CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 26, 2012 | By Susan Carpenter
When NASCAR raced onto the track at Fontana's Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, it did so accompanied by the distinct whiff of environmentalism. To help neutralize the carbon-dioxide emissions generated from the race, the track's owners will plant 100 trees around the community as part of the NASCAR Green Clean Air program. To reduce waste, Coca-Cola set up a portable processing center capable of recycling 1,000 containers per minute, adding to the 6 million containers the company will recycle at NASCAR events this year; Sprint was handing out postage-paid envelopes for fans to recycle their unwanted cellphones when they got home.
SPORTS
March 25, 2012 | By John Cherwa
The race at today's Auto Club 400 NASCAR race might not be to the finish line as much as it is to beat the rain. Drivers were certainly aware of the impending weather system that by mid-afternoon should be soaking the Fontana area. So, you can probably expect a more robust start of the race as they try to put themselves in the best position when the rains come. They need to complete 100 of the scheduled 200 laps in order for the race to be official. But, with the sky turning dark as driver introductions started, the stands appear to be filling despite a multi-car pileup on Interstate 10 at Cherry Avenue, one of the main arteries to the track.
SPORTS
March 25, 2012 | By John Cherwa
Kyle Busch took the lead early and held it after 100 miles of the Auto Club 400 in Fontana. There was no doubt that the drivers had a sense of urgency when the race started as the sky grew darker. Denny Hamlin won the first lap but soon gave up the lead to Busch on the second lap. By the sixth lap Busch had even extended his lead to almost a second. Tony Stewart, who started ninth, made a move as the race progressed. By the 18th lap he had moved up to fourth. By the 19th lap he passed Greg Biffle to move into third.
SPORTS
March 25, 2012 | By John Cherwa
Tony Stewart was declared the winner of the Auto Club 400 in Fontana on Sunday when officials called the NASCAR Sprint Cup race after an approximately 30-minute rain delay. Stewart clearly had the best car and worked his way up from his starting position of ninth to take the lead by the 85th lap. The race was without a caution period until Lap 123 when rain started falling in Turn 3. They continued under caution for six laps before red flagging the race.
SPORTS
March 25, 2012 | By John Cherwa
The Auto Club 400 will finish today, regardless of the weather. The race reached the halfway point, so should there be a permanent stoppage the race will be declared official. The race leader at the 200-mile point was Tony Stewart, who took the lead from Kyle Busch on the 85th lap. Until that point, Busch had led all but four laps. The second round of pit stops started about Lap 67. Busch and Stewart pitted at the same time, and Busch beat Stewart back onto the track. But, there was little doubt that Stewart had the car to beat.
SPORTS
March 25, 2012 | By Jim Peltz
Ninety minutes before Sunday's NASCAR race, with sunshine still peeking through the growing clouds, Auto Club Speedway President Gillian Zucker was asked about the rainstorm bearing down on the Fontana track. Ever the optimist, Zucker said, "I'm extremely confident we'll get the race in today. " She was right, barely. With Tony Stewart leading, the Auto Club 400 had just crossed the halfway point — and become an official race — when steady rain arrived and the rest of the race was washed out. So Stewart, the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion, collected his second win in five races this season, the other coming in Las Vegas.