CONCORD, N.C. – This Sunday's Fontana, California, track is known for its fast speed and abrasive surface. Finding the right balance to have a successful drive off the corners and through the run will be a significant factor in earning this weekend's checkered flag.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have previously found success at the challenging two-mile oval with multiple top-five finishes.
Tune in this Sunday, March 22, to FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET to see which drivers found the needed balance to compete for the win.
Read up on what you should be watching for in this weekend's Fontana race here:
THIS WEEK'S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will support the No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS this Sunday in the last race of the West Coast swing. For the first time this season, Jeff Gordon will pilot the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS , while Jimmie Johnson competes in the No. 48 Lowe's ProServices Chevrolet SS. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this weekend.
QUALIFYING: Qualifying for Fontana's race will take place tonight, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Practice sessions one and three will also air on FOX Sports 1 on March 20 at 3 p.m. ET and March 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Practice session two will air March 21 at 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 2.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT FONTANA: In 25 Cup events at Fontana, Hendrick Motorsports has nine wins, five pole positions, 31 top-five finishes and 44 top-10s. A victory this weekend would make Fontana the 11th track where Hendrick Motorsports has 10 or more wins. Johnson leads all drivers in wins, top-fives and laps led at the track, with teammate Gordon just behind him in second -- or tied for second -- in the same three categories.
SPEEDWAY STATS: In 118 starts on tracks two miles or longer, Kahne has posted 25 top-five finishes and 47 top-10 finishes. In addition, he has collected four of his 17 career Cup wins and six of his 26 pole positions at those tracks. Kahne has won at both of the Cup circuit's two-mile tracks, finding Victory Lane at Michigan and the Fontana oval in 2006.
KAHNE AT FONTANA: Kahne's first and only win at Fontana was on Sept. 3, 2006. He started from the ninth position and led 130 laps en route to victory at the two-mile oval. Also worth noting, Kahne lined up from the pole position in 2004 for his first Cup start at the two-mile track and has gone on to earn nine more top-10 starting spots. Kahne enters Sunday's race with an average start of 11.4 and an average finish of 16.0 at Fontana.
GORDON AT FONTANA: The driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS is the only individual to start all 25 Sprint Cup events at the two-mile California oval. In his 25 races, Gordon has three wins, 10 top- five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes. Crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-921 for Sunday's race. The chassis is brand new and has never been raced.
FONTANA WAS FIRST: On April 28, 2002, Johnson entered his name into the NASCAR record books as a first-time Sprint Cup winner. In front of his home state fans and in just his 13th start, Johnson qualified fourth and led 62 laps en route to his first Cup victory. He has also won two pole positions (1998 and 2007).
JOHNSON AT FONTANA: Johnson has many accolades at Fontana in addition to his five wins. He has an average finish of 5.7; the series-best average running position of 6.1; series-best driver rating of 119.6; series-high 456 fastest laps run; series-best average green flag speed of 172.084 mph; and series-high 3,247 laps in the top 15 (93.2 percent). He has completed 100 percent of his laps in 20 starts at Fontana.
EARNHARDT AT FONTANA: In 265 Cup starts on intermediate (one- to two-mile) tracks, Earnhardt has recorded six wins, eight pole positions, 55 top-five finishes and 111 top-10 finishes. He has a 16th-place average starting position and an average finishing position of 16.1 on these racetracks. The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS recorded a career-best runner-up finish at the two-mile California racetrack in September 2006 and again in March 2013.