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Hache Man · 02-21-08, 06:17 PM

Midpack Attack: Auto Club 500
Track history

From World War II until the end of 1983, this Fontana, California site was home of Kaiser Steel. After Kaiser went bankrupt, the site was left to deteriorate into rusting rubble. In November 1993, Roger Penske and Kaiser Ventures Inc. started discussions on cleaning up the site for a possible superspeedway. On Nov. 22, 1995, after getting race dates from NASCAR and CART, a work force that numbered in the thousands began demolition and construction. More than 21,000 tons of hazardous waste was removed. Then a million more tons of rubble was removed. The final cost of the 2-mile California Speedway was around $120 million. Since then, they have added road courses and a drag strip to the racing complex. The facility hosts NASCAR, IRL, Motorcycle Racing, NHRA, the IROC Series and Grand American sports car racing. It is also the home of six different racing schools. In 1998, 15,777 seats were added raising the grandstand capacity to 86,232. The following year, 28 skyboxes were added to the rim of the grandstands, which currently hold about 92,000 fans. There is still plenty of room for expansion at this 568-acre facility. In August 2007, the speedway showcased its multi-million dollar Midway redesign which included Wolfgang Puck's Apex restaurant, a town center and new concert stage.

First Cup race

Joe Nemechek put the No. 42 Felix Sabates owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the pole for the June 22, 1997 California 500 Presented by NAPA with a qualifying lap of 183.015 mph. Jeff Gordon, driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet at an average race speed of 155.012 mph, took the inaugural win.

As fantasy players, your team budget won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. There were 51 cars on the entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualified will be competing in front of 92,000 fans in the grandstands. Here are our picks for Sunday's Auto Club 500 in Fontana, California.

Mid-pack picks

Since this is only the second race of 2008, about half of the drivers who finished in the top twenty at Daytona are still considered sleepers this early in the season. Matt Kenseth, who is 36th in the points right now, will likely be contending for the win at Fontana.

Jamie McMurray heads to his favorite track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit this weekend. In nine career Cup starts, he has five top-10 finishes, including three top-five finishes. McMurray said "California Speedway is statistically my best track on the circuit." He's considered a "closer" here since he is one of the best at improving positions during the final 10 percent of the race. If you planned on using McMurray any time soon, this would be a good time.

For his first Cup start at the California Speedway, this race in 2004, Kasey Kahne drove from the pole to a 13th place finish. Including his September 2006 win, Kahne has scored five top tens in eight Cup starts at this track. He started on the front row in 2nd in this race last February, led 20 laps but lost the engine. Overall, his laps led percentage (14.8%) is the best of all active drivers. Coming off a 7th at Daytona, look for Kahne to be up front this weekend.

Greg Biffle, currently 10th in the point standings, might slip down to mid-pack after a few races but he's a good choice for a third or fourth driver this weekend. NASCAR Media loop data shows Biffle leads all drivers with 134 of the fastest laps over the last six Fontana Cup races. Only one driver, his teammate and track favorite Matt Kenseth, leads him in percentage of laps led in those 6 races. Don't expect another win from Biffle this weekend but a repeat of his 15th place finish in this race last season is not out of the question.

Casey Mears, our deepest pick this weekend, looked really strong at Daytona. He was running with the leaders most of the race and was in the top 5 before hitting the wall in the closing laps. The native Californian, who considers Fontana a home-town track, scored top 15's in three of the his last four Cup starts at the speedway. He almost pulled off a Fontana win in the Nationwide (Busch) Series with a runner-up in last fall's race. Tag Mears onto the tail end of your roster and expect a top 15 run on Sunday.

02-21-08, 06:17 PM	#2
Hache Man Moderator On The Rays' Wagon Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 46,270	Re: Fantasy NASCAR News 2008 Midpack Attack: Auto Club 500 Track history From World War II until the end of 1983, this Fontana, California site was home of Kaiser Steel. After Kaiser went bankrupt, the site was left to deteriorate into rusting rubble. In November 1993, Roger Penske and Kaiser Ventures Inc. started discussions on cleaning up the site for a possible superspeedway. On Nov. 22, 1995, after getting race dates from NASCAR and CART, a work force that numbered in the thousands began demolition and construction. More than 21,000 tons of hazardous waste was removed. Then a million more tons of rubble was removed. The final cost of the 2-mile California Speedway was around $120 million. Since then, they have added road courses and a drag strip to the racing complex. The facility hosts NASCAR, IRL, Motorcycle Racing, NHRA, the IROC Series and Grand American sports car racing. It is also the home of six different racing schools. In 1998, 15,777 seats were added raising the grandstand capacity to 86,232. The following year, 28 skyboxes were added to the rim of the grandstands, which currently hold about 92,000 fans. There is still plenty of room for expansion at this 568-acre facility. In August 2007, the speedway showcased its multi-million dollar Midway redesign which included Wolfgang Puck's Apex restaurant, a town center and new concert stage. First Cup race Joe Nemechek put the No. 42 Felix Sabates owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the pole for the June 22, 1997 California 500 Presented by NAPA with a qualifying lap of 183.015 mph. Jeff Gordon, driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet at an average race speed of 155.012 mph, took the inaugural win. As fantasy players, your team budget won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. There were 51 cars on the entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualified will be competing in front of 92,000 fans in the grandstands. Here are our picks for Sunday's Auto Club 500 in Fontana, California. Mid-pack picks Since this is only the second race of 2008, about half of the drivers who finished in the top twenty at Daytona are still considered sleepers this early in the season. Matt Kenseth, who is 36th in the points right now, will likely be contending for the win at Fontana. Jamie McMurray heads to his favorite track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit this weekend. In nine career Cup starts, he has five top-10 finishes, including three top-five finishes. McMurray said "California Speedway is statistically my best track on the circuit." He's considered a "closer" here since he is one of the best at improving positions during the final 10 percent of the race. If you planned on using McMurray any time soon, this would be a good time. For his first Cup start at the California Speedway, this race in 2004, Kasey Kahne drove from the pole to a 13th place finish. Including his September 2006 win, Kahne has scored five top tens in eight Cup starts at this track. He started on the front row in 2nd in this race last February, led 20 laps but lost the engine. Overall, his laps led percentage (14.8%) is the best of all active drivers. Coming off a 7th at Daytona, look for Kahne to be up front this weekend. Greg Biffle, currently 10th in the point standings, might slip down to mid-pack after a few races but he's a good choice for a third or fourth driver this weekend. NASCAR Media loop data shows Biffle leads all drivers with 134 of the fastest laps over the last six Fontana Cup races. Only one driver, his teammate and track favorite Matt Kenseth, leads him in percentage of laps led in those 6 races. Don't expect another win from Biffle this weekend but a repeat of his 15th place finish in this race last season is not out of the question. Casey Mears, our deepest pick this weekend, looked really strong at Daytona. He was running with the leaders most of the race and was in the top 5 before hitting the wall in the closing laps. The native Californian, who considers Fontana a home-town track, scored top 15's in three of the his last four Cup starts at the speedway. He almost pulled off a Fontana win in the Nationwide (Busch) Series with a runner-up in last fall's race. Tag Mears onto the tail end of your roster and expect a top 15 run on Sunday.