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Date February 24, 2008 (2008-February-24) - February 25, 2008 (2008-February-25) Location Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California Course Permanent racing facility
2.0 mi (3.23 km) Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) Weather Temperatures approaching an average of 53.3 °F (11.8 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) Average speed 132.704 miles per hour (213.566 km/h) | ||
The 2008 Auto Club 500 was the second race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and started on February 24, 2008, at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California in Fontana, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The race was telecast on Fox starting at 3:30 PM US EST/12:30 PM PST, with MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio's broadcast starting at 2:45 PM EST/11:45 AM PST. Rain stopped the race on Lap 87 and the race would continue on Monday, February 25 at 1 PM US EST/10 AM PDT.
Contents
This race was the first time that the Car of Tomorrow raced at Fontana, as many people (since the shift from the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina following the Ferko lawsuit in 2004) claim that it is the first "real race" of the season, following the running of the Daytona 500 with its restrictor plates in use.
Pre-Race News
Qualifying
For the first time in the Sprint Cup Series, a new qualifying system was to have been introduced for this race and the rest of the 2008 season.
The new qualifying format is being divided into two groups, that has been called by many as "The Boris Said Rule" after what happened prior to the 2007 Pepsi 400, when Said was on the provisional pole when qualifying was canceled, and the field was set by the rulebook. The format debuted in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series at Daytona.
In the first group, the Top 35 Exempt teams will go onto the track first and set their positions in the time trials. The second group will involve those outside said Top 35, and will fill the remaining eight spots. However, rain canceled the scheduled qualifying session, and the field was set by the NASCAR rulebook. The first time that the new qualifying session format was used was at the UAW-Dodge 400 the following week in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Race
The outset of the race was plagued with rain, which was an ongoing theme throughout the weekend, delaying the start by 2½ hours, but weeping in the banked turns from all the inclement weather that fell throughout the weekend because of poor drainage caused the first two cautions. On Lap 14, Denny Hamlin hit the wall in Turn 3, causing the first caution of the day. After just two more laps of green, Casey Mears crashed into Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Sam Hornish Jr., who was blinded from the upraised hood who then hit Reed Sorenson and then turned Mears' car 270 degrees, setting Hornish's car ablaze and causing the first red flag of the race on Lap 21. Track dryers were brought out to clear the track, and concrete saws were used to create pathways for the water to flow off Turns 1 and 2, which was not draining properly. After hour and seven minute delay, racing continued on Lap 25 before a caution was called on Lap 39 due to rain in Turn 4. After drying finished, racing began again on Lap 47 before a yellow flag was shown on Lap 56 due to Jeremy Mayfield's flat tire. Another yellow flag was shown when Joe Nemechek spins out due to a flat tire on Lap 62. Eight laps afterward, the sixth caution flag was shown when Elliott Sadler hit the wall after attempting to avoid Robby Gordon. The seventh caution flag was displayed on Lap 81 when rain began to fall, and was finally called off officially on Lap 87 with a red flag, over five hours after the scheduled start of the race.
NASCAR continued to dry the track and scheduled a night restart at 9 PM PST. That time was postponed twice by an hour to 11 PM local time, when they felt that track drying was inadequate. Ultimately at the time the race was to have restarted, NASCAR officials suspended activities for the evening. When action resumed on Monday morning, Jimmie Johnson led the race when on Lap 132, Jeff Burton brushed the wall on Turn 3 to force the eighth caution period. Three more cautions would follow, ultimately letting Carl Edwards win the race under caution when Dale Jarrett spun in Turn 3 on the last lap. Mark Martin made his 800th career Winston/NEXTEL/Sprint Cup start in this race.
Timeline
Failed to make the race as a result of qualifying being canceled due to rain: A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Ken Schrader (#49), Mike Skinner (#27), Burney Lamar (#08), Patrick Carpentier (#10).