NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Last stop on the West Coast swing at Auto Club Speedway

Drivers with Most Top 10s in the Last 5 Years:

Both with 4: Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano
All with 3 - Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Jimmie Johnson

Top 5 Driver Averages in the last 10 Cup Races
SOURCE: MRN.com

Driver	Best Fin.	Avg. Fin.
Jimmie Johnson	1	9.2
Erik Jones	7	9.5
Kyle Busch	1	10.2
Chase Elliott	6	10.7
Kevin Harvick	1	11.5

Top 10 Driver Rating at Auto Club
Active Drivers 2005-2018 races 20 total)
SOURCE: NASCAR Media  
Jimmie Johnson........... 115.6
Kyle Busch...................109.6
Erik Jones.....................101.0
Kevin Harvick.............. 95.5
Chase Elliott................. 95.2
Denny Hamlin.............. 92.7
Kyle Larson.................. 91.9
Clint Bowyer................. 89.6
Kurt Busch.................... 88.1
Joey Logano.................. 87.8

Recent Pole Winners: 

2018 Martin Truex Jr.
2017 Kyle Larson

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

The Likely Suspects: Auto Club Speedway is a track where you want to load your roster with the best of the best. I'm looking at these drivers to run well this weekend: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Martin Truex Jr.

My 2 Cents: This isn't the week to take a leap of faith with a rookie who isn't an awesome wheelman ... yet. Load your roster with proven drivers and you should score some big points. My no-brainer pick this week for the second consecutive year is a tie between the Busch brothers. My next choices are Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney, and Erik Jones. I will complete my team with Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Erik Jones. Last year Jones finished in seventh place and it was just his second Cup appearance at Auto Club Speedway. He leads all active drivers in the series in average starting position at Auto Club Speedway with a 9.0. He had two top-five finishes in three Xfinity Series races here though and he has been racing pretty competitively so far this season. Last week's second-look driver Alex Bowman qualified well enabling him to start sixth on the grid. Unfortunately he had two significant brushes with the wall that ultimately ended his day mid-way through the final stage. He finished in a disappointing 35th place.

My Final Four: Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, and Chris Buescher

Points to Ponder:

• The most prolific starting position at Auto Club Speedway is pretty random; four starting positions (first, third, ninth, and 24th) have all produced three winners each.
• Four of the 29 (13.8%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from the front row, two are by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Fall 2008 (pole) and Fall 2007 (outside pole), Kyle Larson, 2017 (pole), Martin Truex Jr. 2018 (pole).
• Kurt Busch leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in Busch Pole Awards at Auto Club Speedway with four (2015, 2007, and 2006 sweep).
• Three drivers have won from the pole in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2008), Kyle Larson (2017), and Martin Truex Jr. (2018).
• Four different manufacturers have won in the MENCS at Auto Club Speedway, led by Chevrolet with 14 wins, followed by Ford (11), Toyota (three), and Dodge (one). 
• Seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Auto Club Speedway with six victories (2016, Spring 2010, Fall 2009, Fall 2008, Fall 200, and 2002). 
• Jimmie Johnson (2009-2010) and Kyle Busch (2013-2014) are the only two drivers to win consecutive Monster Energy Series races at Auto Club Speedway.
• Erik Jones leads all active drivers in the series in average starting position at Auto Club Speedway with a 9.0.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. ET on Friday, March 15, and pick your starters by 3:30 p.m. ET on race day, Sunday, March 17.

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice at NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway, and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at
Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat.