This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads out west to Fontana for the Auto Club 500.  Held on the 2 mile, D-shaped oval California speedway, the Auto Club 500 is the second race of the 2008 season.  Fontana is home to a very fast track and there is no restrictor plate to keep down the speeds.  That means horsepower will be a huge key in this race because there will be a lot of full throttle racing.  As a result, the rpm's stay so high for so long that it could cause wear and tear to cars and their engines.  In every year since 2001, there has been an average of 5 cars lost in each race due to engine problems.  With this being the first COT race at California, the ability of a crew chief to find a good downforce setup, front and back, will be critical.   Drivers want the car balanced so they can go into the corners without drifting up and come out of the corners with enough control to get up to speed quickly.  This track isn't too hard on the tires so near the end, you could see fuel mileage strategy or teams changing two tires instead of four in an attempt to be up front as the race winds down.

In all the races won at California, only 3 drivers have won more than one time.  Jeff Gordon has won 3 times, while Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth have crossed the finish line first two times each.  Kenseth is the 2 time defending champion at this race and in his last eight runs at California, he also has 6 top 10's.  Roush-Fenway racing usually does good at this track and if you want to hold on to fantasy starts with the Hendrick crew, Matt Kenseth would be a solid pick for this race.  If you choose to add more Roush-Fenway drivers to your lineup, look no farther than Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle.  Edwards has the second best record here in the last 8 races with 5 top 5's while Biffle is a past winner who had the car to beat last spring before having an engine failure.

Others to Watch

Jimmie Johnson - After the disappointing week at Daytona, Johnson will be racing hard here to make up the ground that he lost in the points.  He won the fall race in '07 and in the last 10 races at California, he has the best average finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

Kyle Busch - Busch has a good history at this track including a win and 5 Top 10 finishes in his 7 races here. He looked great here last year in the Hendrick COT so the question will be this week, has Toyota figured out these down force tracks.

Dale Earnhardt Jr - Should be exciting to see if he can return to his old form on these down force tracks now that he is with Hendrick. He has struggled here in the past but finished 5th here last fall.

Kasey Kahne - Kasey always seems to do well on these down force tracks. He has won here in the past and has 5 Top 10 finishes in his 7 races here.

Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch - Coming off a 1-2 finish for Penske South at Daytona, these teammates have had some success at California, with Busch finishing in the top 10 in both races last year and Newman notching two top 15 finishes.

Tony Stewart - Stewart has never won a race here and has only finished in the Top 10 in just three races since 2001.  That Daytona performance last week alone should motivate Stewart and his team to a decent finish this weekend

Drivers records at California Speedway

My pick - Matt Kenseth - You cant argue with the success that Roush-Fenway has at this track and it begins and ends with Kenseth.  Two straight wins in this race, 7 top 10's in the last 10 races at California. 

Sleeper pick - Jeff Burton - Burton finished both races last year in the Top 5 here so he knows how to get it done. The question is how well will the RCR COT cars stack up against the rest of the crowd here. His experience at this track may be a deciding factor on a Top 5 finish or not