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Matt Kenseth is strong at Fontana with two wins and a streak of seven consecutive top-seven finishes.By the Numbers: Fontana
Kenseth looks to be first since '97 to win first two events
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Bill Clinton started his second term as President of the United States, The English Patient won the Best Picture Oscar and you couldn't get enough of MMMBop or the Spice Girls.
The year was 1997 and that is also the last time a driver won the Daytona 500 and backed it up with a win the following week. It hasn't happened at Fontana, and Jeff Gordon's 2-for-2 came at Rockingham more than a decade ago.
In fact, those riding a high after winning the Daytona 500 seem to fall flat when they hit the track seven days later. Since Gordon's feat, the average finish of the Daytona 500 winner the second race of the season is 16.0 with just four top-10 finishes in 11 races.
That could all change this week in the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway (5 p.m. ET, FOX) with Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth.
Kenseth is one of the more successful drivers the second race of the season dating back to his first full Cup season in 2000. He has four wins ('02, '04 at Rockingham; '06, '07 at Fontana) and six top-fives in nine races.
"For some reason, when we do get victories, we've been able to get some early-season wins," Kenseth said. "I think it's important to get off to a good start like we did."
Inside the Data
How the Daytona 500 winner fared the following week in the Chase era
2004In the final race at The Rock, Dale Earnhardt Jr. backed up his Daytona 500 victory with a fifth-place finish at Rockingham.
2005This is the first time NASCAR would make the trek from Daytona to Fontana and it didn't suit Jeff Gordon. Engine trouble four laps from the finish dropped Gordon to a 30th-place finish and a DNF.
2006Jimmie Johnson's dream season started off with a bang. He crusied to victory in the Daytona 500 and backed it up in California with a strong second-place finish.
2007Kevin Harvick pulled off the dramatic win at Daytona, but his California performance came up short. Harvick started fourth and led three laps but came home a disappointing 17th after cutting a tire with four laps to go.
2008After rocking the week before at Daytona, Ryan Newman led three laps at Fontana and came home with a respectable 10th-place finish.
Necessitous numbers
3Number of poles for Kurt Busch at Fontana, leading all active drivers. Busch swept the pole in 2006 and added another in the fall race of 2007. Busch has led a lap in eight of the 13 races he's run at Fontana.
3Three drivers have multiple victories at Auto Club Speedway. Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have three wins and Matt Kenseth has two.
4Since Fontana became the second race of the season, only one owner has visited Victory Lane -- Jack Roush. Roush cars have swept the Fontana February race with Greg Biffle taking the checkered in '05, Matt Kenseth winning in '06 and '07 and Carl Edwards driving to victory last season.
5.9Average finish for Jimmie Johnson at Fontana. In 12 races he has three wins and eight top-three finishes. His worst finish at the track is 16th and it happened twice.
9Of the 12 winners at Fontana, nine have double-digit wins in the Cup Series. Elliott Sadler (3), Kasey Kahne (9) and Jeremy Mayfield (5) are the three who fall short.
12There have been 12 winners in 17 races at Fontana and all have one thing in common -- they have been in the Chase at least once in their career.
26.26Average number of lead changes in the February race at Fontana. Last year's Fontana February race featured 33 lead changes -- a record for the Cup Series at the track.
225Number of laps Tony Stewart has led at Fontana, the most for an active driver without a win at the track. In 15 races, Stewart has three top-fives and seven top-10s.
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Auto Club Speedway
Cup winners at the track
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Gordon | 17 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 12 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Matt Kenseth | 14 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Carl Edwards | 9 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Elliott Sadler | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Greg Biffle | 12 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeremy Mayfield | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Kasey Kahne | 10 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Rusty Wallace | 11 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Mark Martin | 15 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Kurt Busch | 13 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Kyle Busch | 9 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
• Bold: Active drivers
Cup Series News
- 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
- NASCAR files motion to keep France docs private
- Victory has Hamlin ready to fight for Cup title in 2010
- Martin can't mount charge needed to push Johnson
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