{"id":15419,"date":"2018-03-16T16:55:13","date_gmt":"2018-03-16T21:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=15419"},"modified":"2018-03-17T14:52:28","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T19:52:28","slug":"californian-nascar-drivers-ecstatic-about-competing-on-the-west-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/16\/californian-nascar-drivers-ecstatic-about-competing-on-the-west-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Californian NASCAR drivers ecstatic about competing on the West Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There was a time in NASCAR<\/strong> history when heading West felt like a bit like entering foreign ground. But fast-forward to modern day in the sport, and California boasts a full lineup of natives eager to make good in front of the home town crowd at Auto Club Speedway<\/a> this weekend.<\/p>\n

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Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, climbs into his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 16, 2018 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Kevin Harvick<\/strong>, who is looking to win his fourth consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup<\/a> race trophy in Sunday afternoon\u2019s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), is from Bakersfield, Calif.  He raced in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race Thursday night near his hometown at Kern County Raceway to the thrill of thousands of his supporters \u2014  essentially getting them revved for the big Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and Xfinity weekend.<\/p>\n

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson<\/strong> \u2013 the all-time wins leader at Auto Club (six victories) — hails from down south in El Cajon. Talented newcomer Kyle Larson is from Elk Grove near Sacramento. Longtime fan favorite A.J. Allmendinger grew up in Los Gatos \u2013 outside the Bay area near the Santa Cruz Mountains. And Matthew DiBenedetto grew up in Nevada City, also near Sacramento.<\/p>\n

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Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, straps on his helmet during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 16, 2018 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Josh Hedges\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI feel good about it,” Johnson said of his chances on the two-mile Auto Club Speedway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is such a fun track. We\u2019ve all seen this place evolve in the multiple lanes of racing. The character of the track has the bumps, the tire wear, and puts on a great show. So, I\u2019m excited to be back at my home track, as well, the place of my very first win and not a better place to get my 84th (win).”<\/p>\n

Cole Custer leads a sizable Cali contingent in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The Ladera Ranch native is one of four Californians entered in this weekend\u2019s Roseanne 300 in Fontana. Rookie Tyler Reddick, of Corning, is second in the points standings. And Dylan Lupton, of Wilton and Ryan Reed, of Bakersfield are looking for Xfinity wins in their home state as well. It would be a first for all four drivers.<\/p>\n

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Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, drives during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Roseanne 300 at Auto Club Speedway on March 16, 2018 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

For the 20-year old Custer, in particular, the trip home has been an opportunity to give back to his state and celebrate a homecoming in ways unlike any he\u2019s experienced in NASCAR\u2019s big leagues.<\/p>\n

For starters, Custer helped present a massive $7 million gift on behalf of his team owner Gene Haas\u2019s Foundation \u2013 the money going to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education in California schools. It was only two years ago that Custer himself was in high school and he is keenly aware what a difference this generous donation can mean.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an amazing experience because we were able to give back to something that directly impacts students trying to apply themselves to STEM-related jobs,” said Custer, who finished 35th in his Xfinity Series debut at California Speedway last year.<\/p>\n

 \u201cThe Gene Haas Foundation donated $7 million to STEM students and schools. Being a Haas CNC machinist seems like an incredible opportunity in the workforce and it\u2019s great to be able to say you had a hand in helping students steer their paths in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for the first time, there are race tickets available specifically to celebrate Custer\u2019s homecoming.  The \u201cWelcome Home Cole Custer\u201d ticket package includes a $10 ticket to the California 300, a free No. 00 hat and signed hero card, and admission to a question-and-answer showcase with Custer in the Fan Zone. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.AutoClubSpeedway.com\/Cole<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just cool to be a part of something like this because it shows how much support you can get from your local community,” Custer said. \u201cIt\u2019s only $10 and you get a ton of free things and a great experience. It gives me extra motivation to get out there and bring the Haas Automation Ford to Victory Lane for my hometown fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait to hit the track this weekend and see what we can put together. Last year, we had a great car and the Haas Automation team found a lot of speed. We just have to stay out of trouble and be there in the end this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cA win here would be special to me because I\u2019ll have a lot of friends and family out at the track cheering me on. It\u2019s also Haas Automation\u2019s home track, so getting a win in their backyard would be incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

His competitor Ryan Reed would strongly agree. His hometown of Bakersfield is actually a racing breeding ground \u2013 from Harvick to IndyCar\u2019s legendary champion Mears family, which hails from the small community too.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me coming here is really important,” Reed said. \u201cI remember watching my dad race here in the K&N West Series. \u2026 it\u2019s kind of one of my early childhood memories I have of being at the race track and really loving the sport and knowing this is really what I want to do with my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo being able to come here and race and have so many friends and family from Bakersfield come up it\u2019s just really special to me. Knowing how passionate all the race fans in Bakersfield are. It\u2019s just really cool for me to get to see it and reconnect with them.”<\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Kevin Harvick – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ACS_MENCS_HARVICK_031618.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jimmie Johnson – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/ACS_MENCS_JOHNSON_031618.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There was a time in NASCAR history when heading West felt like a bit like entering foreign ground. But fast-forward to modern day in the sport, and California boasts a full lineup of natives eager to make good in front of the home town crowd at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[401,399,257,63,95,16],"class_list":["post-15419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-auto-club-400","tag-auto-club-speedway","tag-cole-custer","tag-jimmie-johnson","tag-kevin-harvick","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/mencs_acs_harvick_031618.jpg?fit=4369%2C2913","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-40H","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15419"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15426,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15419\/revisions\/15426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}