Another disappointing crowd at Fontana

NASCAR hoped moving the second California race from Labor Day weekend to October would help it become a better draw in the crowded southern California sports calendar. Despite near perfect conditions with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees, there were plenty of empty spaces in the stands at the 2-mile oval, where the grandstand seats 92,000 had about 65,000 people in them.

That didn't seem to bother track president Gillian Zucker. She was pleased with the turnout, particularly in the lower seats, which she said were sold out [Many were free giveaways].

"We deserve a race in the Chase and we deserve two races at this race track," Zucker said. "The fans have responded but there are other factors that play into this."