NASCAR Fontana 2014: Once reviled, Auto Club Speedway is now revered

Almost since its inception Auto Club Speedway has been decried by the masses as a track devoid of excitement. It was viewed as a place where often the substance didn’t meet the hype. A common sight in its early years was single-file racing around the multi-groove 2-mile track.

Not helping the perception of the track located 52 miles east of Los Angeles was, as fabled speedways like Rockingham and Darlington either lost Sprint Cup dates or were removed from the schedule altogether, Fontana had not one but two coveted races.

Part of a continued effort by NASCAR to establish a firm footing in the Southern California market, the push never got going. After the novelty wore off, Fontana struggled to sell tickets and NASCAR moved its second race to Kansas Speedway.

However, the track frequently maligned for its dullness has aged like a bottle good scotch.

Last year’s Auto Club 400 was regarded by many as the best race of the season. It was an event that featured consistent side-by-side racing, a thrilling last-lap battle for the lead and memorable theatrics post-race on pit road. And 2013 was no anomaly, as editions in the previous two years were also entertaining.

The change in perception can be attributed to a surface that has weathered and, because of its abrasiveness and bumpiness, creates tire wear like few other tracks.

“I’m looking forward to coming to this track,” Denny Hamlin said Friday. “This track has a lot of tire wear ... it’s a track where we can move around. It’s one of the few race tracks where they haven’t repaved so it usually puts on some of the best races. It’s a great race track for that.”

This is in sharp contrast to Fontana’s sister track, Michigan International Speedway, where a recent repave has created lightning-fast speeds that don’t translate to much passing and falloff in grip.

“Everybody, for the longest time, compared this one to Michigan and they were not even close to the same,” Ryan Newman said. “They are entirely opposite. Michigan has been repaved and this is the old worn-out California, which it never was. It’s a fun race track now, and the most fun it’s ever been in my career of being here for 12 years.”

The collective yawn that used to be associated with NASCAR’s annual trip to Southern California has been replaced with anticipation.

Said Carl Edwards: “(Fontana) has to be one of the most fun tracks to drive on the circuit because of the way the pavement has aged and the tire you can slide the car around quite a bit.”