Smack: Final thoughts on a memorable Daytona 500 (cont'd)

3. It's on to Auto Club Speedway in Southern California, where Jimmie Johnson has won three of the last five events. Is this where he begins his annual Daytona rebound?

Joe Menzer: Well, I can pretty much guarantee you that he's not going to finish 35th again, or whatever it was at Daytona. So I guess the short answer to your question is yes. And I wouldn't be surprised -- I don't think anyone would -- if he even pulled out the win.

David Caraviello: No better place to ease your pothole-caused concerns than Southern California, which this week is supposed to be sunny and warmer. And no question, the Hendrick Motorsports boys own the place. Either Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon, pull 'em out of a hat.

Mr. rebound

Don't let the finish at Daytona fool you, Jimmie Johnson should be just fine Sunday at Fontana, and he should be on your fantasy roster.

• Complete story
• By the Numbers: Fontana
• Power Rankings: Fontana
• Video: Fantasy Showdown
• Video: Preview Show

Dave Rodman: It's race by race, as it always is. There is no reason to believe Johnson won't win. But it's racing, after all. No guarantee what will happen, as the crashes in practice proved for some people, including JJ. Despite the lack of interest shown in California by most people, I'm fascinated to see what will occur. Of course, we're getting paid, right?

Joe Menzer: I'm looking forward to hitting the Presidential Lounge in Riverside. Always entertaining. And the beer is cold.

David Caraviello: And Teddy Roosevelt was there! Not recently, of course.

Joe Menzer: Plus, I hear they just repaved the parking lot. Of the race track, that is.

Dave Rodman: Ask track president Gillian Zucker for that price tag. It's paving -- I'm sure it was sizeable. And we have a 60 percent chance of rain on Saturday, but every other day is wonderful. That must be because Mark Aumann will be relaxing around the cabin.

Joe Menzer: No Rain Man in sight or in the forecast, so that part of it looks great. I agree, though, it is always fascinating to see what takes place the week after the madness that is Daytona. This is where you start the long process of sorting out the players from the pretenders.

David Caraviello: Hey, it's a big weekend for Auto Club Speedway. General consensus is, the place is running out of time. Now that Kansas finally has its casino situation worked out, the wheels are going to start turning on a second date there. And that means California is on the clock. Last week somebody told me, "Enjoy the final spring race at California!" I don't know if it's quite that immediate, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Dave Rodman: I hope it is. That would end the debate about Martinsville. In my opinion, they need to have one, kick-ass spectacular event a season at California. I've said before, they ought to kick off the Chase there -- no offense to New Hampshire -- but if you're having your big whoop, it ought to be in the center of glitz and glamour. Chase kickoff media event could be in LA. Perfect.

Joe Menzer: Yeah, well, we've heard that one before. But let's be honest, it doesn't deserve to have two dates and hasn't for some time. Too bad, too. It's a nice facility. But they just haven't caught on with the Southern California crowd the way NASCAR envisioned when they first gave them that second date.

David Caraviello: Dave, I couldn't agree with you more. I think some worry that the reception in SoCal has been so ho-hum that Fontana wouldn't give the Chase the bang it's looking for. New Hampshire, despite it's out-of-the-way locale, does basically guarantee a sellout crowd, something you certainly haven't had in California. It's a nice facility, and NASCAR clearly needs to be there. It would be ridiculous for NASCAR to not race in the car culture and automotive design capital of the world. But clearly, somebody misjudged the strength of that market.

Joe Menzer: I can't believe New England Dave is proposing to run the Chase out of New Hampshire!

David Caraviello: Nobody's saying the Chase doesn't belong in New Hampshire. But I agree with Dave, it should start elsewhere. You need a major metro track for your playoff kickoff. But we're getting ahead of ourselves by 25 weeks, aren't we?

Dave Rodman: Right -- and believe me, I think NHMS would sell out whichever week in the Chase they were -- but California used to sell out, too. I think they need one, big event, and what else is available except the Chase kickoff? To me, it would be worth a try.

David Caraviello: Darlington is proof positive that a facility can be more successful with one event than with two. There is life after losing a race.

• Purchase tickets
• Book your travel

Joe Menzer: Maybe Auto Club Speedway also would do better if they were actually located closer to L.A. and the Hollywood crowd they're always courting out there. Fact is, it's pretty far from all that stuff and there are way too many other things to do that are closer. But you can't pick up a track and move it, can you? Heck, they can't even repave one these days, apparently.

Dave Rodman: Well, the sort of alarming thing is, it's the second spiffy facility to not do so well in that location. That ought to tell you something. And that gets to a point that is probably one of the most irritating in the sport, to me. They ought to shuffle up the 10-race Chase schedule on an annual basis, save for the finale and the races that can't be swapped, like the Coke 600, Daytona 500, etc.

David Caraviello: Oh, come on, Joe. I'm looking forward to my 50-minute drive from LAX to the Inland Empire! Ah, the scenery!

Joe Menzer: Fifty minutes if you're lucky, my friend! And to circle back around to the original question, I'll tell you something else: I think Jimmie Johnson might be about the only guy who would be sorry to see a second date go by the wayside in California.

David Caraviello: I indeed think this will be the unofficial kickoff to Johnson's fifth championship run. Maybe the HBO guys should have stuck around for another week?

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.