Sketches and observations from the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway

Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 | 2:44 p.m.

To say that the racing at Auto Club Speedway is less than exciting is a gross understatement, but Sunday’s Pepsi 500 was even more lackluster due to the fact that Jimmie Johnson led 227 of 250 laps. His car, which was dominant regardless of track conditions, was almost nine seconds ahead of the second- place car several times during the race. If his lead had gotten any larger he would have been driving in a different zip code.

I like Drew Carry, but was this the best celebrity the track could come up with to fill the role of grand marshal? You would think that holding a major sporting event a stone’s throw from the center of the entertainment universe would be a big draw for publicity-hungry celebrities.

I did see Drew hanging out with Jeff Burton at his hauler and it looked like Jeff was the one telling jokes and Drew was the one laughing.

If you take your children to NASCAR races and let then listen to their scanners, then I have a word of advice. Make sure you block out Kurt Busch’s frequency. Kurt has a reputation for profanity-laced language when it comes to communicating with the pits. My favorite quote from the day went something like this: “It’s official, we're the worst &*%$#@!% car out here!”

If locusts ever attacked a NASCAR event it would happen at Fontana. Unusually strong rainstorms, killer humidity and the threat of a mosquito attack are just a few of the strange events that have hit on previous race weekends. And this race was no different, as the caution lights seemed to want to commit suicide by falling on the track. What’s next, an earthquake?

I noticed that the menu at Wolfgang Puck’s Apex restaurant included $10 salads and $12 breakfast burritos. Hey, this is Fontana, not Rodeo Drive.

Finally, last week’s StockcarToon examined Kyle Busch’s trip to the NASCAR hauler at Bristol. This Thursday’s cartoon will take a look at how NASCAR is becoming a sport of younger drivers.