2023 NASCAR Pala Casino 400 at Fontana: Full Weekend Race Schedule

The NFL ends their season with the Super Bowl, and NASCAR uses their Super Bowl to kick off the 2023 season. With apologizes to The Clash at the Coliseum, things really began this week at Daytona. With qualifying, Duel races, and the 65th edition of the Daytona 500 now in the rearview mirror, teams and drivers are ready to focus forward on the next 35 races.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr will have an exceptionally busy week ahead, but he doesn't mind. Winning the Daytona 500 is a life-changing event. It is something that he and the JTG Daugherty Racing team should enjoy. They will rightfully celebrate this win, and eventually make their way to the next race.

That comes next weekend, as the series heads west to Fontana, California. Auto Club Speedway will take center stage as teams begin to work on setting up their cars for a chance to find victory lane on Sunday. A playoff spot is on the line, and anything is possible. Just ask Martin Truex Jr, who failed to make the postseason despite scoring the third-most points in the regular season.

Kyle Larson is the defending race winner, and should have plenty of motivation seeing how his day at Daytona came to an end. The competition will be fierce, and drivers will be eager to win here, because no one is quite sure if/when they will return.

This will be the final time NASCAR will race on the 2-mile oval, as the facility begins work on converting the speedway to a half-mile short track. Track president Dave Allen said earlier this month that they will not hold a race next year, and possibly in 2025. The track has hosted a Cup series race every year since 1997, except in 2021 during the pandemic.

Race weekend schedule (Eastern Standard Time)

Saturday February 25

2:00 pm - Practice

2:45 pm - Qualifying

Sunday February 26

3:30 pm - Race