Scouting Report : Auto Club 400
Ten Drivers to watch in the Auto Club 400
- Jimmie Johnson – In the last four California races he’s won twice, led 323 laps, and has an untouchable 134.4 driver rating.
- 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.
- Carl Edwards – He’s a previous winner who has seven top seven finishes at Auto Club Speedway.
- Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch won his first race here and followed that up with nine straight top ten finishes.
- Kevin Harvick – Very impressive in both races last year. Only Jimmie Johnson’s “Golden Horseshoe” kept him out of victory lane in the spring race. Harvick also won at Michigan last year.
- Matt Kenseth – Since 2005 he’s only finished worse than 13th once. Kenseth has three career victories at this venue.
- Kurt Busch – Three straight top eight finishes at Auto Club Speedway when you disregard last falls race.
- Greg Biffle – Roush cars will be extremely strong this weekend and don’t look for him to have anymore fuel issues.
- Jeff Gordon – Since 2007 he’s finished 3rd or better four times. Last fall he finished ninth and led eleven laps.
- Denny Hamlin – Finished first and second at Michigan last year. At Las Vegas he finished 7th.
Practice, Practice, Practice: Knowing what happened in practice is a fantasy must for Auto Club Speedway. Look for long race runs and as a result the best cars will drive to the front with ease. If you pick a driver who struggled in practice then don’t expect good fantasy results. Practice is five times more important then qualifying at this track.
Current TheSpread.com Odds To Win:
- Jimmie Johnson 7/2
- Carl Edwards 6/1
- Kyle Busch 8/1
- Jeff Gordon 8/1
- Denny Hamlin 10/1
- Tony Stewart 10/1
- Kevin Harvick 12/1
- Kurt Busch 15/1
- Clint Bowyer 20/1
- Matt Kenseth 20/1
Auto Club Fantasy Notes: Expect a big Roush day with challenges for the win also coming from Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. However one very important thing to note is that last fall almost all of the Roush cars had engine problems. I don’t expect that to be an issue this time around.
