This week’s race: Auto Club 400
Traditional Name: California 400
Other Notable Names: NAPA Auto Parts 500
Auto Club Speedway joined the NASCAR circuit in 1997 as the 15th race of the season; it was won by Jeff Gordon, who is one of two active drivers who won in their first start. The next season, that event was moved into the 10th weekend and remained there for seven years. In 2004, the track was given a second date with the first race moving to the second weekend for a while and the fall event falling just outside of the Chase. In hopes of boosting flagging attendance, the Pepsi 500 was even moved into a Chase slot for a couple of years.
After seven years with two races, the track final dropped back down to only one event per year in 2011. The spring race shifted from the second weekend of the schedule to the fifth slot.
This two-mile track was originally California Speedway. It began life as a property of Penske Motorsports and was acquired by International Speedway Corporation through a merger near the turn of the century. In 2008, the track secured naming rights for the track and became Auto Club Speedway.
Despite struggling with low attendance at times, shifting schedules, and a change of identity, NASCAR has remained stolidly loyal to the track. The reason given is the importance of the Los Angeles market, even though the populace has had difficulty developing loyalty to other sports as well—most notably football.
Built from the same blueprint as Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club’s two-miles in length and wide corners allow drivers to execute passes and can develop some long green flag runs. Drivers are also able to race side-by-side, however, and that makes this one of the most exciting events on the schedule.
10 best drivers at Auto Club
Over the past three races, these drivers have the best average finish on this track.1. Kurt Busch (tied with Earnhardt)
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 5.67
Career avg. finish: 11.9 in 21 attempts
Last week, Busch briefly challenged his teammate Kevin Harvick for first place at Phoenix, although it is doubtful that anyone could have managed to stay in front of the No. 4 for long. Busch has another opportunity to win this week after scoring back-to-back top-fives in the past two seasons. He even has one victory, which came four owners ago in 2003 while driving for Jack Roush.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (tied with Busch)
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 5.67
Career avg. finish: 19.5 in 22 attempts
Earnhardt has not yet won at Auto Club, but he also had back-to-back top-fives during the past three years. He nearly won both the 2012 and 2013 events before settling into third and second respectively. In 22 starts, Earnhardt has been either great or mediocre with six results of sixth or better compared to 16 finishes outside the top 10.
3. Carl Edwards
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 6.33
Career avg. finish: 8.5 in 17 attempts
Both two-mile tracks were Edwards’ personal playgrounds at the start of his career. In California, he finished seventh or better in 10 of his first 11 races. He had an ignition problem in 2010 that dropped him 13 laps off the pace, but he has been perfect in regard to top-10s ever since.
4. Matt Kenseth
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 9.00
Career avg. finish: 9.8 in 22 attempts
At times, Kenseth has been as strong as his teammate Edwards, but he lacks some of the consistency that defines the other driver. While racing for Roush, Kenseth compiled eight consecutive results of seventh or better that included three wins. His last two attempts with Gibbs have also featured results of seventh or better and he could add another win this weekend.
5. Tony Stewart
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 9.33
Career avg. finish: 13.5 in 23 attempts
Auto Club could provide Stewart with a reversal of fortune or it could be the final nail in his early-season coffin. Two of his last five efforts on this track ended in Victory Lane and he added another top-five last year, but he also finished outside the top 10 on two occasions. As badly as his first four races have gone in 2015, he will probably be content with a solid run this week—even if that is only in the low teens. In eight races as an owner driver on this track, he finished 13th or better seven times.
6. Paul Menard
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 12.00
Career avg. finish: 22.0 in 12 attempts
Menard finished one lap off the pace in the rain-shortened 2012 Auto Club 400, but he still managed to hang onto a top-20 finish. His last two efforts netted a pair of top-10s, which pushed his No. 27 Chevrolet to sixth in the three-year ranking. As strong as he has been in recent weeks, he should be able to keep that streak alive.
7. Ryan Newman
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 12.33
Career avg. finish: 17.4 in 20 attempts
Newman slipped to 20th in last year’s edition of this race and that negatively affected his three-year average. He entered the weekend with a four-race streak of top-10s, however, and carries momentum from the early events of 2015 into this race. He will be one of this week’s top values.
8. AJ Allmendinger
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 13.00
Career avg. finish: 21.6 in 11 attempts
Allmendinger owes his position among the top 10 to consistency. He has only one top-10 in the past three races, but he carries a current four-race streak of Auto Club finishes 16th or better. Add in another lead lap finish in 2010 and he is a strong bet to go the distance and challenge for a top-15 this week as well.
9. Jimmie Johnson
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 15.33
Career avg. finish: 6.7 in 20 attempts
Johnson has been on a downward incline at Auto Club since 2011. That season he finished second, which was the eighth top-three finish in nine races at the time. He finished 10th the following year and 12th in 2013. His tire woes started early in 2014 with a flat in the Auto Club 400 and he finished well down the order in 24th last year. Along with teammate Gordon, he also won in his inaugural attempt.
10. Martin Truex Jr.
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 16.33
Career avg. finish: 20.1 in 14 attempts
Truex is another top-10 driver in this week’s rankings who has progressively fallen down the order. He finished eighth in 2012, was 18th in 2013, and 23rd last year. He enters the weekend with four top-10s in 2015 and it will be a challenge to keep that alive.
Others of Note
12. Greg BiffleLast three races average finish at Auto Club: 17.33
Career avg. finish: 17.8 in 20 attempts
Roush-Fenway Racing has always been strong on two-mile tracks. The exceptional performance of Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth prove as much, but despite some sporadic success and victories at both Auto Club and Michigan, Biffle has failed to join them at the head of the pack.
13. Kevin Harvick
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 17.67
Career avg. finish: 16.4 in 21 attempts
Auto Club has not traditionally been one of Harvick’s best tracks, but toward the end of his career with Richard Childress Racing, that was beginning to change. From 2008 through 2012 he earned seven top-10s in eight races and added a 13th in 2013. He fails to make the top 10 this week because of an overheating problem last year in the Auto Club 400, not because of a lack of strength.
16. Jamie McMurray
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 19.00
Career avg. finish: 17.2 in 19 attempts
McMurray finished sixth in this race last year, which was his first top-10 since 2006. The odds are good that he will not have to wait that long again because Chip Ganassi Racing has been one of the top contenders for the past two seasons. McMurray has also proven that he can qualify well with back-to-back poles in 2010’s two races.
20. Joey Logano
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 22.00
Career avg. finish: 18.4 in 8 attempts
Logano was on his way to Victory Lane when he got involved in a shoving match with Denny Hamlin in 2013. Both drivers sustained damage and Logano lost two positions limping to the checkers. That third-place result is his only strong finish in the past three years, but last season he was plagued with a rear gear issue that dropped him 11 laps off the pace.
21. Brad Keselowski
Last three races average finish at Auto Club: 22.33
Career avg. finish: 23.3 in 6 attempts
The good news is that Keselowski has been running at the end of every race he started at Auto Club; the bad news is that he has not been running particularly well. The driver of the No. 2 has failed to finish on the lead lap in half of his starts and his best result of 18th means that he has no top-15s.
Rank | Driver | 3-Year Avg. Finish | Attempts |
1. | 5.67 | 3 | |
1. | 5.67 | 3 | |
3. | 6.33 | 3 | |
4. | 9.00 | 3 | |
5. | 9.33 | 3 | |
6. | 12.00 | 3 | |
7. | 12.33 | 3 | |
8. | 13.00 | 3 | |
9. | 15.33 | 3 | |
10. | 16.33 | 3 | |
| |||
11. | 16.67 | 3 | |
12. | 17.33 | 3 | |
13. | 17.67 | 3 | |
13. | 17.67 | 3 | |
15. | 18.00 | 3 | |
16. | 19.00 | 3 | |
17. | 20.00 | 2 | |
18. | 21.33 | 3 | |
18. | 21.33 | 3 | |
20. | 22.00 | 3 | |
21. | 22.33 | 3 | |
22. | 27.00 | 2 | |
23. | 27.33 | 3 | |
23. | 27.33 | 3 | |
25. | 30.33 | 3 | |
26. | JJ Yeley | 31.00 | 2 |
27. | 31.50 | 2 | |
28. | 32.00 | 3 | |
29. | 32.33 | 3 | |
30. | 38.00 | 3 | |
31. | 40.00 | 2 | |
32. | 41.50 | 2 | |
Exercise Caution
Most caution flags: 12, 2008 Auto Club 500Fewest caution flags: 1, 2012 Auto Club 400 (rain at end of race)
Average number of caution flags per race: 7.2
Final Caution, last five races:
March 2014: 199 of 206 to set up green-white-checker: 1-car spin in turn four (Clint Bowyer)
March 2013: 200 of 200: 2-car accident (Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano)
March 2012: 125 of 129: rain shortened the race
March 2011: 187 of 200: 1-car accident in turn two (Bobby Labonte)
February 2010: 225 of 250: 1-car spin on frontstretch (Brad Keselowski)
Most caution laps: 51, 2004 Pop Secret 500
Fewest caution laps: 5, 2012 Auto Club 400 (rain at end of race)
Average number of caution laps per race: 32.5
Leading the way
Most leaders: 16, 2007 Sharp AQUOS 500Fewest leaders: 5, 2012 Auto Club 400
Average number of leaders: 11.6
Most lead changes: 35, 2014 Auto Club 400
Fewest lead changes: 9, 2012 Auto Club 400
Average number of lead changes: 23.2
Victory Lane
Last five winners (starting position):March 2014: Kyle Busch (14th)
March 2013: Kyle Busch (fourth)
March 2012: Tony Stewart (ninth)
March 2011: Kevin Harvick (24th)
February 2010: Tony Stewart (22nd)
Worst starting position for race winner: 31st, Matt Kenseth: 2006 Auto Club 500
A race at Auto Club has been won by the pole sitter 1 time and from the front row 2 times in 25 races.
Recent races won from the pole:
August 2008: Jimmie Johnson, Pepsi 500
Active winners at Auto Club:
Jimmie Johnson: 5
Jeff Gordon: 3
Matt Kenseth: 3
Tony Stewart: 2
Greg Biffle: 1
Kurt Busch: 1
Carl Edwards: 1
Kevin Harvick: 1
Kasey Kahne: 1
First time winners at Auto Club:
Kyle Busch, 2005 Sony HD 500
Jimmie Johnson, 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500
Running at the End
The following active drivers have been running at the end of every Auto Club race they started:Matt Kenseth (22)
Jimmie Johnson (20)
Jamie McMurray (19)
Carl Edwards (17)
Brian Vickers (15)
Travis Kvapil (12)
Paul Menard (12)
Joey Logano (8)
Brad Keselowski (6)
Danica Patrick (2)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2)
Justin Allgaier (1)
Michael Annett (1)
Trevor Bayne (1)
Alex Bowman (1)
Austin Dillon (1)
Kyle Larson (1)
Brian Scott (1)
Cole Whitt (1)
Sam Hornish Jr. crashed in 2008, but has been running at the end of his last six attempts.
Landon Cassill parked early in his first attempt in 2010, but has been running at the end of his last four attempts.
Great Starts
Active drivers with top-10s in their first start on this track:Jeff Gordon: first (1997)
Jimmie Johnson: first (2004)
Kyle Larson: second (2014)
Matt Kenseth: third (2000)
Jamie McMurray: fifth (2003)
Tony Stewart: fourth (1999)
Carl Edwards: sixth (2004)
Brendan Gaughan: sixth (2004)
