Attention NASCAR Sprint Cup Owners: This Is Cut-Down Week
Last season’s Car Owner Championship standings locked in the top 35 teams automatically qualifying for each of 2012’s first five races. The Auto Club 400 is race No. 5 after which the lock-in will be based upon current points.

Five teams are fighting for a top-35 spot – including the No. 10 of Tommy Baldwin, which has a guaranteed starting spot this week but ranks 36th after last weekend’s Bristol competition. The car is shared by David Reutimann and Danica Patrick. Baldwin trails Thomas Ueberall’s No. 83 by three points and – surprisingly – the 34th-ranked No. 5 of Linda Hendrick (driven by Kasey Kahne) by seven.

Two other teams hoping to make a move into the top 35 this week are Kevin Butler’s No. 30 (38th, 10 points behind Ueberall) and the No. 26 of Jerry Freeze, 39th, with an 18-point deficit).

Teams with cars outside the top 35 beginning with the April 1 race at Martinsville Speedway must qualify for the fields based on speed.

Pos Owner Car # Points Leader
30 Richard Childress 33 66 -91
31 Brad Jenkins 38 66 -91
32 Thomas Ueberall 93 65 -92
33 Bob Germain 13 60 -97
34 Linda Hendrick 5 57 -100
35 Thomas Ueberall 83 54 -103
36 Tommy Baldwin 10 50 -107
37 Glen Wood 21 44 -113
38 Kevin Buckler 30 44 -113
39 Jerry Freeze 26 36 -121
40 Dusty Whitney 98 34 -123