NSCS: Front Row Motorsports Auto Club 400 Race Preview

AUTO CLUB 400

Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.

Brett Moffitt | No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford

“These last couple races have been really beneficial in getting used to the new rule package on track with 42 other guys. I’ve run a lot of laps testing it, but you really don’t know what you’ve got until you’re on track in race conditions.

“I’ve never been to Auto Club Speedway, never even as a spectator, so it’s going to be a whole new track for me. But we’ve got a good group of guys here on the 34 team, and we’re ready to go.”

JUST THE FACTS: Sunday’s Auto Club 400 will be Moffitt’s first appearance at Auto Club Speedway … The race will be the 22-year-old’s third race with Front Row Motorsports, filling in while David Ragan subs for the injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 car.

Cole Whitt | No. 35 Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters Ford

“It’s always good coming home. Auto Club Speedway is my home track. I watched so many races there growing up that it feels pretty cool actually racing there. Last year was my first Cup start at Fontana, and we had a pretty good day with a top-20 finish. It was actually one of our better races of the season, so I think we can go out and have another good performance on Sunday.

“I’m happy to have Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters back on our Ford Fusion for this race. They’ve been a great supporter and it’s cool to take them to my home track. We had a good day and a top-25 finish last week at Phoenix and I think we can carry that momentum to this next race and have a good day for Rinnai.”

JUST THE FACTS: Whitt has one Sprint Cup career start at Auto Club Speedway … He finished 18th at the 2014 race … Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters returns as primary sponsor of the No. 35 Ford … Whitt is from Alpine, Calif., about two hours south of Fontana.

David Gilliland | No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford

“California is always a favorite stop for me because it’s home. We have so many family and friends still in the area who were so good to us when we were just getting started. We try to see everybody when we go back and show our gratitude for everything they did for me and my family. There’s always a Gilliland cheering section at Fontana.

“We’ve had a pretty good start to our season, but Fontana is its own animal. It’s a two-mile track and it’s really bumpy, which can be challenging. Qualifying is going to be really important on Friday. We’re going to want to have a good starting spot on Sunday because the field tends to get pretty strung out and passing can be difficult there. So, we’ll look to get our Love’s Travel Stops Ford as fast as possible on Friday, and then get it handling well on Saturday in race trim.”

JUST THE FACTS: Gilliland has 13 Sprint Cup starts at Auto Club Speedway … His best finish is 17th (2008) … The two-mile oval was the scene of his Front Row Motorsports debut in 2010 … Love’s Travel Stops returns as primary sponsor of the No. 38 at Gilliland’s home track … The 38-year-old driver is from nearby Riverside, Calif.

About Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports is a race-winning organization competing in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series, fielding the No. 34, the No. 35 and the No. 38 Fords. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list in 2012, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The team’s partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love’s Travel Stops, Colgate-Palmolive, CSX Transportation, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. Visit teamfrm.com.