Auto Club 400
Auto Club Speedway
By Richard Tix
The 2016 season has yet to disappoint in the eyes of Behind the Wall. The racing action has gotten better as passing has increased and the drivers have truly had to work to win a race. Not only has the action as told by myself or other media been better, but the finishes that every fan see's has been phenomenal.
The season started with a 0.01 win by Denny Hamlin just ahead of Martin Truex Jr at the Daytona 500. Then we headed to Atlanta for the first low downforce aero package test of 2016 and the result was one of the best all around races of the season. Las Vegas continued to showcase the new package but didn't have the luster that Atlanta did, but still produced some fun storylines down the stretch. Lastly we got to witness another historic finish at Phoenix last weekend.
That finish came after a call by the No. 4 team to stay out and most of the rest of the pack going in and grabbing two fresh right side tires. The difference in strategy, as always, resulted in some fun on the restart. Except this time instead of just strategy, fans got to see it play out how it was all drawn up in a nail biting finish that left fans asking "who just won?"
The Phoenix result is why strategy in racing every week is a fun thing to watch and a big part of why I am a fan of racing. Not always will those strategies play out perfectly for the last second win with two drivers going nose to nose, but that is always the plan (well really the plan is to win with ease but what fun is that?). It is why all race long paying attention to the different ways to approach a race is a fascinating aspect of the day.
Too many fan's think a race is only exciting if we run four wide all race, but that just can't physically happen. Racing has always been about a driver who can wheel his car the best, a team that can put together the best car and find an edge, and a team that can do all the little things right and find the perfect strategy down the stretch. Sometimes those are the best finishes whether or not it happens to be 0.01 sec difference at the line or a driver with a full 5 sec win. However, when all those things come together we get a result like Phoenix. So, let that finish soak in but do not forget all the strategy and full race long work it took to get there.
**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**
The Good
- Jimmie Johnson- It's been a few years since Fontana was JJ's track, but before 2012 he was the guy to beat here. From 2002-2012 JJ had five wins and 14 top 10's in 18 races.
- Kyle Busch- Kyle missed the 2015 race with his injury which gave way to Keselowski, but before that he had two straight wins (2013 and 2014). He also finished 2nd in 2012 and 3rd in 2011 to continue that streak out further.
- Carl Edwards- 14 top 10's in 18 starts says most of it, but Carl Eadwards' is just consistent when it comes to Auto Club. In all of his starts here he has a driver rating of 97.1.
The Middle
- Kyle Larson- Larson has limited Cup number here, but both stops in his young career were decent ones despite the look of his 26th place finish last year. He actually ran 92.3% of last years race inside the top 15 and sat at an average position of 12th most the race. In 2014 as a rookie he finished 2nd which helped his season long hype. If you're a believe in an early season win for Larson, Fontana might be the place.
The Bad
- Joey Logano- JoLo has three top 10's here, but in between those he only has two other top 20;s in 9 career starts. His last three starts here have been much better overall, so he might jump right out of this category along with teammate BK.
- Brad Keselowski- Yes, the 2015 winner at Fontana. Before that win he had career finishes of 26th, 23rd, 18th, 26th, 26th, and 21st. He may have figured it out during his win last year, but both Penske guys have faltered down the stretch too much too look past here.
- Jamie McMurray- JMac actually has two poles here, but nothing to show for them. In fact, in 20 career starts he only has six career top 10's and only seven career top 15's.
About the Track
Track Stats- Manufacturer wins here go Chevy 12, Ford 11, Toyota 2, and Dodge 1
- Until 2014 Jimmie Johnson was the only driver to win two times in a row here (2009 and 2010). Kyle Busch won back to back in 2014 and 2013
- Only Jimmie Johnson has won from the Pole: 2008 (26 total races)
- Most career wins here: Jimmie Johnson 5, Jeff Gordon 3, and Matt Kenseth 3
- Most Poles: Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch tied with 3
- Ken Schrader ran 17 races here without a top 10. Highest finish was 14th, twice.
- Johnson has the most career top 5's at Auto Club: 12
- Johnson and Matt Kenseth are tied for the most career top 10's: 15
Track Info
- Surface
- Asphalt
- Length
- 2 miles
- Banking
- Turns- 14 degrees
- Frontstretch- 11 degrees
- Backstretch- 3 degrees
Auto
Club Speedway
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Race
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Date
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Cars
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Winner(s)
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St
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Make / Model
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1997-15
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6/22/1997
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42
|
Jeff Gordon
|
3
|
Chevrolet
|
1998-10
|
5/3/1998
|
43
|
Mark Martin
|
3
|
Ford
|
1999-10
|
5/2/1999
|
43
|
Jeff Gordon
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
2000-10
|
4/30/2000
|
43
|
Jeremy Mayfield
|
24
|
Ford
|
2001-10
|
4/29/2001
|
43
|
Rusty Wallace
|
19
|
Ford
|
2002-10
|
4/28/2002
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
4
|
Chevrolet
|
2003-10
|
4/27/2003
|
43
|
Kurt Busch
|
16
|
Ford
|
2004-10
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5/2/2004
|
43
|
Jeff Gordon
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16
|
Chevrolet
|
2004-25
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9/5/2004
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43
|
Elliott Sadler
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17
|
Ford
|
2005-02
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2/27/2005
|
43
|
Greg Biffle
|
5
|
Ford
|
2005-25
|
9/4/2005
|
43
|
Kyle Busch
|
25
|
Chevrolet
|
2006-02
|
2/26/2006
|
43
|
Matt Kenseth
|
31
|
Ford
|
2006-25
|
9/3/2006
|
43
|
Kasey Kahne
|
9
|
Dodge
|
2007-02
|
2/25/2007
|
43
|
Matt Kenseth
|
25
|
Ford
|
2007-25
|
9/2/2007
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
2008-02
|
2/25/2008
|
43
|
Carl Edwards
|
9
|
Ford
|
2008-25
|
8/31/2008
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
1
|
Chevrolet
|
2009-02
|
2/22/2009
|
43
|
Matt Kenseth
|
24
|
Ford
|
2009-30
|
10/11/2009
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
3
|
Chevrolet
|
2010-02
|
2/21/2010
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
7
|
Chevrolet
|
2010-30
|
10/10/2010
|
43
|
Tony Stewart
|
22
|
Chevrolet
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2011-05
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3/27/2011
|
43
|
Kevin Harvick
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24
|
Chevrolet
|
2012-05
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3/25/2012
|
43
|
Tony Stewart
|
9
|
Chevrolet
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2013-05
|
3/24/2013
|
43
|
Kyle Busch
|
4
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Toyota
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2014-05
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3/23/2014
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43
|
Kyle Busch
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14
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Toyota
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2015-05
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3/22/2015
|
43
|
Brad Keselowski
|
8
|
Ford
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