The NASCAR Cup Series is gearing up for another consecutive week of racing after the sport kicked off the regular 2023 season at Daytona International Speedway last Sunday. Due to head to the Auto Club Speedway in California next weekend, all three nationwide series of the sport will be seen driving the 2-mile-long configuration of the Fontana track before the same is reconfigured next year.
Several non-regular entries will also be seen driving in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, with the most notable names coming in the form of Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, and Tyler Reddick. All three drivers will be seen doing double duty on both Saturday and Sunday for the respective Xfinity and Cup Series races.
The junior Series field is expected to see 40 cars on the track on Saturday, with notable NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass confirming the entry list for the Production Group Alliance 300. Austin Dillon will be seen behind the wheel of the #10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kauig Racing, along with Ross Chastain driving the #91 Chevy for DGM Racing. Tyler Reddick will try his hands on a #24 Toyota Supra GR for Sam Hunt Racing after his manufacturer and team switch this year.
Auto Club Speedway dropped from the 2024 NASCAR Calendar
NASCAR's destination for the upcoming weekend of racing, the Auto Club Speedway, is longer a part of the 2024 NASCAR season schedule as the Fontana, California track is due for a major overhaul next year. The reconfiguration of the 2-mile-long track was announced by Auto Club Speedway President Dave Allen ahead of the Busch Light Clash weekend, with no specific timelines set for the project.
No details were shared about how the reconfiguration of the track is set to take place next year concerning banking, length, and layout, except that it will be converted into a 1.5-mile-long track, instead of its 2-mile-long current layout. The track's president, however, is confident of the establishment's eventual return to NASCAR in 2025.
The Auto Club Speedway is predicted to create good opportunities for exciting racing this year, just as it did last year with Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. The sport will visit the San Bernardino County track this weekend for the second race official race of the regular Xfinity and Cup Series season in the form of Production Group Alliance 300 and Pala Casino 400 on Saturday and Sunday respectively.