Jimmie Johnson – Sure he wasn’t that great at Las Vegas but this is Jimmie Johnson were talking about. In the last four California races he’s won twice, led 323 laps, and has an untouchable 134.4 driver rating. It’s hard to go wrong picking Jimmie Johnson here. Last fall Jimmie Johnson’s average running position was 3rd. (Yahoo A Driver)
Tony Stewart – Stewart won last fall and after his strong performance at Las Vegas he’s the clear early favorite to take the checkered flag in the Auto Club 400. Last year Stewart’s average running position was eighth. (Yahoo A Driver)
Carl Edwards – Edwards will be tough to beat at Auto Club Speedway. He’s a previous winner who has seven top seven finishes at Auto Club which is Michigan’s sister track. Last fall engine issues took him out of the running. (Yahoo A Driver)
Kyle Busch – The last three Auto Club Speedway races have been anything but good for Kyle Busch but I like his body of work. Kyle Busch won his first race here and followed that up with nine straight top ten finishes. That’s very impressive. (Yahoo A Driver)
Kevin Harvick – Harvick was a contender in both races last year. In the spring race Jimmie Johnson found his lucky horse shoe and Harvick finished second. In the fall race Harvick finished 7th and passed tons of cars (had pit road problems and started in the back). Check out his Yahoo race chart. (Yahoo A Driver)
Matt Kenseth – Kenseth is always a contender at Auto Club Speedway. Since 2005 he’s only finished worse than 13th once. Kenseth has three career victories at this venue. Last fall he led 29 laps. (Yahoo A Driver)
Kurt Busch – Last fall Busch finished 21st at Auto Club Speedway but before that he had three straight top eight finishes. Look for Busch to get another top ten this weekend. So far this year he’s been a top ten machine. (Yahoo A Driver)
Greg Biffle – Sure he’s had fuel problems so far in 2011 and finished 41st last fall. Look for things to go right for him now. He was competitive at Las Vegas until fuel issues became the story of the day for him. Last fall he won at Kansas (similar track). (Yahoo A Driver)
Jeff Gordon – This is one of three home tracks for Jeff Gordon and he’s good here. Since 2007 he’s finished 3rd or better four times. Last fall he finished ninth and led eleven laps. (Yahoo A Driver)
B+ = Good Pick
Denny Hamlin – Last fall Denny Hamlin finished 8th but at Auto Club’s sister track he finished first and second. Last year Hamlin won more intermediate track races than anyone else in the series. At Las Vegas he finished seventh. (Yahoo A Driver)
Juan Pablo Montoya – Last year was a dreadful year for Montoya, but don’t forget how good he looked at Las Vegas. If your league rewards qualifying points pay attention to him. He’s started fourth or better in the last three Auto Club races. In 2009 he finished 9th. (Yahoo B Driver)
Mark Martin – I don’t think I’ve seen him pass a car yet this year while he’s on the lead lap. Last fall Martin led a race high 41 laps and had the highest driver rating. He was very good at the end of 2010 on intermediate tracks. (128.1). (Yahoo B Driver)
Kasey Kahne – When things are going right for Kahne he’s an elite intermediate track driver. Will things go right for him this upcoming race? He’s won it before and has eight top tens in fourteen races. If you league rewards qualifying points make sure you put Kahne in your roster. He’s started in the top five seven times. (Yahoo B Driver)
Have you visited ifantasyrace.com on your cellphone lately?
B = Just A Tier Below The Good Picks
Clint Bowyer – Remember who had this race won last year before a phantom caution came out? That’s right it was Clint Bowyer. Last fall he finished second and had an average running position of fourth. What I don’t like about Clint Bowyer is that he wasn’t impressive at all at Las Vegas. (Yahoo B Driver)
Brian Vickers – Intermediates are his strong suite so look for him to use the high line around the track. Since 2007 he’s finished 12th or better in all but one race. Plus he’s still pretty cheap in some fantasy games. (Yahoo B Driver)
David Reutimann – He’s a solid sleeper at Auto Club. Last year he won on an intermediate track and winning again certainly isn’t out of the question. Last fall he finished 10th. (Yahoo B Driver)
B- = You Can Pencil Them In For Around 20th
Ryan Newman – If you’ve read my content for any amount of time then you’ll know I don’t like Newman on intermediates, but he’s starting to look better. Last fall he finished fifth but before that you need to go all the way back to 2005 to find his next Auto Club top ten finish. At Las Vegas Newman finished fifth. (Yahoo B Driver)
Paul Menard – Menard’s been really good this year but if you’re in an allocation league you might want to sit him out this week. I know it’s tempting to use him but resist. It’s not good to burn off all of his starts this soon. His Auto Club average finish is 26.5. (Yahoo C Driver)
Marcos Ambrose – Out of all the drivers in this preview Ambrose has the worst average finish 29th. The #9 car has had a lot of success at Auto Club Speedway and he finished an impressive 4th at Las Vegas. I know I’ll be watching him with great interest. (Yahoo B Driver)
AJ Allmendinger – I really don’t see any reason to use him this weekend. His average finish is 23rd and he finished 19th at Las Vegas. He was strong at the end of 2010 on intermediates though. (Yahoo B Driver)
David Ragan – As a Yahoo! C list driver Ragan could be very good this weekend. If you disregard his 2010 finishes then he’s never finished worse than 17th. Roush cars have been stout this year so don’t overlook him for your Yahoo team. (Yahoo C Driver)
C+ = Proceed With Caution
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Statistically this is Earnhardt’s second worst intermediate track. In eighteen starts he has four top tens and five DNF’s. Like those odds? (Yahoo B Driver)
Joey Logano – Logano’s looked anything but good this year. If he’s not crashing then he’s either making mistakes, having engine issues or breaking a wheel. Last year he finished 5th and 11th at this west coast track. (Yahoo B Driver)
C = I’m Not Picking Them
Jeff Burton – There’s no need to even look at Jeff Burton stats this week because picking him at this moment seems quite foolish. Nothing’s gone right for him yet in 2011. (Yahoo B Driver)
Jamie McMurray – He’s in the same funk Logano and Burton are in so pass on him. McMurray hasn’t finished better than sixteenth since 2006 so why would you want to pick him anyway? (Yahoo B Driver)
Brad Keselowski – He’s finished on the lead lap in both his Auto Club starts but in both races he’s neither finished in the top twenty or started in the top twenty. I don’t see any upside here. (Yahoo B Driver)
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