Scattered showers toyed with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors on Friday at the Auto Club Speedway in Southern California forcing the cancellation of the scheduled Sprint Cup practice and qualifying sessions. Dale Jarrett and the UPS Team will line up in the 37th starting position for Sunday's race based on the NASCAR rule book and Jarrett's standing as a past Series champion.
In addition to rain showers, track workers were also forced to deal with water seepage, or 'weepers,' on various areas of the track throughout the day. Heavy rains covered the Inland Empire on Thursday night and into Friday morning leaving saturated conditions for the 48 Sprint Cup teams attempting to qualify for the Auto Club 500.
Saturday will prove to be a busy day at the Auto Club Speedway with the first scheduled Craftsman Series and Nationwide Series NASCAR double header. In addition, the Sprint Cup Series competitors will hope to take the track, weather permitting. Saturday's forecast again calls for overcast conditions and showers slated for the late afternoon and evening hours.
Jarrett's teammates Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann also are locked into Sunday's starting line-up based on their current position in the NASCAR owner's point standings following the first race of the season, the Daytona 500. Reutimann and Waltrip will start in the 40th and 41st positions respectively.
Television coverage of the Auto Club 500 is scheduled to broadcast live on the FOX Television Network on Sunday, February 24th with the green flag scheduled to fall at 4 p.m. EST. Radio coverage will be broadcast by the Motor Racing Network (MRN).
