This Week in Auto Racing February 23 - February 25

Autoracing Betting Lines

02/20/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - From one coast to the other the NASCAR caravan pulls into the Los Angeles area for week No.2 of 36. For those that had a tough time in the restrictor-plate race at Daytona its back to un- restricted horsepower and a chance to rebound. In the Busch Series the question is can anyone derail the "Harvick Express?" In the truck series it's all about trying to stop Toyota from becoming a "dynasty."

NASCAR

Nextel Cup

Auto Club 500 - California Speedway - Fontana, CA

Though Kevin Harvick put his name on the trophy as the 2007 Daytona 500 winner, the race showed why NASCAR is so popular. As many as a 10 drivers were flirting with the win throughout the race.

David Gilliland took the pole position and kept the lead for the first 18 laps proving his Robert Yates Racing team has the speed to compete with the best. Then Kurt Busch took over displaying for everyone that Penske Racing was a force to be reckoned with in 2007.

The third driver to lead the race was Tony Stewart who looks ready to have a great season despite his 43rd-place result in Daytona. The two-time Nextel Cup Series champion was dominant from laps 49-80 until he had a problem on pit road some of which was not his fault. Stewart rebounded from the problem and on lap 150 assumed the lead for the second time, but a slight bobble caused him to collide with Kurt Busch ending both drivers day.

Kyle Busch inherited the lead at this point, but it was not a fluke. Unlike his teammates Jeff Gordon and defending Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson who were nowhere on Sunday, Busch had been sitting in the top-10 for almost the entire event.

But don't think for even a single minute that either of the two Hendrick Motorsports superstars won't be competing in this year's "Chase for the Nextel Cup." In spite of an ill-handling car, Gordon recorded a 10th-place finish while Johnson led all drivers last year with 24-top-10s.

Matt Kenseth was also a player in the "500" sitting fourth overall when Kyle Busch collided with him on the final lap. The No.17 Roush Racing Ford should be a threat to win most weeks and will probably lead a number of Roush teammates back into the "Chase." They has five of 10 "Chase" drivers in 2005, but stumbled last year getting just two drivers in the "playoffs" (Kenseth, Mark Martin).

Speaking of Martin, the veteran was finally within sight of his first Daytona 500 victory in 23 tries when a "freight train" (Harvick) caught him at the finish line. Martin, driving for Ginn Racing in 2007 (formerly known as MBV/MB2 Motorsports), will be competitive in every race he drives this season because he has Hendrick engines and he's a smart racer.

Harvick along with teammates Jeff Burton (finished third) and Clint Bowyer (finished 18th while upside down and on fire) can also win any race they are in.

That was 10 drivers who could have won last week and could win this week and the list didn't include: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne (six wins in 2006), 2006 Rookie-of-the-Year Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman or Bobby Labonte.

The list also didn't include Formula One star Juan Montoya, who probably won't win in 2007, but should be fun to watch particularly when the series arrives at the road courses in Infineon and Watkins Glen.

Last year's race in California saw Kenseth edge Johnson by 0.338 seconds. Edwards, Kahne and Burton made up the top-five. The No.17 Roush Ford's win was the capper for owner Jack Roush who won all three events in 2006 - Martin in a truck and Biffle in the Busch Series).

With 55 laps to go, Biffle had a huge margin over the field. He was on a record-setting pace and just 15 cars could even stay on the lead lap with him. But a "debris" caution flag on lap 198 made short work of Biffle's safety margin.

When the green flag dropped, Biffle made quick work of second-place Kenseth and with 37 laps remaining his lead was 3.023 seconds. No one was faster than Biffle, but a couple of teams were preparing to go the final 50 laps without stopping. That gamble appeared to be the only way to catch the No.16 National Guard Ford.

Then Stewart's engine let go bringing out a caution flag.

All the leaders except Gordon came down pit road and took four tires. Gordon's crew gave him two right-side tires to get him the lead with 32 laps to go. Kenseth was second quickest out and Biffle was third. It took Kenseth just three-quarters of a lap to slip underneath Gordon for the lead, just moments before Stanton Barrett spun his No.95 Chevrolet. It was a short caution and the drivers quickly saw the green flag.

Biffle took second from Gordon with 26 laps to go and took aim on Kenseth. But then a puff of smoke from Biffle's engine was the first sign of an engine problem and he radioed that his engine lost a cylinder.

When Kenseth took the white flag, signifying one lap to go, his lead was six lengths on Johnson and he cruised to the finish line.

After the wild and controversial finish in the Daytona 500 can Nextel Cup keep the momentum going this week in California? Stay tuned.

Busch

Stater Bros. 300 - California Speedway - Fontana, CA

Though Kevin Harvick claims not to be running a full Busch Series schedule in 2007, he may not need to. In 2006 Harvick won the championship by 824 points over Carl Edwards. He clinched the series title on October 13th with four races still remaining on the schedule, so if he keeps up last year's pace he could still successfully defend his crown.

And based on last week's Orbitz 300, that is exactly what the No.21 Chevrolet is going to do.

Harvick won the 2007 Busch Series opener beating Dave Blaney by 0.460 seconds for the 27th win of his career. Harvick and teammate Clint Bowyer led 43 of 120 laps finishing first and fourth, respectively.

Off the Daytona performance there is reason to think that Harvick can duplicate his 2006 effort when he won nine times and posted a mind-boggling 32 top-10s in 35 events.

In last year's Stater Bros. 300 Harvick finished eighth, well behind winner Greg Biffle. Biffle cruised to a 2.255-second win over Ryan Newman and loves the two-mile California Speedway. It was a race in which the top-11 finishers were all Nextel Cup regulars, but Biffle was easily the best.

Biffle was the leader after 46 laps, but Edwards rebounded from an early handling problem to make a run at his Roush Racing teammate. He passed him on lap 47, but Biffle returned the favor one lap later.

At the mid-point of the race a new challenger, Jeff Burton, had not only joined Edwards, Biffle and Newman at the top, but passed all of them for his first lead of the race.

A caution flag on lap 133 bunched up the field for a final run to the checkered flag. Edwards pitted for new tires from the lead, but the rest of the leaders stayed out on the track leaving the No.60 Ford in 10th place on the restart.

The green flag re-appeared on lap 139. Could Edwards come from the back to win or did he make the wrong choice?

It looked encouraging for Edwards right after the restart. He passed three lead cars on the first half lap. But as he charged towards the top it got harder and harder to make the pass.

Biffle was setting a fast pace after passing Burton and Newman was about one second back. Edwards was over two seconds back. The No.60 Ford continued to move up the charts, fifth on lap 143 and fourth on lap 144.

Meanwhile, Biffle was expanding his margin over Newman. His lead was 1.093 seconds with nine laps to go and 1.547 seconds with five remaining. Edwards passed one more car, Burton, for third place, but that was as far as he could go.

Biffle took the checkered flag unchallenged. In both the Cup and Busch Series combined at Fontana, Biffle has collected four wins in the last three years.

Craftsman

San Bernardino County 200 - California Speedway - Fontana, CA

The 2007 Craftsman Truck Series began in the same way that the 2006 series ended - with Toyota power dominating.

The top-three finishers in last year's standings were all Toyota-powered cars driven by series champion Todd Bodine, runner-up Johnny Benson and third-place David Reutimann.

In the Chevy Silverado HD 250 at Daytona, Jack Sprague grabbed the win in his No.60 Toyota with second place going to Benson in another Toyota. Sprague (high) and Benson (low) charged around leader Travis Kvapil in the final 200 yards for the win.

"This is the most awesome win that I've ever been able to accomplish," said Sprague who has 28 series victories to compare it with.

Toyota took four of the top-five slots with only Kvapil's No.6 Roush Ford (finishing third) preventing a four-car sweep by Toyota.

Series champion Bodine began the defense of his title with a fifth-place finish.

"The competition level in the Truck Series is incredible," said Bodine on his team's website. "This is probably going to be the best year of truck racing yet.

"I'm leaving Daytona as confident as ever in our Daytona/Talladega program, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we've got for the rest of the races on our schedule. We should be in very good shape."

Now its on the California where Mark Martin is the defending champion although he will not be driving for the team or in the car that he won last year's race. Martin will be in the No.21 Ford truck while Kvapil will again have Roush power and expertise behind him in the No.6 Ford.

In last year's race, Martin had to beat five out five strong Toyotas and did just that to edge Bodine by 0.131 second for the win.

Qualifying is set for Friday afternoon and the race will be run Friday night at 9 p.m. (et).