Lap-by-Lap: California
http://www.nascar.com/2008/races/lapbylap/02/24/california/index.html
Casey Mears: “A couple times I hit the water and right about the time I crossed that seam, I don’t know if that’s what caused me to get loose.”
Sam Hornish Jr.: “There was nowhere to go either way. I couldn’t see anything and couldn’t steer the car, either.”
Denny Hamlin: “I think there are 42 other drivers out there who would agree; we should not be racing on that racetrack right now. I hit a slick spot and the car just took off.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “We were just sitting there trying to chill. The track’s real dirty and everybody’s sliding around. The track ain’t ready today. The track’s dirty, and this was a bad move.”
Lap 21 — RED FLAG: The race has been stopped so officials can clean up the wreckage in Turn 2.
Lap 20 — YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Casey Mears crashes in Turn 2 and collects Dale Earnhardt Jr. As Mears slides to a stop against the wall, Sam Hornish Jr. hits Reed Sorenson and slams into Mears. Mears’ car flips onto its roof. The cars come to rest with Mears on his side and fire breaks out. Mears exits his car OK.
Cars Involved
• Casey Mears
• Sam Hornish Jr.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Reed Sorenson
Lap 20 — LEAD CHANGE: Jeff Gordon motors around Jimmie Johnson for the lead.
Lap 18 — GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson gets the race back under way.
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Tony Stewart
4. Greg Biffle
5. Clint Bowyer
Lap 17 — LEAD CHANGE: Jimmie Johnson assumes the lead after NASCAR determines Kevin Harvick pitted illegally. Harvick apparently came down pit road after the caution flag came out. Harvick is placed at the back of the longest line.
Lap 17 — LEAD CHANGE: Kevin Harvick becomes the leader due to pitting just before the caution and not losing a lap to the leaders.
Lap 15 — Leaders head to pit road:
• Carl Edwards gets four tires and no adjustments
• Tony Stewart gets tires and a chassis adjustment
• Jeff Gordon gets his front cleaned and a minor adjustment
• Greg Biffle gains five spots on pit road
Lap 14 — YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Denny Hamlin cuts a right-front tire and smacks the Turn 3 wall hard. He heads to the garage.
Lap 14 — Kevin Harvick pits to remove debris from his nose just as the caution comes out.
Lap 11 — Matt Kenseth is in trouble; he hits put road with paper stuck to his front. It was causing his car to run hot.
Lap 10 — Jeff Gordon leads by 3.7 seconds but he’s reporting his water pressure is high.
Lap 8 — Kyle Busch started 22nd but has moved into 11th after just eight laps.
Lap 6 — Kasey Kahne brushes the wall in the corner, but he’s worked his way from 20th to 15th.
Lap 5 — Jeff Gordon has built a 2-second lead on teammate Jimmie Johnson. Matt Kenseth has fallen back from third to seventh.
Lap 1 — Jeff Gordon sails away to lead the first lap.
6:32 p.m. — GREEN FLAG: Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon get the Auto Club 500 under way.
6:28 p.m. — Two more pace laps until green. Michael Waltrip has started his car and reports his guages appear OK. A Wiggins clap was replaced.
6:22 p.m. — Michael Waltrip is on pit road with his crew working on the car. They are trying to install a clamp on the oil line to stop the leak.
6:19 p.m. — Track officials are distributing a drying agent onto the track where Michael Waltrip spilled oil.
6:16 p.m. — Michael Waltrip is dropping oil on the racetrack. He has slowed and heads to pit road. Officials will have to clean the surface.
6:12 p.m. — Cars are rolling onto the track.
6:07 p.m. — Brad Garrett delivers the command: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
6:01 p.m. — Kina Grannis performs the national anthem.
6 p.m. — Jeff Hamilton from Motor Racing Outreach delivers the invocation.
5:51 p.m. — The national anthem is scheduled in 10 minutes.
5:23 p.m. — Word is that race festivities could begin within 30 minutes.
4:42 p.m. — NASCAR plans to go racing within the hour as track drying continues.
4:06 p.m. — As track-drying efforts continue, ZZ Top takes the stage for some entertainment.
4 p.m. — Drivers are awaiting introductions. The rain has stopped and track-drying efforts are under way.
3:30 p.m. — FOX’s pre-race show is on the air.
3 p.m. ET — After raining all weekend and all morning at Auto Club Speedway, the skies have cleared and racing looks to be promising. A break in the weather is expected to last the most part of the day.