Going Back To Cali: Recapping The Auto Club 500 From Fontana

So far, so good for Matt Kenseth and new crew chief Todd Parrott.

Kenseth said he was “feeling great” after opening the season with consecutive top 10 finishes, placing seventh Sunday in California.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t have the day he or his team was looking for in Fontana, as he finished a disappointing 32^nd after breaking an axle - a problem he said was part of the same issue that felled Jimmie Johnson at Daytona.

Earnhardt Jr. said the team believes it was faulty material in the axle that was responsible for the failure.

If you’re an Anybody But Jimmie fan, the 2010 season is off to a crappy start for you.

Jimmie Johnson got incredibly lucky – there’s no two ways around that – by being on pit road at the exact time the caution came out during Sunday’s Auto Club 500, which gave him what crew chief Chad Knaus called “the break of the race.”

After a brief rain delay – which would have allowed Scott Speed to steal a remarkable win – the racing is back underway in Fontana.

Richard Childress Racing cars Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are running 1-2 as a caution for Brad Keselowski’s spin on the frontstretch has brought out a caution with 26 laps to go.

As the Auto Club 500 rolls into its second half, Dale Earnhardt Jr. just picked up the free pass to get back on the lead lap.

Earnhardt Jr. had driven up to 18th place but then was caught speeding entering pit road. He fell back to 30th place after the penalty and was lapped.

So the cars are getting a bit strung out here in Fontana, and I just caught myself daydreaming.

Of what? Maybe closer racing.

Juan Pablo Montoya grabbed the lead on the first lap and jumped out to a healthy margin, but an apparent scrape with the wall has allowed Jimmie Johnson to catch and pass him in Fontana.

Johnson cruised by Montoya at lap 30 and is now putting some distance between himself and the leaders.

Under cloudy skies – but no rain – the Auto 500 is about to get underway in Southern California (live on Fox).

Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya will lead the field to the green.

It’s not raining at Auto Club Speedway – at least for the moment.

Keep checking back here for updates on all the news and in-race reports throughout the day.

Mark Martin is bad fast in California.

Martin posted the fastest speed in the final Sprint Cup practice on Saturday afternoon with a lap of 181.726 mph, besting Clint Bowyer’s 180.895.

Sorry, race fans: The guy most of you are tired of seeing is back atop the charts again.

Four-time defending Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson led the first of two practices for Sunday’s Auto Club 500 on Saturday afternoon in Southern California, posting a fast lap of 182.537 mph.

Who says there’s no momentum in racing?

Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray followed up his win in NASCAR’s biggest race by storming to the pole for the Auto Club 500 in Southern California on Friday afternoon, leading a front row that also includes Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

The Chevrolets have exploded out of the box in California.

Chevy drivers had the top eight spots in the first practice at Auto Club Speedway on Friday afternoon, a 90-minute session led by Mark Martin (182.927 mph).

Jeff Burton doesn’t want to sugarcoat what happened with the Daytona pothole.

“Let’s be honest,” he said, “the pothole thing sucked. We can cover it up [but] that was bad and you didn’t see the field at the Super Bowl come apart. You don’t expect to see the track at any race come apart.”

Kasey Kahne had his hopes up.

After a great performance in the Budweiser Shootout and a victory in his Gatorade Duel race, Kahne was feeling optimistic about his chances in the Daytona 500.

The real racing season begins this weekend in Fontana, as Auto Club Speedway will be the site of the first intermediate track event of 2010.

Last season, 10 of the top 12 finishers at California went on to make the Chase. Will this race be the barometer for the season again this year?