CALIFORNIA LOVE FOR SOME DRIVERS, SEASON GETS GOING ON FONTANA'S SPEEDWAY.

Byline: Louis Brewster Staff Writer

FONTANA - No less than Kurt Busch, pole-sitter for today's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, believes this race is the start of the regular season for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

``Everybody wants to win Daytona,'' Busch said after a run of 187.086 mph Friday afternoon put him atop the 43-car field. ``There's only one guy that's happy when we leave and that's the winner.

``California is really where the season starts.''

Even Jimmie Johnson, who won last week's opener at Daytona, feels the same way.

``We have so many downforce races and so few plate races, that we're all excited to get here,'' said Johnson, third on the grid behind Busch and defending race winner Greg Biffle. ``It's just the start of things. I'm really excited about the season. I feel like we've definitely improved over last year.''

Forget restrictor plates, bump-drafting and so-called ``friends.'' At Fontana, it's all about horsepower, chassis setup and balances that determines who's fastest around the two-mile D-shape speedway.

``This race track, because it has such long straightaways and relatively flat corners, it takes a lot of everything,'' said Ryan Newman, Busch's Penske Racing teammate who will start 11th. ``You've got to be damn good at every one of them. You've got to have a lot of horsepower and good balance in the corners to be able to use the horsepower.

``It might come down to that last pit stop.''

Although several of the 500-mile races have into into fuel-mileage contests, it's still about handling.

``You always have to worry about handling here,'' said Tony Stewart, the defending series champion whose best Cup finish at Fontana has been fourth. ``That's normally the biggest key. The good cars tend to get away. If you miss it by a little, it could make a big difference on where you need to be.''

There are other story lines for the 250-lap race:

-- Will Dodge break through at Fontana and finally win? In the nine previous summer/spring/late winter races, Ford has five victories and Chevrolet four.

However, if either Busch or Newman win, it will be in a chassis originally built for a car (2004 Intrepid) that is no longer racing.

``We've tested the `04 car and the Charger in the past throughout the winter and we brought the best race car here, and that's the `04,'' Newman said before Saturday's practice sessions. ``The people at Dodge understand that. Basically we're trying to make a case of it so they can see what's going on on Sunday. The `04 car has better balance, better downforce, better handling package in clean and dirty air over the `05 car.

``I want to drive the best Dodge there is according to NASCAR rules. That's the bottom line. We take the fastest race car to the racetrack. Dodge is what we're driving. We understand the importance of brand identification, but manufacturer identification can override that.''

-- Will the aggressive driving that made headlines at Daytona spill over on the other side of the country?

``We're in California this week; all I care about is California right now,'' said Stewart, the vocal point of various incidents. He said Saturday he had spoken with Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch in the past week, but refused to disclose the conversations.

``You don't want to have to go to the next week worrying about having a grudge with somebody and having to something going on,'' Stewart said.

Jeff Gordon, a three-time race winner, is among those who are wondering about the past.

``I think it's good to have some interesting story lines out there that are brewing that were created in Daytona,'' Gordon said. ''We'll just have to wait and see.''

And don't believe drivers talking to one another is the answer.

``In the grand scheme of things I don't think it makes any difference, other than getting things off your mind and that could make a difference to you personally,'' said Newman. ``Basically it's an eye-for-eye sport.''

-- Is the Richard Childress Racing resurgence for real?

Jeff Burton, who won the pole at Daytona, qualified sixth and teammate Kevin Harvick is 1th. Rookie Clint Bowyer will start in the 32nd spot.

``What has changed is we have got great race cars,'' Burton said. ``I am really comfortable in the cars, they drive good. They are making more horsepower. We are just doing a whole lot of things better and we just need to take advantage of it. We have a lot better cars and a lot better engines but you saw a Daytona, good cars doesn't necessarily get good finishes.''

-- The Chad Knaus situation. Johnson is without his crew chief, who was suspended four races for an illegal modification of the Lowe's Chevrolet during Daytona qualifying.

``I think a four-week suspension and $25,000 fine seems pretty fair to me,'' said Gordon, a part-owner of the team. ``Jimmie's crew chief is sitting at home for the next four weeks - three weeks from now - is pretty harsh.

``I wish some people would start giving them some credit. Yeah, they made a mistake and they should pay a penalty, and they are. But that should be done with, and let's look at the positive side of how well that team reacted under that situation.''

Newman was the most outspoken driver after Daytona, and maintained his position.

``I'm at the point where I'll let NASCAR make those decisions,'' Newman said. ``As long as they stay consistent, I'm happy about that part. It just seems like there needs to be another code for repeat offenders.

``I say what's on my mind and that comes out as the truth. The bottom line is that's the way I've always been. If you ask me a question, I'm going to give you an answer. It may not be the best answer as far as politics go, but that's who I am and that's how I work. My sponsors agree on telling the truth.''

It all makes for another interesting 500-mile race.

Louis Brewster, [phone]

l-brewster(at)dailybulletin.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 3) Kurt Busch, above, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge thinks today's Auto Club 500 race at California Speedway is the NASCAR season's real starting point.

Photos by Getty Images

Box:

AUTO CLUB 500