Kenseth’s past has no bearing

There has been no better place and time than Fontana in February for Matt Kenseth.

The driver has won there the last two years during the month and will try for another victory today in the Auto Club 500.

Despite his recent success over the track, Kenseth, who finished 36th in the Daytona 500 a week ago, is not favored in the NASCAR event. He is listed as the 7-1 third choice on the website Vegasinsider.com.

The 5-1 choice is pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson, who won this race in 2002 and took the Sharp Aquos 500 over the oval last year.

Next at 6-1 is Jeff Gordon, the 2004 winner, then comes Tony Stewart (8-1) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10-1). Carl Edwards, who has four top-five finishes at the Speedway in the last three years, is 13-1 and Ryan Newman, who ended an 81-race dry spell with a win at Daytona, is 25-1.

NBA

Houston, the hottest team in the NBA, is back home tonight to play a team that it has dominated in recent years in Texas.

Chicago, perhaps the league’s most disappointing team, has lost six of its last eight in Houston. To make matters worse, the Bulls have been dreadful this season on the road, losing 18 of 28. They are 3-9 against the Western Conference away from Chicago.

Despite its 11-game win streak, Houston is still only seventh-seeded in the extremely competitive West and a few losses in a row could drop the Rockets out of the playoffs.

Tonight’s game begins a stretch of seven of eight at home for Houston, where it is 17-9, but the Rockets have hardly been struggling as the visitors. Their 100-80 win in New Orleans on Friday was their 10th in a row on the road.

Houston, which will be playing its third game in four nights, had little trouble with the Bulls earlier in the season. It outscored Chicago, 64-50, in the second half en route to a 116-98 win on Dec. 22, ending a three-game losing streak.

NHL

Winless through the first half of a four-game road trip, St. Louis continues its journey tonight in Phoenix, a place that has been welcome to visitors.

Although their record is much better than anticipated under Coach Wayne Gretzky, the Coyotes have been more effective on the road than they have been at home. Phoenix, which, like St. Louis, remains a contender for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, is 13-14-3 at Jobing.com Arena compared to an 18-12-2 road record.

Outscored 7-2 in losses to the Kings and Ducks, the latter a 2-1 defeat in overtime in their first two games of their current trip, the Blues are 0-2 against Phoenix this season. They lost, 3-2, in the season opener in Arizona on Oct. 4, then fell, 2-1, in St. Louis on Oct.30.

bob.mieszerski@latimes.com