The boys of NASCAR will be heading to Fontana, California this weekend, as 43 of the best and brightest drivers in the world try to make for great Auto Club 400 picks. But before you bet on the Auto Club 400 betting lines, be sure to check out our analysis for the race!

2012 Auto Club 400 Predictions & Info
2012 Auto Club 400 Date: Sunday, March 25th, 2012
2012 Auto Club 400 Location: Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA
Defending Auto Club 400 Winner: Kevin Harvick
2012 Auto Club 400 TV Coverage – Network: FOX

This could be the week that Jimmie Johnson (Current Auto Club 400 Odds: 5 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) really gets the job done. JJ has been running well of late, accounting for four straight Top 10 finishes. Now, he heads to Fontana, where he has a great history, finishing in the Top 10 in nine of his 10 races that he has run in his career on this track. Hendrick Motorsports has a great history on this track as well, as Jeff Gordon also has a great chance of taking the checkered flag. That being said, of the two Hendrick cars that are likely to be in the running come the end of the night on Sunday, we think that JJ is the better choice, especially knowing that he has to be running like wild to try to get back to the top of the Sprint Cup standings in the near future.

The man that took the checkered flag in the first race of the year here at Fontana last year was Kevin Harvick (2012 Auto Club 400 Odds: 8.50 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Harvick hasn’t had a finish worse than 11th this whole season, and he is going to be well on his way to the Chase for the Sprint Cup once again this year in all likelihood. Fontana is a place in which he has raced quite well in his career, taking a win, three Top 5s, and eight Top 10s in 18 races. Harvick is just nine points back of the lead in the Sprint Cup standings, and he is going to do everything that he can right now to try to get the job done at Auto Club Speedway.

List Of Past Auto Club 400 Winners (Since 2000)
2011 – Kevin Harvick
2010 – Jimmie Johnson
2009 – Matt Kenseth
2008 – Carl Edwards
2007 – Matt Kenseth
2006 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Greg Biffle
2004 – Jeff Gordon
2003 – Kurt Busch
2002 – Jimmy Johnson
2001 – Rusty Wallace
2000 – Jeremy Mayfield

Looking back at the history of this race, it is clear to see why Matt Kenseth (Odds To Win the 2012 Auto Club 400: 10 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) is one of the favorites to take the checkered flag once again at the Auto Club 400. He hasn’t won this race since 2009, but he does have three victories since 2006, easily the most of any driver on the Sprint Cup circuit. Kenseth does already have one victory this year, and there could be a heck of a lot more where that came from. A ‘W’ in this race, and he is going to really have the edge on the rest of the field in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

1: Denny Hamlin (11)
2: Kyle Busch (18)
3: Mark Martin (55)
4: Greg Biffle (16)
5: Kasey Kahne (5)
6: Ryan Newman (39)
7: Kevin Harvick (29)
8: Joey Logano (20)
9: Tony Stewart (14)
10: Jimmie Johnson (48)
11: Clint Bowyer (15)
12: Carl Edwards (99)
13: Martin Truex, Jr. (56)
14: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (88)
15: Matt Kenseth (17)
16: Jamie McMurray (1)
17: Brad Keselowski (2)
18: David Reutimann (10)
19: Jeff Burton (31)
20: David Stremme (30)
21: Jeff Gordon (24)
22: Regan Smith (78)
23: Kurt Busch (51)
24: Juan Pablo Montoya (42)
25: AJ Allmendinger (22)
26: Bobby Labonte (47)
27: Paul Menard (27)
28: Aric Almirola (43)
29: Marcos Ambrose (9)
30: Josh Wise (26)
31: Landon Cassill (83)
32: Michael McDowell (98)
33: Casey Mears (13)
34: Dave Blaney (36)
35: Scott Riggs (23)
36: JJ Yeley (49)
37: Brendan Gaughan (33)
38: David Ragan (34)
39: Mike Bliss (19)
40: Travis Kvapil (93)
41: David Gilliland (38)
42: Ken Schrader (32)
43: Reed Sorenson (74)

Sitting on the pole for this one is Denny Hamlin (2012 Auto Club 400 Betting Lines: 6 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Hamlin has had some good runs this year, finishing fourth at the Daytona 500 and winning the Subway Fresh Fit 500, but there is definitely some work that he needs to do to get back towards the top of the Sprint Cup standings. Back to back 20th place finishes haven’t helped matters any, but his good qualifying efforts and strong practice runs have us thinking that he is going to be one of the big time drivers sticking around at the end of this race.

2012 Auto Club 400 Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 3/25/12):
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Jimmie Johnson 5 to 1
Denny Hamlin 6 to 1
Kyle Busch 6.50 to 1
Tony Stewart 8 to 1
Kevin Harvick 8.50 to 1
Carl Edwards 10 to 1
Greg Biffle 10 to 1
Matt Kenseth 10 to 1
Jeff Gordon 12 to 1
Kasey Kahne 15 to 1
Brad Keselowski 18 to 1
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 20 to 1
Ryan Newman 25 to 1
Marcos Ambrose 30 to 1
Martin Truex, Jr. 30 to 1
Clint Bowyer 35 to 1
Mark Martin 35 to 1
AJ Allmendinger 40 to 1
Jeff Burton 45 to 1
Joey Logano 45 to 1
Kurt Busch 50 to 1
Paul Menard 55 to 1
Jamie McMurray 65 to 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 70 to 1
Aric Almirola 175 to 1
David Ragan 175 to 1
David Reuitmann 175 to 1
Regan Smith 175 to 1
Bobby Labonte 300 to 1
Brendan Gaughan 350 to 1
Casey Mears 500 to 1
Dave Blaney 500 to 1
David Gilliland 500 to 1
David Stremme 500 to 1
JJ Yeley 500 to 1
Josh Wise 500 to 1
Ken Schrader 500 to 1
Landon Cassill 500 to 1
Michael McDowell 500 to 1
Mike Bliss 500 to 1
Scott Riggs 500 to 1
Stacy Compton 500 to 1
Travis Kvapil 500 to 1

Odds to Win Auto Club 400 @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 3/25/12):
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Denny Hamlin 6 to 1
Jimmie Johnson 6 to 1
Kyle Busch 6 to 1
Tony Stewart 7 to 1
Kevin Harvick 8 to 1
Carl Edwards 10 to 1
Greg Biffle 10 to 1
Matt Kenseth 10 to 1
Jeff Gordon 12 to 1
Kasey Kahne 12 to 1
Brad Keselowski 18 to 1
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 25 to 1
Ryan Newman 25 to 1
Clint Bowyer 30 to 1
Mark Martin 30 to 1
Martin Truex, Jr. 35 to 1
AJ Allmendinger 40 to 1
Jeff Burton 40 to 1
Joey Logano 40 to 1
Jamie McMurray 60 to 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 70 to 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 20 to 1