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2006 Dates Auto Club 500, February 26 Sony HD 500, September 3 Track Specs 2 mile D-shaped oval Banking/Turns: 14 degrees Banking/Front Straightaway: 11 degrees Banking/Back Straightaway: 3 degrees February 2005 Results Winner: Greg Biffle Pole: Kyle Busch July 2005 Results Winner: Kyle Busch Pole: Carl Edwards

Atop the Roush heap once again should be Greg Biffle. He recorded finishes of first and second in Fontana last year, leading 62 laps in the process. Of all the Roush drivers, Biffle is the one that pushes the button. He likes a loose race car, and loose race cars win at California.

Continuing with the Roush theme, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin figure to be frontrunners as well. In only three starts, Edwards has not finished worse than sixth and has led 54 laps along the way. Martin has finished 11th or better in the last four races on the left coast, including a third-place run in ’04 when he led a race-high 65 laps. With dominance like this, it’s no wonder why NASCAR wants to bust up the multi-car teams.

• Kasey Kahne -- Kahne notched a strong sixth-place run on Labor Day weekend in California and finished as the runner-up in 2004’s Labor Day event. Now that his sophomore slump is behind him, he should contend at both Fontana events in ’06.

• Brian Vickers -- After finishing third last September, Johnson’s Hendrick teammate looks to improve and possibly chase checkers at California. In addition to his top 5 run, Vickers has led a total of 45 laps in the last three events.