The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Fontana, California this weekend to tackle the two mile Auto Club Speedway. The 500 mile race is set to begin at 6:00pm ET and will be televised live on FOX. The Auto Club 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr vs Denny Hamlin NASCAR Match Up at Sportsbook.com is favoring the 28 year old Hamlin to finish ahead of Junior at -130 moneyline odds.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a rough go at last weekend's Daytona 500, after starting in the 14th position, he went on to finish in 26th place. He also was involved in an on-track altercation on lap 124 with Brian Vickers. Earnhardt escaped the get together with little to no damage but several cars, including lap leader Kyle Busch, saw their day come to an early close.
Now Junior will have to regroup at a track that has been less than kind to him in the past. Earnhardt, whose last win was in June of 2008 at Michigan, has started 14 races at the Auto Club Speedway without recording a victory. He does have four top 10 finishes at Fontana, but he has the same number of DNFs.
Last year Junior started in 15th position in the February race and finished in 40th; he did fare better in the August running, starting 18th and placing 11th. He did not lead a single lap in either race. His career top 10 finishes ratio at the speedway is 28 percent.
Hamlin, who drives the number 11 FedEX Toyota for Joe Gibbs racing, finished one spot behind Earnhardt at Daytona. The team had hoped for better given that Hamlin started in the 10th position, but things did not go according to plan as he too was a victim of the Earnhardt-Vickers mix-up.
The Virginia native will now have to makeup ground at a track he has only raced on six times. Hamlin has never won at Fontana, but he does have two top 10 finishes at the track, including a third place showing in last year's August race. He has a slightly better top 10 ratio at the Auto Club than Junior, coming in at 33.3 percent.
Earnhardt Jr's Career Ratios:
Wins – 5.4 percent (18/328)
Top Fives – 26 percent (86/328)
Top Tens – 41.7 percent (137/328)
Hamlin's Career Ratios:
Wins – 3.4 percent (4/116)
Top Fives – 27.5 percent (32/116)
Top Tens – 51 percent (32/116)
Sportbook.com's Auto Club 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr vs Denny Hamlin NASCAR Match Up
Earnhardt Jr. +100 (Moneyline)
Hamlin -130 (Moneyline)
