Auto Club 500 -- California

Race #2 at California Speedway (2-mile, 14 degree banking) in Fontana.

Watching the Busch Series race last night (Ryan was running his #39 Mobil1 Dodge), it was, in other words, boring. Roush Racing and the Ford Fusions dominated once again, with Greg Biffle taking the checkered (Ryan did finish second).

The track itself seems like it has no character whatsoever. It's long, it's wide, and if the cars are properly setup, we're going to see a lot of strung out cars.

Duing practice sessions, drivers have been complaining about "loose" conditions, or over-steer, it which the rear wheels want to kick out to the outside, usually resulting in a spin-out. There have been already NASCAR's share of spin-outs during the practice sessions, but I'm afraid it's only going to get worse when cars are racing in packs, 2-by-2, and the wind resistance is whipping around. Cars right off the start better be tight and grippy just to avoid a huge crash to start off the race.

Ryan Newman's Penske Racing South teammate Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, is starting on the pole position, while Newman will start 11th. Another interesting note: the Penske boys are not running the Dodge Charger, but the '04 model of the Dodge Intrepid. This is already causing controversy in the Dodge camps -- since Dodge no longer makes the Intrepid for consumer use and all factory support is for the Charger.

As for a prediction, watch the Roush camp to dominate again, especially with a stout car in the new Ford Fusion and besides, Roush is fielding 5 cars. A Dodge will not win this race.

Watching the pre-race, it looks like the FOX boys are taking a cue from the NBC boys as Darrell Waltrip has his own "racecar" and is taking a lap around the track, a la Wally Dallenbach. Not really original.

250 laps: 500 miles. Pre-race is about over -- the Penske boys along with owner Roger Penske are going over the radio checks.

All times are Central Standard Time.

3:06 p.m. -- Penske: "Good luck, Ryan. Let's do our best."

3:07 p.m. -- The call goes out, "Gentlemen, start your engines."

3:08 p.m. -- Crew chief Matt Borland: "Do the gauges look good?" Newman: "Yep."

3:10 p.m. -- Reports of rain, maybe just a sprinkle.

3:12 p.m. -- Pit road speed, 55 mph. Tach: 4500 rpm, 2nd gear.

3:15 p.m. -- New spotter Danny Culler: "One to go, Ryan. Make sure those belts are tight."

3:17 p.m. -- Green flag waves. Busch leads them to the line.

3:18 p.m. -- Busch leads Lap 1.

3:20 p.m. -- Busch still leads, Newman drops back to 13th (Lap 5).

3:21 p.m. -- Newman: "Aero-tight."

3:22 p.m. -- #16 Greg Biffle passes Busch for the lead (Lap 7).

3:23 p.m. -- Newman: "218, still tight" (Lap 9). Newman also reports that his car is good on entry, but no bite coming off turns.

3:25 p.m. -- Biffle still leads, Newman in 13th: "215."

3:28 p.m. -- Newman: "Really right in the center of 1 and 2, can't keep it down like I want it to be" (Lap 17).

3:29 p.m. -- Newman: "Pretty tight in both ends, but really tight in 1 and 2" (Lap 18).

3:30 p.m. -- Newman: "Can't carry any mid-corner speed."

3:32 p.m. -- Biffle still leads, Busch in 3rd, Newman in 19th (Lap 23).

3:38 p.m. -- Yellow flag: debris in Turn 3 (Lap 31). Newman: "Just need to free it up."

3:40 p.m. -- Pit road is open (Lap 32).

3:42 p.m. -- Borland: "Tires look good but the fronts are definitely worn."

3:43 p.m. -- After pit stops, Biffle still leads, Newman in 16th.

3:45 p.m. -- Green flag (Lap 36).

3:50 p.m. -- Newman: "217, not too bad but it feels like it's going to get tighter" (Lap 41).

3:53 p.m. -- Newman: "Definitely too tight right now" (Lap 45).

3:54 p.m. -- Newman: "One round to the rear." Borland: "10-4" (Lap 46).

3:55 p.m. -- Newman: "Way too tight, almost as bad as it was last time" (Lap 48).

3:59 p.m. -- Biffle still leads, Newman in 20th (Lap 55).

4:03 p.m. -- Newman: "Really tight all the way around" (Lap 60).

4:04 p.m. -- #20 Tony Stewart passes Biffle for the lead (Lap 61).

4:07 p.m. -- Borland: "30 laps on tires, Ryan" (Lap 66).

4:10 p.m. -- Borland: "Pitting in 11 laps, Ryan" (Lap 70).

4:13 p.m. -- Stewart still leads, Newman in 25th (Lap 74).

4:14 p.m. -- Newman: "Tight and loose."

4:15 p.m. -- Borland: "Pitting in 4 laps" (Lap 77).

4:17 p.m. -- Green flag pit stops commence. #17 Matt Kenseth leads.

4:19 p.m. -- #25 Brian Vickers penalized for speeding exiting pit road (pass-through).

4:20 p.m. -- Pit stops cycle though -- Stewart back in lead, Newman 21st (Lap 83).

4:23 p.m. -- Yellow flag (Lap 87). Newman: "Loose, feels like I'm three-wheelin'."

4:25 p.m. -- Leaders pit.

4:26 p.m. -- Borland: "Two tires and fuel."

4:28 p.m. -- Kenseth in the lead, Newman in 5th (Stewart took four tires).

4:30 p.m. -- Green flag (Lap 92).

4:33 p.m. -- Biffle re-takes the lead (Lap 97).

4:34 p.m. -- Newman: "Too tight" (Lap 98).

4:38 p.m. -- Newman: "Still too tight" (Lap 104).

4:40 p.m. -- Newman: "Can't roll in the middle, still cannot get it down in the middle" (Lap 106).

4:45 p.m. -- Biffle still in lead, Newman in 12th (Lap 114).

4:49 p.m. -- Newman: "You need to put a bunch of pressure in the left rear and to free it up a bit more..."

4:51 p.m. -- Stewart in the pits, tire trouble (Lap 122).

4:52 p.m. -- Newman: "I haven't been this tight getting in (the corners) in four years..."

4:54 p.m. -- Half-way point, Lap 125.

4:55 p.m. -- Borland: "Pitting in 11 laps" (Lap 127).

4:58 p.m. -- Newman: "I cannot turn it in the corners ... it's pointed right towards the wall."

5:00 p.m. -- Green flag pit stops starting (Lap 134). Newman: "Tightest it's ever been, I mean tightest tight..."

5:03 p.m. -- Borland: "8 seconds ahead the leader, Ryan."

5:04 p.m. -- Newman: "Loose right now, 217" (Lap 139).

5:07 p.m. -- Newman: "Car feels like it's 3-wheelin', left front's up and right rear's down..."

5:08 p.m. -- Biffle still leads, Newman in 22nd.

5:10 p.m. -- Borland: "Leaders' 5 and a half seconds back" (Lap 149).

5:12 p.m. -- Newman: "Tight getting in, loose off..." (Lap 152).

5:16 p.m. -- Newman: "It was neutral going through 3 and 4 but it's awful for speed, I don't know what to tell you." Newman goes a lap down (Lap 157).

5:20 p.m. -- Newman: "Tight now, can't do anything" (Lap 162).

5:23 p.m. -- Newman: "Tight, tight, tight!" (Lap 167).

5:28 p.m. -- Biffle still leads, Newman in 21st -- 1 lap down (Lap 174).

5:31 p.m. -- Newman: "..Pushin' like a dump truck..."

5:33 p.m. -- Green flag pit stops start (Lap 180).

5:34 p.m. -- Newman: "I can't even slow down getting into 1, it just washes up" (Lap 182).

5:35 p.m. -- #11 Denny Hamlin spins in the grass and misses pit road -- no caution (Lap 183).

5:37 p.m. -- Newman: "A little bit loose" (Lap 185).

5:43 p.m. -- Newman: "Loose through 3 andf 4, tight in 1 and 2 -- hurting me through the backstretch" (Lap 194).

5:44 p.m. -- Yellow flag, debris (Lap 195).

5:50 p.m. -- Newman: "Are we good on fuel?" Borland: "We're probably going to be 7 or 8 laps short."

5:51 p.m. -- Green flag waves (Lap 200).

5:53 p.m. -- Newman: "Loose" (Lap 203).

5:54 p.m. -- Newman: "Wicked loose and dirty air..." (Lap 204).

5:58 p.m. -- Biffle still leads, Newman in 26th (Lap 210).

6:00 p.m. -- Stewart with engine problems, down on the apron on his way to pit road -- yellow flag (Lap 214).

6:01 p.m. -- Newman: "Probably the best I've been, but it's still loose."

6:05 p.m. -- Splash-and-go for Newman (Lap 216), still yellow flag.

6:07 p.m. -- #24 Jeff Gordon leads. Green flag (Lap 218).

6:08 p.m. -- Kenseth takes lead (Lap 219), #95 Stanton Barrett spins in Turn 4 -- yellow flag.

6:15 p.m. -- Green flag (Lap 223).

6:16 p.m. -- Kurt Busch spins -- yellow flag (Lap 225). Biffle lets go some fluids (lost a cylinder).

6:22 p.m. -- Green flag (Lap 228), Biffle falls back.

6:29 p.m. -- Newman: "Definitely on the loose side, especially with somebody behind you" (Lap 240).

6:33 p.m. -- #4 Scott Wimmer's car is smoking -- yellow flag (Lap 246).

6:34 p.m. -- Green-white-checker to finish the race -- Newman currently in 21st.

6:39 p.m. -- Green flag (Lap 250). Kenseth in the lead, with #48 Jimmie Johnson in 2nd.

6:40 p.m. -- White flag -- Kenseth leads.

6:41 p.m. -- Matt Kenseth wins the Auto Club 500 at California. Newman finishes 20th.

Notes:

• Ugh. What a boring race. It could be because Ryan had a such a difficult-handling car, but it was just your California-type race, lots of green-flag racing.
• Roush Racing still dominates at the 1 1/2 - 2 mile tracks.
• No race next week -- Las Vegas in two weeks.
• I haven't seen the updated points -- but Newman will take a hit.