NASCAR Weekly Preview: Auto Club 400
This weekend we head to Southern California for the Auto Club 400. The race is Sunday at 3:30pm EST on FOX. I decided to move the weekly preview article from my fantasy NASCAR package this season. I hope it helps everyone get started on their fantasy NASCAR research.
Track Preview
Auto Club Speedway
2-mile D shaped Oval
- 400 Miles
- 200 Laps
- Surface – Asphalt
- Banks:
Turns: 14°
Frontstretch: 11°
Backstretch: 3°
Large Oval Tracks
Atlanta
Fontana
Charlotte
Chicago
Kansas
Kentucky
Michigan
Texas
Stats from 2005-Present
Top 5 Driver Rating
Jimmie Johnson – 119.7
Kyle Busch – 109
Chase Elliott – 105.1
Matt Kenseth – 105
Kevin Harvick – 99.4
Top 5 Average Running Position
Jimmie Johnson – 6.04
Chase Elliott – 7.498
Kyle Busch – 8.929
Matt Kenseth – 9.129
Kevin Harvick – 11.398
Top 5 Average Finish
Chase Elliott – 6
Jimmie Johnson – 6.1
Kyle Busch – 10.2
Matt Kenseth – 10.6
Kevin Harvick – 12.3
Top 5 Fastest on Restarts
- Average speed of first two laps under green.
Jimmie Johnson – 172.161
Kyle Busch – 171.649
Matt Kenseth – 171.225
Kevin Harvick – 171.122
Chase Elliott – 171.088
March 2016 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Johnson | 19 | 1 | 18 | #48 |
| Kevin Harvick | 2 | 2 | 0 | #4 |
| Denny Hamlin | 3 | 3 | 0 | #11 |
| Joey Logano | 9 | 4 | 5 | #22 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18 | 5 | 13 | #17 |
| Chase Elliott | 8 | 6 | 2 | #24 |
| Carl Edwards | 5 | 7 | -2 | #19 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 11 | 8 | 3 | #47 |
| Brad Keselowski | 15 | 9 | 6 | #2 |
| Jamie McMurray | 10 | 10 | 0 | #1 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 27 | 11 | 16 | #88 |
| Brian Scott | 21 | 12 | 9 | #44 |
| Brian Vickers | 24 | 13 | 11 | #14 |
| Ryan Newman | 4 | 14 | -10 | #31 |
| Paul Menard | 13 | 15 | -2 | #27 |
| Landon Cassill | 34 | 16 | 18 | #38 |
| Casey Mears | 23 | 17 | 6 | #13 |
| Clint Bowyer | 29 | 18 | 11 | #15 |
| Matt Kenseth | 20 | 19 | 1 | #20 |
| Trevor Bayne | 7 | 20 | -13 | #6 |
| Aric Almirola | 25 | 21 | 4 | #43 |
| David Ragan | 35 | 22 | 13 | #23 |
| Regan Smith | 28 | 23 | 5 | #7 |
| Austin Dillon | 1 | 24 | -23 | #3 |
| Kyle Busch | 6 | 25 | -19 | #18 |
| Cole Whitt | 36 | 26 | 10 | #98 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 33 | 27 | 6 | #83 |
| Kasey Kahne | 12 | 28 | -16 | #5 |
| Michael Annett | 38 | 29 | 9 | #46 |
| Kurt Busch | 26 | 30 | -4 | #41 |
| Michael McDowell | 30 | 31 | -1 | #95 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 17 | 32 | -15 | #78 |
| Chris Buescher | 16 | 33 | -17 | #34 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 39 | 34 | 5 | #32 |
| Ryan Blaney | 14 | 35 | -21 | #21 |
| Josh Wise | 37 | 36 | 1 | #30 |
| Greg Biffle | 22 | 37 | -15 | #16 |
| Danica Patrick | 31 | 38 | -7 | #10 |
| Kyle Larson | 32 | 39 | -7 | #42 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kevin Harvick – 142
Jimmie Johnson – 25
Martin Truex Jr. – 21
Carl Edwards – 9
Joey Logano – 3
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Jimmie Johnson +18
Landon Cassill +18
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +16
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +13
David Ragan +13
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Austin Dillon -23
Ryan Blaney -21
Kyle Busch -19
Chris Buescher -17
Kasey Kahne -16
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 4 Kevin Harvick – 3.47
2 22 Joey Logano – 4.92
3 48 Jimmie Johnson – 5.97
4 19 Carl Edwards – 7.15
5 24 Chase Elliott – 7.50
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 4 Kevin Harvick – 31.5% – 50
2 34 Chris Buescher – 13.2% – 21
3 48 Jimmie Johnson – 11.3% – 18
4 78 Martin Truex Jr – 6.9% – 11
5 19 Carl Edwards- 6.3% – 10
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 24 Chase Elliott – 76
2 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 72
3 18 Kyle Busch – 64
4 21 Ryan Blaney – 57
5 19 Carl Edwards – 49
March 2015 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 8 | 1 | 7 | #2 |
| Kevin Harvick | 2 | 2 | 0 | #4 |
| Kurt Busch | 1 | 3 | -2 | #41 |
| Paul Menard | 11 | 4 | 7 | #27 |
| Ryan Newman | 9 | 5 | 4 | #31 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 17 | 6 | 11 | #88 |
| Joey Logano | 13 | 7 | 6 | #22 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 12 | 8 | 4 | #78 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 14 | 9 | 5 | #48 |
| Jeff Gordon | 7 | 10 | -3 | #24 |
| Aric Almirola | 23 | 11 | 12 | #43 |
| Justin Allgaier | 31 | 12 | 19 | #51 |
| Carl Edwards | 15 | 13 | 2 | #19 |
| Tony Stewart | 20 | 14 | 6 | #14 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 27 | 15 | 12 | #17 |
| Austin Dillon | 21 | 16 | 5 | #3 |
| Kasey Kahne | 19 | 17 | 2 | #5 |
| David Ragan | 4 | 18 | -14 | #18 |
| Danica Patrick | 22 | 19 | 3 | #10 |
| Chris Buescher | 33 | 20 | 13 | #34 |
| Jamie McMurray | 26 | 21 | 5 | #1 |
| Brett Moffitt | 30 | 22 | 8 | #55 |
| Casey Mears | 37 | 23 | 14 | #13 |
| Cole Whitt | 32 | 24 | 8 | #35 |
| Landon Cassill | 40 | 25 | 15 | #40 |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | 26 | -21 | #42 |
| Brian Scott | 25 | 27 | -2 | #33 |
| Denny Hamlin | 6 | 28 | -22 | #11 |
| Trevor Bayne | 36 | 29 | 7 | #6 |
| Clint Bowyer | 10 | 30 | -20 | #15 |
| Matt Kenseth | 3 | 31 | -28 | #20 |
| Greg Biffle | 29 | 32 | -3 | #16 |
| Alex Bowman | 28 | 33 | -5 | #7 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 18 | 34 | -16 | #47 |
| David Gilliland | 43 | 35 | 8 | #38 |
| Josh Wise | 35 | 36 | -1 | #98 |
| J.J. Yeley | 41 | 37 | 4 | #23 |
| Michael Annett | 24 | 38 | -14 | #46 |
| Jeb Burton | 34 | 39 | -5 | #26 |
| Mike Bliss | 39 | 40 | -1 | #32 |
| Brendan Gaughan | 38 | 41 | -3 | #62 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 42 | 42 | 0 | #83 |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | 16 | 43 | -27 | #9 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kurt Busch – 65
Denny Hamlin – 56
Matt Kenseth – 43
Kevin Harvick – 34
Martin Truex Jr. – 5
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Justin Allgaier +19
Landon Cassill +15
Casey Mears +14
Chris Buescher +13
Aric Almirola +12
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +12
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Matt Kenseth -28
Sam Hornish Jr. -27
Denny Hamlin -22
Kyle Larson -21
Clint Bowyer -20
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 41 Kurt Busch – 2.225
2 4 Kevin Harvick – 2.340
3 20 Matt Kenseth – 6.553
4 11 Denny Hamlin – 6.708
5 48 Jimmie Johnson – 6.713
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 41 Kurt Busch – 29.2% – 50
2 4 Kevin Harvick – 26.3% – 45
3 11 Denny Hamlin – 9.4% – 16
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 8.2% – 14
5 20 Matt Kenseth – 7.6% – 13
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 42 Kyle Larson – 75
2 31 Ryan Newman – 70
3 48 Jimmie Johnson – 60
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 59
5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 56
5 24 Jeff Gordon – 56
5 22 Joey Logano – 56
March 2014 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | 14 | 1 | 13 | #18 |
| Kyle Larson | 11 | 2 | 9 | #42 |
| Kurt Busch | 17 | 3 | 14 | #41 |
| Matt Kenseth | 1 | 4 | -3 | #20 |
| Tony Stewart | 10 | 5 | 5 | #14 |
| Jamie McMurray | 25 | 6 | 19 | #1 |
| Brian Vickers | 19 | 7 | 12 | #55 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 18 | 8 | 10 | #47 |
| Paul Menard | 30 | 9 | 21 | #27 |
| Carl Edwards | 9 | 10 | -1 | #99 |
| Austin Dillon | 20 | 11 | 9 | #3 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 15 | 12 | 3 | #88 |
| Jeff Gordon | 6 | 13 | -7 | #24 |
| Danica Patrick | 27 | 14 | 13 | #10 |
| Casey Mears | 31 | 15 | 16 | #13 |
| Clint Bowyer | 5 | 16 | -11 | #15 |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | 13 | 17 | -4 | #11 |
| Cole Whitt | 34 | 18 | 16 | #26 |
| Michael Annett | 23 | 19 | 4 | #7 |
| Ryan Newman | 16 | 20 | -4 | #31 |
| Reed Sorenson | 36 | 21 | 15 | #36 |
| Alex Bowman | 40 | 22 | 18 | #23 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 12 | 23 | -11 | #78 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 3 | 24 | -21 | #48 |
| Landon Cassill | 43 | 25 | 18 | #40 |
| Brad Keselowski | 2 | 26 | -24 | #2 |
| David Ragan | 41 | 27 | 14 | #34 |
| Justin Allgaier | 28 | 28 | 0 | #51 |
| David Reutimann | 33 | 29 | 4 | #35 |
| Marcos Ambrose | 8 | 30 | -22 | #9 |
| Ryan Truex | 39 | 31 | 8 | #83 |
| Joe Nemechek | 42 | 32 | 10 | #66 |
| Travis Kvapil | 35 | 33 | 2 | #32 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 22 | 34 | -12 | #17 |
| Brian Scott | 37 | 35 | 2 | #33 |
| Kevin Harvick | 4 | 36 | -32 | #4 |
| Josh Wise | 38 | 37 | 1 | #98 |
| David Gilliland | 29 | 38 | -9 | #38 |
| Joey Logano | 7 | 39 | -32 | #22 |
| Greg Biffle | 24 | 40 | -16 | #16 |
| Kasey Kahne | 26 | 41 | -15 | #5 |
| Parker Kligerman | 32 | 42 | -10 | #30 |
| Aric Almirola | 21 | 43 | -22 | #43 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Jimmie Johnson – 104
Brad Keselowski – 38
Jeff Gordon – 23
Matt Kenseth – 19
Kyle Busch – 5
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Paul Menard +21
Jamie McMurray +19
Alex Bowman +18
Landon Cassill +18
Casey Mears +16
Cole Whitt +16
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Kevin Harvick -32
Joey Logano -32
Brad Keselowski -24
Marcos Ambrose -22
Aric Almirola -22
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 48 Jimmie Johnson – 4.437
2 20 Matt Kenseth – 4.573
3 18 Kyle Busch – 6.097
4 55 Brian Vickers – 6.883
5 24 Jeff Gordon – 7.262
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 24 Jeff Gordon – 32.3% – 50
2 48 Jimmie Johnson – 31.0% – 48
3 2 Brad Keselowski – 5.2% – 8
4 18 Kyle Busch – 4.5% – 7
4 4 Kevin Harvick – 4.5% – 7
4 55 Brian Vickers – 4.5% – 7
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 41 Kurt Busch – 89
2 55 Brian Vickers – 80
3 18 Kyle Busch – 69
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 61
4 1 Jamie McMurray – 61
4 31 Ryan Newman – 61