NASCAR at Fontana: Will Dynamic Duo Dominate or Is Competition Catching Up?

Jimmie Johnson is back home in California for the Auto Club 400 and expectations for a win abound. But, it may just be that finally his competitors are ready to give him a wake up call.

Johnson, the five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion has shown amazing stats at the two-mile California oval. His average finish is 5.3 in the 16 races he has started there. Johnson's worst finish was 16th place, and he has been in the top-10 12 times.

The team for the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet is led by crew chief extraordinaire, Chad Knaus, who is a bit of a soulmate to his driver, Johnson.

So far this season, pit stops were a bit slow at Las Vegas and Phoenix. At Bristol, Johnson led 164 laps, but his rear tire changer caused him to exit in fourth place during a late race caution.

Despite the pit problems, the Hendrick Motorsports driver sits in seventh place in the Sprint Cup point standings.

Knaus is no doubt doing some testing before the season gets too far along in preparation for the Chase in which he is guaranteed to have a secure spot given his record, talent, team and equipment.

Wins will come to Johnson and most think his first of the season will be at Fontana. So far this year we have other teams who appear quite a bit stronger and very determined to win.

Carl Edwards continues his roll with a win and strong finishes except for one. Kyle Busch looks to be ready to rumble and grab several wins in the top series of NASCAR.

Kurt Busch and his Penske team have determined they can improve their No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, which could be an ominous sign to his competitors given his performance so far this year. 

Strength has been found with Paul Menard and Martin Truex Jr. Roush-Fenway drivers are a strong threat with the comeback they have found, perhaps due to the FR-9 engine. Stewart-Haas Racing is showing potency with Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.

Johnson is a talent behind the wheel who has accomplished the unimaginable with his five consecutive Cup titles, but a sixth one might not be in the cards with the high level of competition we are seeing this season.

The Fontana race has been shortened by 100 miles, which may prove advantageous to many drivers and the sense of urgency may play a roll in the outcome of the race.

Johnson will have one less track that plays to his favor with only one race this year at Fontana. His record is pretty darn good on intermediate tracks, with 37 of his 53 Cup wins coming on that size track.

"That track has changed so much since I won my first race there and even from a spring race to fall, where we run on the track, the lane that's important, the set-ups that are needed" Johnson said during a teleconference.

He added, "Emotionally way excited, the part that matters, going to work, curious, not sure where we're going to be."

So it is time for the brilliance of the No. 48 team to show it's winning ways at a track that has been so kind to them.

Should he fail to win the Auto Club 400, it may be a sign the competition has finally caught up to Johnson.