Bowyer narrowly beats out Johnson for Fontana pole
Clint Bowyer held off a pair of Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets to win the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway in California.
Bowyer bolted to the top of the speed chart late in the qualifying session with an average lap speed of 179.614 mph and held off challenges, first from Alex Bowman – who was fastest in both practice sessions Friday – and hometown favorite Jimmie Johnson.
The pole is just the fourth in Bowyer’s career with two coming in the last two seasons.
Johnson, who leads all drivers with six wins at the track, ended up second (179.582 mph) while Bowman was third (179.359 mph). Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick round out the top-five starters.
“I was freaking out, actually, that the sun kept coming out because the track was building temperature,” Bowyer said. “Everybody, you could see in the data, kept getting looser and looser down in (Turns) 1 and 2.
“I knew coming to the green was important, tried to stay out high, try to get up through the gear box as good as you can, but that’s what it was. It stuck down there (in Turns 1 and 2) and everybody else had to kind of chase it up the track and lost speed and momentum.
“Then (Johnson), I’m thinking, ‘Man, if it comes down and I get beat by the last car on the race track, I’m going to freak out.’ I got a pole baby! Looking forward to tomorrow. It’s going to be a hell of a race.”
Completing the top-10 starters will be Aric Almirola, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The No. 19 Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. failed pre-qualifying inspection three times Saturday morning and he was not allowed to make a qualifying attempt. He will start from the rear of the field in Sunday’s race.
In addition, the No. 1 Chevrolet of Kurt Busch failed pre-qualifying inspection twice. His car chief was ejected for the weekend and the team will lose 15 minutes of practice at Phoenix next weekend.
| Cla | # | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Gap | Mph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 |  Clint Bowyer | Ford | 40.086 | 179.614 | ||
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 40.093 | 0.007 | 179.582 | |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 40.143 | 0.057 | 179.359 | |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 40.233 | 0.147 | 178.958 | |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | 40.250 | 0.164 | 178.882 | |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 40.280 | 0.194 | 178.749 | |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 40.284 | 0.198 | 178.731 | |
| 8 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 40.304 | 0.218 | 178.642 | |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 40.341 | 0.255 | 178.478 | |
| 10 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Chevrolet | 40.351 | 0.265 | 178.434 | |
| 11 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Ford | 40.367 | 0.281 | 178.364 | |
| 12 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Ford | 40.428 | 0.342 | 178.094 | |
| 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 40.485 | 0.399 | 177.844 | |
| 14 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Chevrolet | 40.487 | 0.401 | 177.835 | |
| 15 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 40.491 | 0.405 | 177.817 | |
| 16 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 40.503 | 0.417 | 177.765 | |
| 17 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 40.516 | 0.430 | 177.708 | |
| 18 | 41 | Cole Custer | Ford | 40.519 | 0.433 | 177.694 | |
| 19 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Chevrolet | 40.583 | 0.497 | 177.414 | |
| 20 | 37 | Ryan Preece | Chevrolet | 40.587 | 0.501 | 177.397 | |
| 21 | 24 | William Byron | Chevrolet | 40.610 | 0.524 | 177.296 | |
| 22 | 95 | Christopher Bell | Toyota | 40.698 | 0.612 | 176.913 | |
| 23 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek | Ford | 40.699 | 0.613 | 176.909 | |
| 24 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 40.738 | 0.652 | 176.739 | |
| 25 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 40.750 | 0.664 | 176.687 | |
| 26 | 32 | Corey Lajoie | Ford | 40.761 | 0.675 | 176.639 | |
| 27 | 6 | Ross Chastain | Ford | 40.783 | 0.697 | 176.544 | |
| 28 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 40.790 | 0.704 | 176.514 | |
| 29 | 20 | Erik Jones | Toyota | 40.955 | 0.869 | 175.803 | |
| 30 | 52 | J.J. Yeley | Ford | 41.484 | 1.398 | 173.561 | |
| 31 | 96 |  Daniel Suarez | Toyota | 41.511 | 1.425 | 173.448 | |
| 32 | 15 | Brennan Poole | Chevrolet | 41.819 | 1.733 | 172.171 | |
| 33 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | 41.975 | 1.889 | 171.531 | |
| 34 | 53 | Joey Gase | Ford | 42.375 | 2.289 | 169.912 | |
| 35 | 00 | Quin Houff | Chevrolet | 42.657 | 2.571 | 168.788 | |
| 36 | 51 | Garrett Smithley | Chevrolet | 42.842 | 2.756 | 168.059 | |
| 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill | Toyota | 43.729 | 3.643 | 164.650 | |
| 38 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota |
Despite a bad start, Daniel Suarez left Las Vegas 'very happy'
Alex Bowman cruises to Fontana Cup win
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his teammate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major engine overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars.
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, but his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines...
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes