Matt Kenseth leads the pack into Race 2 for the first time in his 10 full Cup Series seasons. His victory at the Daytona 500 sets the stage for a certain shake up in the point standings when the sun sets at Fontana on Sunday.

When the season opener was called 48 laps from conclusion, several championship-hopeful teams were left in the rain at Daytona -- including four-time series champion Jeff Gordon. He enters Fontana in 12th place but has high hopes that a good run on Sunday will give his team a boost in the point standings.

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"Because [Daytona] is a restrictor-plate track, I don't think last Sunday's results have any meaning on what kind of year you're going to have," Gordon said. "I think you get a better understanding of how you stack up against the other teams after the races at California and Las Vegas.

"Without testing, I think the teams that were successful on the intermediate tracks last year will probably be strong again. But that's a double-edged sword. When you're successful, you're afraid to change too much. Teams that weren't strong may roll the dice and look outside the box, and they may hit on something.

"We are one of those teams that haven't adapted to this new car as quickly as we would have liked, so we may have to change our thought process."

Changing a thought process is something Kenseth will have to do in the wake of the Daytona 500 winner's media tour blitz. In years past he's been among those who have packed up and headed for the next race. This week, he's been here, there and everywhere -- except at the garage and focusing his undivided attention on the next race.

"It really doesn't take any pressure off," Kenseth said. "It puts, I think, a little bit of a spring in everybody's step. It probably gives everybody a little bit more confidence.

"Daytona is a totally different race than Fontana or Atlanta or Bristol or any of these tracks that are really the bread-and-butter of the season. I mean, those are the tracks you have to run good to be a serious championship contender, but it certainly does give everybody a little confidence."

That confidence should pay dividends this weekend:

"Except for last year and probably '01, when we were winless, we for some reason have been able to -- when we do get victories -- get some early season wins for some reason," added Kenseth, whose 10 top-10 finishes leads all drivers at Fontana. "So I think it's important to get off to a good start like we did, but we really need to go perform and try to win more races this year and try to be a championship contender."

In fact, 11 of Kenseth's 17 career victories have come in the first half of the season, which has ultimately helped him qualify for the Chase each season since 2004. Only two drivers, Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, have participated in each of the 10-race playoffs the past five seasons.

"My goals are pretty high for this year and I think with the addition of [crew chief] Drew [Blickensderfer] I feel more optimistic and more confident in my team and in the possibility that we have for this year than I have, really, honestly, in a long, long time," Kenseth said.

Fontana is one of five tracks at which Kenseth has a career-best two victories, and his 9.6 average finish ranks as his third-best at all tracks. Even better for Kenseth and his Roush Fenway teammates: The stable has won each of the past four spring races at California -- Greg Biffle (2005), Kenseth (2006 and '07) and defending race winner Carl Edwards.

"I know all the equipment is there. Roush Fenway Racing won a lot of races last year. We weren't one of them, but they were able to win almost a third of the races, and we know the equipment is there and I really feel like I've got the team to win, so we need to go win some more races at these other tracks."

Meanwhile, Gordon remains optimistic that he will continue to improve. He remains the only driver since 1997 to win the first two races in a season and looks to build on a sterling resume at the 2-mile track. Gordon, who won two of the first three races at the track, and Hendrick teammate Johnson have a series-best three victories at Fontana.

"I think we made a lot gains as we progressed through last year, and it showed in our finishes. That's why I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I want to see if we have closed the gap even more.

"I feel we are a team that may have to look outside the box. If we do, we might just hit on something."