Fantasy NASCAR News 2008

[Hache Man]

The Auto Club 500
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series stops at California Speedway's two mile oval for the second race of the 2008 season, the Auto Club 500. Race Preview looked at past performances and season trends to predict how the field might finish during Sunday's race.


When: Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 4:00 p.m./et


Weather: Partly cloudy with high around 63; wind out of the WSW at 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 10%.


The Track: California Speedway

California is a 2 mile long D-shaped oval. It has intermediate (14 degree) banking on the corners which allows for drivers to run their cars nearly wide-open the entire way around the track. The aerodynamic package in the car is very important.


Key to Race: AERODYNAMIC PACKAGE RULES???

This is a race that used to be won or lost in the wind tunnel, but the Car of Tomorrow isn't as dependent on aerodynamic packages as the Car of Yesterday. Judging from the Daytona 500 this race should be very competitive, but as is the case with most races, expect the multi-car teams like Roush, Gibb, Hendrick, and RCR to have a big advantage.


Qualifying Procedures:

51 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by two lap qualifying runs that will be done on Friday, February 22 at 6:40 pm/et. Cars that were in the top 35 in owner's points during the 2007 season are guaranteed a spot in the race.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: It is tough not to pick the native Californian. Johnson won the last race at Fontana and posted top three finishes in three of the last five races at the facility.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has three career wins at Fontana and had one of the best cars on the track during last year's edition of the Auto Club 500. He is a great pick again this weekend.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has won two of the last four races at Fontana. He is a lock to finish in the top five again this weekend.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards has finished sixth or better in six of his seven Cup starts at Fontana. This is one of his favorite tracks and we like his chances on Sunday.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior overruled his crew chief during the Daytona 500 and was passed by cars with fresh tires during the final laps of the race. Fontana is a track he has had decent success at in the past and if he learns to listen to the advice of his crew at Hendrick Motorsports he will be a great pick to crack the top five.

6 to 10

No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch has finished in the top 10 in the past five races at Fontana. After being dismissed by Hendrick Motorsports, he is driving with a chip on his shoulder and is a great fantasy pick.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has been fairly strong at CIS during his career. He could notch the second win of the 2008 season for Penske Racing
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne has been great at Fontana during his career. He has four top 10 finishes, including a win, in eight career starts at the track. We look for him to have the Bud car out on Sunday.
No. 20 Tony Stewart: Stewart has never won in 13 career starts at Fontana. His Toyota was strong at Daytona, but we don't expect it to be quite as good this weekend.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has been consistently good at Fontana in his career. He is a lock to post a solid finish.

11 to 20

No. 1 Martin Truex Jr: Truex looked great at Fontana last September. He could threaten to crack the top 10 again this weekend.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has finished well the past four races at CIS. We think he is a lock to finish in the top 15 again this weekend.
No. 07 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has never finished worse than 20th in four career starts at Fontana. He is a great third driver on any fantasy team this weekend.
No. 26 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has five top 10 finishes in nine career starts at Fontana. He is a decent pick as a third or fourth fantasy driver on Sunday.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has struggled during the past five races at Fontana. He will be lucky to crack the top 15 on Sunday.
No. 25 Casey Mears: Mears is just a middle-of-the-pack driver. We don't recommend using him as anything but a fourth or fifth member of fantasy teams.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle slumped during the past four races at Fontana, but he has had decent success at the track in the past. There are much better tracks to use him.
No. 41 Reed Sorenson: We hope Sorenson will use his fifth place finish at Daytona to build some momentum for his season. He is a very talented driver and this is a make-or-break season for him.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers has been very successful during his career at Fontana. He will have to make Sunday's race during qualifying, but he is a definite solid sleeper pick.
No. 12 Ryan Newman: The 2008 Daytona 500 champion has been awful the past few races at Fontana. Don't let Sunday's win fool you into choosing him this weekend.

21 to 30

No. 8 Mark Martin: Martin is always worth having on your fantasy team as a fourth or fifth driver. The guy is just so consistent.
No. 43 Bobby Labonte: Labonte led four laps on his way to an 11th place finish at Fontana during last September's race. He is a sleeper pick this weekend.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya didn't do much at Fontana in 2007. There are far better options this weekend.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler had a strong finish at Daytona, but Fontana hasn't been good to him since 2005. We wouldn't use him as anything but a fourth or fifth fantasy driver.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan finished 12th and 16th last year at Fontana. He is one of our sleeper picks this weekend.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. was impressive at Daytona. He will face a tougher challenge this weekend at Fontana, but he is a very talented driver.
No. 15 Paul Menard: Menard has cracked the top 25 in both of his career starts at Fontana. He isn't a bad choice as a fifth driver on your fantasy team.
No. 22 Dave Blaney: Blaney hasn't cracked the top 20 in the past six races at Fontana. He isn't a fantasy option.
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon is a California native, but this is a track he would be better off skipping. Avoid him like the plague.
No. 66 Scott Riggs: Riggs has been abysmal at Fontana since his seventh place finish in 2004. He is guaranteed to make the race, but we can't recommend him.

31 to 40

No. 40 Dario Franchitti: The Flying Scotsman was decent at Daytona, but we expect he will have a more difficult time with his car's roll entering Fontana's corners.
No. 44 Dale Jarrett: Jarrett had a nice run at Daytona, but should fall back into the mid-30's this weekend.
No. 45 Kyle Petty: Petty has led a lap in each of the past two races at Fontana. That doesn't make him worthy of a fantasy pick.
No. 38 David Gilliland: Gilliland has never finished better than 25th at Fontana in his career. We don't see him ending that streak this weekend.
No. 96 J.J. Yeley: Yeley won't match his career average finish of 21.3 at Fontana in his Hall of Fame Racing Toyota.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann will have to make Sunday's race during qualifying, but that is the case every weekend and he doesn't seem to be intimidated by it.
No. 70 Jeremy Mayfield: Mayfield wasn't awful at Daytona, but he is a back-of-the-pack driver and isn't a fantasy option.
No. 01 Regan Smith: Smith was a back-of-the-packer during the Daytona 500 and should struggle again this weekend.
No. 55 Michael Waltrip: Waltrip has been just awful the past three races at Fontana. Stay away from him.
No. 28 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil is guaranteed to make the field, but that doesn't mean he won't get lapped very quickly.

Field Fillers

No. 84 A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger missed the Daytona 500 and will struggle to make the field this weekend.
No. 78 Joe Nemechek: We expect "Front-Row Joe" will make plenty of races then get lapped very quickly this season.
No. 49 Ken Schrader: If it has wheels, Schrader can drive it...unfortunately he has to qualify it to drive it in Sunday's race.
No. 27 Mike Skinner: Skinner can drive a truck, but he will be challenged trying to get the No. 27 car into Sunday's field.
No. 21 Bill Elliott: Elliott should have the No. 21 Wood Brothers car in the field, but we don't like his chances
No. 60 Boris Said: Said missed the Daytona 500 and isn't worth taking a chance on this weekend.
No. 10 Patrick Carpentier: Carpentier missed the Daytona 500 and it won't surprise us if he misses this weekend's race too.
No. 87 Kenny Wallace: Wallace won't be in Sunday's starting 43.
No. 34 John Andretti: Andretti has no chance.
No. 37 Kevin Lepage: It is a long trip from Lepage's home state of Vermont to California. To bad he has no chance to make Sunday's race.
No. 08 Burney Lamar: Would take a miracle.


Brownie's Picks

Top Four:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Carl Edwards

Sleepers:

1. Kasey Kahne
2. Brian Vickers
Busts:

1. Greg Biffle
2. Ryan Newman

[Hache Man]

Midpack Attack: Auto Club 500
Track history

From World War II until the end of 1983, this Fontana, California site was home of Kaiser Steel. After Kaiser went bankrupt, the site was left to deteriorate into rusting rubble. In November 1993, Roger Penske and Kaiser Ventures Inc. started discussions on cleaning up the site for a possible superspeedway. On Nov. 22, 1995, after getting race dates from NASCAR and CART, a work force that numbered in the thousands began demolition and construction. More than 21,000 tons of hazardous waste was removed. Then a million more tons of rubble was removed. The final cost of the 2-mile California Speedway was around $120 million. Since then, they have added road courses and a drag strip to the racing complex. The facility hosts NASCAR, IRL, Motorcycle Racing, NHRA, the IROC Series and Grand American sports car racing. It is also the home of six different racing schools. In 1998, 15,777 seats were added raising the grandstand capacity to 86,232. The following year, 28 skyboxes were added to the rim of the grandstands, which currently hold about 92,000 fans. There is still plenty of room for expansion at this 568-acre facility. In August 2007, the speedway showcased its multi-million dollar Midway redesign which included Wolfgang Puck's Apex restaurant, a town center and new concert stage.


First Cup race

Joe Nemechek put the No. 42 Felix Sabates owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the pole for the June 22, 1997 California 500 Presented by NAPA with a qualifying lap of 183.015 mph. Jeff Gordon, driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet at an average race speed of 155.012 mph, took the inaugural win.


As fantasy players, your team budget won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. There were 51 cars on the entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualified will be competing in front of 92,000 fans in the grandstands. Here are our picks for Sunday's Auto Club 500 in Fontana, California.


Mid-pack picks

Since this is only the second race of 2008, about half of the drivers who finished in the top twenty at Daytona are still considered sleepers this early in the season. Matt Kenseth, who is 36th in the points right now, will likely be contending for the win at Fontana.

Jamie McMurray heads to his favorite track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit this weekend. In nine career Cup starts, he has five top-10 finishes, including three top-five finishes. McMurray said "California Speedway is statistically my best track on the circuit." He's considered a "closer" here since he is one of the best at improving positions during the final 10 percent of the race. If you planned on using McMurray any time soon, this would be a good time.

For his first Cup start at the California Speedway, this race in 2004, Kasey Kahne drove from the pole to a 13th place finish. Including his September 2006 win, Kahne has scored five top tens in eight Cup starts at this track. He started on the front row in 2nd in this race last February, led 20 laps but lost the engine. Overall, his laps led percentage (14.8%) is the best of all active drivers. Coming off a 7th at Daytona, look for Kahne to be up front this weekend.

Greg Biffle, currently 10th in the point standings, might slip down to mid-pack after a few races but he's a good choice for a third or fourth driver this weekend. NASCAR Media loop data shows Biffle leads all drivers with 134 of the fastest laps over the last six Fontana Cup races. Only one driver, his teammate and track favorite Matt Kenseth, leads him in percentage of laps led in those 6 races. Don't expect another win from Biffle this weekend but a repeat of his 15th place finish in this race last season is not out of the question.

Casey Mears, our deepest pick this weekend, looked really strong at Daytona. He was running with the leaders most of the race and was in the top 5 before hitting the wall in the closing laps. The native Californian, who considers Fontana a home-town track, scored top 15's in three of the his last four Cup starts at the speedway. He almost pulled off a Fontana win in the Nationwide (Busch) Series with a runner-up in last fall's race. Tag Mears onto the tail end of your roster and expect a top 15 run on Sunday.

[Hache Man]

The UAW-Ford 500
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the third race of the Sprint Cup Season, the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. We looked at this winter's Vegas practice sessions, past performances, and season trends to predict how the field might finish.


When: Sunday, March 2, 2008; 4:30 p.m./et


Weather: Sunny with a high around 64; wind out of the N at 18 mph. Chance of precipitation 20%.


The Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval that was reconfigured in 2007. The banking on the corners was been increased from 12 degrees to 20 degrees. Roush-Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have dominated races at the track since it opened in 1998.

Key to Race: BEAT THE BIG BOYS

There have been ten races run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and cars from the Roush-Fenway and Hendrick Motorsports have won nine of them. The ability these teams have to experiment with different aero packages and setups means any of their cars could win the race.


Qualifying Procedures:

48 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by two lap qualifying runs that will be done on Friday, February 29 at 6:40 pm/et. Cars that were in the top 35 in owner's points during the 2007 season are guaranteed a spot in the race.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has won the past three Las Vegas races…enough said.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has three consecutive top five finishes at Vegas. He should be in the lead pack again this weekend.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has won two of the last five races at Vegas. He is a great bet to crack the top five again this weekend.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch has three straight top 10 finishes at his hometown track. He is a great pick this weekend.
No. 20 Tony Stewart: Stewart has been a top five finisher at Vegas four times. There is a great chance he could find his way to victory lane for the first time at the track this weekend.

6 to 10

No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has never finished outside the top 10 during his career at Vegas. We like his chance to keep the streak alive this weekend.
No. 12 Ryan Newman: Newman has been on fire so far this season. He has had decent success at Vegas during his career and is a great pick on Sunday.
No. 8 Mark Martin: Martin has notched five top five finishes in 10 career starts at Vegas. He is a great sleeper option this weekend.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards was terrific Monday at Fontana, but he hasn't had a heck of a lot of success at Vegas during his career. We think he should finish inside the top 15, but his chances of winning aren't very good.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has been hit-or-miss in Vegas during his career. He has been strong so far this season and we see no reason he won't flirt with cracking the top 10 on Sunday.

11 to 20

No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior isn't a great pick in Vegas. He has just two top 10 finishes in eight career starts in the Sin City.
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne has two top five finishes and two 35th or worse finishes at Vegas in his career. We expect he will be pushing to crack the top 10 on Sunday.
No. 1 Martin Truex Jr: Truex finished 12th during last year's edition of this race. We predict he will finish right around there again this year.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick is a lock to crack the top 20 and might even sneak into the top 10 with a little luck.
No. 25 Casey Mears: Las Vegas is one of the best tracks for Mears. If there is ever a weekend to use him it is this one.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has six top 10 finishes in 10 career starts at Vegas. He should be just outside the top 10 this weekend.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle's average finish at Las Vegas is 17th. That is about where we think he will finish this weekend.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers has been awesome so far this year. He is worth taking a chance on this weekend as your fourth or fifth driver.
No. 07 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has never cracked the top 15 at Vegas. He isn't a great pick this weekend.
No. 26 Jamie McMurray: McMurray should be a middle-of-the-packer this weekend. He isn't worth using as much more than a fourth or fifth driver.

21 to 30

No. 43 Bobby Labonte: Labonte has had decent success during his career at Vegas and is worth using as a fifth driver this weekend.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler's average finish at Vegas during his career is 25th which is about where we think he will finish this weekend.
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon is having an excellent season, if you overlook his penalty. Another top 20 finish wouldn't surprise us. But we are talking about Robby.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann is proving this season that he is a very talented driver. We like him as a sleeper most weekends.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya hasn't had quite the success people expected from him in his sophomore season. We think he will struggle again this weekend.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. had some bad luck that took him out of last weekend's race. He is a wildcard this weekend, but we don't recommend using him in fantasy leagues.
No. 41 Reed Sorenson: Sorenson has been terrible at Las Vegas during his career. We think he is due for a breakout season this year, but this isn't the week to use him.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan finished 37th last year at Vegas. He will improve this week, but he still isn't a great choice.
No. 15 Paul Menard: Menard should finish in the mid-to-high 20's this weekend.
No. 66 Scott Riggs: Riggs has back-to-back 21st place finishes this season. We don't think he will do that well this weekend.

31 to 40

No. 96 J.J. Yeley: Yeley is going to finish in the top 30 most races, but he will rarely crack the top 20.
No. 38 David Gilliland: Gilliland has been quietly having a great season. We expect he will crack the top 35 this weekend, but not do much better.
No. 44 Dale Jarrett: Jarrett has had a nice run this season, but he should fall back into the mid-30's this weekend.
No. 22 Dave Blaney: Blaney has been terrible this season and Vegas isn't one of his better tracks. Avoid him.
No. 55 Michael Waltrip: Waltrip has been decent this season, but we still don't consider him a fantasy option.
No. 40 Dario Franchitti: Dario has struggled in his first two NASCAR races. This is a trend we don't see ending.
No. 45 Kyle Petty: Petty has been terrible this season and we don't see him improving.
No. 70 Jeremy Mayfield: We have to wonder if the No. 70 car wishes it had Johnny Sauter back.
No. 01 Regan Smith: Smith is a back-of-the-packer.
No. 28 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil is guaranteed to make the field and should get lapped rapidly.

Field Fillers

No. 21 Bill Elliott: Elliott did well at Fontana and should get the No. 21 car into Sunday's field as well.
No. 84 A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger has missed the first two races of the season and should struggle to make the field this weekend.
No. 10 Patrick Carpentier: Carpentier's next Spring Cup race will be his first.
No. 78 Joe Nemechek: Nemechek has barely made the first two races of the season. His luck will eventually run out.
No. 49 Ken Schrader: Schrader has yet to make a race this season. It is a trend that should continue.
No. 27 Mike Skinner: Skinner will be watching the race on television.
No. 34 John Andretti: Andretti has made both races this season, but we think he will miss this week.
No. 08 Burney Lamar: He would have to find a pit crew if he makes the race.


Brownie's Picks

Top Four:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Kyle Busch

Sleepers:

1. Mark Martin
2. Casey Mears

Busts:

1. Clint Bowyer
2. Juan Pablo Montoya

[Hache Man]

Midpack Attack:UAW-Dodge 400
Track history

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway, situated on 1600 acres northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, opened for business in 1996. The facility covers over a dozen forms of racing, including a go-kart track, a 4,000-foot drag strip, a 3/8 mile "bullring" oval, a couple of road courses, paved and dirt short tracks, motocross circuits, and a Cup Superspeedway. They are also home to several racing schools like the Richard Petty Driving Experience and the Mario Andretti Racing School. With Las Vegas food and entertainment nearby, and over 100,000 affordable hotel rooms available, LVMS is a favorite of race teams and fans alike. The speedway was opened September 15, 1996 with the Indy Racing League Las Vegas 500k, won by Richie Hearn. NASCAR Cup racing came to LVMS in 1998 with the inaugural Las Vegas 400. The superspeedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval. The backstretch runs 1,572 feet and the front is 2,275 feet.
In 2007, the Cup drivers competed on a brand-new track configuration. The 1.5 mile track was changed to its current 20 degree banking compared to the previous 12 degrees in the turns. For the fans, pit road was relocated 150 feet closer to the grandstands and the new fan-friendly garages debuted that weekend as well.


First Cup race

Dale Jarrett ran a 168.224 mph qualifying lap in Robert Yates Racing's No. 88 Quality Care Ford to start on the pole for the March 1, 1998 Las Vegas 400. He led 40 laps but dropped out on lap 219 after losing the engine. Mark Martin put Roush Racing's No. 6 Valvoline Ford 7th in the lineup, led 82 laps and took the inaugural victory with a race speed of 146.554 mph.


As fantasy players, your team budget won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. There were 48 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualify will be competing in front of 142,000 fans in the grandstands for a total purse of $6,459,779. Here are our picks for Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Mid-pack picks

Since it's still early in the season, mid-packers aren't necessarily mid-pack in the point standings at this time. Some are in the top 15 but will drop like stones after four or five races. Others, deep in the standings, will likely be moving up. That said, other than the track favorites, we'll be picking from all over the standings for the next couple of weeks.

Jeff Burton's combined Cup and Nationwide (Busch) Series numbers show 5 wins, 12 top tens and an average finish of around 9th in 17 starts. It's an understatement to say he does well at LVMS. He's the only driver to finish all 10 Cup races and 9 on the lead lap. Burton has two top 15's this season so far and Sunday should be no exception.

Mark Martin leads all drivers with 8 top tens in Cup series races at Las Vegas. The inaugural race winner is a fantasy option every time he enters a race at this track. Like Burton, he brings the car home in one piece (running at the finish in 9 out of 10 races). His 11.2 average finish makes him a good choice for a third of fourth driver in your roster this weekend.

In four Cup starts at this track, Kasey Kahne averaged a 3.5 start (best in the series) including 2 poles. As to his finishes; he wrecked twice and finished 2nd and 4th in the other two starts. The runner-up finish was in only his 3rd Cup Series career race. Kahne is back running like he did in 2006. With a 7th at Daytona and a 9th last Monday at Fontana, look for another top 10 from him on Sunday.

Greg Biffle has an average finish of 10th in his last three Cup starts at LVMS. In the Nationwide Series, he averaged an 11.3 finish at Las Vegas for six races. Oh yeah, let's not forget his two starts in the Craftsman Truck Series. He started both races 5th in the lineup, finished the first in 5th and won the other. Biffle has finishes of 10th and 15th so far in 2008 and that is where we expect to find him this weekend.

[Hache Man]

Kobalt Tools 500
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the fourth race of the 2008 season, the Kobalt Tools 500. We looked at past performances, practice sessions, and season trends to shed a light on how the field might finish on Sunday afternoon.


When: Sunday, March 9, 2008; 2:00 p.m./et


Weather: Sunny with a high around 57; wind out of the W at 4 mph. Chance of precipitation 10%.


The Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a wide, 1.5 mile oval. It has 24 degree banking on the corners. Due to the fast surface and steep banking it is known as the fastest track on the NASCAR circuit.


Key to Race: READY FOR ANOTHER BACK FLIP?

This is a race that appears to be wide-open. Carl Edwards won both 2005 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Jimmie Johnson won both races at the track in 2007 both drivers have a great chance to win this weekend.


Qualifying Procedures:

48 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by two lap qualifying runs that will be done on Friday, March 7 at 6:45 pm/et. Cars that were in the top 35 in owner's points during the 2008 season are guaranteed a spot in the race.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has visited Victory Lane in the past two Atlanta races. We think there is a great chance he can get his first win of the 2008 season this weekend.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: In seven career starts at Atlanta, Edwards has finished in the top seven an impressive six times. 2008 is starting to look like the year of "Crazy" Carl.
No. 20 Tony Stewart: Stewart won the October 2006 race at Atlanta and finished second last March. Depending on how sore he is from trying to "knock the wall down" in Vegas he should be in contention for the win this weekend.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has four career wins at Atlanta and has finished in the top 10 in 14 of the last 18 races at the track. His body is very sore from the intense crash he had at Vegas, but another top five finish should be expected.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has been great at Atlanta during his career. In 16 races he has nine top 10 finishes. He will be very good on Sunday.


6 to 10

No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne has four top five finishes in eight career races at Atlanta. He looks like the Kahne of 2006 rather then the disappointing driver we watched last season. We like his chances on Sunday.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has nine top 10 finishes in the last 13 races at Atlanta. He should find himself in the top 10 again this weekend.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has been very good at Atlanta since 2004. A top 15 finish is nearly guaranteed.
No. 07 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished sixth in both of last year's races at Atlanta. He is worth taking a chance on this weekend for another top 10 finish.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has won at ATL before, but he has cracked the top 10 just once since 2003. His hit-or-miss results at the track make him a risky pick this weekend.

11 to 20

No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has just one top 10 finish in five career ATL starts. He should be in the top 15, but we don't see a top 10 finish.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch has never cracked the top 10 at Atlanta. He isn't a great pick this weekend.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle was terrible at Atlanta in 2007, but he has led 285 laps in the past six races at the track. He should wind up be in the top 15 on Sunday.
No. 1 Martin Truex Jr: Truex has been very mediocre during his career at Atlanta. We have been impressed with his consistency this season, but a top 10 finish might be out of his grasp on Sunday.
No. 8 Mark Martin: Martin has finished in the top 10 in five of the past seven races at Atlanta. He won't finish in the top 10, but a top 15 finish is expected.
No. 41 Reed Sorenson: Sorenson was awesome at ATL in 2007 and with his strong start to the 2008 season we love him as a third or fourth driver in all fantasy leagues.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick won at Atlanta in 2001, but he has been terrible the past 12 races at the track. Save him for another weekend.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2008 season. He is worth using as a fourth or fifth driver in all fantasy leagues.
No. 43 Bobby Labonte: Labonte has had success at Atlanta during his career and has been great this season. We like him has a fourth or fifth driver this weekend.
No. 12 Ryan Newman: Newman is the maestro of qualifying at Atlanta. In the 12 races he has run at the speedway he has started from the pole seven times. We like him to grab the pole, but he should finish outside the top 20.

21 to 30

No. 25 Casey Mears: Mears has averaged a 23rd place finish at Atlanta during his career. We feel he will finish right about there this weekend.
No. 26 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has struggled to crack the top 20 in 2008. He isn't worth using in fantasy leagues.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler has never been great at Atlanta, but he should be good enough this weekend to crack the top 25.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya had one good race and one bad race at ATL last season. He is too hit-or-miss for us this weekend.
No. 15 Paul Menard: Menard has averaged a 22nd place finish at Atlanta during his career. He is a decent sleeper pick this weekend.
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Atlanta has never been one of Gordon's better tracks, but he should be good enough to finish in the top 30.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann was on a roll until last weekend. He will continue to be a risky pick.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. has had some awful luck this season. We can't recommend him as a fantasy option until he can make it through a race without an incident.
No. 6 David Ragan: The Georgia native struggled at Atlanta during his rookie season, but he should be better at the track this season.
No. 96 J.J. Yeley: Yeley is going to continue finish in the top 30, but he will rarely crack the top 20.


31 to 40

No. 28 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil has been the biggest surprise so far this season. We doubt he will continue his strong finishes, but he might be worth using as a fifth fantasy driver.
No. 38 David Gilliland: Gilliland has been quietly having a great season. If he continues to be consistent he might be worth using as a fifth fantasy driver.
No. 70 Jeremy Mayfield: Mayfield has been a nice surprise this year. We doubt he will continue his top 30 finishes, but he has driven very well so far.
No. 55 Michael Waltrip: Waltrip looked great during the October race at Atlanta, but we don't think he is worth using in fantasy leagues.
No. 66 Scott Riggs: Riggs will continue to be hit-or-miss this season. He is very talented, but CNC Racing will struggle to give him a consistent ride.
No. 44 Dale Jarrett: Jarrett has 11 top five finishes at Atlanta during his career…unfortunately his days of glory are a distant memory.
No. 22 Dave Blaney: Blaney has been terrible this season. Avoid him.
No. 40 Dario Franchitti: Dario continues to struggle in his conversion from open wheel to NASCAR. Not a fantasy option.
No. 45 Kyle Petty: Petty has been terrible this season. Not a fantasy option.
No. 01 Regan Smith: The man from Cato has a lot to learn about driving a car in the Sprint Cup.

Field Fillers

No. 21 Johnny Sauter: Sauter had some strong finishes last year, but we don't think he will do much in the No. 21 ride.
No. 84 Mike Skinner: Skinner used his strong qualifying effort at Vegas to earn a ride in the No. 84 car. He should get the car into the race, but he isn't a fantasy option.
No. 49 Ken Schrader: Schrader made the Vegas race and finished in the top 25. He is far too risky to use even in the deepest fantasy league.
No. 10 Patrick Carpentier: Carpentier struggled last weekend and will struggle again this weekend.
No. 78 Joe Nemechek: Nemechek missed the Vegas race and will need some luck to make the race this weekend.
No. 34 John Andretti: Andretti missed the race in Vegas and should miss this weekend's race as well.
No. 08 Burney Lamar: Not a chance.


Brownie's Picks

Top Four:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
3. Tony Stewart
4. Jeff Gordon

Sleepers:

1. Reed Sorenson
2. Brian Vickers

Busts:

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Ryan Newman

[Hache Man]

Midpack: Kobalt Tools 500
Track history

Fireball Roberts earned just $10,130 for winning the 1960 Dixie 300, the first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). The purse for all the drivers totaled $39,000. In contrast, during the March 2007 race, Scott Riggs blew an engine, finished 43rd and collected $74,334. Opened in July 1960, AMS was one of the best of the new superspeedways being built all over at the time. This 1.54-mile oval is the fastest track the Cup guys compete on and is the one they fear the most. Since it is not a "restrictor plate" track and speeds top 200 mph at the end of the backstretch, drivers know if they find the wall here, they will definitely know it. The good thing about not having restrictor plates is the cars will be spread out and wrecks like the "Big One" wrecks at Daytona and Talladega aren't usually a concern at Atlanta. Bruton Smith purchased the Speedway in 1990 and has spent over $100 million improving the facility, including the nine-story structure that houses the corporate offices of AMS as well as 46 luxury condos. Recent additions also include a road course and over 53,000 more seats giving AMS a total capacity of 124,000 seats. In 1997, at a cost of $30 million, the start/finish line was moved from the south side of the track to the north side, and the configuration of the Hampton, Ga. facility changed from a 1.522- mile oval to a 1.54-mile quad-oval similar to Lowe's and Texas Motor Speedways.


First Cup race

On July 31, 1960, Fireball Roberts started on the pole for the 1960 Dixie 300 in the John Hines owned No. 22 car. Roberts led 28 laps in the 1960 Pontiac, including the last one, to win the first Cup race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A 22-year old Richard Petty drove the soon-to-be famous No. 43 Petty Plymouth to a 20th place finish in that race as well.


As fantasy players, your team budget won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart. There were 48 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualify will be competing in front of 124,000 fans in the grandstands for a total purse of $5,060,012. Here are our picks for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 in Hampton, Georgia.


Mid-pack picks

Jeff Burton, coming off a strong top 5 finish at Las Vegas, likes Atlanta almost as much as LVMS. Besides 12 top tens in 27 Cup starts, including top fives in the last two, Burton won the last two Nationwide Series races at AMS as well. He's tuning up for Sunday's event with another NNS start on Saturday. If he does as well this weekend as we think, Burton will no longer be a mid-pack pick in 2008.

Reed Sorenson recorded his career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish of third-place in last season's second race at what is considered his hometown track. In five starts at AMS he has one top five (third) and three top ten finishes. He has an 18.4 average finish. He looked good last weekend at LVMS and came away with an 18th place finish. Sorenson is a good choice for fourth or fifth in your lineup.

Clint Bowyer is having a slow start this season with a definite mid-pack 23.7 average finish. At this time last year, he was holding a 20th place average finish and he scored a 6th at Atlanta. Bowyer followed up with another 6th in the October race at this track. Six might be his favorite AMS number since he finished in that position in the 2007 Nationwide Series race as well. We're expecting him to finish around 6th on Sunday.

Bobby Labonte leads all active drivers with six Cup Series wins at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is third, behind track favorites Stewart and Gordon, in the percentage of laps led category. Labonte ran two Craftsman Truck races here in 2005 and finished 2nd and 5th. We don't expect a 7th win but Labonte should be good for a top 15 in Sunday's race.

[Hache Man]

The Food City 500
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway's half mile oval for the fifth race of the 2008 season, the Food City 500. Race Preview looked at past performances, practice sessions, and season trends to predict how the field should finish on Sunday.


When: Sunday, March 16; 2 p.m./et


Weather: Partly cloudy with a high around 51; wind out of the NW at 11 mph. Chance of precipitation 10%.


The Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway is a half mile oval with high-banking around the entire track. The corners are banked 36 degrees with 16 degree banking on the straight-aways. This is a track that very few drivers have been able to dominate. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon have all had decent success at the track, but that status can change with one nudge to the left rear bumper.


Key to Race: DON'T BRING YOUR BEST CAR

The Bullring in Bristol has been described a flying an airplane in a gymnasium. There will be no cars that escape Sunday's race without damage. This race is one of the most entertaining on the circuit for fans and frustrating for drivers. Expect tempers to flare as the cars bump and bang. The driver that wins the race will have to have excellent pit stops and lots of luck.


Qualifying Procedures:

46 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by two lap qualifying runs on Friday, March 14th at 3:45 pm/et. Cars that were in the top 35 in owner's points following the 2007 season are guaranteed a spot in the race.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards won the August 2007 race at Bristol and has placed in the top 12 the past four races at the track. With his early success in 2008 he is a great pick.
No. 20 Tony Stewart: Stewart led 257 laps during last March's race at Bristol. If he can figure out how to drive on Goodyear tires he should be in the front again on Sunday.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has five career wins at Bristol and has led nearly 2,400 laps at the track. He should be in the top five once again on Sunday.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch led 29 laps on his way to winning last March's race at Bristol. He has finished eighth or better in the past four races at the track and is an excellent pick.
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne had one of the top cars during last August's race at Bristol. He captured the pole, led 305 laps and finished an impressive second place. This weekend should be a great opportunity for Kahne to get the Bud car into Victory Lane.


6 to 10

No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has nine top 10 finishes in 14 career races at Bristol. He finished fourth during last year's March race and is a great choice on Sunday.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has excelled at Bristol in his career. He has finished 16th or better in his last 13 starts at the track. Look for him to earn another top 10 finish on Sunday.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has nine top 10 finishes in 16 career races at Bristol. He has led 539 laps during the last five races at the track, making him a great option to finish in the top 10.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has finished second in two of the last six races at Bristol. He is a great third or fourth driver in all fantasy leagues.
No. 07 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has cracked the top 10 in his past two starts at Bristol. He should be back into the top 10 once again on Sunday.


11 to 20

No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle has never finished worse than 22nd at Bristol in his career and has six top 10 finishes in 10 career starts. He is a great fantasy option on Sunday.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has won five races at Bristol during his career, but his last three races at the track he has averaged just a 24th place finish. He is still a strong option on Sunday, but we wouldn't anchor our team with him.
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has led just one lap in the past five races at Bristol. He is usually a top pick, but we don't recommend him this weekend.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin was a hit-or-miss driver at Bristol in 2007. He blew an engine and finished 43rd in August race and led 177 laps on the way to a 14th place finish in March. We think he should bring a strong enough car to crack the top 15, but we don't think he is predictable to be worthy of a top 10 selection.
No. 1 Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr has averaged a 26th place finish at Bristol during his career. The success he had at the track while in the Nationwide Series has yet to carry over and we like other drivers much better this weekend.
No. 43 Bobby Labonte: Labonte's average finish during his career at Bristol is 19th.