Gillian Zucker

After watching the horrifying crash that killed IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, some quickly shifted their sights to a 44-year-old Californian: Randy Bernard. As chief executive of the Izod IndyCar Series, Bernard heavily promoted the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as a dazzling climax to his season-long bid to boost IndyCar's sagging popularity. Wheldon, in fact, entered the race in hopes of capturing a $5-million first-place prize — to be split with a randomly selected fan — that Bernard and IndyCar sponsors offered a driver who wasn't a regular on the IndyCar circuit.

After watching the horrifying crash that killed IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, some quickly shifted their sights to a 44-year-old Californian: Randy Bernard. As chief executive of the Izod IndyCar Series, Bernard heavily promoted the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as a dazzling climax to his season-long bid to boost IndyCar's sagging popularity. Wheldon, in fact, entered the race in hopes of capturing a $5-million first-place prize — to be split with a randomly selected fan — that Bernard and IndyCar sponsors offered a driver who wasn't a regular on the IndyCar circuit.

Despite slipping crowds for the two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, NASCAR had continued to insist that Southern California — the largest population center where it races — remained a critical market. That changed Tuesday, when Southern California officially became a lot less critical to big-league stock car racing. Auto Club Speedway had hosted a February race that followed NASCAR's crown-jewel Daytona 500 and, starting only last year, its other race was moved to October as one of the 10 Chase for the Cup championship playoff events.

Randy Bernard, who became chief executive of the Izod IndyCar Series nine months ago, continues making changes in hopes of boosting IndyCar's fan appeal and financial well-being. He announced at the L.A. Auto Show on Wednesday that the British auto company Lotus would provide engines to IndyCar teams starting in 2012, joining longtime supplier Honda. Last week Chevrolet also said it would provide engines in 2012. IndyCar plans to use a new Dallara chassis in 2012 that would be "dressed" with different body work, or aero kits, from competing designers.

Another year, another poor finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Auto Club Speedway. The most popular driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series had hoped to reverse his record at the Fontana track Sunday after his second-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. But after starting 27th on the 43-car grid for the Auto Club 500 and climbing to 21st early in the race, Earnhardt was penalized for speeding on pit road, dropping him deep into...

Randy Bernard, who became chief executive of the Izod IndyCar Series nine months ago, continues making changes in hopes of boosting IndyCar's fan appeal and financial well-being. He announced at the L.A. Auto Show on Wednesday that the British auto company Lotus would provide engines to IndyCar teams starting in 2012, joining longtime supplier Honda. Last week Chevrolet also said it would provide engines in 2012. IndyCar plans to use a new Dallara chassis in 2012 that would be "dressed" with different body work, or aero kits, from competing designers.

Gillian Zucker gamely picked her way in heels through misshapen shards of steel and clouds of concrete dust in a moonscape of construction debris. It was scarcely a month shy of one of the Fontana track's top annual events, the Labor Day weekend running of NASCAR's Sony HD 500, and it was hard for a visitor to envision the site being finished and cleaned up in time.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race held Labor Day weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana will be moved to October starting next year, speedway President Gillian Zucker said Monday. This year's race, the Pepsi 500, is Aug. 31 but that will change to Oct. 11 in 2009, as part of a three-track swap on the Cup schedule, Zucker said. The two-mile Auto Club Speedway oval also stages a Cup race in late February. The shift would mean that the Fontana track would play host to one of the 10 late-season Chase for the Cup races that determine which driver wins stock-car racing's premier championship.

The next big thing at California Speedway won't add anything to the on-site experience, but it should help guarantee that you don't miss your exit. It will be hard to miss the speedway's newly installed 105-foot-high sign on Interstate 10 between Etiwanda and Cherry avenues. The marquee has a 20x40-foot LED screen that will display messages on both sides. NASCAR driver Carl Edwards took part in the illumination ceremony Feb. 13.

Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart had the field covered Sunday, but when it was over, the two best cars in the Auto Club 500 were sitting dead last. Stewart was running second to Biffle's point when the defending NASCAR Nextel Cup champion slowed, his Chevrolet engine giving out after completing 214 of 250 laps. Biffle, who won the Busch Series race Saturday and was second in the most recent Cup race at California Speedway, joined Stewart in the garage 15 laps later when his Jack Roush Ford gave way.

Despite slipping crowds for the two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, NASCAR had continued to insist that Southern California — the largest population center where it races — remained a critical market. That changed Tuesday, when Southern California officially became a lot less critical to big-league stock car racing. Auto Club Speedway had hosted a February race that followed NASCAR's crown-jewel Daytona 500 and, starting only last year, its other race was moved to October as one of the 10 Chase for the Cup championship playoff events.

Another year, another poor finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Auto Club Speedway. The most popular driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series had hoped to reverse his record at the Fontana track Sunday after his second-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. But after starting 27th on the 43-car grid for the Auto Club 500 and climbing to 21st early in the race, Earnhardt was penalized for speeding on pit road, dropping him deep into...

Gillian Zucker gamely picked her way in heels through misshapen shards of steel and clouds of concrete dust in a moonscape of construction debris. It was scarcely a month shy of one of the Fontana track's top annual events, the Labor Day weekend running of NASCAR's Sony HD 500, and it was hard for a visitor to envision the site being finished and cleaned up in time.

The night race marking the return of IndyCar-style racing to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana next year will be a 400-mile event with ticket prices starting at $30, track and IndyCar officials said Tuesday. After a seven-year absence of major open-wheel racing at the sprawling two-mile oval 50 miles east of Los Angeles, the speedway said it would hold the Izod IndyCar Series race on an as yet unspecified date in the fall of 2012. Randy Bernard, the series' chief executive, told reporters on a conference call that "we think a night race there will be very exciting" and that the series wanted to add the track to its schedule because it's in "one of the largest markets in the United States.

"This place just ain't working. A lot of good people have worked very hard to make Auto Club Speedway -- the track formerly known as California Speedway -- something more than a giant waster of stock car racing's time. Bless their hearts, as we'd say in the South. But it's time to give it up. Momentum lost amid the debacle For each thing that went well for NASCAR during Speedweeks, about three went wrong this weekend.