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By the Numbers - Nationwide
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Jamie McMurray could give owner Jack Roush his 15th win at Auto Club Speedway.

By the Numbers: Fontana

McMurray looks to carry the Roush torch in California

By Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM
August 28, 2008
11:07 AM EDT
type size: + -

It's no secret that Jack Roush has amazing results at Auto Club Speedway. Cup Series, Nationwide Series, Truck Series -- Roush Fenway Racing has visited Victory Lane at least twice in each series when it visits the 2-mile venue outside Fontana, Calif.

The owner's results are so strong, others have openly wondered how the team is so successful each and every race.

Auto Club Speedway

Winningest owners (three national series)
Sprint Cup     Nationwide     Truck  
Owner Wins   Owner Wins   Owner Wins
Jack Roush 6   Jack Roush 6   J./M. Smith 4
Rick Hendrick 6   Robbie Reiser 3   Jack Roush 2
Roger Penske 2   7 tied at 1   J./R. Hendrick 2
Ray Evernham 1         3 tied at 1
Robert Yates 1            

Interestingly, when the green flies in the Camping World RV Service 300 on Saturday (9:45 p.m. ET, ESPN2), the owner will have three cars out there, but he will be without the services of his top-two drivers in the series at the track -- Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle.

In 23 Nationwide starts between the two in Fontana, they have seven wins, 12 top-fives, 17 top-10s and are ranked 1-2 all time in laps led at the track (Biffle: 353; Kenseth: 244).

Roush's two full-time drivers -- Carl Edwards and David Ragan -- will be in the race, but Jamie McMurray will drive the No. 17 Ford instead of Kenseth or Biffle, and even though he hasn't won at the track, he has been pretty strong out West, especially in Roush equipment.

Jamie McMurray

Career Nationwide results at Fontana
Year Start Finish Status Owner
2001 27 37 vibration Clarence Brewer
2002 15 11 running Clarence Brewer
2003 25 6 running James Finch
2004 20 5 running Rusty Wallace
2005 15 7 running Rusty Wallace
2006 5 5 running Rusty Wallace
2006 10 17 running Rusty Wallace
2007 17 15 running Clarence Brewer
2007 22 8 running Jack Roush
2008 10 6 running Jack Roush

Ten races at Fontana, McMurray has two top-fives, six top-10s and only one finish worse than 17th. Unfortunately for McMurray, he hasn't seen that kind of success in his limited run in Nationwide races this season.

In five races this season, McMurray's best finish was fifth in Texas and the last two races have been DNF's, one due to a crash in Phoenix and the other due to an oil pump issue at Gateway.

When it comes to predicting who will be successful at California, the Michigan race run two weeks ago provides a pretty accurate barometer. The tracks are both two miles in length, with similar banking and speeds. Of course, it's no surprise that Roush cars run extremely well at Michigan, as well.

Roush Fenway Racing

2008 Michigan results
Pos. Driver Laps Laps Led Status
1. Carl Edwards 125 71 running
5. Greg Biffle 125 0 running
36. David Ragan 51 0 crash

"It's easy to look back on Michigan and say that we will have a good run at California because of how well [Roush Fenway] ran there a couple weeks ago, and I certainly hope that is true," McMurray said. "Typically, when you look at the guys who were fast at the Michigan race just a few weeks ago, it usually carries over into this race. The tracks are similar, but still have a lot of different characteristics to them."

The final fact

3.28Average starting position of the winners in the last seven Nationwide races at Fontana, so if a driver wants to win, he better start up front. In those seven races, two have been won from the front row, four have been won from Row 2 and one has been won from the fifth starting position. Ironically, in 16 races at the track no winner has started from the pole.

The End

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Auto Club Speedway

Nationwide Series Winners
Year Winner Start Make
1997 Todd Bodine 28 Pontiac
1998 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2 Chevrolet
1999 Matt Kenseth 2 Chevrolet
2000 Matt Kenseth 8 Chevrolet
2001 Hank Parker Jr. 26 Chevrolet
2002 Scott Riggs 6 Ford
2003 Matt Kenseth 19 Ford
2004 Greg Biffle 15 Ford
  Greg Biffle 14 Ford
2005 Mark Martin 3 Ford
  Carl Edwards 4 Ford
2006 Greg Biffle 3 Ford
  Kasey Kahne 4 Dodge
2007 Matt Kenseth 2 Ford
  Jeff Burton 5 Chevrolet
2008 Tony Stewart 2 Toyota

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