NASCAR
Former NASCAR Cup Series Winners at Auto Club Speedway
This weekend, NASCAR returns to Fontana, California for the first time in two years. Auto Club Speedway is the venue for Sunday’s Wise Power 400, the first race here since March of 2020. Seven drivers entered in Sunday’s race have past Auto Club wins. Who has the best chance at repeating their past success and ending Sunday in victory lane?
Kyle Busch
The only active driver with multiple Auto Club victories, Kyle Busch has four California trophies. This includes his first Cup Series win from 2005, as well as his 200th NASCAR National Series win in 2019. Busch’s California stats are top-notch, with an average finish of 9.6 on the two-mile oval. Only one of the last nine Auto Club races have seen the 18 outside of the top 10. To put it simply, California is a great track for Busch. Rowdy is looking for a fifth win here this weekend.
“I really enjoy the 2-mile track,” Busch said. “I love going out to California. It’s a driver’s track and it’s aged over time. The surface has been ground, but I don’t think it’s been paved since it was first built back in 1997 or 1998. It’s been a long time with the place being aged, and it’s aged well. You can run all over it. Typically, recently you run up around the wall in the turns but you can still move around a bit. I hope the NextGen car will also allow us to move around and be pretty racy. We’ll go there this weekend with our Interstate Batteries Camry and try and get another win there. They are celebrating their 70th anniversary as a company this year and we would love to be a part of the celebration there with those guys.”
Trying to defend his 2019 victory, Busch was runner-up in 2020. The 18 will enter California as a favorite for Sunday’s win. However, the Next Gen car will throw everyone for a bit of a loop.
Kurt Busch
Through 27 Auto Club starts, Kurt Busch has one win (2003), 14 top-10s, and an average finish of 12.2. After leading late in 2015, Busch has yet to lead again in California. However, the veteran driver was third in his last Auto Club outing in 2020. If anyone is to keep Kyle Busch on his toes this weekend, it may just be his older brother. Now in a Toyota, it will be interesting to see if Kurt can keep up with Kyle on Sunday.
Kevin Harvick
11 years ago, Kevin Harvick made a last-lap pass over Jimmie Johnson to win at Auto Club. While this 2011 triumph is the Bakersfield native’s only win at his home track, he has been close since. Four of the last six Auto Club races have seen Harvick in the top 10, with a pair of second-place finishes. However, Harvick’s veteran knowledge knows better than anyone that Auto Club will race entirely different with the Next Gen car.
“You just don’t know,” Harvick said on racing the Next Gen car at California. “It’s always tire management, it’s always moving around the racetrack – being able to run the top and the bottom – but this car is so different in the way that it uses the tires, and the way it uses the right-rear tire, especially. I think as you look at that, it could turn into a tire conservation type of situation to where just have to pick a speed and run the speed so you can make it through a whole fuel run. You just don’t know those things until you go do it. So being able to adapt and adjust is going to be important.”
After being oh so close to a few wins last season, Harvick hopes to put the 4 back in victory lane at his home track. The 2014 champion should be considered a threat for Sunday.
Brad Keselowski
In 2015, Brad Keselowski led only the last lap at Auto Club, taking the victory over Harvick. Since then, Keselowski has not finished worse than ninth in southern California. In his first start with RFK Racing, Keselowski made no friends at the Daytona 500, finishing ninth after causing several wrecks. Coming off a strong debut with his new team, Keselowski hopes to keep the performance on high in the west coast swing.
“Fontana starts a long stretch of racing on the West Coast, but we’re excited for it and glad to have momentum as a company coming off Speedweek,” Keselowski said. “Despite we have not been to Auto Club in a couple of years, it is a track I have been fortunate to be strong at the last few outings. We’re looking forward to getting things going in the Violet Defense Ford come Saturday, and are excited for the weekend.”
With six-straight Auto Club top-10s, Keselowski could be a sleeper for Sunday who could potentially steal another victory. RFK Racing hopes to keep morale high after such a strong Speedweek, and California may provide just that.
Martin Truex Jr.
In 2018, Martin Truex Jr. dominated at Auto Club, taking the win by nearly 12 seconds with 125 laps led. In the two California trips since then, MTJ has finished eighth and 14th. With a new season comes renewed optimism for the 19 team, but the Next Gen car is an unknown for all at Auto Club. However, Truex believes he knows what to anticipate Sunday based on past races and rigorous testing.
“We think we know what to expect based on the testing that we’ve done and just previous experience at the track,” Truex said. “But it’s a new car with a new tire, so a lot of it is based on simulations, and you just hope you’re making the right assumptions. This will definitely be one of the bigger unknowns that we’ve faced in a long time because we’re not getting a ton of track time for practice and once you practice and qualify, it’s impounded until Sunday. Hopefully we unload where we need to be and can qualify up front and run well. It’s a very unique situation, but it’s the same for everyone so we just need to be able to take advantage of the opportunity.”
After finishing runner-up in last year’s championship, Truex hopes to return to his winning ways. Auto Club is a strong venue for the 19 team, so watch out for them this weekend.
Kyle Larson
Defending Cup champion Kyle Larson claims one Auto Club victory, coming in a 2017 clinic. That day, the Elk Grove native led a total of 110 laps. The three races since however have seen Larson outside of the top 10 twice. Despite this, Sunday will mark Larson’s first Auto Club start in the 5 car, where he is expected to be a heavy favorite. Even with being a past winner here, Larson isn’t exactly sure what Sunday will hold with the new car on the old surface.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Larson said. “Obviously, we will all learn a lot during practice and qualifying on Saturday. We used to run low for a few laps then move up a couple lanes. Then after seven or eight laps you could run all over the place. But I believe they put resin down, so I don’t know how that will affect it.”
In his previous ride, Larson was seemingly the king of the two-mile tracks. Do not expect that to change with Hendrick Motorsports, as the champion hopes to add another victory at his home track.
Alex Bowman
The most recent Auto Club winner, Alex Bowman put on a dominating effort in March of 2020. In what was only his second Cup Series victory, the Hendrick driver led 110 laps. However, this is his only Auto Club finish better than 13th. With the speed and performance shown two years ago though, Bowman and all of his teammates have to be seen as favorites for Sunday. The Arizona native is eager to try and defend his win.
“I’m excited to get back to Fontana,” Bowman said. “I feel like we had the best car we have had ever when we raced there in 2020. I love the track and how big it is, so going back with a win in my last appearance and a lot of good thoughts gives me a lot of confidence. Obviously, the car is different so we can’t lean too much on our notes from last time, but I know our team will put together a great car for this year’s event.”
After a lackluster showing in the Daytona 500, the 48 team hopes to get back on the right track. With such a lights-out run at Auto Club two years ago, Bowman could be California dreaming for another victory.
The Wise Power 400 from Auto Club Speedway will go green shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Will a past winner have what it takes to get it done again, or will a new face enter victory lane?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images for NASCAR
