Patience, endurance and a good pit crew made the difference for Matt Kenseth as he drove to victory in the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway Sunday afternoon.

Kenseth notched his 11th career win by coming from the 31st starting position and holding off fast-charging Jimmie Johnson to gain the checkered.

Greg Biffle, who led 168 of the scheduled 250 laps, was forced to the garage area with a blown engine late in the race. Tony Stewart's car suffered a similar fate.

California Speedway is a 2-mile oval with wide lanes that should lead to some exciting racing. However, the race was somewhat boring for those watching at home. NASCR officials used the old "debris on the track" excuse to throw the yellow flag twice late in the race, thus pulling the field of cars together for the chase to the checkered flag.

The Nextel Cup Series has this weekend off. The Busch Series has a road race scheduled in Mexico City. A few of the Cup drivers will be participating.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host the UAW-DaimierChrysler 400 at 4 p.m. March 12.

The Action Track will have an a free open housefrom 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The points money from the 2005 season will be distributed at 3 p.m. to the top 10 drivers and car owners in each of the four divisions.Clearview Mall once again plays host to the annual Lernerville car show, March 16 through 18.The 2006 season March 31, followed by a special World of Outlaws Late Model show April 7.

Track owners Mike Graham and Roger Crick have scheduled two pre-season car shows. Clarion Mall has a four-day show set for Thursday through Sunday. This will be followed by a four-day event at the Cranberry Mall, March 9 through 12.Tri-City and Lernerville Speedway have joined forces to sponsor the DIRT Northeast program with an eight-race DIRT Modified Challenge Series scheduled.The World of Outlaws Late Model Series has been booked for a two-day show Sept. 2 and 3.

Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway has released a tentative 2006 schedule, which includes the April 1 season opener.Mercer Raceway Park will open the season March 25. Track owner Vickie Emig is promoting the 358 Modified division as one of the most competitive classes in the area.I reported last week that Donnie Roenigk, grandson of the late Don Martin, was going to be on staff at Lernerville this summer. Not so. Donnie is in the process of interviewing for a position with the government.You can email information about your race team to bdloky@zoominternet.net.Jim Lokhaiser is the racing columnist for the Butler Eagle.