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Sunday, February 21, 2010

The NASCAR top 10 at Fontana

There are three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at least one race at Auto Club Speedway starting in the top 10 for today's race. Jimmie Johnson has won four. Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin each have one win. Only one Ford is in the top 10 and the best qualifying Dodge is driven by Sam Hornish. Here's a look at the top 10 drivers in the starting lineup for today's Auto Club 500:

1. Jamie McMurray – Only one driver has ever won a race at Auto Club Speedway from the pole. That driver was Jimmie Johnson.
2. Juan Pablo Montoya – He said in his first NASCAR race at Auto Club Speedway, he qualified well, but he couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. Experience shouldn’t make that much of a problem this time around.
3. Clint Bowyer – Richard Childress Racing is off to a hot start. Bowyer looks like he has the best car in the Childress stable.
4. Kasey Kahne – Fords usually do well at Auto Club Speedway. This will be the first time Kahne will be racing a Ford in Fontana. He won at Auto Club Speedway in 2006 driving a Dodge.
5. Dave Blaney – Really. He qualified fifth. Don’t expect him to be in the top five at the end of the race though.
6. Kevin Harvick – Another good qualifying effort from a rebounding Richard Childress Racing team.
7. Jimmie Johnson – He is a four-time winner at Auto Club Speedway. He won the race in Fontana in October 2009.
8. Sam Hornish Jr. – The driver of the Auto Club-sponsored car is starting in the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway. Coincidence?
9. Kyle Busch – He won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday. He had no business being in the lead on the last lap, mind you.
10. Mark Martin – He won at Auto Club Speedway in 1998 driving a Ford for Jack Roush. It’s been 12 years since his first and only Cup win in Fontana.

Photo: Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, and Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, chat during qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500.(Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

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