Stage 1
Cole Whitt rolled off the grid in the 37th position in the No. 72 SoCal Chevy Camaro ZL1 at Auto Club Speedway to start the Auto Club 400
Lap 7: Running 33rd, Whitt relayed the handling of the No. 72 was edgy, really loose, nothing to lean on in the right rear
As green flag pit stops were underway, Whitt was posted as high as 11th on the leaderboard. As the field cycled through stops, Whitt pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. He rejoined the field 34th, one lap down
Caution Lap 39 (incident): Whitt was posted 33rd, one lap down. He relayed the handling remained the same. Crew Chief Frank Kerr opted to keep Whitt out on track to take the wave around and gain track position. He took the green flag restart in the 33nd positon and back on the lead lap.
Stage 1 Completion Caution Lap 60: Whitt completed the stage 30th, one lap down from the leader. He relayed the So Cal Chevy No. 72 was really loose and edgy. Whitt came in for four tires, fuel, a packer pulled from the left front, wedge and air pressure adjustments
Stage 2
Whitt took the Stage 2 green flag restart 30th, one lap down
Lap 90: Whitt continued to experience the same conditions. Under the green flag, he came in for four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. He returned to the field 32nd, two laps down
Caution Lap 110 (incident): Whitt radioed he was sideways, extremely loose and lacked stability. Despite the handling, Crew Chief Frank Kerr elected to keep Whitt out to take the wave around with the Stage 2 Completion Caution in 10 laps
Stage 2 Completion Caution Lap 120: Whitt completed the stage 30th, one lap down. He stayed out to take the wave around and gain track position
Stage 3
Whitt was scored 29th on the lead lap for the start of Stage 3
Caution Lap 130 (incident): Whitt was posted 30th on the leaderboard. He pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. He restarted 27th
Under a long green flag run, the field began green flag pit stops. Whitt was posted as 11th on the leaderboard as cars cycled through. He pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments; rejoining the field 30th, one lap down from the leader
Whitt completed the Auto Club 400 in the 28th position in the No.72 SoCal Chevy Camaro ZL1 at Auto Club Speedway
“Let’s end this day on a high note”, Mark Smith…
TriStar Motorsports PR/Photo Sean Gardner/Getty Images
