Auto Club Speedway, has gone by many names over the years, but one thing that didn’t change as often as the name is the racing. For years, Auto Club, or Fontana as I like to call it, has been the sight of great races and incredible finishes. And ever since the Gen-6 car was put in use, the Sprint Cup races here are among the best.

Fontana has no king. Jimmie Johnson has the most wins here, five, but none have come since since the Spring of 2010. In recent years there have been a variety of drivers who have run at the front of here, and every year the finish is crazy.

The thing that makes Fontana so fun, is that the track surface eats up tires faster than a shark eats a minnow. Tires here only last about twenty laps, and with the new tire that Goodyear has given drivers, twenty laps might not even be the life expectancy. This causes tire strategy to always come into play, and at the ned of the race drivers usually end up gambling on there tires in an attempt to gain track position. Last year Brad Keslowski won the race because he came in for 4 tires on a late caution, and he blew past Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick on the final lap.

As I said earlier, no driver is ever the king of Fontana, but there are a few who this track seems to favor. Chief among them is Kyle Busch. Kyle wasn’t in last years race here (He was recovering from injuries sustained in Daytona), but prior to his injuries he was two time defending race winner. And I wouldn’t b surprised if he were to win again this weekend, as he has always run well here since he became a Cup series driver.

Two other drivers who seem to do well here are Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. Harvick grew up not far from Fontana, and he almost always runs well here. Kurt almost won last year’s race here, but he was moved out of the way by Harvick and Keslowski. Both Kurt and Kevin are great candidates for a win this weekend.

Every track seems to have a favorite driver, or favorite class of driver, and for Fontana it’s the young guns. Since the arrival of the Gen-6 car, no driver over thirty has won this race. That seems to indicate that we might have a young winner this weekend. My pick would be either Chase Elliot, Austin Dillon, or Kyle Larson.

Chase has been very impressive this year, running well in every race he’s been in, and I don’t see why that wouldn’t continue this weekend. His crew chief Alan Gustafson led Kyle Busch to a pole and a win here at Fontana in Kyle’s rookie season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened again.

Austin Dillon has been a model of consistency this year, finishing in the top-ten week in, week out. He seems ready to claim his first win, and Fontana seem like the kind of place he’d do it.

Kyle Larson hasn’t been as consistent as the two previously stated drivers, but he is very good at Fontana. I’m not sure he is as likely to win as them, but if he’s going to win this season this is one of his best tracks.

Now who do I think is going to win this weekend? Fontana’s finishes tend to be toss ups, but there tends to be strategy involved. For this reason I think I’m going to say that either Chase Elliot or Kyle Busch will win. Kyle and crew chief Adam Stevens work incredibly well together, and Kyle has more talent than almost any other driver. Elliot has an advantage with crew chief Alan Gustafson. Alan has won Fontana before, and he knows how to work with a rookie. These two are my picks, but like I said, Auto Club is a toss up, and almost anyone can win.