Preview: Now that the spectacle known as the Daytona 500 is over, NASCAR drivers like to say that the ‘real’ season is starting in California. The Cup Series has only raced in Fontana since 1997 – once a year at first, then twice a year starting in 2004, for a total of 19 races. It’s worth noting that Roush Fords have won the last five straight spring races here, though Jimmie Johnson in a Chevy won three straight in the fall.
NASCAR takes its Sprint Cup Championship Tour to Fontana, CA for the Auto Club 500 this Sunday.
Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 last weekend and jumped to number one in the NASCAR Power Rankings, but some of the best drivers in the world could leapfrog him after a victory or good showing at Fontana.
Race: The Auto Club 500
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2009
Time: 6:15 PM EST (scheduled Green Flag)
TV: 5:00 PM EST on FOX
Preview: The Daytona 500 gets all the hype, but this week’s race in Fontana, California, will be a better prognosticator of how the teams look on the type of downforce track that comprises the majority of the 36-race NASCAR Cup schedule.
If Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were still around today, well, they’d be over 200 years old. And being two very smart people, they’d be betting on the following five events, presumably using some of those sharp observation skills that made them great. Don’t forget to tell Abe and Chuck that all times listed are Eastern, and to visit Bodog Sportsbook for the latest betting lines.
