race into the California night to ride the 2-mile oval off into the sunset. By the end of the night, however, it was John Hunter Nemechek earning his first win of the season and third career Xfinity Series victory, as he is racing this season in the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Nemechek took the lead after a restart on Lap 139 of 150 and never looked back.

“Man, this whole 20 team gave me one heck of a race car,” said Nemechek in his post-race interview. “Just a huge shout-out to all the guys who work on this 20 team.

“I think a lot of guys doubted Ben (crew chief Ben Beshore) coming down from the Cup Series, and to have him on the box and to be able to establish the relationship I have with him, it’s been awesome. I’ve worked with a lot of the guys on the team the last couple of years, and the pit crew – they got it done when it counted tonight.”

Nemechek led for 49 laps, finishing ahead of Sam Mayer who ended the race at Daytona last week on his roof. Justin Allgaier finished third, followed by Chandler Smith, and Josh Berry to round out the top five.

“I’m super proud of my team,” Mayer said. “We struggled early on, that’s for sure. We had our work cut out for us, but we threw the kitchen sink at it, and we ended up second. All things considered, I’m really happy and really proud of these guys.”

Cole Custer looked to have the best car in the race, noting that he won his last two times out in Fontana (2019 and 2022). Despite sweeping both stages and leading for 46 laps, after a Lap 91 restart, Custer hit the outside wall, thanks to a flat tire, and sustained further damage when Austin Dillon ran into Custer’s No. 00 Ford.

Both Cup and Xfinity head next to Las Vegas to continue the west coast sweep.

The Future of NASCAR in Southern California

The checkered flag has fallen for the final time at the 2-mile oval. After selling the land of the track, NASCAR will have about 90 acres to convert the track into a half-mile short track. ASC President Dave Allen says that there will be more news coming soon that should be good news to race fans.

“I’m hopeful that we get to a point here in the near future, sometime this year, there’s going to be a few different bites at the apple as it relates to more information coming out and a timeline established,” Allen said to The Sun.

“And honestly, I can’t wait to share some of the things that we’ve been working on from a design perspective, because we’ve been working on it for quite a while.”

While we wait for more information on the Fontana short track, what will NASCAR do for the time being in Southern California? It has been confirmed that they will not race there in 2024 and possibly 2025. The Clash at the LA Coliseum has been discussed as being a points race as a temporary replacement. That same area also hosted a street circuit for the NASCAR Southwest Tour in the late 90s/early 2000s. Perhaps they could attempt to race at the Long Beach street circuit if NASCAR wants to test out more street courses.

Some fans have suggested nearby short tracks in the LA area, Irwindale, and Kern County. However, a lot of infrastructure upgrades would be needed for both venues to withstand holding a NASCAR Cup Series event. Maybe another stadium could attempt to host a NASCAR date? There are a lot of options that NASCAR could work with and I’m sure they want to continue to race in the LA Market. There’s a lot of motorsports history in California and a lot of car culture.