Jeff Gordon dominated the rain interrupted Auto Club 500, but did not win. Jimmie Johnson was leading until rain stopped the race on lap 87.
The race was continued on Monday. Johnson was leading the race until Carl Edwards took it away with 13 laps to go.
The race ended under caution as Dale Jarrett spins out. These same drivers mentioned are strong front-runners at California.
Read on as I run down California by the numbers showing who has a better handle on the track than others.
Track Facts:
Size – 2 miles
Race Length – 250 laps / 500 miles
Banking / Corners – 14 degrees
Banking / Frontstretch – 11 degrees
Banking / Backstretch – 3 degrees
Best Auto Club Speedway Averages (‘99-’08):
Jimmie Johnson – 5.9
Carl Edwards – 6.7
Matt Kenseth – 9.6
Kyle Busch – 9.9
Clint Bowyer – 12.0
Jeff Gordon – 12.1
Kasey Kahne – 13.1
Mark Martin – 13.5
Kurt Busch – 13.5
David Ragan – 13.8
Jamie McMurray – 14.6
Jeff Burton – 14.9
Denny Hamlin – 15.3
Speedway Front-runner Averages:
Jimmie Johnson – 10.4
Carl Edwards – 11.3
Jeff Gordon – 11.8
Tony Stewart – 12.6
Mark Martin – 12.7
Jeff Burton – 13.6
Denny Hamlin – 13.9
Matt Kenseth – 14.0
Bobby Labonte – 15.9
Kevin Harvick – 15.9
Greg Biffle – 16.0
Clint Bowyer – 16.7
Kyle Busch – 17.1
Dale Jr. – 17.1
Top Picks:
Jimmie Johnson – Well, lets see, he has won 2 of the last 4 races here. Those last four races, he placed 3rd, 1st, 2nd and 1st. Out of 12 races, he has 8 top 5’s. His worst finish at this track is 16th. Not too bad huh? Johnson will be my pick to win.
Carl Edwards – Is VERY impressive here. Out of 9 races here, he has 8 top 10’s. The worst race was when he placed 29th in 2007. His last three races here were 2nd. 1st and 6th. I expect Edwards to be a contender.
Matt Kenseth – He is another that favors this track. His last seven races were, 7th, 1st, 7th, 1st, 7th, 5th and 5th. Looks like he’s due for another 1st. Put Kenseth on your list.
Kyle Busch – His worst finishes were 24th and 23rd in his first ever appearances, but since then he has gotten a good grip on the track. Since then, all top tens. 1St, 10th, 8th, 9th, 3rd, 4th and 7th. Rowdy Kyle, would not be risky business.
Jeff Gordon – Out of 16 races, Gordon has 2 low finishes of 30th and 37th. The other 14 were 21st or better. He has picked up 7 top 5’s and has an average finish of 12.1. He dominated last year’s event and should prove to be a major player in this race also.
Clint Bowyer – Only 6 races, and all 20th or better. Out of the six races, he claims 3 top 10’s. The last two races were 19th and 10th. He tends to run mid-pack to top ten.
Kasey Kahne – With an average finish of 13.1, Kahne has 7 top 10’s. His last three races were 10th, 9th and 8th.
Mark Martin – Has had 2 bad finishes of 38th and 40th in ‘99 and ‘01 but has done really well since then. Other finishes include; 1st, 14th, 5th, 17th, 11th, 3rd, 7th, 11th, 9th, 12th, 5th and 16th. Pretty steady I would have to say. Combine his past runs along with being with Hendrick, and you should see him run well.
Other:
Dale Earnhardt Jr – Take the good with the bad, he has as many good finishes mixed with bad ones. He has 4 top 10’s with an average finish of 20.6. His last four races have ended up with 40th, 5th, 40th and 11th. It’s hard to say at this point. The numbers tell us he is due for another high finish, but with Hendrick now, I look for him to break the cycle.
Other drivers to watch would be Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart.
Good Luck and let’s hope Mother Nature has something better to do this Sunday!
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Mike Wells
Pontiac Trans Am for sale
Yawn…50 to go? Good night. Never have liked this track. It is to wide. Tires and rain cautions.Yawn. Ran over the air line? Yawn. Lot’s of interest waining fast for NASCAR.