Driver Averages | Laps Led Leaders | Driver Ratings | Race Winners | Pole Winners
Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
Who’s HOT at Auto Club
- Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four starts, including two wins (2013, 2014).
- Kevin Harvick has combined to lead 176 laps and has finished in the runner-up spot twice in the last three races.
- Brad Keselowski (2015 winner) and Joey Logano each have finished in the top 10 in the last three races.
- Kyle Larson won this event last year after leading 110 laps. He has two top 10s with the new Camaro this season.
- Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers in wins (6) and laps led (980). He is still seeking his first top 10 of the year.
- Four-time pole winner Kurt Busch has finished ninth or better in four of the last six races.
Keep an Eye On at Auto Club
- Martin Truex Jr. led 73 laps and finished fourth in this event last year. His 73 laps led were part of a total of 192 laps led at 2-mile speedways in 2017 (other Michigan).
- Chase Elliott has finished in the top 10 in his two Auto Club starts. His team was penalized for a rear suspension violation following last weekend’s race at ISM Raceway.
- Clint Bowyer has finished sixth or better in two of the last three races this season, including a third-place run at Atlanta that has an old racing surface like Auto Club. He also finished third last year at ACS.
- Erik Jones and Aric Almirola have each finished in the top 10 in the last two races this season
- Denny Hamlin has started sixth or better in his last four Auto Club starts, including a pole in 2013. Hamlin has finished fourth in two of the last three races this season and third at ACS in 2016
- Ryan Blaney, who ranks sixth in stage points earned in 2018, finished ninth last season at Auto Club.
- Jamie McMurray (three top 10s), Ryan Newman (12.8), Paul Menard (three top 10s) each rank in the top 10 in average finish in the last five races at Auto Club.
*Best Average Finish at Auto Club
| Last # of Races | Driver | Average Finish |
| Two Races | Joey Logano | 4.5 |
| Four Races | Brad Keselowski | 9.5 |
| Six Races | Kevin Harvick | 11.7 |
| Eight Races | Kevin Harvick | 9.8 |
| Ten Races | Jimmie Johnson | 8.4 |
* – The best average finish is based off a driver entered in the race who has competed in every race during that time span.
Laps Led Leaders at Auto Club
| Last # of Races | Driver | Laps Led |
| Two Races | Kevin Harvick | 142 |
| Four Races | Kevin Harvick | 176 |
| Six Races | Kyle Busch* | 277 |
| Eight Races | Kyle Busch* | 372 |
| Ten Races | Jimmie Johnson/Kyle Busch* | 383 |
*Missed the 2015 race due to an injury.
Click Here to view all laps led leaders at Auto Club Speedway over the past 10 races.
Auto Club Speedway Loop Data Stat Leaders (2005-2017, 19 Races)
| Average Running Pos. | Laps in Top 15 |
| 1. Chase Elliott – 6.3 | 1. Jimmie Johnson – 3,826 |
| 2. Jimmie Johnson – 6.9 | 2. Kyle Busch – 3,382 |
| 3. Erik Jones – 7.2 | 3. Kevin Harvick – 3,064 |
| 4. Kyle Busch – 8.8 | 4. Kurt Busch – 2,611 |
| 5. Kevin Harvick – 12.1 | 5. Kasey Kahne – 2,572 |
| Fastest Laps Run | Driver Rating |
| 1. Jimmie Johnson – 533 | 1. Jimmie Johnson – 116.9 |
| 2. Kyle Busch – 272 | 2. Chase Elliott – 109.0 |
| 3. Kevin Harvick – 227 | 3. Kyle Busch – 108.6 |
| 4. Kurt Busch – 149 | 4. Erik Jones – 100.6 |
| 5. Kasey Kahne – 113 | 5. Kevin Harvick – 97.4 |
2017 Auto Club Stage Finishes
| Stage 1 Top 10 | Stage 2 Top 10 |
| 1. Kyle Larson | 1. Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2. Martin Truex Jr. | 2. Kyle Larson |
| 3. Chase Elliott | 3. Chase Elliott |
| 4. Jamie McMurray | 4. Clint Bowyer |
| 5. Kyle Busch | 5. Erik Jones |
| 6. Clint Bowyer | 6. Jamie McMurray |
| 7. Joey Logano | 7. Kyle Busch |
| 8. Erik Jones | 8. Joey Logano |
| 9. Ryan Blaney | 9. Denny Hamlin |
| 10. Denny Hamlin | 10. Brad Keselowski |
Top Five Drivers for Stage Points Earned in 2018 (4 Races)
| Driver | Stage Points | Stage Wins |
| Kevin Harvick | 55 | 3 |
| Kurt Busch | 42 | 2 |
| Brad Keselowski | 41 | 1 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 40 | 0 |
| Kyle Busch | 38 | 1 |
Rookie Report
Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates William Byron and Darrell Wallace Jr. each have a top five in the Xfinity Series at Auto Club. Byron finished fifth in his lone start in 2017 and Wallace finished sixth in his third track start. Wallace, who leads the rookie standings by nine points, also finished third in 2016. Byron is coming off his best Cup finish, 12th at ISM Raceway.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Martin Truex Jr.
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Robbie Mays: Joey Logano
Tyler Burnett: Kyle Busch
Be sure to check MRN.com all weekend for the practice reports along with Sunday morning’s Auto Club 400 Storylines, which will include our race day picks to win. Auto Club Schedule
Driver Notes – Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Auto Club
Daniel Suarez finished seventh in his first Cup start at Auto Club last season.
Chase Elliott has finished in the top 10 in his two starts at Auto Club and has an 8.0 average finish. Last year, he tied for the third-best average finish (6.7) in the three races contested at 2-mile speedways (Michigan other) and recorded 16 stage points at ACS. Elliott is coming off his best finish of the season, but his team was penalized for a rear suspension violation following last weekend’s race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix.
Kyle Busch is a three-time winner at Auto Club with two of his wins (2013, 2014) coming in his last four starts. Busch, who missed the 2015 race due to an injury, ranks second in laps led (137) in the last five races. Last year, Busch finished in the top 10 in all three races contested at 2-mile speedways and combined to lead 61 laps. He led seven laps, recorded 10 stage points, and finished eighth in this event last year.
Joey Logano joins his teammate Brad Keselowski as the only drivers that have finished in the top 10 in the last three races at Auto Club. Logano also finished third in 2013 to help lower his average finish to 11.6 in the last five races. Logano will also compete in the Xfinity race, which will utilize the same tire combination for the Cup race featuring a new left-side tire.
Erik Jones recorded nine stage points and finished 12th last year in his first Cup start at Auto Club. Jones finished third in his last start at a 2-mile speedway to give him a 9.3 average finish in the three races held at Auto Club and Michigan in 2017. Jones comes into this weekend’s race on the heels of two consecutive top 10s this season. Although it’s only one start, Jones’ 100.6 Driver Rating ranks third among all drivers.
Brad Keselowski joins his teammate Joey Logano as the only drivers that have finished in the top 10 in the last three races at Auto Club. He won in 2015 and finished in the runner-up spot last season. Last year’s finish was his best in the three races at 2-mile speedways in 2017. He did lead 105 laps from the pole last August at Michigan.
Jamie McMurray is coming of his second consecutive top 10 and third in the last four races at Auto Club. In this event in 2017, McMurray recorded a fourth and sixth-place finish, respectively, in the first two stages. McMurray tied for the third-best average finish (6.7) with top 10s in the three races at 2-mile speedways (other two at Michigan).
Ryan Newman has posted a 13.5 average finish in his four Auto Club starts with Richard Childress Racing. Newman’s best finish in that span came in 2015 when he finished fifth.
Paul Menard has finished in the top 10 in three of the last five races at Auto Club. This weekend, Menard will be making his first track start with Wood Brothers Racing.
Kurt Busch has finished in the ninth or better in four of his last five starts at Auto Club, including third-place finishes with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and 2015. Busch has finished in the top 10 in two of the last three races this season, including an eighth-place run after leading 52 laps at Atlanta that has an old racing surface like Auto Club. This season, Busch ranks second in stage points with 55.
Kevin Harvick has finished second in two of the last three races at Auto Club. He finished 13th last season after battling back from damage to the nose of the car as the field stacked up at the green flag. Harvick, who is looking to become the first driver to win four straight races since Jimmie Johnson in 2007, has combined to lead the most laps (177) in the last five races at Auto Club, including 142 in 2016. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same chassis (No. 929) that he last raced to a fourth-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with six wins at Auto Club with the last coming in 2016. His 21st-place finish in this event last year is one of only two outside the top 12 in the last 17 races.
Austin Dillon equaled his best finish in four starts at Auto Club last year in 11th. Dillon will also compete in the Xfinity race, which will utilize the same tire combination for the Cup race featuring a new left-side tire.
AJ Allmendinger finished eighth in 2014 and 2016 for his only top 10s in 13 starts at Auto Club.
Kyle Larson won this event last year from the pole after leading 110 laps. It was his second of four straight wins at 2-mile speedways after taking the checkered flag in the last three races Michigan races dating back to August 2016. Last year, Larson also recorded 19 stage points at ACS.
