The sunset in Fontana brings the drivers and teams a much needed break from the California heat. (Photo: Harry How, Getty Images) » More Photos

HOTTER THAN YOU-KNOW-WHAT Sunday’s Pepsi 500 will be the last Labor Day weekend NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California, as next year’s date has been moved back to Oct. 11. And for that, the Cup teams are extremely grateful, as last year’s race was brutally hot and the forecast for Sunday’s race calls for temperatures in the 90s again.

“One word comes to everybody’s mind when they talk about the Labor Day weekend race at California — heat,” said Roy McCauley, crew chief of the No. 12 Dodge Charger driven by Ryan Newman. “It was extremely hot there last year, and once again, that will be a concern for us when we return to the track this weekend. The key at California is not being too loose coming off the corners. And with the high ambient temperatures, I am concerned that we will be too free and lacking grip. That will be something we will work on all weekend — finding the right balance for the car in the corners so that we can carry momentum down the straightaways.”

MIKEY’S MAGIC NUMBER If Michael Waltrip can avoid early problems in Sunday night’s Pepsi 500, he’ll break the 10,000-mile mark at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. Since the track hosted its first Cup race in April 1997, Waltrip has logged 9,890 miles at the 2-mile track.

“I love going to California,” said Waltrip. “I will never forget the first time I went there back in the late 90’s to see the progress they were making and what they were going to turn into what is now Auto Club Speedway. It was just an old steel plant. I’m proud to be able to take my NAPA Camry to the West Coast and be able to race in front of the fans of Southern California.”

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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