Sizing up California's leading men in Auto Club 500

Hendrick Motorsports' teammates Jimmie Johnson [right] and Jeff Gordon rebounded from disappointing Daytona runs by taking second and third, respectively, Monday. Harry How/Getty Images

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Although it's 60 miles from the center of the movie industry, Auto Club Speedway insists on promoting itself as "NASCAR's trip to Hollywood."

Instead, it has become NASCAR's Little Shop of Horrors.

Last February, it was cold weather. In September, it was brutal 106-degree temperatures that David Poole of the Charlotte Observer called "as hot as the face of the sun."

So why should this past weekend have been any different?

This time, it was rain, weepers and red flags that forced NASCAR to call it a night after an attempt to restart at 2 a.m. EST and try again Monday afternoon, with two races for the price of one.

For the Hendrick Motorsports California Boys, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, it was a chance to rally from disappointing finishes in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Johnson, who was strong in the middle portions of the race, finished second to Carl Edwards, while Gordon finished third in the 250-lap, 500-mile race. Johnson jumped 17 positions in the standings to eighth, while Gordon moved up 24 spots to 14th.

So with a race winner who looks like he was sent over from Central Casting in Edwards, two California drivers married to models finishing second and third and the emerging Kyle Busch in fourth, the two-day, marathon at California should give a truer indication of what to expect this season than the restrictor-plate style of the Daytona 500.

Here is a look at the leading men to keep an eye on this season:

Edwards

Come searing heat, rain or weepers, nothing can keep Edwards from making his rounds at Fontana as he scored his second-straight Cup win at the track and the eighth win of his career.

With Ford's numbers dwindling in NASCAR, Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing give the nameplate something to brag about.

"Ford and Roush Fenway and all engineers, everyone has worked really hard, all of them have worked very hard this winter and it's paid off," Edwards said. "This is the reason we won this race is because of the preparations. I'm proud to be driving that car right now. It's a lot of fun.

"I told my guys that we've got them right where we got 'em. This is what we prepared for. The tougher it gets, the more competitive it is. If we had a 55-hour red flag, and we're still going to go out there and race as hard as possible. That's what we prepare for. That's what I prepare for; I enjoy that kind of stuff."

With this victory, Edwards is hopeful that Roush Fenway has not only closed the gap on Hendrick Motorsports, it might be a little ahead at this point in the season.

"I hope it's an indication that we've caught up with them," Edwards said. "They were still second and third. They were the guys to beat [Monday]. I hope that this is a sign that were up to their standards, to their level. believe we are."

"I know that last year I would not have traded my car in for one of theirs at any of the [Car of Tomorrow] races towards the end of the year. I thought we had the best car. Everyone knows, all the drivers know, for sure, it's what you're sitting in a lot of the times that makes that tiny little bit of difference. I'm proud to be driving this car. I'm proud of what [team owner] Jack Roush and [crew chief] Bob Osborne and all the engineers did last year when we saw how far behind we were."

"That reaction and the action that came after that is what got us here [Monday]."

If Edwards and Roush Fenway can find consistency this year, this might be the year he adds a Cup championship to his Busch (now Nationwide) Series title from last year.

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