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NASCAR: Five Predictions For The Auto Club 400 At Fontana

By Michael Guadalupe

Mar 20, 2016; Fontana, CA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) races during the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Fontana, CA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) races during the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Even though they will be without key members of their teams, expect Harvick and Keselowski to finish in the top 10 on Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Even though they will be without key members of their teams, expect Harvick and Keselowski to finish in the top 10 on Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Keselowski and Harvick Will Not Be Impacted by Crew Chief Suspensions

The biggest news coming out of NASCAR this week after the race at Phoenix is the penalties handed out to the 4 and 2 teams.

Both Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick will be racing at the Auto Club 400 this weekend without their normal crew chiefs. Keselowski’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, was hit with the biggest penalty as he will be sitting out the next three races, while Rodney Childers will be suspended just for Sunday’s race.

Besides for suspending both crew chiefs NASCAR also handed out fines and docked driver and owner points from both teams.

Keselowski and Harvick are two of the top drivers in NASCAR but as they get ready to head into Fontana, these two are at a disadvantage without the crew chiefs they work with on a weekly basis. Keselowski is in a better position since winning at Las Vegas, but Harvick is still searching for his first win of the season so he can lock himself into the playoffs.

Even with this setback though, don’t expect either driver to slow down. There is a reason both Keselowski and Harvick are top drivers in NASCAR and a great crew chief is only part of the equation.

Brian Wilson, the replacement for Paul Wolfe over the next three weeks has experience with the 2 team and with being a crew chief.

Keselowski had only positive things to say about him on NASCAR Race Hub:

"“The good thing about Brian Wilson is that he comes from the XFINITY side as a crew chief who just won with Joey Logano at Las Vegas. And even before that, he was the lead engineer on the No. 2 team — so he brings a lot of knowledge and experience.” h/t Fox Sports"

The 2 and 4 teams were hit with heavy penalties after Phoenix but that won’t slow down either of these drivers this Sunday at Fontana.

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