California is where our season starts

Tony Stewart has never won a race at California Speedway. His record at the track is not all that impressive. He has six top-10s in 13 career Cup races at California Speedway and his best finish has been a couple of fourth places, the most recent coming in 2001.
But for Stewart, the track is a welcome sight. For him it means getting away from the restrictor-plate, drafting nightmare of Daytona and to a track that allows drivers to race.
“What you do at California is solely based on what you and your team can do with your race car, not what drafting line you’re in or how the car behind you is going to affect your next move," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "Once we get away from Daytona everything kind of settles into a groove. We’re back in the weekly grind. I enjoy going to California because I really feel that’s where our season starts."
Stewart is coming off a third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and was the highest-finishing Toyota in the field. But Stewart doesn't like having to rely on other drivers and work with them in a draft to finish well at Daytona. California Speedway gives drivers and teams the opportunity to perform at a high level without external circumstances.
"That’s a track where you don’t really worry about what everybody else’s car is doing," Stewart said. "You worry about what your car is doing. You’re racing the race track. You’re not racing everybody else. It’s a good opportunity to get back into the swing of things. Once you leave California, you feel like the season has officially started.”