For the good of everyone, make 500 a distant memory

There are two groups of drivers in the Auto Club Speedway garage area this weekend: Those who hope to keep the momentum of their Daytona 500 going into the second race of the season and those who couldn't wait to get out of Daytona's infield tunnel Sunday night.

But past history has demonstrated neither side should get too worked up about what happened in the season-opening race.

"Daytona doesn't really mean much about the way the rest of your season will go," said 500 winner Matt Kenseth. "It's such a different animal all the preparation we do during Speedweeks and running a restrictor plate. We know that once we get to Fontana we have to put all that behind us and concentrate on what is really the beginning of the season."

It is dangerous to ride too high after a solid Daytona run but equally unnecessary to be completely down after a bad start.

Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch would be wise to follow that advice.

That trio suffered some of the biggest disappointments of the 500, and all are ready for redemption this weekend with the trip to Southern California.

"We were good all week at Daytona, but we didn't get the results we wanted," said Earnhardt Jr., who is still in the middle of controversy after his tangle with Brian Vickers, which triggered the 500's "Big One." "I'm ready to move on, and we're looking forward to seeing what we can do in California."

But Earnhardt might not find it easy to rebound at the two-mile track, which hasn't been one of his better ones during his Sprint Cup Series career. In 14 Cup starts, he only has three top five finishes and four top 10s while leading a mere 25 laps.

'I'm ready to move on,' says Junior, who was involved in the 'Big One' at Daytona. (Getty Images)

"We haven't had much luck over the past several years at California -- because of the late afternoon start, the nighttime finish, the track changes," said Earnhardt, who is looking to his Hendrick Motorsports teammates for a better read on Fontana. "You've got to have that adjustment in your setup. Jimmie [Johnson] and Jeff [Gordon] have been good there, and they are a good reference."

On the other hand, Busch has enjoyed great success at ACS, with one win and seven consecutive top 10 finishes.

That track record provides confidence Busch can leave behind last week's Daytona disaster, when he was caught up in the Earnhardt-Vickers melee while leading.

"Daytona was certainly disappointing and frustrating," Busch said. "But the season is so long that you can't let one race bug you once you are on to the next race. Last week was last week, and this week is this week.

"Just like putting last year behind us, we've already put Daytona behind us, and we're focused on what we can do to run well at California and be in a position to win this week. You can't change last week. It is what it is."

Newman's Daytona experience might have been the most frustrating of all. The 2008 500 winner went through three different cars due to engine failures and crashes.

But the Stewart-Haas Racing driver is looking ahead to Fontana as a fresh start.

"I have so much confidence in this No. 39 team and in my crew chief [Tony Gibson], and what happened with us in Daytona proved that they deserve every bit of my confidence and respect," Newman said. "Through everything that happened, I didn't hear anyone complain. They each jumped in and did what they had to do to change the engine or get the backup car ready. And the best part was that they didn't get down, and they didn't let me get down."

"I've been a part of some special teams in my career, and I feel like this No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing team is going to be a very solid and good team. Daytona is behind us now, and I'm looking forward to hitting the race track in California for a better weekend."

He is not alone.

Who's hot

Matt Kenseth: He's riding high after his Daytona 500 victory and coming to a track where he's enjoyed great success during his Sprint Cup Series career. Kenseth won the 2006 and 2007 February races at Auto Club Speedway after leading a combined 173 laps. His 9.6 average finish leads all drivers that have made more than 13 starts at the track and his 383 laps led is third behind Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

A.J. Allmendinger: After racing his way into the Daytona 500 through his Thursday qualifying race, Allmendinger gave Richard Petty Motorsports an impressive third-place finish last Sunday. If he qualifies for the Auto Club 500 it will mark his third start at the two-mile speedway with his previous best finish a 14th while driving for Team Red Bull.

Carl Edwards: The defending Auto Club 500 winner Edwards has finished sixth or better in eight of his nine starts at Auto Club Speedway. He led 64 laps after starting from the ninth starting position a year ago and also finished sixth in the August race to lower his average finish to 6.7.

Jimmie Johnson: A three-time Auto Club Speedway winner, the El Cajon native is looking forward to racing in front of fans and family in his home state, where he has an average finish of 5.9 in 12 career Sprint Cup starts.

Who's not

Michael Waltrip has one top-10 finish in 15 career Auto Club Speedway starts and last year posted finishes of 28th and 33rd.

Robby Gordon is another California native in Sunday's field but needs a little home cooking to improve his performance at Auto Club Speedway, where his average finish is 26.8. He has only one top 10 in 13 career starts.

Reed Sorenson had a top 10 at the Daytona 500, but the Richard Petty Motorsports driver will need to turn around his past performance at ACS if he wants to keep his early season momentum alive. He has an average ACS finish of 28.3

Make a note

Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth is bidding to become the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 1997 to win the first two races of the season.

Gordon and teammate Jimmie Johnson top the all-time California wins list with three each.

The past four February races at the Fontana track have been won by Ford.

Roush Fenway Racing drivers Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Edwards have combined to win the past four Auto Club 500s.

Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in his past seven starts.

Kasey Kahne has finished 10th or better in six of his past seven starts.

Billy Ray Cyrus will be the Grand Marshall on Sunday (insert comment here).