Plenty of compelling reasons to watch Auto Club 500
Jeff Owens
Jeff Owens has been covering NASCAR since 1991 and began covering the circuit full time in 1993. He has been with Street & Smith's Sports Group since 1998.
Though rain dampened what was shaping up as a thrilling Daytona 500, the race still left us with plenty to talk about – Kenseth, Roush, Junior, The Wreck.
Now, there is usually considerable fizzle a week later, with the circuit moving to Auto Club Speedway in California, which has little fan interest and rarely produces compelling racing.
This weekend is typically one in which the air is let out of the NASCAR balloon.
But there are some compelling reasons to watch this weekend’s race (if you don’t believe me, check out our SceneDaily 7).
A big one is that the series will get back to normal, with more of the type of racing we can expect each week, giving us a bit of insight into what to expect the rest of the season.
That means that NASCAR’s three biggest current stars are likely to square off for the win.
Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch dominated last season and are the drivers to beat again this year.
It will be interesting to see who gets the upper hand at California.
Edwards won this race last year while Johnson has three wins there. Busch won there in 2005.
Don’t be surprised if all three are in the hunt and go door to door or nose to tail for the win, each trying to flex his muscle and send an early-season message to the rest of the field.
Can Edwards take up where he left off last season? Will Busch bounce back (from the Chase For The Sprint Cup and the Daytona 500) with a vengeance?
The possibilities make the race intriguing and worth watching.
Let’s hope they – and the speedway – don’t disappoint.
