2016 Auto Club 400

February 2025 NAS Auto Club 400 2016 Sprint Cup Series schedule http://www.jayski.com/stats/2016/pdfs/2016-nascar-schedule.pdf Jayski.com Jayski's Silly Season Site March 14, 2016 January 26, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160207123034/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2016/pdfs/2016-nascar-schedule.pdf February 7, 2016 deadAuto Club Speedway http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/auto-club-speedway.html NASCAR.com NASCAR Media Group, LLC. March 14, 2016 January 3, 2013Entry List http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=45&RaceID=7178&StatType=Entry+List MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 14, 2016 March 14, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160318202652/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=45&RaceID=7178&StatType=Entry+List March 18, 2016 deadFirst Practice Results http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160321000816/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx March 21, 2016 deadQualifying Results http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-Qualifying-Results.aspx MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160321000908/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-Qualifying-Results.aspx March 21, 2016 deadSecond Practice Results http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-2nd-Practice-Speeds.aspx MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 19, 2016 March 19, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160321102713/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-2nd-Practice-Speeds.aspx March 21, 2016 deadFinal Practice Results http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 19, 2016 March 19, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160321101653/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2016/03/Auto-Club-400-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx March 21, 2016 deadAuto Club 400 Results http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=45&RaceID=7178&StatType=Race+Results MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 20, 2016 March 20, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160325033251/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=45&RaceID=7178&StatType=Race+Results March 25, 2016 deadPoints standings http://www.jayski.com/stats/2016/pdfs/05acs2016racereport.pdf Jayski.com Jayski's Silly Season Site March 20, 2016 March 20, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160327041033/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2016/pdfs/05acs2016racereport.pdf March 27, 2016 deadManufacturer standings http://www.jayski.com/stats/2016/pdfs/05acs2016racereport.pdf Jayski.com Jayski's Silly Season Site March 21, 2016 March 21, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160327041033/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2016/pdfs/05acs2016racereport.pdf March 27, 2016 dead 2016 03 20 2016 5 36 class=skin-invert|250px Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California 2 3.219 205 410 659.831 200 400 643.738 Mostly sunny skies with a temperature of 73 F C; wind out of the west/southwest at 6 mph km/h on 137.213 mph km/h on Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 38.200 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing 142 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Fox Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip 3.5/9 (Overnight)Paulsen NASCAR Auto Club Overnights Drop Double-Digits http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2016/03/nascar-ratings-down-auto-club-fontana-overnights-low/ SportsMediaWatch.com Sports Media Watch March 21, 2016 March 21, 20164.0/10 (Final)Paulsen NASCAR Continues Losing Streak at Fontana http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2016/03/nascar-ratings-down-fox-fontana-viewership-four-year-low-auto-club/ SportsMediaWatch.com Sports Media Watch March 25, 2016 March 25, 20166.8 million viewers MRN Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace Dan Hubbard (1 & 2) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4) The 2016 Auto Club 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on March 20, 2016, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 205 laps, it was fifth race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson won the race ahead of Kevin Harvick, while Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five positions. Austin Dillon won the pole, but lost the race lead on the opening lap and ultimately finished 24th. Harvick led a race high of 142 laps on his way to a runner-up finish. There were 26 lead changes among eight different drivers, as well as six caution flag periods for 33 laps. This was the 77th career victory for Johnson, second of the season, sixth at Auto Club Speedway and 10th at the track for Hendrick Motorsports. The win moved Johnson up to second in the points standings. Chevrolet increased their lead to nine points over Toyota in the manufacturer standings. The Auto Club 400 was carried by Fox Sports on the broadcast Fox network for the American television audience. The radio broadcast for 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 is a 2 mi km on off low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California. Entry list The entry list for the Auto Club 400 was released on Monday, March 14 at 3:25 p.m. Eastern time. Thirty-nine cars were entered for the race. Two driver changes from the previous race included Brian Vickers returning to the seat of the No. 14 Stewart–Haas Racing ChevroletPeltz Jim NASCAR sub Brian Vickers is grateful for the opportunity http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nascar-auto-club-400-20160319-story.html March 19, 2016 Los Angeles Times March 18, 2016 Fontana, California and Jeffrey Earnhardt returning to the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford. No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 7 Regan Smith Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Brian Vickers Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Paramount Pictures Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Ryan Blaney (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 David Ragan BK Racing Toyota 24 Chase Elliott (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30 Josh Wise The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt (R) Go FAS Racing Ford 34 Chris Buescher (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 38 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 44 Brian Scott (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 83 Matt DiBenedetto BK Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Michael McDowell Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 98 Cole Whitt Premium Motorsports ChevroletOfficial entry list Practice First practice Austin Dillon was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.194 and a speed of 188.511 mph km/h on.Long Dustin Austin Dillon tops Sprint Cup practice at Auto Club Speedway http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/03/18/austin-dillon-tops-sprint-cup-practice-at-auto-club-speedway/ nascartalk.nbcsports.com NBC Sports March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016 Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed MPH 1 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.194 188.511 2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 38.210 188.432 3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.236 188.304Official first practice results Practice (post-qualifying) Second practice Carl Edwards was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 38.317 and a speed of 187.906 mph km/h on.Bonkowski Jerry March 19, 2016 Edwards, Truex Jr. fastest in first of 2 Saturday practices at Fontana http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2016/03/19/edwards-truex-jr-fastest-in-first-of-2-saturday-practices-at-fontana/ March 19, 2016 nascartalk.nbcsports.com NBC Sports Kurt Busch went to a backup car after slamming the wall in turn 3.Spencer Lee March 19, 2016 Edwards leads second practice, Kurt Busch forced into a backup car http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/edwards-leads-second-practice-kurt-busch-forced-into-a-backup-car-680830/ March 19, 2016 Motorsport.com Motorsport Network, LLC. Fontana, California Because this took place after qualifying, he'll start the race from the rear of the field. PosNo. Car numberDriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed MPH119Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.317187.906278Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota38.373187.632331Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet38.577186.640Official second practice results Final practice Matt Kenseth was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 38.831 and a speed of 185.419 mph km/h on.Spencer Lee March 19, 2016 Final practice slowed by two-car crash, Kenseth quickest http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/final-practice-slowed-by-two-car-crash-kenseth-quickest-680876/ March 19, 2016 Motorsport.com Motorsport Network, LLC. Fontana, California Greg Biffle and Kyle Larson made contact with each other exiting turn 4.White Tucker March 19, 2016 Matt Kenseth fastest in final practice at Auto Club Speedway http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=107447 March 19, 2016 SpeedwayMedia.com USA Today Sports Digital Properties Larson went to a backup car and will start from the rear of the field. PosNo. Car numberDriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed MPH120Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.831185.419219Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.846185.347321Ryan Blaney (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord38.885185.161Official final practice results Qualifying thumb|Austin Dillon scored the pole position. Austin Dillon won the pole for the race with a time of 38.200 and a speed of 188.482 mph km/h on.Beacham Greg Austin Dillon takes the pole on a speedy day at Fontana http://racing.ap.org/article/austin-dillon-takes-pole-speedy-day-fontana-0 March 18, 2016 Associated Press Associated Press AP Sports March 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160319142949/http://racing.ap.org/article/austin-dillon-takes-pole-speedy-day-fontana-0 March 19, 2016 Fontana, California Being his second career pole and first since the 2014 Daytona 500, he said he was glad he "got a pole somewhere else. To do it at a driver’s race track like this at Fontana it means a lot to me. Just proud of this American Ethanol team we’ve had fast cars all year long. I knew going into that third session if I didn’t make mistakes I would have a shot. I just stayed with it off of (Turn) 4. I kept my locker locked as much as I could with the gas just keeping as much fuel to the car as I could. It worked out for us.”Pistone Pete Pete Pistone Dillon Drives to Auto Club Pole http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2016/03/Austin-Dillon-Drives-to-Auto-Club-Pole.aspx MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160320200135/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2016/03/Austin-Dillon-Drives-to-Auto-Club-Pole.aspx March 20, 2016 dead Adding to his Great start to the season, he also said that this was "the start of what we need to be doing as a group. I feel like we have everything all the other companies have. We still have a lot of work to do, but it feels good to have a small moral victory here.”Hembree Mike Austin Dillon wins pole for Auto Club 400 https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2016/03/18/auto-club-400-fontana-qualifying-austin-dillon-wins-pole/81996808/ March 18, 2016 USA Today March 18, 2016 Fontana, California After qualifying second, Kevin Harvick complemented the great "effort by Rodney and the team getting the car ready. This track is a challenge with its bumps and rough surface and the lower downforce makes them harder to drive but we’ve got a good car and looking forward to Sunday. Our goal was to run the same lap time all three rounds. That is going to put you in a spot to have a chance. All in all, it’s been a good start to the weekend and really looking forward to the race on Sunday.”White Tucker Austin Dillon takes the pole at Auto Club Speedway http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=107409 SpeedwayMedia.com USA Today Sports Digital Properties March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016 After qualifying third, Denny Hamlin said he's "had fast cars all year long, and I knew going into that third session, if I didn’t make mistakes I would have a shot. I just stayed with it off of 4. I kept my locker locked as much as I could with the gas just keeping as much fuel to the car as I could. It worked out for us.”Brewster Louis Austin Dillon avoids mistakes to capture pole for Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup race in Fontana http://www.dailybulletin.com/sports/20160318/austin-dillon-avoids-mistakes-to-capture-pole-for-auto-club-400-sprint-cup-race-in-fontana March 19, 2016 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Digital First Media March 18, 2016 Fontana, California 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 13Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet38.41338.20938.200 24Kevin HarvickStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet38.23838.22638.231 311Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.24138.19438.372 431Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet38.38838.36938.446 519Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.50538.36038.457 618Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.41338.36238.459 76Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord38.33438.29138.520 824Chase Elliott (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet38.21538.19538.545 922Joey LoganoTeam PenskeChevrolet38.26738.35038.594 101Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet38.39238.32738.638 1147A. J. AllmendingerA. J. Allmendinger started from the rear of the field after changing rear-end gears. "N"JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet38.39238.36538.775 125Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet38.30138.3710.000 1327Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet38.45138.401 — 1421Ryan Blaney (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord38.56138.404 — 152Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord38.20038.455 — 1634Chris Buescher (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord38.57538.471 — 1778Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota38.31438.497 — 1817Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord38.41738.600 — 1948Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet38.41438.648 — 2020Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota38.38838.654 — 2144Brian Scott (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsFord38.61638.673 — 2216Greg BiffleGreg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson dropped to the rear of the field after switching to backup cars post-qualifying. Rear "N"Roush Fenway RacingFord38.58538.694 — 2313Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet38.45638.757 — 2414Brian VickersStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet38.48638.797 — 2543Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord38.627 — — 2641Kurt BuschRear "N"Stewart–Haas RacingChevrolet38.690 — — 2788Dale Earnhardt Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet38.693 — — 287Regan SmithTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet38.773 — — 2915Clint BowyerHScott MotorsportsChevrolet38.785 — — 3095Michael McDowellCircle Sport – Leavine Family RacingChevrolet38.817 — — 3110Danica PatrickStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet38.898 — — 3242Kyle LarsonRear "N"Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet38.921 — — 3383Matt DiBenedettoBK RacingToyota39.001 — — 3438Landon CassillFront Row MotorsportsFord39.091 — — 3523David RaganBK RacingToyota39.333 — — 3698Cole WhittPremium MotorsportsChevrolet39.485 — — 3730Josh WiseThe Motorsports GroupChevrolet39.571 — — 3846Michael AnnettHScott MotorsportsChevrolet39.865 — — 3932Jeffrey Earnhardt (R)Go FAS RacingFord39.908 — — Race First half Start thumb|Jimmie Johnson won the race. Under clear California skies, Austin Dillon led the field to the green flag at 3:49 p.m. He was passed going into turn 1 for the lead by Kevin Harvick. After five laps, Dillon fell back to third. Carl Edwards made a charge at Harvick, but he failed to make the pass. By lap 17, Harvick's gap grew to two seconds over Edwards. Kyle Busch was running fifth when he made an unscheduled stop for a flat right-rear tire on lap 20. He rejoined the race in 37th one-lap down. The first caution of the race flew on lap 27 for a single-car wreck in turn 2. Riding the high line, Chris Buescher suffered a right-rear tire blowout and made contact with the wall. Edwards exited pit road with the race lead. Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne were tagged for their crews being over the wall too soon and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. The race restarted on lap 32. Harvick got a run on Edwards going down the backstretch to retake the lead on lap 35. Coming to the lead, Edwards took back the lead on lap 36. Going into turn 1, Harvick drove underneath Edwards to retake the lead on lap 38. The second caution of the race flew on lap 47 for a single-car wreck on the backstretch. Exiting turn 2, Kyle Larson cut down his left-rear tire, hit the outside wall, turned down the track and slammed the inside wall head-on.White Tucker Kyle Larson involved in hard wreck during Auto Club 400 http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=107508 SpeedwayMedia.com USA Today Sports Digital Properties March 21, 2016 March 20, 2016 He said that he "was going down the back stretch and I think it was my left-rear tire got cut. It must have ripped the brake line because I went to push the pedal and it went straight to the floor board. I couldn’t slow down. It was definitely a hard hit there, probably one of the harder ones of my career. Even before that we were pretty sub-average there, we were pretty bad. Disappointed in our run today, but glad I’m alright. It was really good for about 20 laps on each run. The take-off speed was awesome and I don’t know I just couldn’t get the thing to last for a whole run. We just kind of struggled there at the end of each run, that kind of hurt us, but short-run speed that was a lot of fun. I thought we were as competitive as anybody on short-run speed. We just needed something there for the last 10 to 15 laps. We will work on it. The pit crew was awesome. They bounced back with great stops all day.” He would go on to finish 39th.Beard Brock CUP: Scary crash nets Larson first last-place finish since 2014 http://brock.lastcar.info/2016/03/cup-scary-crash-nets-larson-first-last.html brock.lastcar.info LASTCAR.info March 22, 2016 March 20, 2016 Brad Keselowski was tagged for an uncontrolled tire and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. Second quarter The race restarted on lap 54. Harvick made an unscheduled stop from the lead on lap 71 for a vibration. Martin Truex Jr. assumed the lead while Harvick rejoined the race in 33rd. A. J. Allmendinger also pitted from 10th for a vibration. Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Truex on lap 78. He hit pit road on lap 84 and handed the lead to teammate Chase Elliott. He pitted the next lap and handed the lead to Matt Kenseth. He pitted the next lap and the lead cycled to Harvick. Denny Hamlin and Paul Menard were tagged for speeding and were forced to serve pass-through penalty's. Matt DiBenedetto was tagged for removing equipment from his pit box and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty. Second half Halfway Harvick pitted from the lead on lap 106 and handed the lead to Johnson. The third caution of the race flew on lap 108 for a single-car wreck in turn 2. Round the turn, Trevor Bayne got too close to the wall and rode it. Harvick opted not to pit under the caution and assumed the lead from Johnson. Clint Bowyer was tagged for his crew being over the wall too soon and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. The race restarted on lap 115. Harvick on older tires was no match for Johnson on new tires as the latter took the lead with 85 laps to go. The fourth caution of the race flew with 79 laps to go for a single-car wreck in turn 1. Going into the turn, Danica Patrick got hooked into the wall by Kahne and slammed the wall head-on.Pope Dennis NASCAR: Danica Patrick KO'd by fender bender https://www.pressenterprise.com/2016/03/20/nascar-danica-patrick-kod-by-fender-bender/ March 21, 2016 The Press-Enterprise Freedom Communications March 20, 2016 Fontana, California She walked towards the racing surface to show her displeasure towards Kahne. She said afterwards that she "saw him chase me down the track, and the next thing I know I was getting spun up the track. We had a restart and I was low on him, and if you go high it’ll drag you both back so I was going low. I was passing him. He was behind me on the right rear end. I don’t know what kind of day he was having – I heard he was a lap down – and I feel bad if he felt he was put in a position and got desperate there. He must’ve been having a very rough time. I was looking forward to a good finish but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be." She, Kahne, and his crew chief, Keith Rodden, were called to the NASCAR hauler after the race. Johnson and Truex swapped the lead on pit road. The latter excited pit road with the lead. Biffle and Edwards were tagged for speeding and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. The race restarted with 70 laps to go. Harvick got a run on the outside line exiting turn 4 to retake the lead with 63 laps to go. Kenseth made an unscheduled stop with 52 laps to go for a flat tire. To add insult to injury, he was tagged for speeding and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson pitted with 46 laps to go. Debris in turn 3 brought out the fifth caution of the race with 45 laps to go. Johnson opted to stay out when Harvick pitted and assumed the lead. Truex was tagged for speeding and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. Fourth quarter The race restarted with 40 laps to go. Edwards outdrove Johnson to the line to retake the lead with 39 laps to go. Johnson drove under him in turn 1 to retake the lead with 38 laps to go. Joey Logano drove under Johnson in turn 2 to take the lead with 36 laps to go. Harvick outdrove Logano to the line to retake the lead with 34 laps to go. Driving down the backstretch, Harvick nudged Logano's rear to retain the lead with 33 laps to go. With 14 laps to go, Logano took the air off Truex's car going into turn 1 and sent him into the wall.Beacham Greg Logano finds Fontana trouble again, with Truex this time http://racing.ap.org/node/291210 March 22, 2016 Associated Press Associated Press AP Sports March 20, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160322123228/http://racing.ap.org/node/291210 March 22, 2016 Fontana, California This would lead to Truex cutting a tire down, making an unscheduled stop and finishing 32nd. Logano said after the race that he had "no excuse besides it was just racing. I tried to go underneath him and fake that and then go back to the top, and I think he was going to go to the top as well. We never touched, but I was right on him, and when you're going that fast and you take the air off the spoilers, the cars get uncontrollable. So I hate that I hurt his day, for sure." The sixth caution of the race flew with two laps to go for a single-car wreck in turn 4. Kyle Busch made contact with the wall and had a tire coming apart. Hamlin exited pit road with the race lead. Kenseth was tagged for an uncontrolled tire and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. Overtime The race restarted with two laps to go. Johnson drove by Hamlin and Harvick to score the victory.Beacham Greg Jimmie Johnson gets past Harvick in OT to win at Fontana http://racing.ap.org/node/291209 March 20, 2016 Associated Press Associated Press AP Sports March 20, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160322121422/http://racing.ap.org/node/291209 March 22, 2016 Fontana, California Post-race Driver comments Speaking on the final restart, Johnson said he "got a great run off of Turn 2 and I thought ‘man I’ve got a shot at this thing’. Which I didn't expect to have, Harvick has been so fast. I cleared him and kind of got away. We saved our best for last for sure. We had our best at the last there and really strong on the short run which wasn't necessarily our strong suit earlier in the day. Chad (Knaus, crew chief) made some great adjustments there to get me tuned up for that dash at the end.”Pistone Pete Pete Pistone Johnson 'Super' at Auto Club http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2016/03/Jimmie-Johnson-Wins-Auto-Club-400.aspx MRN.com Motor Racing Network March 21, 2016 March 20, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160322220553/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2016/03/Jimmie-Johnson-Wins-Auto-Club-400.aspx March 22, 2016 dead Harvick said after the race that the final restart "was the worst it has taken off on restarts, but we weren’t very good on restarts for four or five laps unless we were all by ourselves. The No. 48 was able to hang with us and we just weren’t able to drive it in like I needed to.”Scott David Jimmie Johnson looks super in winning NASCAR race in Fontana in OT https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/thatsracin/article67242752.html March 21, 2016 The Charlotte Observer The McClatchy Company March 20, 2016 Fontana, California Penalties On the Thursday after the race, Danica Patrick was fined $20,000 for walking up towards the racing surface to show her displeasure to Kahne which led to her being placed on probation as well.Bromberg Nick Nick Bromberg Danica Patrick and Kyle Busch fined after Auto Club races https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/danica-patrick-and-kyle-busch-fined-after-auto-club-races-175515519.html sports.yahoo.com Yahoo! Sports March 25, 2016 March 24, 2016 In addition, six teams were issued warnings for failing tech inspection multiple times.White Tucker Busch and Patrick fined for actions in California http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=107614 SpeedwayMedia.com USA Today Sports Digital Properties March 25, 2016 March 24, 2016 Race results Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Points 148Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20544 24Kevin HarvickStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet20541 311Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20539 422Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord20538 517Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord20536 624Chase Elliott (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20536 719Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20535 847A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet20533 92Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord20532 101Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet20531 1188Dale Earnhardt Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20530 1244Brian Scott (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsFord20529 1314Brian VickersStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet20528 1431Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet20527 1527Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet20526 1638Landon CassillFront Row MotorsportsFord20525 1713Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet20524 1815Clint BowyerHScott MotorsportsChevrolet20523 1920Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20523 206Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord20521 2143Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord20520 2223David RaganBK RacingToyota20519 237Regan SmithTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet20518 243Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet20517 2518Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota20516 2698Cole WhittPremium MotorsportsChevrolet20515 2783Matt DiBenedettoBK RacingToyota20514 285Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20513 2946Michael AnnettHScott MotorsportsChevrolet20512 3041Kurt BuschStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet20511 3195Michael McDowellCircle Sport – Leavine Family RacingChevrolet20510 3278Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota20410 3334Chris Buescher (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord2048 3432Jeffrey Earnhardt (R)Go FAS RacingFord2007 3521Ryan Blaney (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord1956 3630Josh WiseThe Motorsports GroupChevrolet1955 3716Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord1464 3810Danica PatrickStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet1203 3942Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet462Official race results Race summary Lead changes: 26 Cautions/Laps: 6 for 33 laps Red flags: 0 Time of race: 2 hours, 59 minutes and 17 seconds Average speed: 137.213 mph km/h Media Television Fox Sports covered the race at Auto Club Speedway for the sixteenth time. Mike Joy, three-time Auto Club winner Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip called the race from the commentary booth, while Jamie Little, Chris Neville and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties for the television side. Fox Booth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Jeff GordonColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip Jamie LittleChris NevilleMatt Yocum Radio MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and 2001 race winner Rusty Wallace called the race from the booth when the field was racing down the front stretch. Dan Hubbard called race from a billboard outside turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Kurt Becker called the race from a billboard outside turn 3 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road for MRN. MRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Dan HubbardTurns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker Alex HaydenWinston KelleySteve Post Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 10px 1 Kevin Harvick 195 10px 1 2 Jimmie Johnson 184 (–11) 10px 2 3 Carl Edwards 171 (–24) 10px 2 4 Denny Hamlin 170 (–25) 10px 3 5 Kyle Busch 170 (–25) 10px 1 6 Joey Logano 165 (–30) 10px 3 7 Kurt Busch 148 (–47) 10px 2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 145 (–50) 10px 2 9 Brad Keselowski 142 (–53) 10px 2 10 Austin Dillon 139 (–56) 10px 2 11 Martin Truex Jr. 127 (–68) 10px 3 12 Jamie McMurray 125 (–70) 10px 13 Aric Almirola 120 (–75) 10px 4 14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 119 (–76) 10px 1 15 Matt Kenseth 113 (–82) 10px 5 16 Chase Elliott (R) 110 (–85)Official driver's standings Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 10px 1 Chevrolet 210 10px 2 Toyota 201 (–9) 10px 3 Ford 180 (–30)Official manufacturers' standings Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. Notes "N" References 2 Sprint Cup Series 2016 2016 Good Sam 500 2016 STP 500 Auto Club 400 Auto Club 400 Category:NASCAR races at Auto Club Speedway Auto Club 400