After a wild weekend at Bristol full of beating, banging, and tempers flaring, the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series heads back out west to take on the fifth race of the season at the two mile Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. As the second race at a downforce track 1.5 miles or larger, this race will be another key race in an early season for teams to hone their speedway programs.
Nationwide Series
The Nationwide Series takes to the track in the Royal Purple 300 on Saturday and is scheduled to go green at 2:00 PM local time (5:00 PM Eastern). The field will consist of only a few Cup regulars, so the Nationwide regulars should have their time to shine in the California sun.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| Austin Dillon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Brad Sweet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 6.0 |
| Kyle Busch | 14 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 495 | 7.1 | 7.2 |
| Brian Vickers | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 48 | 10.0 | 10.9 |
| Trevor Bayne | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11.8 | 12.2 |
| Brian Scott | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 13.0 |
| Reed Sorenson | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 14.5 | 14.8 |
| Justin Allgaier | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9.7 | 15.2 |
| Elliott Sadler | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 16.8 | 15.5 |
| Mike Bliss | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 16.5 | 17.6 |
Who To Watch: Two of the top drivers statistically at Auto Club Speedway, Austin Dillon and Brad Sweet, only have one start each at the track and both will be making their second starts this weekend. Look for both to try to back up their finishes of fifth and sixth, respectively. Two time winner in 2013, Kyle Busch, will look to add another win to his resume of five wins and an average finish of 7.2. As the lone Cup regular in the top 10 statistically, Busch will be a strong threat for the win once again. Others to keep an eye on include Brian Vickers, Trevor Bayne, Brian Scott, and the rest of the top 10.
Sprint Cup Series
The Sprint Cup Series drivers get their chance on track in the 200 lap Auto Club 400 on Sunday, scheduled to get underway at 12:00 PM local time (3:00 PM Eastern). The Gen6 car gets its second test at a track 1.5 miles or larger and good runs here should give teams some ideas for other large tracks through the remainder of the season.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| Jimmie Johnson | 18 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 851 | 9.1 | 5.4 |
| Carl Edwards | 15 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 121 | 18.5 | 8.7 |
| Matt Kenseth | 20 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 497 | 20.4 | 10.2 |
| Clint Bowyer | 12 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 45 | 14.3 | 10.8 |
| Kyle Busch | 15 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 474 | 11.7 | 11.3 |
| Jeff Gordon | 23 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 622 | 12.9 | 11.8 |
| Kurt Busch | 19 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 231 | 15.2 | 12.7 |
| Tony Stewart | 21 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 314 | 14.8 | 13.5 |
| Mark Martin | 21 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 324 | 12.7 | 13.6 |
| Kasey Kahne | 16 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 268 | 10.2 | 14.9 |
Who To Watch: California native Jimmie Johnson practically owns Auto Club Speedway with five wins, 12 top fives, 14 top tens, and an average finish of 5.4 in 18 races. Those stats put Johnson squarely at the top of the heap at this track and this Sunday should be no different. However, there are others who could give Johnson a run for his money, including Phoenix winner Carl Edwards with one win and an average finish of 8.7 in 14 races; Las Vegas winner Matt Kenseth with three wins and an average finish of 10.2 in 20 races; Clint Bowyer with an average finish of 10.8 in 12 races, and Kyle Busch with one win and an average finish of 11.3 in 15 races.
