FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Megan Englehart Wednesday, March 22, 2017 [email protected]

FOX NASCAR AT QUOTES & PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES Live on FOX & NASCAR XFINITY SERIES Live on FS1 from Fontana

NASCAR heads to Auto Club Speedway this weekend for the fifth race of the season, with FOX Sports set to offer 20 hours of live action from the two-mile oval. Included are FOX’s live race coverage of the MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES on Sunday, March 26 (3:30 PM ET) and the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES on Saturday, March 25 (4:00 PM ET). Below are programming information and quotes from FOX NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds on the weekend ahead.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES Date/Time: Sunday, March 26 (3:30 PM ET) Network: FOX Announcers: , Hall of Famer and three-time champion , four-time champ and Larry McReynolds Pit reporters: , and Pre-race: FOX NASCAR SUNDAY (3:00 PM ET on FOX); hosted by Chris Myers with , Gordon and Darrell Waltrip Hosts: Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES Date/Time: Saturday, March 25 (4:00 PM ET) Network: FS1 Announcers: Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip and driver analyst Pit reporters: Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum Pre-race: NASCAR RACEDAY-XFINITY (3:30 PM ET on FS1); hosted by Shannon Spake and Larry McReynolds Hosts: Spake and McReynolds

FOX NASCAR QUOTES

Now that Ryan Newman has a win, how much strategy can he play to put more wins in the bank? “Phoenix was his 18th career win, and despite who he has worked with, Ryan Newman probably has won more races on strategy than conventional methods, and even he said that. There is no question this win opens the door even wider for Newman and company to pull more strategy on pit road to go after additional wins.” --Larry McReynolds

After competing against each other at last weekend, where do and stand with regard to any lingering tension after their Las Vegas scuffle? “Time will tell. These guys are too passionate about what they do. This will never completely go away. They both had good race cars at Phoenix. They raced around each other fairly closely a couple of times and didn’t give each other a lot of room. I felt like Kyle on Friday [in media interviews] was a little childish, a little unprofessional, a little comical, but after a great run Sunday and coming up short with a third-place finish, he was very professional in his post-race interview.” --Larry McReynolds

What is your take on the run-in between Cole Custer and in the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES race at Phoenix Raceway and Dillon’s subsequent on-track retaliation? “I will never back down from this, and I worked for ‘Pop Pop,’ Richard Childress, for four years. He’s also not a big fan of using the race car for retaliation because it’s the owner and crew who suffers. I kind of snickered when we asked NASCAR if there would be any further ramifications. They somewhat left the door open when they said they took immediate action by parking Dillon’s No. 2 car afterward. The rear bumper was up around the back window – of course you parked him – there were only five laps left. So, I’m just not a big fan of using the race car for retaliation.” --Larry McReynolds

Kyle Busch hasn’t won a MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES race since July 2016 at Indianapolis. Is there reason for concern? “I don’t see any reason for concern. A lot of people are comparing his winless streak to what we said about and the No. 48 team last summer. But it’s like comparing apples and oranges. The No. 48 team wasn’t performing. The box score is what counts. The only top-10 or top-15 finish was Kyle’s finish of third at Phoenix. He led 18 laps in the Daytona 500 and got caught up in an accident. He was going to finish in the top five at Las Vegas, but the only race they’ve truly struggled in was Atlanta. The biggest eye opener is that, in the last 14 races, collectively has only one win -- by at Texas last November.” --Larry McReynolds

How much has stage racing changed everything for some of the drivers who typically are up front each week? “No question that we’re seeing strategy all over the place. When I look at Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team, I see a lot of mistakes in the first three races. Three crashes at Daytona, two pit road speeding penalties at Atlanta, and loose lug nuts late in the race at Las Vegas. A lot of mistakes have plagued the No. 48 team early in the season.” --Larry McReynolds

FOX NASCAR AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (All times live/Eastern unless otherwise indicated & subject to change)

Friday, March 24 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES practice (1:30 PM) (FS1) NASCAR XFINITY SERIES practice (3:00 PM) (FS1) NASCAR RACE HUB WEEKEND EDITION (4:00 PM) (FS1) NASCAR XFINITY SERIES practice (5:00 PM) (FS1) NASCAR RACE HUB WEEKEND EDITION (6:00 PM) (FS1) MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES qualifying (7:00 PM) (FS1)

Saturday, March 25 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES practice (11:30 AM) (FS1) NASCAR XFINITY SERIES qualifying (12:30 PM) (FS1) NASCAR RACE HUB WEEKEND EDITION (2:00 PM) (FS1( MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES final practice (2:30 PM) (FS1) NASCAR RACEDAY-XFINITY (3:30 PM) (FS1) NASCAR XFINITY SERIES Racing (4:00 PM) (FS1) NASCAR XFINITY SERIES post-race (6:30 PM) (FS1)

Sunday, March 26 NASCAR RACEDAY (1:30 PM) (FS1) FOX NASCAR SUNDAY (3:00 PM) (FOX) MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES Racing (3:30 PM) (FOX) NASCAR VICTORY LANE (8:00 PM) (FS1; delayed)

---FOX SPORTS--