Daily NASCAR

Jeff Gordon crossed the finished line unchallenged to win the 2004 Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, his third win at the track. (Photo: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR)

The first race at what was then California Speedway - and is now Auto Club Speedway in Fontana - was run on June 22, 1997, and won by Jeff Gordon. Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Terry Labonte, finished second in another Chevrolet, while positions 3-5 were all occupied by Ford drivers: in order, Ricky Rudd, Ted Musgrave and Jimmy Spencer. Gordon won two of the first three races at the track, which hosted only one annual race until 2004. The most recent of Gordon’s three victories occurred that year. Jimmie Johnson, another of Gordon’s teammates, has won four of the last six Southern California races and a record five overall.

Go to the original story

Jimmie Johnson celebrates winning the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday, his seventh victory of 2009. Overall, he’s won 18 Chase races. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

- Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin have competed in 265 races together. Martin has scored 108 more points (the current margin separating the two) than Johnson in nine of them. The most recent, of course, was at Texas on Nov. 8.

- Career victory No. 47 puts Jimmie Johnson one ahead of Buck Baker and one behind Herb Thomas. He’s in 13th place all-time.

- All Kyle Busch has to do to wrap up the title is start the Nationwide Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. has already wrapped up his record fourth championship in the Camping World Truck Series.

- Johnson won for the fourth time at Phoenix International Raceway. No one else has won at the Desert Mile more than twice.

- While Jeff Burton was closing in a bit on Johnson late in the Checker O’Reilly 500, he was realistic afterwards. "We were catching him, but Johnson has a way of finding a little extra when he needs it. I’m sure the final three or four laps that he knew the margin he had," he said.

- This is the third time Johnson has won four or more races in the Chase. His career total of Chase victories is 18.

- Ford drivers have won the past five Homestead races. Greg Biffle won three in a row (2004-06), followed by Matt Kenseth in 2007 and Carl Edwards last year. Coincidentally, it’s billed as Ford Championship Weekend.

- Homestead-Miami Speedway is the only Sprint Cup track where Jeff Gordon has never won.

- Kurt Busch led the first 52 laps at Phoenix. Johnson then led 238 of the remaining 260.

- The Cup season finale is one of three races held in the State of Florida. NASCAR history is dotted with the names of Sunshine State natives like Fireball Roberts, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Marshall Teague, Joe Nemechek and David Reutimann.

Go to the original story

Kyle Busch salutes the fans after winning the Dollar General 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Busch extended his points lead over Carl Edwards to 195 points. (Photo: Getty Images)

CONCORD - Assurances abound that the Toyota driven by Kyle Busch was operating under the same set of rules as the other 42 cars going around and around Lowe’s Motor Speedway at various times on Friday night.

You couldn’t prove it by the competition in the Dollar General 300, though.

Busch’s Toyota throttled the Nationwide Series field. Busch beat them like eggs. He picked them up and laid them down. It was man against boys.

"This thing was on a rail," said Busch. "This is one great race car."

Comparing Kyle Busch’s Nationwide Series victories on degree of domination is like comparing snowflakes on degree of difference. Suffice it to say that he’s won seven times, and the vast majority of his margins were comfortable.

Crossing the finish line behind Busch, distantly, were Mike Bliss, Dave Blaney and Brian Vickers, all, like the winner, piloting Toyotas. Busch led 137 out of 200 laps around the 1.5-mile track.

A significant, and fairly spectacular, crash occurred on the front straight at lap 12, with the cars driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski and Reed Sorenson tangling. Stenhouse’s Ford bore the brunt of the damage.

Keselowski recovered from the mishap to finish sixth.

Matt Kenseth had taken the lead at the outset, but after the early crash, Kyle Busch assumed control. In fact, he made a mockery of the race, stretching his edge to more than five seconds by the end of the 55th lap. The Ford drivers who had started up front, Kenseth and Carl Edwards, had slipped to third and eighth, respectively. Kasey Kahne, meanwhile, had moved into second.

The second multi-car crash, on lap 63, was a rather extreme example of aggressiveness on the part of David Gilliland, who charged into a four-wide tangle near turn one. Asked to describe the affair, one of the casualties, Steven Wallace, said the wreck was caused by "a washed-up Cup driver," meaning Gilliland.

Another gaudy crash occurred on lap 69 involving Erik Darnell, Joey Logano, Kenseth, Jason Leffler, John Wes Townley, Ken Butler and others.

By lap 87, Busch was back in the lead, having dusted off Jeff Burton’s Chevy and roared away again.

Busch boosted his Nationwide Series point lead to 195 points over fifth-place finisher Carl Edwards.

Go to the original story