Auto Club 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson is a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the Auto Club 400. In 2002 he won his first career race at Auto Club Speedway and since then he’s been to victory lane 70 more times. Five of his 71 wins have come here. If last year’s race would’ve ended incident free he would have six wins. Throughout the year’s Johnson has been awesome at his home track. At this venue he has a 6.7 average finish and has led 955 laps. Also at this venue his top five finish percentage is 60% and his top twenty finish percentage is 95%. His one finish outside the top twenty was in last year’s race. In 2014 at this venue he dominated the race and would’ve won if he didn’t have a flat tire while leading with 7 laps to go. In the event he earned the best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and led more than half the race (104 laps). Jeff Gordon had the best car over long runs but Johnson had the best car throughout a run. In 2013 at Auto Club Speedway when the Gen 6 car rolled out Johnson was a little off at Auto Club. He finished 12th, had a 16th place average running position and earned the 16th best driver rating. I wouldn’t base his fantasy value off that race too much. In 2012 at Auto Club Speedway he finished 10th. In 8 of the 9 races between 2007 and 2011 Johnson finished in the top 3. His one finish not in the top three over that stretch was a 9th place finish. If you’re looking for a fantasy default pick at Fontana you can’t do any better than Jimmie Johnson. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick should be on your short list of fantasy NASCAR options to win the Auto Club 400. He’s an elite performer at high-speed intermediate tracks and this season on this track type he has finishes of first and second. At Auto Club Speedway since 2008 minus 2014 and the first race of 2009 he has a 6.1 average finish and an 9.0 average running position. Last season Kevin Harvick likely had a car that was good enough to compete for the win but his race wasn’t incident free. In the race he started in 4th and immediately jumped to the top lane. Running that groove allowed him to get tremendous runs down the straightaway. Adversity first struck him on lap 19 when he had a flat. At that time he was running in 3rd and he got some minor body damage on his left rear. That problem didn’t ruin his day though. By about lap #75 he reached the top ten again and he remained there until he had another flat with 62 laps to go. At the time of his second incident he was running in 3rd. That dropped him off the lead lap and he wasn’t able to bounce back. When the checkered flag waved he finished two laps down in 36th. Speed wise in the race I think he was a lock for a top three. In 2013 Harvick finished 13th but his car was better than that. During the final caution he restarted in 4th but faded against competition that was on fresher tires. From lap 130 to the finish I would estimate his average running position was around 5th. In 2012 at Auto Club he finished 4th, had a 7th place average running position and earned the 8th best driver rating. In 2011 at Auto Club Speedway he was very strong. He reeled in Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson late in the race and pulled off the last lap pass for the win (video). (Yahoo A Driver)

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Further Recommended Reading – Front Runner Rankings, Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Auto Club Scouting Report, Who will win the Auto Club 400?

Jeff Gordon – The winner of the Auto Club 400 will have to beat Jeff Gordon in order to reach victory lane. Nobody has more experience at this west coast track than him. He’s competed in every event, is a three-time champion and has finished in the top five 40% percent of the time. Last year he arguably had the best car but the race didn’t play into his hands. In the event his strength was long runs. Over the duration of a run nobody was faster than him. In the race Gordon started in 6th, had a 7th place average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating and led 23 laps. Jeff Gordon’s race wasn’t incident free and nobody passed more cars than him. From his 6th place starting position he quickly maneuvered up to 2nd. Then during the first caution around lap 20 while he was running in 2nd he was penalized for speeding on pit road. As a result he had to go to the back. He then drove up through the field without much difficulty. His next problem came around lap 58 when he didn’t pit under caution because of confusion. At that time he had driven up into the top five once again. The following lap after nearly everyone pitted, he pitted. In about 20 laps Gordon once again rallied into the top ten. Over the final 100 laps I would estimate Gordon had an average running position of 2nd. At the end Gordon would’ve won the race if Clint Bowyer didn’t spin and bring out the final caution. During his final pit stop he lost a number of positions and restarted in 7th. When the checkered flag waved he finished in 13th. In 2013 Jeff Gordon had an up and down race. He started in 19th, drove up into the top ten but then got into some oil and sustained damage which led to handling issues. In the race he took advantage of several cautions to repair his car and get it fixed. Late in the race he climbed up to about 6th but over the final green flag he fell back to his eventual 11th place finish. In 2012 Jeff Gordon had a great car but was doomed following a pit road penalty that cost him a lap after a pit road drive through. If he didn’t get penalized in the race he likely would’ve finished in the top five. When the checkered flag waved he finished 26th. Michigan is similar to Auto Club Speedway and last year he had results of 1st and 6th there. (Yahoo A Driver)

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