Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Auto Club Speedway Driver Previews

Not all teams announce their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 


#1- Jamie McMurray - McMurray will make his 17th start at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. In his previous 16 starts, he has three top-five finishes, five top-10 finishes and has led 57 laps at the two-mile oval. He has an average starting position and finishing position of 20.1 and 16.9, respectively. McMurray has zero DNF’s (did not finish) and has completed 3,746 out of a possible 3,905 laps (95.9%) at the track. He has won the pole twice (February 2010, October 2010) and his best finish is fourth (September 2004, February 2005).


#2- Brad Keselowski - After four points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 13th in the 2012 driver point standings and 14th in the owner point standings. The team is coming off its first win of the season in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway last Sunday. 


#5- Kasey Kahne -  In 15 Cup starts at Fontana, Kahne has recorded one win, four top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He lined up from the pole position in 2004 for his first Cup start at the two-mile track and has gone on to earn eight more top-10 starting spots. Kahne enters Sunday’s race with back-to-back top-10 finishes and an average finish of 14.9 at the two-mile track.


#9- Marcos Ambrose - Marcos Ambrose has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Fontana. Ambrose’s best career start in California (13th) came in last year’s event. Ambrose enters the 200-lap event in 24th place in the driver point standings.


#10- David Reutimann - The Zephyrhills, Fla., native made nine starts at the Southern California speedway. He posted his best finish of ninth in the fall event in 2008. He tallied his best start of seventh the following year in the spring event. Reutimann has two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.2.
#15- Clint Bowyer - Bowyer will make his 12th career NSCS start at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday. In 11 previous starts, he has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He finished a career-best second in the fall 2010 race where he led 40 laps. On average he starts 15th and finishes 11th. Bowyer has four straight top-10 finishes at Fontana and has led in each of his last three starts at the 2.0-mile speedway.


#16- Greg Biffle - Biffle has an average starting position of 14.6 and average finish of 17.9 at Fontana. Biffle is currently leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings; nine points ahead second.Biffle has scored one win, four top fives, five top 10s, and has an average finish of 17.9


#17- Matt Kenseth - In 19 Cup starts at Fontana, Kenseth has completed 4,653 of 4,655 laps (99.9 percent) and led for 497. Kenseth has an average starting position of 20.6 and an average finishing position of 9.9 at ACS. Kenseth has achieved three wins, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at Fontana in the Cup series. Kenseth has finished within the top ten in 10 of his last 12 starts at Auto Club Speedway


 #18- Kyle Busch - Busch has one win, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes, and has led a total of 394 laps in his 14 career Sprint Cup starts at Fontana. His average Fontana finish is 12.0.


#22- A J Allmendinger - In his seven career races to date at Auto Club Speedway, Allmendinger is still looking for his first top-10 finish. He has a 17.0 average start and a 21.7 average finish. He has a 99.4 percent lap completion average, finish all by 10 possible laps (1,640 of 1,650). Dinger started 20th and finished 14th in last year's Auto Club 400. "It was a case of being loose in and tight off most of the race there last year," Dinger recalled. "We had a final yellow with about 15 laps to go and came in for four fresh tires. We were 22nd on the final restart with eight laps to go. We wound up passing a car every lap and got up to 14th when the time ran out."


#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon has 3 wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles, Average finish of 11.2 and Average Running Position of 9.9 at Auto Club Speedway


#27- Paul Menard - In his nine previous starts at Auto Club Speedway, Menard has finished each of his contested races and completed 98.3 percent of his laps (2,113 of 2,150). He has a 27th-place average starting position and an average finishing position of 25.3, with his best finish of 16th coming last season. His best start at the two-mile speedway also came in March 2011 when he took the green flag in the 15th position.


#29- Kevin Harvick - In 18 starts at the Fontana, Calif., speedway, Harvick has earned one win, three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. In addition, he’s completed 98.4 percent (4,334 of 4,405) of the laps contested and has led a total of 60 laps at Auto Club Speedway. Harvick has an average starting position of 18.7 and an average finishing position of 16.2 at the track.


#31- Jeff Burton - Sunday’s event marks Burton’s 23rd start at the Fontana Calif.-based facility and 624th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. In addition to his pole award in 1999, he has amassed six top-five and seven top-10 finishes and has led 127 laps at the two-mile oval. Burton has garnered some impressive NASCAR Loop Data statistics at Auto Club Speedway. He leads all competitors with 1,161 green-flag passes and 683 of those passes came while running in the top 15 (third best). Burton has also spent 1,933 laps running in the top 15.


#33- Brendan Gaughan -  Gaughan has two previous Sprint Cup Series starts Auto Club Speedway, both in 2004. He earned one top-10 finish (sixth) and his career-best starting position (fifth) in May 2004.The 36-year-old racer owns an average starting position of 13.5 coupled with a 24th-place average finishing position.


#36- Dave Blaney - In his 17 starts at the Fontana, Calif., speedway, Blaney collected two top-10 starts, one top-10 finish and led 32 laps. He started fifth in 2010, his career-best start at the 2-mile track. The Buckeye Bullet finished ninth, his best ACS finish, in 2002 while driving the No. 77 car. Blaney is ranked as the 13th best closer in the 43-car field.


#39- Ryan Newman - The Auto Club 400 will mark Newman’s 373rd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 18th Sprint Cup start at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Newman has one pole, four top-five finishes and six top-10s in 17 starts at Fontana.


#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - Montoya will make his 10th start at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. In his previous nine starts, he has one top-five finish, two top-10 finishes and has led 118 laps. He has an average starting position of 13.4 and an average finishing position of 19.3. Montoya has one DNF and has completed 2,035 laps out of a possible 2,150 (94.7%). Montoya has one pole at the two mile oval (February 2011) and his highest finish is third (October 2009).


#43- Aric Almirola - Aric Almirola will be making his fifth start at the Auto Club Speedway this weekend. He has two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the track. Medallion Financial Group will be the primary sponsor of the No. 43 this weekend. Almirola and the No. 43 team remained 22nd in championship points after the race event at Bristol.


#48- Jimmie Johnson - At Auto Club Speedway Johnson has scored Five wins, 12 top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole. Average finish of 5.1. Series-best Average Running Position of 5.4. Series-best Driver Rating of 123.1. Series-high 440 Fastest Laps Run. Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 171.955 mph. Series-high 3,013 Laps in the Top 15 (95.5%)


#51- Kurt Busch - Sunday’s Auto Club 400 mark’s Busch’s 405th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 19th Sprint Cup start at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Busch has scored one win, four top-five finishes, eight top 10s and has led 231 laps led in 18 career Sprint Cup starts at Fontana. Busch’s average Fontana finish is 12.9.


#55- Mark Martin - Sunday’s California race will be Martin’s 834th career start. He finished 10th in the Daytona 500, ninth at Phoenix and 18th at Las Vegas in 2012. Mark has One win, six top fives,10 top 10s Average finish of 13.7 Average Running Position of 9.9 at Auto Club Speedway.


#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - In 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, Earnhardt has scored three top-five finishes, four top-10s and led 28 laps. He recorded a career-best runner-up finish at the Fontana, Calif., racetrack in September 2006. Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, currently ranks sixth in the Sprint Cup Series championship standings. He trails leader Greg Biffle by 20 points.


#99- Carl Edwards - Carl Edwards enters California 14th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, 50 points behind leader Greg Biffle. He has earned one top-five, two top-10 finishes and one pole in four starts this season. In 14 starts at the two-mile California track, Edwards has one win, one pole, six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.9, and his average finish is 9.0 which is second best among active drivers. Edwards has completed 3389 of 3405 (99.5%) of laps attempted at Auto Club Speedway. According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 14 races at Fontana, Edwards has turned 153 of the track’s fastest laps (sixth best), spent 2343 laps in the top 15 and led a total of 121 laps. Edwards’ driver rating is sixth best among active drivers.


- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

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