Pala Casino 400: 5 Drivers to Watch

As the Daytona 500 has passed, the NASCAR Cup Series heads west to Auto Club Speedway for the Pala Casino 400. 2023 will be the final season of Auto Club’s current configuration. After this year’s race, Auto Club will be transformed into a short track. Many fans will be sad to see the change. 2022’s race was arguably the best intermediate race of the season. Even during long runs, a leader was not able to separate himself from the rest of the field. The cars seemed tough to drive and there was plenty of passing. While this race was the first circumstance of the Next Gen tire issue, the racing was fantastic to watch. Hopefully, this year’s Pala Casino 400 will offer the same entertainment (with less tire failures).

Though the Daytona 500 is the biggest race of the year, it is difficult to learn about what each driver and team will bring to the table. Fans will get a better picture of who the competitive teams are going to be after Auto Club. Despite the parity of the Next Gen car, last year’s Auto Club race did help allude to who was going to be strong in 2022. This should be the case for 2023 as well.

For the Pala Casino 400, here are the five drivers to watch for on Sunday. If you want a statistical insight heading into the Daytona 500, check out Daniel Smith’s notable starts and statistical outlook articles.

Kyle Busch

In two races with RCR, Kyle Busch has looked fast. At The Clash, Busch ran in the Top-5 consistently in the main event. During Speedweeks, Busch had one of the fastest cars in the field. Even after wrecking his duel race and having to go to a backup, Kyle Busch looked like the best Chevy in the Daytona 500. So far, the move to RCR has seemed like a successful one.

With Kyle Busch’s early season speed, it would not be surprising to see him claim victory at Auto Club. He is a four time winner at Fontana with an average finish of 9.8. Clearly, Busch has a flair for Auto Club. Last year, Busch finished 14th. However, that was in a Toyota, where the entire Toyota lineup were sluggish at Auto Club. The 2022 race was dominated by Chevrolets. Chevy drivers led all but 34 of the laps. The driver who led the most laps was Tyler Reddick, former driver of the 8 car. Though things can change from year to year, do not be surprised if Chevy dominates again. Now that he is in a Chevy, look for Kyle Busch to be a strong contender for the win.

Tyler Reddick

Speaking of Tyler Reddick, last year at Auto Club looked to be the home of Reddick’s first Cup Series win. The first half of the race was dominated by Reddick. He won both stages and led a total of 90 laps. However, bad luck struck him when he blew a left rear tire. After that, he was no longer contending for the win. If not for that tire, Reddick would have likely cruised to the win.

For the 2023 race, Reddick should be a favorite to bring home the win. While Reddick has always been a bit snake-bit during his Cup Series career, the bad luck has to end eventually. With the tire issue hopefully resolved, Reddick should be able to pick up where he left off. The only concern for Reddick is how noncompetitive the Toyotas were last year. Martin Truex Jr was the best finisher from the Toyota camp with a 13th. If Tyler Reddick is not running toward the front all race, it will not be his fault. Another lackluster performance will make Toyota glad Auto Club is reconfiguring the track.

Erik Jones

One of the more surprising outcomes of last year’s Auto Club race was the presence of Erik Jones. Jones led 18 laps on the day and finished third. A constant contender for the win, Jones’s performance was truly a testament to the parity that the Cup Series was going to see in 2022. While the remainder of the season did not pan out how Auto Club did, Jones did have consistent speed at intermediates. Not only did Jones run well during the race, he qualified on the front row.

A sleeper pick for the race win would be Erik Jones. Jones was able to pilot the 43 car back into victory lane at the Southern 500. It would not be a shock if Jones was able put the historic team and number back in victory lane quickly this season. In addition to Jones’s 2022 performance, the addition of Jimmie Johnson can only help Jones at Fontana. During his career, Johnson racked up 6 wins and an average finish of 7.6. A driver with that type of success at a track is bound to have helpful information. Erik Jones is definitely one to watch during the Pala Casino 400.

Chase Elliott

Every race weekend is essentially a weekend to look out for Chase Elliott. Elliott has established himself as an elite driver in today’s NASCAR. However, Elliott makes this list not simply because he is a threat to win. Instead, Chase Elliott is a driver to watch due to what happened here last year. During the late portion of the race, Kyle Larson drove into Chase Elliott, pushing him into the wall. The contact caused Elliott to fall off the pace, lose a lap, then spin out. Essentially, Elliott’s own teammate ruined his race.

This would not be the only time Kyle Larson raced Elliott rough for the race win. At Watkins Glenn, Larson overdrove Turn 1 and made contact with Elliott. That move secured the win for Larson while causing Elliott to miss out on racing for the win. Based on this history, it will be interesting to see if Elliott returns the favor in anyway this year. Especially at Auto Club, Elliott might not be friendly to Larson if they are battling for a win late. This early in the season means there is plenty of time for either driver to recover from some aggressive driving.

Brad Keselowski

Back to back weeks for Brad Keselowski’s name to be found on this list. However, this has merit. While 2022 was a rotten year for Keselowski, the first few races of the season showed some promise. During the Auto Club race last year, Keselowski was consistently around the Top-10. In the early portions of final stage, Keselowski seemed to be settling in for a Top-10 finish. While nothing to brag about, the speed that Keselowski had was a promising sign for RFK Racing. However, contact with Bubba Wallace cause Keselowski to wreck. The damage from the accident left Keselowski in the back for the remainder of the race.

Fast forward to this year and it will be interesting to watch Brad Keselowski on Sunday. While he will likely not compete for the win, a Top-10 performance would speak volumes to the improvements at RFK. Remember, Keselowski also qualified well at Auto Club (9th). If Brad Keselowski can mimic the speed he had in 2022, then there will be renewed optimism for the 6 team. While leading the most laps at the Daytona 500 is great, it does not point to a sign of consistent success at the other tracks. However, a solid run at Auto Club could do that.