Mid-Pack Attack- Auto Club 500
Track history: From World War II until the end of 1983, this Fontana, California site was home of Kaiser Steel. After Kaiser went bankrupt, the site was left to deteriorate into rusting rubble. In November 1993, Roger Penske and Kaiser Ventures Inc. started discussions on cleaning up the site for a possible superspeedway. On Nov. 22, 1995, after getting race dates from NASCAR and CART, a work force that numbered in the thousands began demolition and construction. More than 21,000 tons of hazardous waste was removed. Then a million more tons of rubble was removed. The final cost of the 2-mile California Speedway was around $120 million. Since then, they have added road courses and a drag strip to the racing complex. The facility hosts NASCAR, IRL, Motorcycle Racing, NHRA and Grand American sports car racing. It is also the home of six different racing schools. In 1998, 15,777 seats were added raising the grandstand capacity to 86,232. The following year, 28 skyboxes were added to the rim of the grandstands, which currently hold about 92,000 fans. There is still plenty of room for expansion at this 568-acre facility. In August 2007, the speedway showcased its multi-million dollar Midway redesign which included Wolfgang Puck's Apex restaurant, a town center and new concert stage. In 2008, ACS added the Camping World Back Lot, a 286-site campground that gives campers the full Hollywood "back lot experience." Campers have various activities, including studio-sponsored movie nights, comfortable common areas, and food stands with a cinematic theme.
First Fontana Cup race: Joe Nemechek put the No. 42 Felix Sabates owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the pole for the June 22, 1997 California 500 Presented by NAPA with a qualifying lap of 183.015 mph. Jeff Gordon, driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet at an average race speed of 155.012 mph, took the inaugural win.
2009 Auto Club 500: Brian Vickers qualified the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota on the pole but, after an engine change, had to start the February 22, 2009 Auto Club 500 at the rear of the field. He still managed to pull off a 10th place finish. Matt Kenseth, who won the season opener Daytona 500 the weekend before, drove the No. 17 Carhartt Ford from a 24th place start to make it back-to-back victories. He also led the most laps (84 of 250) on the way to his 3rd Cup Series win at the track.
Last Fontana Cup race: The October 11, 2009 Pepsi 500 was brought to the green flag by Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota. He led 21 laps and ran in the top 5 during the first 200 laps of 250 lap event. After getting tagged and sent into the fence, he came away with a 37th place DNF. Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet had the field covered that day. He started 3rd, let the most laps (126) and took the win over teammate, Jeff Gordon (No. 24).
Your fantasy game won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-Pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. There were 46 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualify will be competing in front of 92,000 fans in the grandstands. Here are our picks for Sunday's Auto Club 500 in Fontana, California.
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Mid-Pack picks
Since this is only the second race of 2010, about half of the drivers who finished in the top twenty at Daytona are still considered sleepers this early in the season. Jimmie Johnson, who is 35th in the points after the rear axle broke during the Daytona 500, will likely be contending for a repeat win at Fontana.
We like David Ragan at the ACS because it is his best finishing track. In six Sprint Cup starts at Fontana, besides completing all but 1 of the 1500 laps, he averaged a 13.2 finish. He's also one of the top 5 "closers" (improving positions in the last 10 percent of the race) at this track. Over the last five races held here, Ragan scored 635 championship points (8th best). He's a good choice for a third or fourth driver this weekend.
For his first Cup start at the Auto Club Speedway, this race in 2004, Kasey Kahne drove from the pole to a 13th place finish. Including his September 2006 win, Kahne has scored seven top tens in twelve Cup starts at this track. Overall, his top ten percentage (58.3%) is the fifth best of all active drivers. The top four are favorites Johnson, Edwards, Kyle Busch and Kenseth. Kahne has always done well at this track. In the Nationwide Series, he has an average finish of 6.1 (including a win) in seven starts. Look for the No. 9 to be up front in the Auto Club 500.
We're going with Kahne's teammate AJ Allmendinger for our deep pick this week. With a 10.0 average start for four Cup races, the California native does well in qualifying at Fontana. He had respectable finishes of 18th and 14th driving a Toyota in 2008 but struggled in the Petty Dodges last season. He looked pretty racy at Daytona last weekend in the King's Ford-powered No. 43 (led 11 laps). We think you'll see some up-front action from AJ again on Sunday.
While we're in a California mind-set, let's go with another native left-coast driver. Kevin Harvick finished 10th here in the October race. He blew an engine in this race last February and was credited with a 38th place DNF. The two races in 2008 ended in 8th and 4th place finishes. Aside from last year's DNF, his worst finish in the last seven Cup races at Fontana was a 17th. In 14 Nationwide Series starts, where he's also pulling double-duty again this week, Harvick has an incredible 5.6 average finish (worst was a 14th). Needless to say, Harvick likes the Auto Club Speedway.
Track history: From World War II until the end of 1983, this Fontana, California site was home of Kaiser Steel. After Kaiser went bankrupt, the site was left to deteriorate into rusting rubble. In November 1993, Roger Penske and Kaiser Ventures Inc. started discussions on cleaning up the site for a possible superspeedway. On Nov. 22, 1995, after getting race dates from NASCAR and CART, a work force that numbered in the thousands began demolition and construction. More than 21,000 tons of hazardous waste was removed. Then a million more tons of rubble was removed. The final cost of the 2-mile California Speedway was around $120 million. Since then, they have added road courses and a drag strip to the racing complex. The facility hosts NASCAR, IRL, Motorcycle Racing, NHRA and Grand American sports car racing. It is also the home of six different racing schools. In 1998, 15,777 seats were added raising the grandstand capacity to 86,232. The following year, 28 skyboxes were added to the rim of the grandstands, which currently hold about 92,000 fans. There is still plenty of room for expansion at this 568-acre facility. In August 2007, the speedway showcased its multi-million dollar Midway redesign which included Wolfgang Puck's Apex restaurant, a town center and new concert stage. In 2008, ACS added the Camping World Back Lot, a 286-site campground that gives campers the full Hollywood "back lot experience." Campers have various activities, including studio-sponsored movie nights, comfortable common areas, and food stands with a cinematic theme.
First Fontana Cup race: Joe Nemechek put the No. 42 Felix Sabates owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the pole for the June 22, 1997 California 500 Presented by NAPA with a qualifying lap of 183.015 mph. Jeff Gordon, driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet at an average race speed of 155.012 mph, took the inaugural win.
2009 Auto Club 500: Brian Vickers qualified the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota on the pole but, after an engine change, had to start the February 22, 2009 Auto Club 500 at the rear of the field. He still managed to pull off a 10th place finish. Matt Kenseth, who won the season opener Daytona 500 the weekend before, drove the No. 17 Carhartt Ford from a 24th place start to make it back-to-back victories. He also led the most laps (84 of 250) on the way to his 3rd Cup Series win at the track.
Last Fontana Cup race: The October 11, 2009 Pepsi 500 was brought to the green flag by Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota. He led 21 laps and ran in the top 5 during the first 200 laps of 250 lap event. After getting tagged and sent into the fence, he came away with a 37th place DNF. Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet had the field covered that day. He started 3rd, let the most laps (126) and took the win over teammate, Jeff Gordon (No. 24).
Your fantasy game won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-Pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. There were 46 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualify will be competing in front of 92,000 fans in the grandstands. Here are our picks for Sunday's Auto Club 500 in Fontana, California.
</I>
Mid-Pack picks
Since this is only the second race of 2010, about half of the drivers who finished in the top twenty at Daytona are still considered sleepers this early in the season. Jimmie Johnson, who is 35th in the points after the rear axle broke during the Daytona 500, will likely be contending for a repeat win at Fontana.
We like David Ragan at the ACS because it is his best finishing track. In six Sprint Cup starts at Fontana, besides completing all but 1 of the 1500 laps, he averaged a 13.2 finish. He's also one of the top 5 "closers" (improving positions in the last 10 percent of the race) at this track. Over the last five races held here, Ragan scored 635 championship points (8th best). He's a good choice for a third or fourth driver this weekend.
For his first Cup start at the Auto Club Speedway, this race in 2004, Kasey Kahne drove from the pole to a 13th place finish. Including his September 2006 win, Kahne has scored seven top tens in twelve Cup starts at this track. Overall, his top ten percentage (58.3%) is the fifth best of all active drivers. The top four are favorites Johnson, Edwards, Kyle Busch and Kenseth. Kahne has always done well at this track. In the Nationwide Series, he has an average finish of 6.1 (including a win) in seven starts. Look for the No. 9 to be up front in the Auto Club 500.
We're going with Kahne's teammate AJ Allmendinger for our deep pick this week. With a 10.0 average start for four Cup races, the California native does well in qualifying at Fontana. He had respectable finishes of 18th and 14th driving a Toyota in 2008 but struggled in the Petty Dodges last season. He looked pretty racy at Daytona last weekend in the King's Ford-powered No. 43 (led 11 laps). We think you'll see some up-front action from AJ again on Sunday.
While we're in a California mind-set, let's go with another native left-coast driver. Kevin Harvick finished 10th here in the October race. He blew an engine in this race last February and was credited with a 38th place DNF. The two races in 2008 ended in 8th and 4th place finishes. Aside from last year's DNF, his worst finish in the last seven Cup races at Fontana was a 17th. In 14 Nationwide Series starts, where he's also pulling double-duty again this week, Harvick has an incredible 5.6 average finish (worst was a 14th). Needless to say, Harvick likes the Auto Club Speedway.
