This is my NASCAR Heat 5 Cup setup for Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Every value below is read from the garage screen, so you can copy it line by line.
The target with this setup is a lap in the low 38s. To get there you run almost flat all the way round, with one short lift into each end. The setup is built to make that lift as small as possible.
The setup at a glance
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Left front camber | +3.0 deg |
| Right front camber | -3.5 deg |
| Front swaybar | 1.500 in |
| Wheel lock | 8 deg |
| Wedge | 50.1% |
| Rear end ratio | 3.00 |
| Grille tape | 55% |
| Brake bias | 65% |
Those eight numbers do most of the work. The full sheet is below.
Full setup sheet
Tyres
| Tyre | Pressure |
|---|---|
| Left front | 23.00 psi |
| Right front | 45.50 psi |
| Left rear | 24.00 psi |
| Right rear | 41.50 psi |
Springs
| Spring | Rate |
|---|---|
| Front left | 1,200 lbs/in |
| Front right | 1,200 lbs/in |
| Rear left | 500 lbs/in |
| Rear right | 600 lbs/in |
Shocks
| Shock | Bump | Rebound |
|---|---|---|
| Front left | 3 clicks | 8 clicks |
| Front right | 3 clicks | 6 clicks |
| Rear left | 5 clicks | 5 clicks |
| Rear right | 5 clicks | 6 clicks |
Weight and ride height
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Left weight | 54.2% |
| Front weight | 50.3% |
| Wedge | 50.1% |
| Front ride height | 4.000 in |
| Rear ride height | 4.000 in |
Misc
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Left front camber | +3.0 deg |
| Right front camber | -3.5 deg |
| Front swaybar | 1.500 in |
| Rear swaybar | None |
| Left track bar | 11.50 in |
| Right track bar | 12.75 in |
| Brake bias | 65% |
| Grille tape | 55% |
| Wheel lock | 8 deg |
| Steering offset | 0.150 |
Gears
| Gear | Ratio |
|---|---|
| 1st | 2.50 |
| 2nd | 1.50 |
| 3rd | 1.05 |
| Rear end ratio | 3.00 |
4th gear is covered on my screenshot and I will not guess it. Leave it at the value the game gives you.
An older version of this page said 1.450 for the front swaybar. The screen says 1.500, and the screen wins.
Why the camber is set this way
Auto Club is an oval, so you only turn left. The load goes onto the right side tyres.
The right front runs -3.5. That keeps the tyre flat on the track in the middle of the long corner, when it carries most of the car.
The left front runs +3.0. Positive camber on the inside wheel leans that tyre into the corner too, and it helps at turn-in.
Compare it with my Kentucky Cup setup: same -3.5 on the right front, but +4.5 on the left there. Auto Club has less banking and wider, longer corners, so the car needs less help to point in.
Why the front swaybar is 1.500
This is on the soft side of my Cup setups. New Hampshire runs 1.875 and Kentucky 1.775.
A stiffer bar keeps the car flat on turn-in. At Auto Club the corners are long and flat compared with a 1.5 mile track, so I want the front to roll a little and bite. The bar still has to rotate the car without upsetting the rear.
What matters most is the right amount of oversteer. Too much and you lose confidence and start feathering the throttle to stay off the wall. One extra lift per lap costs more than any setup change gives back. If the rear moves on you, stiffen the bar a step before you touch anything else.
The track, and why it drives like this
Auto Club Speedway is a 2 mile D-shaped oval in Fontana, California. It opened in 1997 as California Speedway. The Cup Series raced there from 1997 to February 2023, and the track closed the day after the last race. Demolition started in October 2023. A short track was planned on the site, but in April 2025 NASCAR put that project on hold.
So the version in NASCAR Heat 5, built on the 2020 season, is the 2 mile oval as the Cup cars last knew it. You cannot drive it for real any more.
The numbers that matter for the setup, from the track's Wikipedia page:
| Part of the track | Banking |
|---|---|
| Turns | 14 degrees |
| Frontstretch | 11 degrees |
| Backstretch | 3 degrees |
For scale, the real Cup qualifying record is 38.147 seconds, set by Kevin Harvick in 2018. That is why the game target of a low 38 feels right.
Fourteen degrees is not a lot for a 2 mile track. Michigan, the other 2 mile D-oval on the Cup calendar, has 18. So the car leans on mechanical grip more than banking, and the corners are long. That is where the 8 degrees of wheel lock and the softer bar come from.
How I drive it
- Almost flat. Lift for a split second before each end, then get straight back to full throttle.
- Lift early and short. A small lift on the straight beats a big lift in the middle of the corner.
- Be smooth with the wheel through the long corners. Scrubbing the right front over a whole run kills the end of the stint.
- Use the draft. On a 2 mile track the tow on the backstretch is worth more than anything you find in the garage.
How to tune it for your driving
Do not copy the sheet and stop there. Change one thing at a time and run five laps before you judge it. The directions below are standard stock car logic, so check each one on track.
| Problem | First change |
|---|---|
| Rear steps out on corner exit | Raise the wedge a little, or stiffen the front swaybar one step |
| Car will not turn in the middle of the corner | Lower the wedge a little |
| Engine hits the limiter on the straights | Lower the rear end ratio |
| Car feels slow off the corner | Raise the rear end ratio |
| Front end washes out late in a run | Take 1 psi out of the right front |
Grille tape at 55% is on the high side. More tape gives front grip and speed but runs the engine hotter. On a long run in traffic, watch the temperature and take some tape off if it climbs.
With the servers closed since 1 August 2025, this setup is for career mode, quick races and split-screen. Set the AI first with my NASCAR Heat 5 AI settings, then judge the setup against them.
More NASCAR Heat 5 setups
- All 20 tracks are in my NASCAR Heat 5 Cup setups database.
- Same track, other car: Auto Club Xfinity setup.
- Other big intermediates: Chicagoland Cup setup and Kansas Cup setup.
- Wheel not right yet? Start with my NASCAR Heat 5 FFB settings.
- Moved on to the new game? My NASCAR 26 wheel settings page has the starting values.
FAQ
What is the best camber for Auto Club in NASCAR Heat 5?
I run +3.0 degrees on the left front and -3.5 degrees on the right front in the Cup car. Both tyres lean into the left turn.
What lap time should I expect with this setup?
The target is the low 38s. If you are slower, look at your lifts first. You should only lift for a split second into each end.
What front swaybar should I run at Auto Club?
1.500 in this setup. Go stiffer one step at a time if the rear moves in the middle of the corner.
What rear end ratio works at Auto Club?
3.00, with gears of 2.50, 1.50 and 1.05 for 1st to 3rd.
Is Auto Club Speedway still open?
No. The last Cup race was on 26 February 2023, the track closed the next day and demolition began in October 2023. A short track conversion is on hold since April 2025.