Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway
(⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX, FOX Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Fontana, the second race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Auto Club 101

Location: Fontana, California
Race purse: $8,484,302
Race distance: 200 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 65 | 130 | 200
Entry list: See the drivers competing this weekend
Pit stall assignments: TBD after qualifying

Key things to watch 🔑

Top story line

Sunday’s race will be the final race on the 2-mile template at Auto Club, with a storied history dating back to the track’s inaugural Cup Series race in 1997. While uncertainty surrounds its place in the future, one thing is certain — Sunday’s winner will forever be known as the last to conquer this configuration. It may seem small, but that, on top of a playoff berth, is a lot to race for. The majority of drivers in the current premier series field have never won here, and West Coast drivers like Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch will be eager to add to their impressive legacies in the region. Winning any race is big, but the farewell makes this one that much bigger. | More on Auto Club’s 2-mile finale

History tells us…

Hendrick Motorsports thrives at Auto Club Speedway. The organization has won an astounding 38% (12 of 32) of the races run at the track, including three of the last six dating back to Jimmie Johnson’s win in 2016. Among their active stable, Kyle Larson has two victories (winning last year’s race), and Alex Bowman has one.

Kyle Larson is the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Aric Almirola. At 50-1 odds, some people may have already written off the Stewart-Haas Racing driver — but you shouldn’t. Though he may not be among the top picks to find Victory Lane on Sunday, Almirola has a strong case for garnering attention. He has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Auto Club, including a career-high sixth-place finish last season. Despite struggling at this track throughout his career, Almirola is trending in the right direction and should have increased confidence after winning the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway. If he can start on the right foot with a strong showing in practice and qualifying, he may very well be in the mix for a statement win on Sunday.

Familiar favorites ⭐️

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Paint Scheme Preview: New schemes for Auto Club weekend | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Blaney rallies for top 10 at Daytona — is Fontana win next? | Latest driver rankings
• Betting odds: Favorites to win this Sunday at Auto Club | Top bets, underdog picks
• Fantasy Fastlane: NASCAR heads out west | Fantasy tips, sleepers
• Stacking Pennies: Stenhouse joins after Daytona 500 win | Listen to the podcast

💎 NASCAR 75: Check out exclusive NASCAR content throughout the anniversary season | Learn more, explore

Hot off the press 📰

Key stories and breaking news from the week leading up to the race.

• Fontana’s 2-mile finale: Sunday’s upcoming race stirs key memories | Read more
• Kevin Harvick: Veteran to make 750th consecutive start Sunday | See where he ranks
• History out west: NASCAR western roots almost as deep as south’s | Read more
• NASCAR 75: Creative campaign launched to commemorate anniversary | Read more
• Victory lap: Stenhouse visits Chicago with Harley J. Earl trophy | See the photos
• All-Star update: Look at the construction progress at North Wilkesboro | See the photos
• Back to Daytona: JTG team owner Brad Daugherty reflects on historic win | Read more
• NASCAR Roots: Behind the scenes from 2023 World Series of Asphalt | See the photos

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy and Fan Rewards.

• Fan Rewards: New in 2023, get rewarded for your participation | Learn more
• Fantasy Live: Still time to get on the leaderboard and win big this season | Tips for 2023
• NASCAR BetCenter: Don’t miss your chance to make picks each week | Visit the BetCenter
• Going all the way: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Two-mile finale in Fontana 🫡

Relive the best memories at Auto Club before the final race on the current configuration.

• Winner, winner: All-time wins at Auto Club | See who has the most
• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders in Auto Club’s history | See them here
• Do you remember?: Memorable moments at Auto Club | Relive them here
• There’s a fight!: Tony Stewart and Joey Logano fight at Auto Club in 2013 | Watch the video
• Jimmie looks back: Jimmie Johnson talks about his first Cup Series win | Watch the video
• Race Rewind: Kyle Larson holds off Austin Dillon, Erik Jones | Highlights from 2022

Take some notes 📝

Five hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels are the only current driver/crew chief combo who have won together at Auto Club.
• West Coast drivers won 20 of 32 Auto Club races, including 12 from California.
• Kevin Harvick is making his 750th consecutive Cup Series start, ranking third on the all-time chart.
• Ford only has one Auto Club win in the last 14 races there — Brad Keselowski in 2015.
• Nine teams made up the top 10 finishers at Auto Club in 2022.

Predicting the winner: Using data to set a projected finishing order

Quote of the week 🎙

A notable quote from one star of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

“When you look at the racetrack‘s shape and size, it‘s very similar to Michigan — very Penske-ish in how it was built. But for California, I think a lot of people don‘t realize how much racing there is in that state. Obviously, it‘s been a big hit throughout the years, and when they brought the Cup Series out there, they were probably the biggest moments that the race track will ever have from start to finish. But racing in general, in California, is always well-supported. It‘s in its sweet spot right now with one date and getting everybody there.” — Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang