Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results from March 16th, 2018 at Auto Club Speedway
Today, they set the grid for Auto Club Speedway.
View the full Auto Club Speedway starting lineup below.
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TV | Prac 1 | Qual | Prac 2 | Prac 3 | Race
Round 1 – Report
Auto Club Qualifying
It’s a 15 minute session for round 1. Harvick to the the top of the board early! He’s looking to make it 4 in a row.
Several cars are having inspection issues. Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Clint Bowyer are a few that are struggling to get through the line.
Teams are “The faster the race track the more important the aerodynamics are. It’s kinda no surprise that they would be pushing the limits,” Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior VP of Competition tells Fox Sports.
5 minutes remain in round 2, Kyle Larson hits the track. He’s 2nd by a half tenth. That’s the closest anyone has been to Harvick so far this weekend.
Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Alex Bowman and more failed to make it through the Optical Scanning Station to turn a lap. It’s possible that some of these teams might be purposely failing inspection so they start on new tires in the race, maybe.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers failed to make it to the track. An employee for Hendrick Motorsports stated the rear deck lid was the problem area for all 4 cars. He stated that as they made changes, they weren’t showing on their trip through the scanner.
Round 1 Results: 1. Kevin Harvick (38.147); 2. Kyle Larson (38.193); 3. Martin Truex Jr (38.390); 4. Paul Menard; 5. Erik Jones; 6. Brad Keselowski; 7. Ryan Blaney; 8. Ryan Blaney; 9. Joey Logano; 10. Austin Dillon; 11. Kurt Busch; 12. Kyle Busch;
Round 2 – Report
Auto Club Qualifying
10 minutes in round 2, McMurray is the first driver on track. Joey Logano to the top of the board early. After one round, most cars are a full tenth slower. This racing surface is old, worn out and bumpy thus it’s brutal on tires.
7 minutes to go, Kurt Busch hits the top of the time sheet. Correction, Harvick jumps Busch and sits back in P1.
Kevin Harvick wins round 1. He slows by two full tenths in his round two run. 4 cars do not turn a lap in round 2.
Round 2 Results: 1. Kevin Harvick (38.355); 2. Kyle Busch (38.411); 3. Kyle Larson (38.491); 4. Kurt Busch; 5. Ryan Blaney; 6. Joey Logano; 7. Chris Buescher; 8. Erik Jones; 9. Martin Truex Jr; 10. Austin Dillon; 11. Ryan Newman; 12. Brad Keselowski;
Round 3 – Report
Auto Club Qualifying
5 minute run for the pole. Most drivers sit on the pit lane.
2 minutes remain, 3 cars have turned a lap. Martin Truex Jr jumps to the top of the board.
30 seconds to go, no time from Harvick but he’s on track. Harvick is outside the top 5!
Martin Truex Jr will start from the pole at Auto Club Speedway!
View the full Auto Club Speedway starting lineup below.
Auto Club Speedway
Starting Lineup
Pos | Driver | Time
1. Martin Truex Jr
38.592
2. Kyle Busch
38.619
3. Kyle Larson
38.683
4. Erik Jones
38.700
5. Austin Dillon
38.770
6. Joey Logano
38.798
7. Kurt Busch
38.880
8. Ryan Blaney
38.903
9. Ryan Newman
38.951
10. Kevin Harvick
39.038
11. Brad Keselowski
39.054
12. Chris Buescher
39.058
13. Trevor Bayne
38.973
14. Paul Menard
39.004
15. Jamie McMurray
39.106
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
39.169
17. Ty Dillon
39.198
18. Matt DiBenedetto
39.259
19. Darrell Wallace Jr
39.377
20. Gray Gaulding
41.105
21. David Ragan
—
22. Michael McDowell
—
23. Jeffrey Earnhardt
—
24. Reed Sorenson
—
25. Denny Hamlin
No Time
26. Clint Bowyer
No Time
27. Aric Almirola
No Time
28. Alex Bowman
No Time
29. William Byron
No Time
30. Daniel Suarez
No Time
31. Chase Elliott
No Time
32. AJ Allmendinger
No TIme
33. Jimmie Johnson
No Time
34. Kasey Kahne
No Time
35. Timmy Hill
No Time
36. Ross Chastain
No Time
37. Cole Whitt
No Time