The2008 Auto Club 500was the second race of the2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,and started on February 24, 2008, atAuto Club Speedway of Southern CaliforniainFontana, California,a suburb ofLos Angeles.The race was telecast onFoxstarting at 3:30 PM USEST/12:30 PMPST,withMRNandSirius Satellite Radio's broadcast starting at 2:45 PM EST/11:45 AM PST. Rain stopped the race on Lap 87 and the race would continue on Monday, February 25 at 1 PM US EST/10 AM PDT.[2]
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 36 in the2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway | |||
| Date | February 24, 2008–February 25, 2008 | ||
| Location | Auto Club Speedway,Fontana, California | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.0 mi (3.23 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures approaching an average of 53.3 °F (11.8 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 132.704 miles per hour (213.566 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 2007 Owner's Points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 76 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy,Darrell WaltripandLarry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 1.6/3 (1.4) (Final) | ||
This race was the first time that theCar of Tomorrowraced at Fontana, as many people (since the shift from theNorth Carolina SpeedwayinRockingham, North Carolinafollowing theFerko lawsuitin 2004) claim that it is the first "real race" of the season, following the running of theDaytona 500with itsrestrictor platesin use.
Pre-Race News
edit- Boris Saidwas an early entry, but withdrew.Mike Skinnerwas to have replacedJacques Villeneuvein the #27Bill Davis RacingToyota,whileNationwide SeriesregularBurney Lamarwas to replaceCarl Longin the #08Dodge,however, with the cancellation of qualifying due to rain, neither made the field. Villeneuve will look for a ride (and sponsorship) in both Sprint Cup and Nationwide series.
- Kurt Buschwas docked 25 points and fined $25,000 after saying aprofanityon live television during qualifying. This was the same penalty handed out whenTony Stewartuttered the same profanity after winning the2007 Allstate 400 at The Brickyardthe previous year.
Qualifying
editFor the first time in theSprint CupSeries, a new qualifying system was to have been introduced for this race and the rest of the 2008 season.
The new qualifying format is being divided into two groups, that has been called by many as "The Boris Said Rule" after what happened prior to the2007 Pepsi 400,when Said was on the provisional pole when qualifying was canceled, and the field was set by the rulebook. The format debuted in the Nationwide andCraftsman Truckseries at Daytona.
In the first group, the Top 35 Exempt teams will go onto the track first and set their positions in the time trials. The second group will involve those outside said Top 35, and will fill the remaining eight spots. However, rain canceled the scheduled qualifying session, and the field was set by the NASCAR rulebook. The first time that the new qualifying session format was used was at theUAW-Dodge 400the following week inLas Vegas, Nevada.
Race
editThe outset of the race was plagued with rain, which was an ongoing theme throughout the weekend, delaying the start by 2½ hours, but weeping in the banked turns from all the inclement weather that fell throughout the weekend because of poor drainage caused the first two cautions. On Lap 14,Denny Hamlinhit the wall in Turn 3, causing the first caution of the day. After just two more laps of green,Casey Mearscrashed intoDale Earnhardt Jr.,andSam Hornish Jr.,who was blinded from the upraised hood who then hitReed Sorensonand then turned Mears' car 270 degrees, setting Hornish's car ablaze and causing the first red flag of the race on Lap 21. Track dryers were brought out to clear the track, and concrete saws were used to create pathways for the water to flow off Turns 1 and 2, which was not draining properly. After hour and seven minute delay, racing continued on Lap 25 before a caution was called on Lap 39 due to rain in Turn 4. After drying finished, racing began again on Lap 47 before a yellow flag was shown on Lap 56 due toJeremy Mayfield's flat tire. Another yellow flag was shown whenJoe Nemechekspins out due to a flat tire on Lap 62. Eight laps afterward, the sixth caution flag was shown whenElliott Sadlerhit the wall after attempting to avoidRobby Gordon.The seventh caution flag was displayed on Lap 81 when rain began to fall, and was finally called off officially on Lap 87 with a red flag, over five hours after the scheduled start of the race.
NASCAR continued to dry the track and scheduled a night restart at 9 PM PST. That time was postponed twice by an hour to 11 PM local time, when they felt that track drying was inadequate. Ultimately at the time the race was to have restarted, NASCAR officials suspended activities for the evening. When action resumed on Monday morning,Jimmie Johnsonled the race when on Lap 132,Jeff Burtonbrushed the wall on Turn 3 to force the eighth caution period. Three more cautions would follow, ultimately letting Carl Edwards win the race under caution whenDale Jarrettspun in Turn 3 on the last lap.Mark Martinmade his 800th career Winston/NEXTEL/Sprint Cup start in this race.
Timeline
edit- Formation Laps: start delayed as M. Waltrip #55 spills oil onto racetrack.
- Lap 14: 1st CAUTION - D. Hamlin #11 hits wall after slipping on damp part of racetrack. Harvick gets longest line penalty for pitting when pits were closed under caution
- Lap 21: RED FLAG - C. Mears #5 hits wall, collects D. Earnhardt Jr. #88, R. Sorenson #41 hits S. Hornish #77, S. Hornish turns C. Mears onto roof. 1 hour 7 min delay for track preparations
- Lap 39: 3rd CAUTION - rain
- Lap 35: J. Gordon #24 sacrifices dominant lead to slot in behind J. Johnson #48 to suck débris from Gordon's car
- Lap 56: 4th CAUTION - J. Mayfield #70 has flat tire
- Lap 60: J. Gordon #24 dominates, leading 45 of 60 laps
- Lap 62: 5th CAUTION - J. Nemechek #78 has flat tire and crashes
- Lap 70: 6th CAUTION - E. Sadler #19 crashes taking evasive action to avoid R. Gordon #7 who got loose, striking the wall, but saves it from spinning
- Lap 81: 7th CAUTION - rain
- Lap 87: RED FLAG - rain, race abandoned for day, delay of 15 hours, 49 minutes
- Lap 123: Green flag pitstops start
- Lap 134: 8th CAUTION - J. Burton #31 hits wall
- Lap 150: 9th CAUTION - M. Waltrip #55 crashes
- Lap 167: 10th CAUTION - D. Jarrett #44 loses tire tread, caution for débris
- Lap 208: Green flag pitstops start
- Lap 219: 11th CAUTION - J. Mayfield #70 hits wall
- Lap 237: C. Edwards #99 gains lead from J. Johnson #48
- Lap 250: 12th CAUTION - D. Jarrett #44 crashes on white flag lap, so race finishes under yellow.
| Top Ten Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Car # | Driver | Make | Team | ||||
| 1 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | ||||
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | ||||
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||||
| 5 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | ||||
| 6 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||||
| 7 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||||
| 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | ||||
| 9 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | ||||
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Penske Racing | ||||
Failed to make the race as a result of qualifying being canceled due to rain:A. J. Allmendinger(#84),Ken Schrader(#49), Mike Skinner (#27), Burney Lamar (#08),Patrick Carpentier(#10).
References
edit- ^"2008 Auto Club 500 weather information".The Old Farmers' Almanac.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-05-26.Retrieved2013-06-18.
- ^http:// nascar /races/lapbylap/02/24/california/index.html[dead link]
External links
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