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Carl Edwards won at Auto Club Speedway in February.By the Numbers: California
Nine drivers can clinch Chase berths on Sunday night
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Logic would tell Carl Edwards that he's in good shape heading to California this weekend.
Edwards won the February race at Auto Club Speedway and is coming off consecutive victories at Michigan and Bristol heading into Sunday's Pepsi 500 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). But there's only one problem: No driver has swept a season's races at California, and no manufacturer has pulled off the double, either. Granted, this is only the fifth time the track has hosted two races a season.
Nevertheless, Edwards is in the spotlight this week. He'll just have to share it.
Kyle Busch is still the points leader and will still have the advantage once the Chase begins. Nine drivers can potentially clinch a spot in the Chase at Auto Club Speedway, in addition to Busch and Edwards, who have already clinched. And two of those drivers have never won at the track.
Chase Number
196A driver can clinch a Chase berth by leaving Auto Club Speedway with a 196-point lead on the 13th-place driver.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Can clinch with a finish of 40th or better; 41st and lead at least one lap.
Jimmie Johnson -- Can clinch with a finish of 40th or better; 41st and lead at least one lap.
Jeff Burton -- Can clinch with a finish of 15th or better; 16th or 17th and lead one lap; 20th and lead the most laps.
Sprint Cup Series
Standings, Pos. 6-15
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Behind | ACS Starts | ACS Wins | ACS Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | Tony Stewart | 3013 | -596 | 14 | 0 | 16.0 |
| 7. | Greg Biffle | 2984 | -625 | 11 | 1 | 19.6 |
| 8. | Kevin Harvick | 2972 | -637 | 12 | 0 | 19.1 |
| 9. | Jeff Gordon | 2951 | -658 | 16 | 3 | 11.2 |
| 10. | Matt Kenseth | 2921 | -688 | 13 | 2 | 9.9 |
| 11. | Denny Hamlin | 2900 | -709 | 5 | 0 | 17.8 |
| 12. | Clint Bowyer | 2855 | -754 | 5 | 0 | 12.4 |
| 13. | David Ragan | 2843 | -766 | 3 | 0 | 14.0 |
| 14. | Kasey Kahne | 2799 | -810 | 9 | 1 | 13.7 |
| 15. | Ryan Newman | 2674 | -935 | 11 | 0 | 18.6 |
Back in Time
June 22, 1997Jeff Gordon wins the California 500, beating teammate Terry Labonte by more than a second to the line in Auto Club Speedway's inaugural race. Of the top 10 finishers in that race, seven of them are no longer racing in the Cup Series: Labonte (2nd), Ricky Rudd (3rd), Ted Musgrave (4th), Jimmy Spencer (5th), Jeff Green (7th), Dale Jarrett (8th) and Ricky Craven (9th).
10 Key Facts
4Drivers in the top 12 in points with an average finish of 10th or better at Auto Club Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (6.4), Carl Edwards (6.8), Matt Kenseth (9.9) and Kyle Busch (10.3).
5Top-10 finishes for Tony Stewart in the last seven races at Auto Club Speedway. Stewart, however, has never won at the track in 14 career starts. His best finish is fourth (twice). It is one of four tracks on which Stewart has never won.
5Drivers who have competed in all 16 races at Auto Club Speedway: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek and Kyle Petty. All are on the entry list for Sunday's race.
6Victories in the last seven races by either Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards. Jimmie Johnson's victory at Indianapolis was the other during that span.
13.31Average starting position for Auto Club Speedway winners. Half of the 16 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. The worst starting position by a winner was 31st by Matt Kenseth in February 2006.
21.4Average finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 13 starts at Auto Club Speedway. The last two February races have resulted in 40th-place finishes, while the last two Labor Day races have resulted in top-fives (2nd and 5th).
30Points that separate Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch among points scored in the last two California races. Johnson has scored the most (370), followed by Edwards (360) and Busch (340).
101Points that separate 11th-place Denny Hamlin and 14th-place Kasey Kahne in the standings with two races until the Chase.
225Laps led by Tony Stewart at Auto Club Speedway, the most by a driver who has not won at the track. Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with 525 laps led at the track.
499Career starts for Jeff Burton in the Cup Series. Burton made his debut on July 11, 1993, at New Hampshire. He started sixth and finished 37th. He will become the 29th driver to have reached 500 starts in a career when he takes the green flag on Sunday.
Also
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Auto Club Speedway
Active drivers, based on victories
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Gordon | 16 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 11 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Matt Kenseth | 13 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| Elliott Sadler | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kasey Kahne | 9 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Carl Edwards | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Kurt Busch | 12 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Greg Biffle | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Active drivers, based on average finish
| Driver | Starts | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Johnson | 11 | 10.6 | 6.4 |
| Carl Edwards | 8 | 16.8 | 6.8 |
| Matt Kenseth | 13 | 21.5 | 9.9 |
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 12.5 | 10.2 |
| Jeff Gordon | 16 | 11.4 | 11.2 |
Cup Series News
- Former Mayfield attorneys sue to recover unpaid fees
- Putting a wrap on 2009 with the top 12 drivers
- Chance meeting provides Edwards insight into 2010
- Hendrick indicates deal in the works to secure Knaus
- Wingo named crew chief for Ragan, No. 6 team
- Hendrick turning attention to getting Junior on track
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