2015 Auto Club 400

February 2025 NAS Auto Club 400 http://www.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/download-schedule/2015/nscs_2015_printable_schedule3.pdf 2015 NASCAR Schedule NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 26, 2014 NASCAR.com March 16, 2015http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/schedule/tracks/auto-club-speedway.html Auto Club Speedway NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013 NASCAR.com March 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150427024017/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/schedule/tracks/auto-club-speedway.html April 27, 2015 http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=44&RaceID=6758&StatType=Entry+List Entry List Motor Racing Network March 16, 2015 MRN.com March 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150321093357/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=44&RaceID=6758&StatType=Entry+List March 21, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx First Practice Results Motor Racing Network March 20, 2015 MRN.com March 20, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150323142644/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx March 23, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-Qualifying-Results.aspx Qualifying Results Motor Racing Network March 20, 2015 MRN.com March 21, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150402141336/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-Qualifying-Results.aspx April 2, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-2nd-Practice-Speeds.aspx Second Practice Results Motor Racing Network March 21, 2015 MRN.com March 21, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150323184638/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-2nd-Practice-Speeds.aspx March 23, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx Final Practice Results Motor Racing Network March 21, 2015 MRN.com March 21, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150324004758/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/03/Auto-Club-400-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx March 24, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=44&RaceID=6758&StatType=Race+Results Auto Club 400 Results Motor Racing Network March 22, 2015 MRN.com March 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165922/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=44&RaceID=6758&StatType=Race+Results April 2, 2015 deadhttp://www.jayski.com/stats/2015/pdfs/05acs2015points.pdf Points standings NASCAR Statistics March 22, 2015 jayski.com March 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150402235653/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2015/pdfs/05acs2015points.pdf April 2, 2015 deadhttp://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings.manufacturer.html Manufacturer standings NASCAR Media Group, LLC. March 22, 2015 NASCAR.com March 22, 2015 August 3, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140803195333/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings.manufacturer.html dead 2015 03 22 2015 5 36 2015 Auto Club 400 logo.jpg Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California 2 3.219 209 418 672.706 200 400 643.738 Partly cloudy with a temperature of 70 F C; wind out of the west/southwest at 8 mph km/h on 140.662 mph km/h on Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing 38.889 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing 65 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Fox Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip 4.0/9 (Overnight)http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/03/nascar-ratings-fox-fontana-auto-club-overnights-flat-sprint-cup/ Overnights Flat For NASCAR From Fontana Paulsen Sports Media Watch March 23, 2015 SportsMediaWatch.com March 23, 20154.3/10 (Final)http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/03/nascar-fox-ratings-viewership-mixed-fontana-sprint-cup/ Mixed Numbers For NASCAR From Fontana Paulsen Sports Media Watch March 27, 2015 SportMediaWatch.com March 28, 20157.3 Million viewers MRN Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle Dan Hubbard (1 & 2) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) The 2015 Auto Club 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on March 22, 2015, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 209 laps – extended from 200 laps, due to a green–white–checker finish – on the 2 mi km off on D-shaped oval, it was the fifth race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Brad Keselowski won the race – his 17th career victory – while Kevin Harvick extended his top two finish streak to eight races with a runner-up finish. Kurt Busch, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five. Busch won the pole for the race and led a race high of 65 laps; he lost the lead on the final lap and was passed by Keselowski and Harvick. The race had 19 lead changes among nine different drivers, as well as seven caution flag periods for 31 laps. Recording Team Penske's second NASCAR win at the track, Keselowski moved into fifth place in the points standings, which were led by Harvick; he left Fontana with a 28-point lead over Joey Logano. Chevrolet left with a 16-point lead over Ford in the manufacturers' standings. The Auto Club 400 was carried by Fox Sports on the broadcast Fox network for the American television audience. The radio broadcast of the race was carried by the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Report Background thumb|left|Auto Club Speedway, the track where the race was held. Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a 2 mi km on off in, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023. It was also used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and was the only track owned by ISC to have its naming rights sold. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstate 10 and Interstate 15 freeways as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch. Kevin Harvick entered Auto Club with a 22-point lead over Joey Logano following his win the week before at Phoenix. Martin Truex Jr. entered 27 points back in third. Kasey Kahne entered 50 points back in fourth, with A. J. Allmendinger a further 5 points behind, in fifth. Changes to qualifying "We're looking at not backing in the cars any more. We did that initially working everybody, with you guys and TV partners in terms of access to the drivers. As we've gone through it we've learned some different things so we won't have the cars backed in. We'll send a memo out to the teams this week where we'll tweak it. As with anything you keep learning if we can make it better and we will and this is just another slight adjustment as we head into California". NASCAR executive vice-president Steve O'Donnell speaking on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/03/NASCAR-Making-Qualifying-Change.aspx NASCAR Making Qualifying Change Pistone Pete Pete Pistone Motor Racing Network March 16, 2015 MRN.com March 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150320091548/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/03/NASCAR-Making-Qualifying-Change.aspx March 20, 2015 dead 40% right Starting at Auto Club Speedway – and taking effect in all three national touring series – drivers will no longer back out of their pit stalls when qualifying begins. Instead, they will now be parked with the nose of the car facing toward the track. Entry list No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski (PC3) Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick (PC1) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Tony Stewart (PC4) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth (PC6) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon (PC7) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29 Reed Sorenson RAB Racing Toyota 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Mike Bliss (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 33 Brian Scott (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 34 Chris Buescher (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 41 Kurt Busch (PC5) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 44 Travis Kvapil (i) Team XTREME Racing Chevrolet 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson (PC2) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 55 Brett Moffitt (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 62 Brendan Gaughan (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing FordOfficial initial entry listOfficial updated entry list Key Meaning (R) Rookie (i) Ineligible for points (PC#) Past champions provisional First practice Kurt Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.556 seconds and a speed of 186.741 mph km/h on.http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/20/kurt-busch-fastest-in-sprint-cups-first-auto-club-practice-session/ Kurt Busch fastest in Sprint Cup's first Auto Club practice session McFadin Daniel NBC Sports March 20, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com March 20, 2015 Greg Biffle scraped the wall exiting turn 4 in the opening minutes of the session, causing cosmetic damage to his car. Carl Edwards, however, went to a backup car for the race after crashing his car on the exit of turn 4.http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/carl-edwards-wrecks-auto-club-speedway-sprint-cup-series-practice-032015 Edwards wrecks in Friday Fontana practice, forced to backup car Pennell Jay Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. March 20, 2015 FoxSports.com March 20, 2015 Edwards joked that his car "went from a 12-inch to a six-inch sub real quick", referring to the sponsors of his car for the race, fast food franchise Subway. He also stated that he "tried to save it...that was not the right decision". Since the change took place prior to qualifying, Edwards is not mandated to start from the rear on Sunday, provided he does not change engines. Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed MPH 1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.556 186.741 2 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.838 185.385 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 38.881 185.180Official first practice results Qualifying "This is huge for Gene Haas. That is what I wanted to start the interview with is thank you Gene for believing in me. This is my job. Come to the track, drive the car and put it up on the pole and go for wins. That is what Gene has told me to do from the get go and I'm glad I have this chance to go back out there and live up to why he hired me. It feels good. The guys were just spot on all day with all the adjustments. The car started off so fast and it is all due to the work back at the shop." Kurt Busch, after taking his first pole position since 2013.http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/03/Kurt-Busch-Wins-Auto-Club-400-Pole.aspx Auto Club Pole to Kurt Busch Pistone Pete Pete Pistone Motor Racing Network March 20, 2015 MRN.com March 20, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150323064223/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/03/Kurt-Busch-Wins-Auto-Club-400-Pole.aspx March 23, 2015 dead 40% right Kurt Busch won the pole with a time of 38.889 seconds and a speed of 185.142 mph km/h on, taking his first pole position since the 2013 Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. His teammate Kevin Harvick started next to him on the front row. Harvick stated that "hopefully, [they] can keep it up this week", referring to his ongoing seven-race streak of Top 2 finishes, while also stating that he "didn't get to run where [he] wanted to run there were three cars on the apron down there where [he] wanted to be that had finished their lap". Reed Sorenson and Travis Kvapil both failed to qualify for the race. Brett Moffitt went to a backup car following damage sustained in qualifying and as a result, he started from the rear. Qualifying results Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer R1 Best time in Round 1 R2 Best time in Round 2 R3 Best time in Round 3 1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.979 38.911 38.889 2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.905 39.080 38.909 3 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.791 39.104 38.926 4 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39.022 39.029 38.943 5 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39.033 39.197 39.059 6 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39.048 39.000 39.081 7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.374 39.017 39.112 8 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 39.131 39.084 39.117 9 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.299 39.141 39.189 10 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 39.442 39.196 39.257 11 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.260 39.251 39.262 12 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 39.464 39.235 39.280 13 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 39.344 39.275 — 14 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.097 39.289 — 15 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39.420 39.349 — 16 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 39.431 39.365 — 17 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.211 39.377 — 18 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 39.432 39.395 — 19 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.375 39.399 — 20 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 39.559 39.464 — 21 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.377 39.486 — 22 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 39.551 39.530 — 23 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 39.576 39.604 — 24 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 39.586 39.912 — 25 33 Brian Scott (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 39.611 — — 26 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39.642 — — 27 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.657 — — 28 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 39.684 — — 29 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.693 — — 30 55 Brett Moffitt (R)Brett Moffitt started from the rear after switching to a backup car post-qualifying. He sustained damage to his primary car during qualifying. "N" Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 39.731 — — 31 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 39.780 — — 32 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 39.876 — — 33 34 Chris Buescher (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 39.888 — — 34 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 39.995 — — 35 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 40.050 — — 36 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 40.153 — — 37 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 40.212 — — 38 62 Brendan Gaughan (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 40.312 — — 39 32 Mike Bliss (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 40.375 — — 40 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 40.501 — — 41 23 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 40.798 — — 42 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 40.886 — — 43 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 41.041 — —Failed to qualify 44 44 Travis Kvapil (i) Team XTREME Racing Chevrolet 40.431 — — 45 29 Reed Sorenson RAB Racing Toyota 40.706 — —Official qualifying results Practice (post-qualifying) Second practice Kurt Busch was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 38.479 and a speed of 187.115 mph km/h on.http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/21/kurt-busch-stays-on-a-hot-roll-fastest-in-saturday-morning-cup-practice-in-fontana/ Kurt Busch stays on a hot roll: fastest in Saturday morning Sprint Cup practice in Fontana Bonkowski Jerry NBC Sports March 21, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com March 21, 2015 Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed MPH 1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.479 187.115 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.078 184.247 3 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39.080 184.237Official second practice results Final practice Kurt Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 38.925 and a speed of 184.971 mph km/h on,http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/21/kurt-busch-stays-perfect-for-weekend-leads-sprint-cup-happy-hour/ Kurt Busch stays perfect for weekend, leads Sprint Cup happy hour Bonkowski Jerry NBC Sports March 21, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com March 21, 2015 completing a sweep of the weekend's practice sessions and qualifying. Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed MPH 1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.925 184.971 2 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.155 183.885 3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 39.297 183.220Official final practice results Race First-half Start As the cars were rolling off pit road, Jeff Gordon's crew swapped out something in his car, but rejoined the starting lineup with no issues. The race was scheduled to start at 3:46 p.m., but started six minutes later when Kurt Busch led the field to the green flag. The field spread out to use up about five lanes in the opening laps. Eventually, Kevin Harvick reeled in his teammate to take the lead on lap seven. Early in the race, A. J. Allmendinger began reporting that he was losing the engine of his car, while Martin Truex Jr. did likewise. Harvick was unable to pull away from Busch who began reeling him in until Busch was slowed down by the lapped car of Jeb Burton. The first caution of the race flew on lap 23 when David Ragan got turned by an aerodynamic push from Gordon's car in turn 4.http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/jeff-gordon-david-ragan-spin-auto-club-speedway-sprint-cup-series-auto-club-400-032215 Gordon takes out frustration on David Ragan in early laps at Fontana Pennell Jay Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. March 22, 2015 FoxSports.com March 22, 2015 Gordon had been saying on the radio that he would turn Ragan if he had to, stating over his in-car radio to "let him know it's the bumper". Alex Bowman stayed out to lead a lap before pitting and handed the lead to Matt Kenseth.2015 Auto Club 400 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dV9pq2REVg July 17, 2015 Sprint Cup Series Sprint Cup Series Fox Sports Fox Fontana, California March 22, 2015 67 3:52 p.m. en Restart from caution 1 and green flag stops The race restarted on lap 28. Kenseth held the lead for five laps before yielding to teammate Denny Hamlin on lap 33. A cycle of green flag stops began on lap 60. Hamlin pitted on lap 62 and handed the lead to Jeff Gordon. He pitted on lap 63 and the lead cycled back to Hamlin. Ragan and Matt DiBenedetto served drive-through penalties for uncontrolled tires on pit road, while Alex Bowman also served a drive-through for speeding. By lap 83, more than half the field were at least one lap down, before the second caution of the race flew on lap 86 for debris in turn 3. After the culmination of the next round of stops, Kenseth exited pit road with the lead. Second-half Caution at halfway The race restarted on lap 93. Going beneath Kenseth in turn 4, Busch took back the lead on lap 96. Two laps later, the third caution of the race flew when Sam Hornish Jr. moved up the track exiting turn 2 and got turned into the wall by Trevor Bayne.http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/22/martin-truex-jr-leads-auto-club-400-at-midway-point-denny-hamlin-lap-leader/ Martin Truex Jr. leads Auto Club 400 at midway point, Denny Hamlin lap leader McFadin Daniel NBC Sports March 22, 2015 nascartlak.nbcsports.com March 22, 2015 Martin Truex Jr. exited pit road with the lead by taking two tires. The race restarted on lap 105. Truex did not hold the lead for long as Kurt Busch took the lead back in turn 1. Busch, Harvick and a mess of cars hit pit road on lap 138. Paul Menard briefly took the lead, but did not lead a lap through it while Carl Edwards did and the lead cycled back to Kurt Busch following a brief drag race down the back stretch with teammate Kevin Harvick. Michael Annett served a drive-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire. Harvick took the lead back with 56 laps to go, putting Busch in 2nd. The fourth caution of the race flew with 47 laps to go for debris on the front stretch. Matt Kenseth exited pit road with the lead. Joey Logano was forced to drop to the tail end of the line for an uncontrolled tire. Restart from caution 4 and 5th caution The race restarted with 42 laps to go, with Matt Kenseth still out in front. Debris in turn 1 brought out the fifth caution of the race with 16 laps to go. Kurt Busch took the lead on pit road from Matt Kenseth who was pitted behind the start/finish line and exited with the lead. Kenseth broke an axle exiting his pit stall, while Denny Hamlin was forced to drop to the tail end of the line for an uncontrolled tire. Fifth restart and 6th caution The race restarted with eleven laps to go and Harvick lost the lead to Kurt Busch. The two of them fought it out for the last few laps. The sixth caution of the race flew with two laps to go for debris in turn 4. Jeff Gordon stayed out to take the lead along with Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle. Green–white–checker finish thumb|right|Brad Keselowski, seen here at the 2015 Daytona 500, scored his 17th career win at Auto Club. On the first attempt at a green–white–checker finish, Kyle Larson slid into the wall exiting turn 2 and lost his rear bumper, causing another caution flag, the seventh of the race. On the second attempt, Kurt Busch led the field to the green. As the white flag was waving, Greg Biffle wrecked on the front stretch. Brad Keselowski took the lead in turn 2 and powered to the checkered flag.http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/03/Brad-Keselowski-Wins-Auto-Club-400.aspx Last Lap Win For Keselowski Pistone Pete Pete Pistone Motor Racing Network March 22, 2015 MRN.com March 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150325002911/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/03/Brad-Keselowski-Wins-Auto-Club-400.aspx March 25, 2015 dead Keselowski praised the work of his team to beat Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, who Keselowski stated "had great cars the whole weekend and probably had the field covered on speed". Harvick, who recorded his eighth consecutive top-two finish, explained that he had "fought through a day of track position" but "that's what this team is made of". Busch, who completed the top three, bemoaned the latter cautions, expressing that his car "just got hung out" and that he "just didn't get the job done".Beacham Greg Brad Keselowski holds off Harvick late, wins at Fontana http://racing.ap.org/article/brad-keselowski-holds-harvick-late-wins-fontana March 22, 2015 AP Sports Associated Press Associated Press March 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152630/http://racing.ap.org/article/brad-keselowski-holds-harvick-late-wins-fontana April 2, 2015 Fontana, California All 43 cars were running at the race's conclusion,http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118158 Fontana NASCAR: Penske's Brad Keselowski grabs win on final lap Haymarket Media Group March 22, 2015 Autosport.com March 22, 2015 for the first time since the 2013 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Race results Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Points 1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 209 47 2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 209 43 3 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 209 43 4 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 209 40 5 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 209 (−36) 6 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 209 38 7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 209 37 8 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 209 37 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 209 35 10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 209 35 11 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 209 33 12 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 209 32 13 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 209 32 14 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 209 30 15 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 209 29 16 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 209 28 17 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 209 27 18 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 209 26 19 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 209 25 20 34 Chris Buescher (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 209 0 21 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 209 23 22 55 Brett Moffitt (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 209 22 23 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 209 21 24 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 209 20 25 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 209 0 26 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 209 18 27 33 Brian Scott (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 209 0 28 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 209 17 29 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 209 15 30 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 209 14 31 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 209 14 32 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 209 12 33 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 208 12 34 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 208 10 35 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 208 9 36 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 207 8 37 23 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 206 0 38 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 206 6 39 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 205 5 40 32 Mike Bliss (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 205 0 41 62 Brendan Gaughan (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 205 0 42 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 203 2 43 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 155 1Official Auto Club 400 results Race statistics 19 lead changes among 9 different drivers 7 cautions for 31 laps Time of race: 2 hours, 58 minutes, 18 seconds Average speed: 140.662 mph km/h on Brad Keselowski took home $357,871 in winnings Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1–5 Kurt Busch 6–24 Kevin Harvick 25 Alex Bowman 26–31 Matt Kenseth 32–61 Denny Hamlin 62 Jeff Gordon 63–88 Denny Hamlin 89–94 Matt Kenseth 95–99 Kurt Busch 100–104 Martin Truex Jr. 105–137 Kurt Busch 138 Carl Edwards 139–143 Kurt Busch 144–154 Kevin Harvick 155–185 Matt Kenseth186–189 Kevin Harvick 190–200 Kurt Busch 201–202 Jeff Gordon 203–208 Kurt Busch 209 Brad KeselowskiTotal laps led Leader Laps Kurt Busch 65 Denny Hamlin 56 Matt Kenseth 43 Kevin Harvick 34 Martin Truex Jr. 5 Jeff Gordon 3 Brad Keselowski 1 Carl Edwards 1 Alex Bowman 1 Race awards Coors Light Pole Award: Kurt Busch (38.889, 186.741 mph km/h on) 3M Lap Leader: Kurt Busch (65 laps) American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kurt Busch (40.426, 178.902 mph km/h on) Duralast Brakes "Bake In The Race" Award: Kevin Harvick Freescale "Wide Open": Kurt Busch Ingersoll Rand Power Move: Justin Allgaier, 5 positions MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Hendrick Engines, #41 Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Kurt Busch (135.4 driver rating) Moog Steering and Suspension Problem Solver of The Race: Paul Menard (crew chief Justin Alexander 0.092 seconds) NASCAR Sprint Cup Leader Bonus: No winner: rolls over to $20,000 at next event Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap: David Ragan (Lap 2: 39.231, 183.528 mph km/h on) Sunoco Rookie of The Race: Brett Moffitt Post-race Confrontation between Stewart and Truex Following the race, Tony Stewart confronted Martin Truex Jr. on pit road.http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/tony-stewart-is-butthurt-and-wants-martin-truex-jr-to-1693015407/+Kyosuke Tony Stewart Is Pissed And Wants Martin Truex Jr. To Know About It Schrader Stef Kinja March 22, 2015 blackflag.jalopnik.com March 22, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150402191333/http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/tony-stewart-is-butthurt-and-wants-martin-truex-jr-to-1693015407/%2BKyosuke April 2, 2015 dead The issue stemmed from Truex trying to get down after Aric Almirola on the bottom of the track and almost collected Stewart in the process. Stewart told reporters that after the issue between Truex and Almirola, Truex "drove across the race track into us" and that the move was "just stupid".http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/22/stewart-truex-unhappy-with-each-other-after-mid-race-incident/ Report states Stewart, Truex unhappy with each other after mid-race incident Bonkowski Jerry NBC Sports March 22, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com March 23, 2015 Tire confiscation Following the race, NASCAR took tires from the teams of Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman – all of whom finished in the top fivehttp://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/nascar-s-checks-and-balances-include-tires NASCAR's checks and balances include tires Spencer Lee Motorsport.com, Inc. March 23, 2015 Motorsport.com March 27, 2015 – which were sent to an unnamed third party for further evaluation, instead of to NASCAR's R&D Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/it-s-tiresome-but-the-hunt-continues It's TIREsome, but the hunt continues Spencer Lee Motorsport.com, Inc. March 26, 2015 Motorsport.com March 27, 2015 NASCAR explanation "The process of calling any caution involves multiple people. We'll obviously scan the drivers and spotters, and if we hear anything, we've got corner workers, we've got folks on the flag stand. We'll survey all of those folks once we hear that there may be something on the track. If it's not moving, we'll confirm that that piece is not moving and we'll assume, candidly, that it's metal. If it's in the groove, obviously, that becomes a safety issue, we're going to throw the caution each and every time when that happens. If someone would have run over that and it affected a tire and that driver had an incident, we'd be hearing it on the other end as well. That's something we've got to deal with it. That's our job to make the call. We will always err on the side of safety if we see something out there and can't confirm that it's moving or not. When it's not moving, in most cases, it is a piece of metal or something heavy that is going to affect the race car." NASCAR executive vice-president Steve O'Donnell speaking on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/23/nascar-executive-on-calling-late-race-cautions-if-we-can-race-back-were-going-to-do-that/ NASCAR executive on calling late-race cautions: 'If we can race back ... we're going to do that' Long Dustin NBC Sports March 23, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com March 23, 2015 40% right Following the race, Richard Buck, director of competition for the Sprint Cup Series, met with the media to address a few of the late race calls.http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/22/nascar-sprint-cup-director-on-late-race-decisions-we-feel-very-very-confident-about-our-actions/ NASCAR Sprint Cup director on late-race decisions: 'We feel very, very confident about our actions' NBC Sports March 22, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com March 22, 2015 The calls included a debris call with two laps to go, multiple reports of debris before the scheduled finish, and not calling a caution for Greg Biffle's spin on the final lap. NASCAR executive vice-president Steve O'Donnell joined Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio programme The Morning Drive the next day to further address the calls made late in the race. O'Donnell discussed how the previous day's situation was different from a similar situation with the previous month's Daytona 500, and concluded the interview with a reiteration of what Richard Buck had told the media after the race. Penalties On the Wednesday following the race, NASCAR penalized the No. 33 team of Brian Scott for a rules infraction discovered during opening day inspection on Friday.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2015/3/25/penalty-brian-scott-truck-arm.html No. 33 Sprint Cup team gets P4 penalty Official NASCAR Release March 25, 2015 NASCAR.com March 25, 2015 The infraction was a P4 level penalty and violated the following sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book: 12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 20.14.2: Rear Suspension: Truck Trailing Arm E. The left and right side truck trailing arms must be mounted to the truck trailing arm mounting brackets using a one-piece, minimum ¾ inch diameter magnetic steel bolt. F. The horizontal centerline of the highest truck trailing arm mounting bolt must not be higher than the top surface of the truck trailing arm crossmember, at the respective truck trailing arm mounting bracket, when the vehicle is at inspection orientation. INFRACTION: The ¾ inch diameter magnetic steel truck trailing arm mounting bolt was not installed horizontally. J. Truck trailing arm must conform to the following drawing as specified in the NASCAR rule book: Rear Suspension-Truck Trailing Arm: A-008-00183-14 Rev.C INFRACTION: Truck trailing arm monoball sleeve does not meet the drawing specifications. Sleeve is required to be minimum .125 inch minimum thick x two inches wide sleeve machined for press fit of .750 I.D. or .875 I.D. monoball assembly. 20.3.3.2.1: Truck Trailing Arm Crossmember Assembly:Truck Trailing Arm Mounting Brackets B. Truck trailing arm mounting brackets must be constructed of magnetic steel flat plate with a minimum thickness of 0.169 inch. INFRACTION: Truck trailing arm mounting bracket adapter was machined from Aluminum solid. 20.20: Assembled Vehicle Overall Rules A. Except in cases explicitly permitted in the NASCAR rules, installation of additional components and/or modifications of existing components to affect the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle will not be permitted, including but not limited to, safety systems, chassis and roll cage, suspension, steering systems, brake systems, heat shields, body fillers, body sealers, filler panels, drivetrain components and exhaust components. The options for a P4 penalty are outlined the following sections of the NASCAR rule book: 12.5.3.4: P4 Penalty Options: A. Violations leading to P4 penalties, in general, are very serious. They include, but are not limited to, a broad range of infractions such as: B. Parts which do not meet specifications F. Measurement failures of significance G. These often involve primary component or system infractions not otherwise to the magnitude of P5 infractions, but could also include secondary component or system infractions, particularly if of a nature suggesting some of the characteristics described in P5 ... and/or involving safety implications. 12.5.3.4.2: Minimum P4 Penalty Options (includes all three points below): A. Loss of 25 championship driver and owner points, regardless of whether the violation occurred during a Championship race or not. B. $40,000–$75,000 fine C. Suspension for the next three series Championship Races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period, for the crew chief, plus probation through the end of the calendar year, or probation for a six month period following the issuance of the penalty notice if that period spans across two consecutive seasons. As a result of this violation, crew chief Slugger Labbe was fined $50,000 and suspended for the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period. Labbe has also been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31. In addition, car owner Joe Falk was docked 25 championship car owner points. Appeal On Tuesday, April 14, the penalties were reduced to a P2 level.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2015/4/14/nascar-sprint-cup-series-circle-sport-racing-penalty-appeal.html No. 33 penalty reduced from P4 to P2 Albert Zack NASCAR Media Group, LLC. April 14, 2015 NASCAR.com April 15, 2015 The suspension of Slugger Labbe was upheld, but the fine was reduced to $20,000. The 25 point penalty handed to the team was reduced to a ten-point penalty. "The process was very fair," Falk said in a statement. "We agree the part should have been presented (beforehand) to the R&D Center. We're satisfied with the outcome and we won't appeal further." Further penalties "NASCAR takes very seriously its responsibility to govern and regulate the rules of the sport in order to ensure competitive balance. We've been very clear that any modifications to race vehicle tires is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated." Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president, after the penalties were announced.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2015/3/31/nascar-official-release-sprint-cup-31-team-penalized-auto-club-speedway.html No. 31 Sprint Cup team penalized for rules violations Official NASCAR Release March 31, 2015 NASCAR.com March 31, 2015 40% right Later on, Ryan Newman's team was penalized for rules infractions discovered as a result of NASCAR's post-event tire audit conducted following the race. The infractions amounted to a P5 level penalty and violated numerous sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book: 12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing 20.16: Wheels and tires A. Any device, modification, or procedure to the tire or wheel, including the valve stem hardware, that is used to release pressure, beyond normal pressure adjustments, from the tire and/or inner shield, will not be permitted. 20.16.2: Tires F. Modifications to the tires, by treatment or any other means, will not be permitted. Section 12.5.3.5.1 lists P5 Penalty Violation examples that could include but are not limited to: A. Effecting, modifying and/or altering the standard tires in any way, other than through authorized means such as tire pressure adjustments within the recommended range, permitted tire cooling when mounted on the race vehicle; or heat-cycling on the race vehicle on the race track earlier in the event. 12.5.3.5.2: Minimum P5 Penalty Options (includes all four points below): A. Loss of 50 championship driver and owner points, regardless of whether the violation occurred during a Championship race or not B. US$75,000–$125,000 fine C. Suspension for the next six series Championship Races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period, for the crew chief and any other team members as determined by NASCAR D. Probation through the end of the calendar year for all suspended members, or for a six-month period following the issuance of the penalty notice if that period spans across two consecutive seasons 12.5.3.5.3: P5 Level infractions detected during post-race inspection: If the infraction is detected during post-race inspection, then the following penalty elements will be added to those listed previously in this section: A. Loss of an additional 25 Championship driver and owner points; regardless of whether it was a Championship Race or not B. Loss of an additional $50,000 As a result of the violations, crew chief Luke Lambert was fined $125,000, suspended from the next six Sprint Cup events, including any non-championship races or special events, and placed on NASCAR probation through December 31. James Bender, team tire technician, and Philip Surgen, team engineer, were also suspended for the same amount of time. Newman was penalized 75 driver and owner points. Appeal "I'm thankful for our opportunity to present our facts to the appeals panel and I appreciate their consideration of those facts and making the decision to reduce the fine and points penalty. However, I am disappointed in the decision not to completely overturn the penalty based on the facts that we presented today. At this point in time we are going to consider our options and discuss as a group what we are going to do moving forward." Luke Lambert's statement to the appeal's outcome.http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/04/Richard-Childress-Racing-Penalty-Fine-and-Points-Reduced.aspx RCR Penalty Upheld – Points and Fine Reduced Pistone Pete Motor Racing Network April 16, 2015 MRN.com April 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150417045714/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/04/Richard-Childress-Racing-Penalty-Fine-and-Points-Reduced.aspx April 17, 2015 dead 40% right On Thursday, April 16, the P5 penalty was upheld, but the fines and points loss were reduced. Instead of the 75 point maximum, Newman only lost the 50 point minimum and Luke Lambert's fine was reduced. Lambert's six race suspension was upheld. The three member National Motorsports Appeal Panel ruled that while the team had manipulated the tires (thus keeping it a P5 penalty), they amended the points and fines because "there is no written explanation of what constitutes post race inspection". This stemmed from the team's argument that the tires were not inspected post-race because they were confiscated during the race. Media Television Fox Sports covered their fifteenth race at Auto Club Speedway. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip had the call in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Chris Neville, and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties for the television side. FoxBooth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Larry McReynoldsColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip Jamie LittleChris NevilleMatt Yocum Radio MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and 2001 race winner Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth when the field was racing down the front stretch. Dan Hubbard called the race from atop a billboard outside turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Kyle Rickey called the race from billboard outside turn 4 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Glenn Jarrett and Winston Kelley worked pit road for MRN. MRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Dan HubbardTurns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey Alex HaydenGlenn JarrettWinston Kelley Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 10px 1 Kevin Harvick 225 10px 2 Joey Logano 197 (−28) 10px 3 Martin Truex Jr. 192 (−33) 10px 2 4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 164 (−61) 10px 4 5 Brad Keselowski 163 (−62) 10px 1 6 Jimmie Johnson 159 (−66) 10px 3 7 Kasey Kahne 159 (−66) 10px 3 8 Paul Menard 152 (−73) 10px 5 9 Aric Almirola 138 (−87) 10px 5 10 A. J. Allmendinger 137 (−88) 10px 1 11 Casey Mears 132 (−93) 10px 2 12 Matt Kenseth 127 (−98) 10px 13 Denny Hamlin 125 (−100) 10px 4 14 David Ragan 124 (−101) 10px 4 15 Jamie McMurray 120 (−105) 10px 5 16 Carl Edwards 120 (−105) thumb|right|Kevin Harvick left Auto Club with a 28-point lead over Joey Logano. Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 10px 1 Chevrolet 228 10px 2 Ford 212 (−16) 10px 3 Toyota 183 (−45) Note: Only the first sixteen positions are included for the driver standings. Notes "N" References 30em Sprint Cup Series 2015 2015 CampingWorld.com 500 2015 STP 500 Auto Club 400 Auto Club 400 Category:NASCAR races at Auto Club Speedway