Race: Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway
Track Specs: 2-mile D-shaped oval / 200 laps
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 71 degrees
Race Winner: Brad Keselowski
Dale Jr.’s Finish: 6th
Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway provided an opportunity for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Nationwide team to bounce back after a rough finish last week at Phoenix. Earnhardt Jr. and company did just that, racing in the top 10 throughout the Auto Club 400 on their way to a sixth-place finish.
From the drop of the green flag, Earnhardt utilized the extreme outside groove, holding his blue and white Chevrolet mere inches from the outside wall as he quickly moved into the top 10. Crew chief Greg Ives made only minor adjustments to the car as Earnhardt reported the car’s balance shifting from loose to tight on various runs throughout the afternoon.
In the final 50 laps, Earnhardt marched his way inside the top five and found himself running third as laps clicked away. With less than two laps remaining until the scheduled 200-lap distance, NASCAR waved the caution flag for debris. The call forced teams to whether to stay on the track or hit pit road for two or four tires for the ensuing green-white-checkered restart. The call for the No. 88 team was to take only two fresh tires while three cars elected to stay on track.
Earnhardt lined up fifth for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, but found himself boxed in behind Greg Biffle’s slower car. That halt in momentum dropped Earnhardt all the way to 10th before another caution waved as the field raced down the backstretch. On the second attempt at restarting the race, Earnhardt whipped around the outside and gained four positions in the final two laps to finish sixth.
Brad Keselowski stormed through the field after taking four fresh tires on the final pit stop to earn the victory over Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman.