Matt Kenseth speaks to FSN after holding on to win the Auto Club 500. Kenseth led a total of 40 laps and captured his first career Nextel Cup victory at the California Speedway.

Racing without his veteran crew chief and friend, Jimmie Johnson is off to a fast start in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series. The Hendrick Motorsports driver backed up last week's Daytona 500 victory with a second-place finish Sunday in the Auto Club 500, the second of four races with suspended crew chief Chad Knaus watching on TV from his home in Charlotte, N.C. Knaus was suspending by NASCAR for using an unapproved part on the No. 48 Chevrolet in qualifying at Daytona.

In this FOXSports.com exclusive, the NASCAR on FOX crew says Roush Racing bounced back at California while Jimmie Johnson's team continues to impress with an interim crew chief.

It may be just the second race of the year, but there's already a season's worth of storylines, from Chad Knaus to the Jimmie Johnson-Ryan Newman feud to Tony Stewart's aggressive driving. Ryan McGee will deal with it all in his Instant Analysis of the Auto Club 500.

Six days has not changed Ryan Newman's mind. Last Sunday, after finishing third behind Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears in the Daytona 500, Newman suggested that NASCAR should have done more to Johnson's team than simply ousting his crew chief after the team was caught cheating in qualifying. Crew chief Chad Knaus was later suspended for three additional races for making unapproved modifications to the rear window of Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet.

Darrell Waltrip says Tony Stewart won't have to bump Matt Kenseth to pass at California (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX). But which Tony will show up — last year's nice guy or last week's aggressive driver?

Carl Edwards couldn't come back after a late pit stop under caution while Greg Biffle stayed out and won Saturday night's Busch race. Edwards, the polesitter, had to settle for a third-place finish.