Through Qualifying
Final Practice for Auto Club 400
Auto Club Speedway
Friday, February 28, 5:35 pm ET
50 minutes in length
Weather
83 degrees with 5 mph wind and 8% humidity
Penalized Drivers
Chase Elliott 15 minutes at the end of practice
Top-20 Speeds (single-lap speeds)
Best Lap Averages
Items of Note:
Early in practice Ryan Blaney took the fastest lap right from the jump
Alex Bowman has looked very sporty in both practices to this point but the backend is still getting loose when going over bumps
It appears that early in this session, the higher line is faster around the track in the early runs.
Most drivers are are making long runs in this practice
Chase Elliott said his car is completely different this practice than it was last session and he is having trouble keeping the car on the right side like he wants to.
Kyle Busch hit the bumps wrong and brushed the wall and described the damage a four on a 1-10 scale and he’s bringing it to the garage to double check the damage on the car and make sure the suspension isn’t screwed up.
Aric Almirola didn’t get a lap in until 20 minutes into the session and he’s still having balance issues in the 10-car.
There is expected to be a 20-30 degree drop in temps from today to Sunday and so that should give more grip to the cars but the front of the car should get more grip than the rear so it could be balance battle all afternoon.
Bubba Wallace hasn’t been able to get the car to turn the way he wants it to this afternoon and halfway through the session he’s 25th on the speed chart.
There are several drivers still asking for more rear grip in their cars as they are visibly sliding into the corners.
A big question amongst drivers to their spotters when they get passed on the track is asking if that driver on the same age of tires as they are so they can gauge the speed in their cars.
Kyle Busch got back on the track with 17 minutes left in the session as the damage was all cosmetic. He is going back out to the upper groove in the corners to make sure he can hit his spots the right way.
With 15 minutes left in the session, Clint Bowyer is fifth on the board and has been steadily improving his car throughout the session.
William Byron made a 15-lap run and then came back in for adjustments and to study the SMT data for the other drivers in the field to see where he’s losing time as he dropped to 18th on the speed charts.
Chase Elliott said he doesn’t think his car is quite where he needs it to be right now and he’s missing on the short run speed specifically.
Drivers are doing mock qualifying runs shooting to the top of the board late in the session as the temps cool down.
There’s only been a second to 1.25 seconds of fall off over 25 laps runs and with it being cooler on Sunday the fall off might not be as bad.
Clint Bowyer says they took a big swing at adjustments between sessions and it feels better but still going to need adjustments on Sunday.
Opening Practice for Auto Club 400
Auto Club Speedway
Friday, February 28, 4:05 pm ET
50 minutes in length
Weather
83 degrees with 3 mph wind and 8% humidity
Penalized Drivers
There were no penalized drivers in this session
Top-20 Speeds (single-lap speeds)
Best Lap Averages
Items of Note:
Ryan Blaney and William Byron are sporting Kobe Bryant paint schemes this week
Matt DiBenedetto was happy with the P2 finish last week and especially the average run position of P14 but he said that this week is another track that they’ll need new notes at being a different driver-crew chief combo
This track is notorious for getting drivers with pit road speeding penalties
Several different drivers are saying the cars aren’t balanced the way they want them to be early in the session and the ride heights are also causing problems with being the splitter in bumps
Along with the bumps on the track that are all over the surface, there are seems that can cause grip problems for the cars as well if hit in the wrong way.
Kurt Busch says the car is good in 1&2 and 3&4 but the only issue right now is that he can’t get down from the wall in the corners the way he wants to or will need to during the race.
Kevin Harvick had a power steering issue 10 minutes in and took it to the garage
Chase Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson has his arm in a sling this weekend due to a shoulder injury suffered last week
Kurt Busch was on a 30-lap run and said his tires were gone by basically lap 10
Drivers are trying several different lines around the track to try and find the faster line and the one that doesn’t eat the tires as much.
Cars getting tight early in runs has been the biggest complaint from drivers in this session
Martin Truex Jr has brought a very similar setup to what he brought last year and he’s been happy with the car handling-wise and speed wise so far in the first session.
Aric Almirola has fluid coming out of the back of the car that appears to be some engine oil but still waiting on an update with 25 minutes left in the session.
With 22 minutes left in the session Kevin Harvick went back into the garage for adjustments to the new power steering line because the wheel still felt heavy going into the corners and Almirola was spilling overflow oil and it’s not a serious issue as of yet.
Martin Truex Jr. says the track is “dirty as hell” into the entry of Turn 1 right now as they tried to do a mock qualifying run.
Tyler Reddick has a dirt background and likes to run up along the wall at tracks like this and has a good amount of film study under his belt.
Jimmie Johnson said he’s feeling more comfortable in his car now than he was at the beginning of practice when the balance was off.
Quite a few of the last laps on the track are drivers making mock qualifying runs