NASCAR Fontana 2013: Can Keselowski continue top-5 streak at Fontana?

After the restrictor-plate madness the week before at Daytona, NASCAR’s annual trek to New Hampshire was supposed to represent a return to the ordinary. Instead all Brian Vickers did was crash the party and became the first part-time driver to win a Sprint Cup event in 89 races.

But was Vickers’ out-of-nowhere victory enough to secure him a place in this week’s power rankings?

Like he had done in the previous four Sprint Cup Series races this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a fairly quiet outing for much of Sunday’s NASCAR race Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.

But just as he has done throughout the year, Earnhardt Jr. was on his game when it counted most and with the laps winding down was once again in the top 10. When Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano tangled on the final lap, Earnhardt Jr. was able to sneak through the carnage and leave Southern California with a second-place finish.

Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano knocked each other off the race track on the final lap of Sunday’s Auto Club 400 -- allowing Kyle Busch to steal the win -- but it was Tony Stewart who left Auto Club Speedway fighting mad.

Yes, it was Busch’s 25^th victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Yes, Busch broke a 31-race drought. Yes, Busch gave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota their first victory at Auto Club Speedway.

Tony Stewart has made his contempt for drivers who deliberately block him known.

That disdain was unleashed during Sunday’s NASCAR race at Auto Club Speedway when Stewart threw punches at Joey Logano, who had blocked him on a late-race restart as the two were battling for the lead.

Getting a tattoo wasn’t something Kasey Kahne had thought of until the past year.

Wanting to commemorate his grandfathers, Richard Peterson and Kenny Kahne, the driver for Hendrick Motorsports decided to get their initials -- RDP and KSK -- tattooed on the upper inside portion of his left arm Thursday.

When Brad Keselowski won the Sprint Cup Series championship last November he had a well-publicized celebration that included him chugging beer in the midst of being interviewed on SportsCenter.

Although many took no issue with Keselowski being caught up in the moment and enjoying the fruit of his spoils, there were some who were critical of NASCAR’s newly crowned champ being inebriated in the middle of an ESPN interview.

Unlike last year where rain shortened the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway, California will live up to its nick name of “Sunny California.” The sunny weather of Friday will continue through the rest of the weekend. While there may be areas of patchy fog in the morning, there will be lots of sunshine during the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures will also be very pleasant reaching the low to mid 70s. After the challenging forecast last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, this meteorologist is going to enjoy watching the NASCAR race and not looking at the radar.

Leave it to Clint Bowyer to provide some perspective on the tussle between Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin last week at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“I’m so proud of Denny and Joey,” Bowyer said Friday at Auto Club Speedway. “They did such a good job. It was great. It’s just good to see that. Emotions are high at a short track and things happen and no different than what happened at Phoenix.

NASCAR gets set to invade Fontana, Calif. and the Auto Club Speedway for the weekend, culminating in the fifth race of the Sprint Cup Series’ season on Sunday afternoon.

But first, festivities get underway Friday with a Sprint Cup practice session at 2:30 p.m. ET. Later, the Speed Channel will air qualifying for Sunday’s Auto Club 400, with television coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET.