Below is a look at how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field has performed at Auto Club Speedway, going into the Pepsi MAX 400 on Oct. 10.
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/Johns Manville Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.9
2010 Rundown
· Six wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.9
· Led 19 races for 1,274 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· Five wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.5 in 15 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 5.3
· Series-best Driver Rating of 124.0
· Series-high 413 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 172.095 mph
· Series-high 2,623 Laps in the Top 15 (95.2%)
· 547 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), sixth-most
2 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.3
2010 Rundown
· Six wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 15 races for 918 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 18.2 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 15.2, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.6, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.958 mph, 10th-fastest
· 381 Quality Passes, 13th-most
3 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.8
2010 Rundown
· Three wins, 13 top fives, 19 top 10s
· Average finish of 9.6
· Led 12 races for 246 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 17.7 in 16 races
· Average Running Position of 12.9, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, 11th-best
· 821 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.951 mph, 11th-fastest
· 1,963 Laps in the Top 15 (71.3%), ninth-most
4 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8
2010 Rundown
· Seven top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.4
· Led 9 races for 141 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 7.2 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 11.1, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 102.3, fourth-best
· 825 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.450 mph, second-fastest
· 2,148 Laps in the Top 15 (78.0%), fourth-most
5 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.8
2010 Rundown
· 11 top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.6
· Led 16 races for 844 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.0 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 9.4, third-best
· Driver Rating of 99.0, sixth-best
· 875 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.340 mph, sixth-fastest
· 2,168 Laps in the Top 15 (78.7%), third-most
6 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Operation Home Front/Miller Lite Dodge)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.7
2010 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.9
· Led 15 races for 820 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, eight top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 12.2 in 16 races
· Average Running Position of 13.2, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 94.2, ninth-best
· 838 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.020 mph, ninth-fastest
· 2,012 Laps in the Top 15 (73.0%), sixth-most
7 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.1
2010 Rundown
· Three wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.4
· Led 15 races for 1,024 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 10.8 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 10.6, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, third-best
· 821 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.272 mph, seventh-fastest
· 2,144 Laps in the Top 15 (77.8%), fifth-most
8 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M/Sherwin Williams Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.0
2010 Rundown
· Two wins, six top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.0
· Led 10 races for 318 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 16.8 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 11.1, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.0, seventh-best
· 820 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.358 mph, fourth-fastest
· 1,980 Laps in the Top 15 (71.9%), eighth-most
9 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.1
2010 Rundown
· Six top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.6
· Led 13 races for 392 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 16.7 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 14.3, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.7, 14th-best
· Series-high 911 Green Flag Passes
· 1,710 Laps in the Top 15 (62.1%), 12th-most
10 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.2
2010 Rundown
· One win, eight top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.3
· Led 17 races for 508 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.9 in 18 races
· Average Running Position of 11.4, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.8, eighth-best
· 825 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.199 mph, eighth-fastest
· 2,009 Laps in the Top 15 (72.9%), seventh-most
11 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.9
2010 Rundown
· Five top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.9
· Led 7 races for 61 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 9.1 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 9.2, second-best
· Driver Rating of 108.3, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 171.435 mph, third-fastest
· 2,236 Laps in the Top 15 (81.2%), second-most
12 - Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.7
2010 Rundown
· One win, five top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.6
· Led 12 races for 340 laps
Auto Club Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, five top 10s
· Average finish of 12.0 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 14.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, 13th-best
At Auto Club Speedway:
History
· Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.
· The first race at Auto Club Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 22, 1997, won by Jeff Gordon.
· September 2004 was the first night race at Auto Club Speedway and that also was the first year both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series ran two races in a season there.
· The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway in February 2008.
Notebook
· There have been 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway since the track opened in 1997.
· Four drivers have competed in all 20 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
· Joe Nemechek won the pole for the inaugural race in 1997.
· There have been 14 different pole winners, led by Kurt Busch (three). Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon each have two poles.
· Twelve different drivers have posted victories. Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with five wins. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth each have won three races.
· Hendrick Motorsports has won nine races, more than any other team.
· Nine of the 20 races were won from starting positions outside the top 10; only one has been won from the pole (Jimmie Johnson in 2008). The most prolific starting position is third, with three victories.
· Matt Kenseth won the 2006 spring race from the 31st starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers have averaged a top-10 finish: Carl Edwards (7.2), Jimmie Johnson (5.5) and Matt Kenseth (9.1).
· Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole (2/05) and first race (9/05) at Auto Club Speedway.
· Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at ASC on April 28, 2002.
Auto Club Speedway Data
Race # 30 of 36 (10-10-10)
Track Size: 2 miles
· Race Length: 200 laps/400 miles
· Banking/Corners: 14 degrees
· Banking/Frontstretch: 11 degrees
· Banking/Backstretch: 3 degrees
Driver Rating at Auto Club Speedway
Jimmie Johnson 124.0 Matt Kenseth 108.3 Kyle Busch 102.4 Carl Edwards 102.3 Mark Martin 99.7 Jeff Gordon 99.0 Greg Biffle 99.0 Tony Stewart 96.8 Kurt Busch 94.2 Kasey Kahne 92.8
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2010 races (11 total) at Auto Club Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Denny Hamlin (183.870 mph, 39.158 secs.)
2009 race winner: Jimmie Johnson (143.908 mph, 10-11-09)
Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch (188.425 mph, 38.248 seconds, 2-27-05)
Track race record: Jeff Gordon (155.012 mph, 6-22-97)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 40-44 laps, based on fuel mileage
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