Three Race Tracks Tony Stewart has never won a Sprint Cup race at: There are three current race tracks the Cup Series runs on that Tony Stewart has not won at [a Cup race]:
Auto Club Speedway 0 for 17 with a best finish of 4th in 1999 & 2001
Las Vegas 0 for 11 with a best finish of 2nd in 2000
Darlington 0 for 17 with a best finish of 3rd in 2009
Stewart has won at 19 of 23 tracks he has raced on, didn't win at Rockingham which is no longer active for Cup racing.(10-11-2009)
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Andy Garcia named Grand Marshal for Auto Club 500: Actor, producer, director and composer/musician Andy Garcia will serve as Grand Marshal for NASCAR's 2010 West Coast Premiere - the Auto Club 500 - on Sunday, Feb. 21. As Grand Marshal, Garcia will give the command, "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines," to the 43-car field of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Emmy, Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated Garcia (Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen), stars in the upcoming comedy film City Island, with Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Steven Strait (10,000 BC), Dominik Garc?a-Lorido (The Lost City), Ezra Miller ("Californication"), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island).(ACS PR)(2-19-2010)
WWF's Steve Austin to wave green flag for Auto Club 500: Auto Club Speedway announced that former WWF wrestling superstar Steve Austin will serve as Honorary Starter for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21. Austin, starring in the upcoming 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment film ?Damage?, which will be released on DVD on March 23, will get NASCAR?s West Coast Premiere underway at 12noon/pt on Sunday. "Having been a NASCAR fan for years, it is a real honor to be chosen to waive the Green Flag at Sunday's race. I can think of no better place to introduce my upcoming FOX film DAMAGE than at the Auto Club Speedway in front of tens of thousands of screaming race fans!" For more information or to purchase tickets to the West Coast Premiere of NASCAR at Auto Club Speedway call 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com.(ACS)(2-18-2010)
Auto Club Speedway Day in Los Angeles: Fans are invited to join #1-Jamie McMurray, the Daytona 500 Champion and Auto Club Speedway as Los Angeles city officials proclaim ?Auto Club Speedway Day in L.A.? from the steps of L.A. City Hall on Thursday. Auto Club Speedway Day in L.A. will start (approx. 11:00 am/pt) at Los Angeles City Hall (200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA) where McMurray will be available for a fan Q & A before he and Gillian Zucker, President of Auto Club Speedway receive a proclamation from L.A. City officials declaring Thursday, Feb. 18 ?Auto Club Speedway Day L.A.? throughout the city of Los Angeles.
Following the proclamation ceremony, McMurray will board a double-decker tour bus with an exclusive group of Auto Club Speedway season ticket holders on his tour of Los Angeles. First stop (approx. 12:20 pm/pt), the newest entertainment campus, L.A. Live (800 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA). Here, McMurray will have a sit-down conversation on ESPN radio with two-time Los Angeles Lakers NBA Champion Mychal Thompson and his radio partner Andrew Siciliano. McMurray will then travel to East Los Angeles to visit L.A.?s #1 favorite authentic Mexican food chain, King Taco. At King Taco, (4504 E. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA) he will enjoy a lunch and chat with fans and media (approx. 1:00 pm/pt).
Other stops and surprises are in the works and the tour will conclude with a return to L.A. City Hall. Fans are invited to show up at any of the stops to show support for McMurray as he gets ready for Sunday?s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race ? the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway. To see McMurray race at Auto Club Speedway, fans can take advantage of many Auto Club 500 weekend ticket packages starting as low as $35 and fan hospitality packages to have breakfast with Dale Jr. or brunch with the ?King? Richard Petty and so much more! For more information or to purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223), or visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com.(ACS)(2-17-2010
Katharine McPhee to perform National Anthem at ACS: Singer, songwriter and actress Katharine McPhee will perform the National Anthem at the Auto Club 500 NSCS race at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 21. Native Southern Californian, Katharine McPhee gained notoriety as the American Idol Fifth Season runner-up in 2006. Soon after, she released her first self-entitled solo album, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 in early 2007. Earlier this year, McPhee released her sophomore album Unbroken on Verve Forecast Records available in stores now. As an actress, McPhee can be seen in Adam Sandler's hit feature film, "House Bunny" and will be a guest on NBC's new TV comedy "Community," airing March 4th. For more information or to purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223), or visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com.(ACS)(2-17-2010)
Styx to perform at Auto Club pre-race concert: On Sunday, Feb. 21, legendary rock band STYX will play a pre-race concert performance on the Opportunity, California FanZone main stage that same morning at Auto Club Speedway before the Auto Club 500. The band is scheduled to take stage at 10:15 am, but fans are encouraged to gather early to see one of the world?s most popular rock bands. Tommy Shaw, James ?JY? Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, Ricky Phillips and Chuck Panozzo (on occasion), have performed more live since ?99 than all of the previous years of its career combined. With big hit singles like Too Much Time on My Hands, Blue Collar Man, Come Sail Away and Renegade and classic albums like The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight and Cornerstone, one of music?s most enduring acts promises a masterful performance of classic rock hits.
www.styxworld.com To see STYX and be part of the Auto Club 500 Weekend festivities, call 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com. Tickets start as low as $35.(ACS)(2-15-2010)
Near 70 degree temps at Auto Club Speedway: NASCAR fans from all 50 states are set to enjoy weekend festivities at Auto Club Speedway as near-70 temperatures are forecast to welcome fans ready to kick off two days of NASCAR premier racing, Feb. 19-21. Leading up to Friday?s activities, temperatures are forecast to reach into the mid-70s. Friday?s schedule has qualifying for Sunday?s Auto Club 500 set to begin at 3:30 local time as California native and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson looks to take his second straight race at Auto Club Speedway after taking October?s Chase race at ACS.
Perfect weather is again on tap for Saturday which see?s NASCAR?s newest star Danica Patrick making her West Coast NASCAR stock car debut as she attempts to qualify for Saturday?s NNS event. Qualifying begins at 9:30 while the 150-lap main event is set for 2:30 local time. Kids 12 and under are free all day Saturday with a paid adult.
On Sunday, the culmination of weekend activities is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Auto Club 500, set to go green at Noon as inviting temperatures are forecast to continue throughout the day. ?It?s great to see fans from all 50 states coming to Southern California to enjoy NASCAR racing at its best,? said Speedway President Gillian Zucker. ?Auto Club Speedway and the greatest fans in sports continue to provide enormous economic impact to the region.?(ACS)(2-15-2010)
Reserve a Seat on Cable Car for Daytona 500 San Francisco Victory Tour: Thirty-five lucky fans have a chance to celebrate with the 2010 Daytona 500 champion on the 2nd annual San Francisco Victory Tour on Wednesday, Feb. 17. The winner of NASCAR?s Great American Race will be in San Francisco just three days after the big race and will be taken on a Victory Tour on-board a motorized cable car, beginning at North Vista Point at the Golden Gate Bridge at 12noon (PT). The Victory Tour will traverse the historic bridge, followed by stops at Fisherman?s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square, two of San Francisco?s most well-known areas. Race fans will follow the winner on the Victory Tour on a fan-only cable car, which will take the same route as the cable car that boasts the Daytona 500 winner. The tour will wind up at Willie Mays Plaza, home of the San Francisco Giants, for a fan rally and press conference at 12:45 p.m. Fans on the cable car will also receive preferred seating for the press conference.
For just $299, this once-in-a-lifetime package includes:
* One seat on the San Francisco Victory Tour Fan Cable Car
* One weekend pass for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend, June 18-20
* One Pre-Race Pit and Track Pass (includes access to pits, pre-race festivities & driver intros on Sunday of race weekend)
* One Turn 9 Tailgater Parking Pass for all three days of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Weekend
Only 35 of these special ticket packages will be sold, so act fast to reserve yours by calling 800-870-RACE today! Upgrade options are also available for fans who have already purchased race tickets.(ACS)(2-14-2010)
Montoya Ticket package at Auto Club Speedway: Auto Club Speedway has teamed up with #42-Juan Pablo Montoya for a special ticket package that will surely give Southern California race fans something to smile about. Fans that purchase the JPM Formula Smiles Foundation Ticket Package for only $142 will smile knowing that $42 from each ticket package will be donated to Montoya?s Formula Smiles Foundation benefitting the disadvantaged children of Montoya?s native country of Colombia. In addition to the $42 donation to the Formula Smiles Foundation, the JPM Formula Smiles Foundation Ticket Package includes:
? Lower Grandstand Reserved Seat (rows 11 to 23) to the Auto Club 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21
? Exclusive Q&A Session with Juan Pablo Montoya prior the Auto Club 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21
? Pre-Race Pit Pass providing up close access to pre-race activities
? Commemorative gift and Parking Pass
The JPM Formula Smiles Foundation Ticket Package expires on Monday, Feb. 15, or while supplies last. For more information on the JPM Formula Smiles Foundation Ticket Package, visit autoclubspeedway.com/JuanPablo. As always, fans experiencing Auto Club Speedway can also take advantage of free parking, bring in their own food, or partake in the unbelievable menu items on site as well as other cost-savings opportunities while enjoying a full day of entertainment and fun at a fantastic family value. Formula Smiles Foundation is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the United States, under status 501 c3, by Colombian racecar driver Juan Pablo Montoya and his wife Connie Freydell, which aims to improve, through sports, the quality of life of Colombian children in vulnerable situations.(Auto Club Speedway)(2-1-2010)
Train Service suspended for Auto Club race weekend: Due to current economic strains on thousands of race fans, Auto Club Speedway will not utilize METROLINK charter train service during the West Coast Premiere of NASCAR in February. However, tens of thousands of free parking spaces with easy access entrances await the throngs of race fans who will attend the Stater Bros. 300 NNS event on Saturday, Feb. 20 and the Auto Club 500 NSCS event on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Auto Club Speedway. ?With the current economic downturn, there is very little demand for a service, no matter how convenient, that charges between $20 and $35 per person to ride the train,? said Speedway President Gillian Zucker. ?We have plenty of on-site parking that is free and hope our fans will take full advantage.? For those now driving, in addition to free parking and easy access entrances, Auto Club Speedway has partnered with the Inland Empire?s MRN affiliate ? KFROG ? to make the trip a little easier. Fans making their way to Southern California?s Premier motorsports facility, can tune to 95.1 FM en route to the track for real time traffic updates and tips for easy entrance into the facility. For more information on the races at Auto Club Speedway, Feb. 19-21, call 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com.(ACS)(1-25-2010)
?Hope for Haiti? drive-through fundraising event is underway at Auto Club Speedway: The ?Hope for Haiti? drive-through fundraising event is underway at Auto Club Speedway. Southern Californian?s can join NBC4, Telemundo, the American Red Cross and Operation USA at Auto Club Speedway today until 6:30 pm/pt to help the Haitian relief efforts of the American Red Cross and Operation USA. Donations can be made in the form of cash or checks. Checks should be made payable to the American Red Cross/Haiti Relief or Operation USA/Haiti Relief. Donations can also be made online at redcross.org and opusa.org. Representatives from the two charitable organizations, the TV stations and Auto Club Speedway will be on hand to help collect the donations. Joining the effort are radio stations KFRG 95.1 FM and Exitos 93.9 FM and Major League Soccer?s Chivas USA.(ACS)(1-15-2010)
Fall race at Auto Club Speedway shortened UPDATE: NASCAR and International Speedway Corp., which owns the 2-mile speedway, today will announce the Oct. 10 event, fourth in the Chase, will be renamed and shortened from 500 miles. The race, sponsored by Pepsi since 2008, will be known as the Pepsi Max 400 on the 2010 Sprint Cup schedule. "As fans well know, conversations with NASCAR in regard to making Auto Club Speedway the most competitive track possible for NASCAR racing have been ongoing," said Gillian Zucker, Speedway president, in a prepared statement. "The results of some changes made by NASCAR - such as double-file restarts and tire changes - were seen at our inaugural Chase race, arguably one of the best races ever at the Speedway. This additional change to 400 miles is further evidence of NASCAR's commitment to racing excitement and to Southern California race fans." The previous 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Fontana had all been 500 miles (250 laps). However, 400-mile races were a staple at now-defunct Riverside International Raceway until 1980. At that point, until its closure in 1988, the race distances were measured in kilometers. With 50 laps lopped off, it will change the strategy of the competitors and will eliminate at least one fuel stop. As the double-file restarts demonstrated in 2009, race leaders are all bunched up after caution periods. There was no word about ticket prices and how they'll reflect the shorter distances.(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)(1-13-2010)
UPDATE: Auto Club Speedway and NASCAR officials today announced that the Speedway?s October Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race ? the Pepsi 500 ? will now be 400 miles, rather than 500. Track officials also announced that the race, sponsored by Pepsi since 2008, will be re-branded the Pepsi Max 400. Fans experiencing Auto Club Speedway can also take advantage of free parking, bring in their own food, or partake in the unbelievable menu items on site as well as other cost-savings opportunities while enjoying a full day of entertainment and fun at a fantastic family value. To purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223), or visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com.(Auto Club Speedway)(1-14-2010)
The Dale Jr & Danica Ticket Package: Auto Club Speedway announced a limited number of the Dale Jr. and Danica Patrick ticket packages have been released in anticipation of Danica Patrick making her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut during Auto Club Speedway?s Stater Bros. 300 for JR Motorsports on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. For only $88 (a $140 value), the Dale Jr. and Danica Patrick ticket package includes:
? Saturday general admission seat to the NNS Stater Bros 300 race and qualifying*
? Sunday lower reserved grandstand seat to the NSCS Auto Club 500 race
? Weekend Pre-Race Pit Pass and a Parking Pass
(* Danica?s participation in the Stater Bros. 300 is subject to qualifying results)
With children 12 and under FREE on Friday and Saturday of race weekend, the $88 Dale Jr. and Danica Patrick ticket package is a great value for the entire family. The Dale Jr. and Danica Patrick ticket package expires on Jan. 31, or while supplies last. To purchase tickets, visit us online at
www.autoclubspeedway.com or by calling 800-944-RACE (7223).(ACS)(12-27-2009)
Show your card and Save at Auto Club Speedway: Automobile Club of Southern California members have much to celebrate when NASCAR roars back to Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 21, as it?s also the 110th Anniversary of the Automobile Club of Southern California. To help celebrate this milestone, Auto Club Speedway is extending the Show Your Card & Save Offer. Members can get the best seats in the house at an incredible price. For only $110, the Show Your Card & Save Offer includes:
? Upper Reserved grandstand seat for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race ? the Auto Club 500, Sunday, Feb. 21st (a $105 value)
? Upper Reserved grandstand seat for the NASCAR NNS race Stater Bros. 300, Saturday, Feb. 20th (a $50 value)
Members must act now as this offer expires on Jan. 31. For more information on the Show Your Card & Save Offer or to purchase tickets, visit
www.autoclubspeedway.com or call (800) 944-RACE (7223).(ACS)(11-26-2009)
California considering shorter race: Auto Club Speedway Gillian Zucker said the track is considering shortening one of the two annual races from 500 miles to 400 miles and did little to hide the fact she?d like to swap race dates with Phoenix. The first California race is run in February, right after the Daytona 500 while Phoenix runs in April. ?Everybody knows that we?ve had some challenges with weather during (February),? she said.(Associated Press)(10-12-2009)
