2006 Sony HD 500: This Sunday the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars head west to California Speedway for the 2006 Sony HD 500. This race starts in the afternoon and will end in twilight making car setup critical to a good finish. Matt Kenseth won here in February and has won the last two races in a row. Will Kenseth continue his hot streak into The Chase?
Tickets: Speedway ticket office (800) 944-7223 or 1-800-PITSHOP
Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)
The Track: California is a fast and wide two mile "D" oval with 14 degrees of banking in the turns and 11 degrees in the front D. Due to the wide racing surface most races in California have very few cautions. As a result many NEXTEL Cup races have come down to fuel mileage battles
Race Distance: 250 laps = 500 miles
The Big Picture: Matt Kenseth has closed in on Jimmie Johnson for the lead but all eyes remain on the battle for tenth. Kasey Kahne is 90 points out of a Chase qualifying spot but could find himself as high as fourth in points after this week's race.
Top Ten
- Jimmie Johnson -0
- Matt Kenseth -7
- Kevin Harvick -321
- Kyle Busch -402
- Jeff Gordon -408
- Denny Hamlin -429
- Jeff Burton -435
- Tony Stewart -443
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -448
- Mark Martin -450
Storylines: The Race to The Chase still dominates the storylines this week. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are locked into The Chase. Everyone from fourth on back is in danger of falling out of the top ten this week.
Six positions changed hands after Watkins Glen. Seven spots were shuffled after Bristol. This weekend's race in California will likely see another big shuffle in the points.
Media Coverage: TV: NBC Sunday September 2nd 7:00PM Eastern.
Radio: MRN and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 8:00PM Eastern
Posted Awards: $5,963,974
Previously...: When teams were here in February there were a number of blown motors that shaped the face of the race. Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle both had very fast cars but neither of them made it the full 500 mile distance.
This left the race wide open and Matt Kenseth took the opportunity to score his first victory of 2006. Jimmie Johnson finished second.
Predictions: In February Tony Stewart had the car to beat but only had enough motor for 400 miles. Like nearly everyone else in the top ten Stewart needs a good finish on Sunday. He has proven that he has a fast car. If the guys in the engine shop can keep him in horsepower for the full 500 mile distance then Tony will be a factor on Sunday.
My backup choice has to be Matt Kenseth. Matt won here in February and has won the last two races including Michigan which is very similar to California. Clearly Matt can get the job done and has to be another favorite to win this week.
