Fontana fantasy preview

Kevin Harvick: Looking at the stats at Fontana, you have to look down the list just a bit before you come across Harvick's name; but that doesn't mean you should overlook him. The California native had a strong start to the year at Daytona, battling back from the back of the pack when it looked like he was out of it to finish second. Last year at Auto Club Speedway, he earned finishes of 8th and 4th making him a solid choice for this weekend. He doesn't lead a lot of laps here and isn't particularly flashy, but he's consistent and dependable; good traits to have over a 500-mile marathon.

By the numbers: Harvick has no DNFs and has finished off the lead lap just once in the last 10 races at California

Reed Sorenson: Nothing personal against Mr. Sorenson, but this week I'm using him as an example of when you shouldn't get carried away with a driver having momentum. Last week he did a great job at Daytona and finished the season opener in ninth place. But don't let that finish make you get carried away and keep Reed on your roster for this week. In six starts at California, he has yet to finish a race on the lead lap and has a dismal average finish of 28.3. Wait it out and see if he continues to show improvement before using him again or make sure it's a track where he has proven to run well at.

By the numbers: Reed's best finish at California is a trio of 21st-place finishes.

Tony Stewart: On the other hand, sometimes a longshot can pay off. That's what I see for Stewart this weekend. Daytona proved to be an expensive outing for the new team owner, with multiple crashes and an engine failure to deal with. But with the trip out west, comes an opportunity to recoup some of those losses and put in another good finish. There are certainly other top name drivers that perform better at California than Tony does, but I think with the alliance with Hendrick and coming off his first top 10 as a NASCAR driver/owner he puts in a good performance this weekend.

By the numbers: In 15 starts, Stewart has a top 10 in just under half of those races; but only three top 5s.