What we learned at Auto Club 500

Matt Kenseth was the first driver since 1997 to win the first two races of the season. AP

Five things we learned on Sunday in Fontana, Calif. in the Auto Club 500, race No. 2 of the NASCAR season.

1. Matt Kenseth is rolling.

On Sunday, Kenseth became the second driver in 32 years to win the first two races of the season. Over the last 30 laps, with Jeff Gordon (who, by the way, was the last driver to reach Victory Lane in season's first two events in 1997) closing in on him, Kenseth hit all of marks in the corners and didn't make a single mistake. Gordon was waiting for Kenseth to open the door, but Gordon never got closer than two car lengths.

This was Kenseth at his best. He won't wow you with a bump-and-run maneuver or by making a daring three-wide pass, but his relentless consistency and ability to stay out of harm's way will make him a threat to win every week when he has solid car. It's still way to early to determine if he'll be a serious player in the Chase this season, but considering he didn't win a single race last year, Kenseth's fast start has taken everyone in the garage by surprise.

What was most impressive about this performance was that it was a complete team effort. Kenseth gained 10 spots on pit road throughout the afternoon and evening. The key moment race, in fact, was the final pit stop. Kenseth entered pit road trailing Gordon. But his Killer Bee pit crew got him back out onto the track in the first place. With no one in front of him, Kenseth was able to take off in the clean air and then hold off Gordon.

"I don't think a win will ever be as big in my career as winning the Daytona 500, but in a way this almost feels better," Kenseth said. "You come here and it's not restrictor-plate racing. You don't need other people's help. Luck's not involved quite as much. And we had to come here and figure out how to beat the 43 teams on speed and strategy and adjustments and all that stuff, and obviously these are the kinds of races that make up the bulk of the schedule and whether you run good or bad at these tracks has more of a determining factor on making the Chase or running for a championship. It feels pretty unbelievable to win the first two races."

2. The two favorites to win the Cup were surprisingly quiet.

The top two Cup favorites this season, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, finished ninth and seventh, respectively.

The real barometer for these two will come next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. How a driver performs in Sin City is the most accurate predictor for how he'll fare for the rest of the season. Four of the past eight winners at Vegas have gone on to win the championship. Why is Vegas so telling? Because to win here, a driver and his crew chief must do all the things that it will take to win the title: adjust to changing track conditions, run well on a 1.5-mile track, outsmart the field on pit road, conserve equipment whenever possible and avoid the big wrecks.

3. Kevin Harvick's streak is snapped.

Harvick's No. 29 Chevy had been running at the end of 81 straight races, the longest current streak in NASCAR. Though Harvick has won only one race in the past two years -- the 2007 Daytona 500 -- he's made the Chase the past two seasons because he excels at taking care of his equipment and finishing races. But on Sunday, for the first time in nearly three years, Harvick wasn't around at the end of the race. He blew an engine and crashed hard into the Turn One wall, finishing 38th.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had another rough race.

A week after triggering the Big One at Daytona, Little E's struggles continued at Fontana. Late in the race he was forced to take his No. 88 Chevy into the garage with engine trouble. He finished 39th and now, after two events, is in 35th in the standings. This has been an absolute nightmare of a season for Earnhardt.

Can he turn it around next week in Las Vegas? History says he can. He finished second in Vegas last year.

5. Jeff Gordon is rebounding.

After failing to win a race last season for the first time since his rookie year of 1993, Gordon appears revitalized this season. Through two races, he's been the top performer at Hendrick Motorsports, leading laps at both Daytona and California. He had the strongest car in the field for much of Sunday's race, but the adjustments his crew made during the final pit spot made his DuPont Chevy just a touch too tight and Gordon couldn't motor past Kenseth to snap his 42-race winless streak.

But this team is getting closer. "I'm so excited about this race team right now," Gordon said. "I just think we're head and shoulders above where we were. I know it's just a couple races in and this is one race, but I love the way the car was driving."

Yes, Gordon is on the verge of winning. A year ago he suffered one of the most horrific crashes of his career at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- he admits he was lucky to walk away from it -- but I've got a hunch that Vegas next Sunday will mark a new beginning for this team. I think he'll enter the race as the driver to beat.