The Stars of the NASCAR Cup Series begin their west coast swing this week at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California for the Auto Club 400. After a drama-packed Daytona 500 with a surprise winner, things return to normal a bit as the field sort of separates a little bit. This track has been known to produce some surprises though as last year, Daniel Suarez was half a lap away from victory. With the way this Next-gen car raced here, I wouldn't be shocked to see a lot of the same type of racing we saw here. One key to this race will be how drivers manage their tires as that was a major point of contention in 2022. With the speed of these cars and the tires lacking sidewalls, it will be interesting to see how the cars hold up but with a year of research and development, there could be an improvement. This is also the final race on the track's 2-mile configuration before they tear down to a short track so it's sure to be a special race.
With the weather in the 40's tomorrow, a lot of these drivers will have a hard time finding traction with their tires being cold, it could be a wild race tomorrow rain permitting.
A Farewell To Auto Club Speedway As We Knew it: As I mentioned earlier, this will be the final race on this track's current configuration. Because of this rebuild, the series won't return to the track next season. The plan is to renovate the track to a half-mile short track oval for 2025 and beyond. Many fans including myself are not happy about this decision but it has been one we have known was coming since 2020. There have been numerous renderings of what the layout was going to be but each one of them didn't work now it appears that they have found one that will work. A lot of NASCAR fans are upset that they are taking a track that has produced some great racing over the past few years and trying to "fix what isn't broken." but it is important to note that many of the same fans asked for more short-tracks and now they are getting one. I am one of those fans that believe nothing needed to be changed about this track but I am willing to go into 2025 with an open mind on what it will be like.
The Favorites: When it comes to two-mile ovals like this or Michigan, it's hard to bet against Kyle Larson. Back in 2014, he won his first Xfinity Race here and nearly won his first cup race the next day. he would then go on to win here in the cup series twice including last season. With the track having as much grip up around the top, Larson usually rides around the wall and does it better than anyone. He will be the driver to beat come Sunday.
Tyler Reddick will also be a driver to watch as well as this track fits his similar driving style, not to mention that last season he nearly had the race won till a flat tire took him out of contention. Now with a new team and how good Kurt Busch was in that car last season, he's primed to be a contender.
The Sleepers: There are three chevy drivers that all come to mind when we are talking longshots, those three are Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, and Erik Jones. All three drivers have continued to improve, also last season they were really fast at this race track as they all finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. They are worth a shot if you are looking for drivers that could spoil the party.