CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series wraps up the ‘West Coast Swing’ in Fontana, California.
At the California track, Hendrick Motorsports is in a playing field of its own, leading the Cup Series in several different categories.
Here’s a closer look at how the organization has performed at Fontana throughout the years.
- Hendrick Motorsports leads all Cup Series teams with 10 victories at the two-mile oval. The organization also holds the all-time record for runner-up finishes (11), top-fives (32), laps led (2001) and is tied for the most pole wins all-time with five.
- Of the organization’s 10 wins at Fontana, the El Cajon, California, native Jimmie Johnson has won six of them, with his most recent victory coming in 2016. Jeff Gordon won three races at the venue and Kyle Busch recorded one victory.
- Johnson’s six wins at the track are the most all-time and he also holds the record for most runner-up finishes (five), top-fives (13), top-10s (16), laps led (980), lead-lap finishes (23) and best average finish (7.13). Johnson is just 20 laps away from reaching 1,000 laps led at the venue, which would be the fifth track he’s accomplished that milestone at in his career.
- Hendrick Motorsports is the only team to sweep the top-two finishing positions at Fontana, accomplishing the feat on three separate occasions; Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte swept the top-two positions in 1997, with Gordon and Johnson achieving it in 2004 and again in 2009, but with Johnson leading Gordon the second time around.
- Historically, crew chiefs Alan Gustafson, Chad Knaus and Darian Grubb have fared well out west. The three of them have combined to win four poles and eight races at Fontana.
- In 10 starts on two-mile speedways in Cup and Xfinity races, Chase Elliott has never finished outside the top 10. In his two Cup career starts at Fontana, Elliott finished sixth in 2016 and 10th in 2017.
- William Byron only has one career start at Fontana but earned a fifth-place finish in last year’s Xfinity Series race. Alex Bowman has two previous Cup Series starts at the California track. His best finish of 22nd came in 2014.
- Fontana’s two first-time winners both came from Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson took home his first career win in 2002 and Kyle Busch found Victory Lane for the first time in 2005. Elliott, Byron and Bowman will all have the chance to join this group when they roll off the grid Sunday.