Race Highlights:
- Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Kevin Harvick), 19th (Paul Menard), 22nd (Jeff Burton) and 43rd (Brendan Gaughan).
- According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick led the field in Quality Passes (passing a car running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions) with 35 and was one of eight drivers who did not fall outside of the top 15 during the race.
- Harvick was the fourth-fastest driver in NASCAR’s Loop Data Category for Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
- Menard tied for third in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Closers, gaining four positions in the final 20 laps (10 percent) of the event.
- Menard ranked eighth among all drivers in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Green Flag Passes, with 65 recorded.
- Burton made 72 green-flag passes during the 129-lap race, third-most in the 43-car field.
- The event at Auto Club Speedway served as Gaughan’s 41st-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his fourth of four races with the Welcome, N.C.-based organization.
- Tony Stewart scored the win in Sunday’s rain-shortened race at Auto Club Speedway. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards completed the top five.
- The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, April 1, televised live on FOX beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12 p.m. EST.
Paul Menard and the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Team Earn 19th-Place Finish at Auto Club Speedway
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Start – 27 Finish – 19 Laps Led – 0 Points – 11
PAUL MENARD QUOTE:
“Unfortunately with starting 27th and not having a caution during the race, we just couldn’t gain any ground today. For some reason this track keeps us scratching our heads. At least we stayed out when the rain began to fall and gained a little to finish 19th.“
Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Jimmy John’s Team Use Pit Strategy to Finish Fourth at Auto Club Speedway
Start – 7 Finish – 4 Laps Led – 0 Points – 2
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
“I think that was the right call at the end there, to stay out and not pit. It got us a fourth-place finish. Our biggest battle today was that the Jimmy John’s Chevrolet did not take off well at the beginning of a run and then we spent the rest of the time making up track position. Shane Wilson and the guys made changes on the car throughout the race and towards the end the handling was really good.”
Burton Earns 22nd-Place Finish in Rain-Shortened Auto Club 400
Start – 19 Finish – 22 Laps Led – 0 Points – 15
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
“The car was lacking rear grip all day in the corners and we also had to recover from some of the adjustments we made early in the event. We knew the rain was coming, but I didn’t think it was going to be heavy enough to cancel it.”
Early Exit for Brendan Gaughan at Auto Club Speedway
Start – 37 Finish – 43 Laps Led – 0 Points – n/a
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“I appreciate the opportunity Mr. Childress gave me. Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of it today. I made a mistake on the start and broke the motor. ECR makes phenomenal engines, but you can’t expect it to survive a missed shift and handle the high RPMs . I just have to stay focused on the rest of the opportunities that I have at RCR and make sure I take full advantage of them.”
RCR
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