MONDAY MORNING CREW CHIEF: What we learned from Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at California

COMMENTARY

It’s only two races, but there were some clear trends and storylines that developed in the second race of the season, ones that offer a hint of things to come. 
 
For those expecting – or hoping – that four-time champion Jimmie Johnson would get off to a slow start, providing a bit of hope for the other championship contenders, forget it. Johnson vowed to start strong and rack up a few early wins, and he’s on his way.
 
His biggest threat was supposed to be Denny Hamlin, but he’s headed in the opposite direction. Hamlin has finished 17th and 29th in the first two races and really wasn’t a factor in either one.
 
Here’s a look at some key observations from Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway and a look at what to expect going forward.
 
• Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team have taken up right where they left off in 2009. Johnson led the most laps on Sunday, but, in typical fashion, won on a day when he really didn’t have the best car.
 
As usual, Johnson and his team found a way to win while other teams made mistakes that they couldn’t completely recover from.
 
Yes, they were a bit lucky when the caution flag flew at exactly the right time at California, but good teams take advantage of that good fortune, and Johnson and his team do almost every time. That’s what separates the great teams from the good ones, and Johnson’s No. 48 is the only great team out there right now.
 
 • Johnson’s top challenger again looks to be his own teammate, Mark Martin, who finished fourth at California on a day when he, too, did not have a great car.
 
Unlike last year, Martin is off to a great start and is sixth in points after two races. That bodes well for one of the most consistent drivers in the sport.
 
If he stays solidly in the Chase during the first half of the season, unlike last year, when he had to scrap and dig for 26 races just to make it, his Hendrick team should be in a better position to challenge Johnson come Chase time.
 
• Richard Childress Racing has bounced back, and in a big way.
 
RCR has not only improved its performance during the offseason, it looks to have leaped over Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing as the organization most likely to challenge Hendrick.
 
RCR was strong at Daytona, like it always is, but Sunday’s performance at California was far more impressive.
 
The three RCR drivers combined to lead 75 of 250 laps and all three finished in the top 10. More importantly, all three were in contention to win at various times.
 
Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton both had shots to beat Johnson at the end, and then slugged it out for second in the best race on the track.
 
The fact that both drivers could race door-to-door with Johnson sent a strong message to Hendrick and the rest of the field that the Childress teams are going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.
 
Two years ago, RCR put all three of its drivers in the Chase. It’s headed in that direction again, with Harvick and Clint Bowyer leading the point standings and Burton in fifth. 
 
And, on a side note, I wonder how long it will be before the rejuvenated Harvick forgets about his flirtation with free agency and signs a contract extension with RCR?
 
• The Roush Fenway cars look a bit better, but they’re still not good enough to challenge Hendrick on a weekly basis.
 
Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle both finished in the top 10 at California and Carl Edwards wasn’t far behind in 13th. But no Roush driver led a lap, and this was a track the organization has dominated over the years, winning there seven times.
 
Biffle should have finished better than 10th, but was one of the drivers caught on pit road when the untimely – or timely if you’re Johnson – caution flag came out on lap 225.
 
He believes he could have challenged Johnson and the RCR cars for the win, but he never got close enough to try.
 
The Roush teams obviously have some work to do if they want to return to their 2008 form, which produced 11 victories.
 
“I think we’ve got a ways to go, but we’re getting closer,” Biffle said.
 
• You know a speedway is in trouble when the track president has to discuss its poor attendance and its future during the middle of a Sprint Cup race.
 
Auto Club Speedway President Gillian Zucker said Sunday she would fight “kicking and screaming” to keep her two Cup dates, but she may be fighting a losing battle.
 
The Auto Club 500, which hasn’t sold out since 2004, drew anywhere from 50,000 to 72,000 fans, depending on which estimate you believe, but even the best estimate is about 20,000 short of a sellout.
 
That’s not good for a major market like Southern California and an embarrassment for NASCAR’s second race of the season, one that should benefit from the momentum of the Daytona 500.
 
Clearly, Southern California is not embracing the sport the way it should, and it’s time NASCAR recognized that and made a move.
 
Since it has had problems selling tickets since it got a second date in 2004, this is clearly not a problem you can just chalk up to the shoddy economy.
 
If NASCAR allows International Speedway Corp., it sister company, to add a second race at Kansas Speedway, then Auto Club should lose one of its races based on performance alone.
 
At the very least, NASCAR needs to find a different venue for the second race of the season.
 
• The biggest surprise of the season so far has to be Scott Speed, whose Red Bull team finished outside the top 35 in owner points last year and is under pressure to qualify for the first five races on speed.
 
But the second-year driver has come out smoking. He has led the first two races, finished 19th and 11th and is 15th in points.
 
Sure, he led those two races by gambling on pit strategy, but he was close enough to the front to make such a move, which is a far cry from last season.
 
On Sunday at California, the Red Bull team appeared to have two competitive cars, which is a big step for the organization and Toyota.