The 2023 Pala Casino 400, part of the NASCAR Cup Series, will take place on Sunday at Fontana, California’s Auto Club Speedway. The starting gun for the race is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. It will be Auto Club Speedway’s 33rd race in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series when it holds its Pala Casino 400 race on Sunday.
From 2004 to 2010, the track featured two races per season. Since then, it has only hosted one race annually. The 2-mile tri-oval in Fontana, California, is made of asphalt and features a banking angle of 14 degrees in each turn, 11 degrees on the front stretch, and 3 degrees on the backstretch. When the circuit first launched in 1997, the Cup Series hosted its first race, and Jeff Gordon, a local favorite, took the checkered flag.
The practice session on Saturday will mark the beginning of the Cup Series weekend. A single-lap, single-car qualification race will come after it, and the Pala Casino 400 main event will follow that. The starting lineup for Sunday’s main race will be determined by dividing the competing drivers into two groups and arranging them according to an odd-even arrangement. Prior to that, both groups will have access to a 15- to a 20-minute practice session.
Full weekend schedule for the 2023 NASCAR Pala Casino 400
The schedule for practice, qualifying, and the Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway is as follows:
Friday, February 24, 2023
3:30 pm ET: Garage hours (Xfinity Series)
6:30 pm ET: Garage hours (Cup Series)
Saturday, February 25, 2023
10:30 a.m. ET: Garage hours (Xfinity Series)
11:30 am ET: Garage hours (Cup Series)
12:05 pm ET: Xfinity Series practice
12:35 pm ET: Xfinity Series qualifying
2:05 pm ET: Cup Series practice
2:45 pm ET: Cup Series qualifying
4:30 pm ET: Driver introductions
5:00 pm ET: Production Alliance Group 300
Sunday, February 26, 2023
12:30 pm ET: Garage hours
2:45 pm ET: Drivers’ meeting
2:55 p.m. ET: Red Carpet Walk
3:00 pm ET: Driver introductions
3:30 pm ET: Pala Casino 400
After their stunning triumph last year, Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports are back to defend their title. He intends to pursue a hat trick of victories this season.