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NASCAR Power Rankings: Daytona 2

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Kurt Busch: 7th to 5th	Biggest Drop This Week: Ryan Newman: 6th to 9th
New This Week: Juan Pablo Montoya	Dropped Out This Week:

Rank: 1st Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 1 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- 1 Win, 13 Top Tens For the 4th consecutive week Tony Stewart remains in the top spot. What is keeping him there? The answer is consistency. Many of his top competitors have looked good, but have been inconsistent.

Rank: 2nd Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 2 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 2 Wins, 11 Top Tens Over the last month and a half Jimmie Johnson has been the best car on the track. The point standings don't properly reflect this but Johnson's league best driver rating of 108.5 does.

Rank: 3rd Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 4 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 12 Top Tens At New Hampshire Jeff Gordon almost had the race won. If it wasn't for Joey's fuel mileage and the rain, Gordon would have been able to tack on another 10 bonus points for the Chase. More importantly the 24 is starting to get momentum going.

Rank: 4th Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 3 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin- 3 Wins, 8 Top Tens Mark Martin had a pretty mediocre day at New Hampshire. I thought it was pretty unusual because at similar tracks earlier in the season (Phoenix-Win, Richmond- 5th) Martin had very successful races.

Rank: 5th Kurt Busch #22 Last Week: 7 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 9 Top Tens Kurt Busch was a thorn in Jeff Gordon's side all day long at New Hampshire. At Daytona Kurt will look to be ahead of Gordon with his series best 5.3 COT average finish.

Rank: 6th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 5 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards- 4 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens The 99 has been off their game for the last 2 races but other then that Carl Edwards has positioned himself as a top contender for 2009.

Rank: 7th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 8 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- 5 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens As soon as I heard that the 16 was using their winning setup from last year I knew he was in trouble. Teams must always strive to do better then before, but that wasn't in the 16's game plan and they finished 18th with last years winning setup.

Rank: 8th Kasey Kahne #4 Last Week: 9 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 6 Top Tens The 9 car over the last 6 races has accumulated the 5th most points in the series with 1 win and 4 top tens. Over this time period they have averaged ~140 points a race which equates roughly to an eighth place finish.

Rank: 9th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 6 Change: -3 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens Ryan Newman won his first career race in the rain at New Hampshire in 2002. In 2009 Newman tried to duplicate his first victory but the rain came to late and his tank was empty.

Rank: 10th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 10 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin- 4 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens Hamlin's performance at New Hampshire was the big let down of the week for me. The 11 was never a factor all day long.

Rank: 11th Kyle Busch #18 Last Week: 11 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Kyle Busch- 3 Wins, 6 Top Tens Kyle Busch likes the rain. Until Sunday the last top 10 Kyle Busch had was at the Coke 600 which was also a rain out.

Rank: 12th Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Last Week: NR Change: N/A Driver Page | Articles

Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Pole, 7 Top Tens Remember back in 2007 when Bowyer made the Chase but didn't have a single win. Well, in 2009 seventeen races into the season Montoya is currently in the Chase and he doesn't even have a single top 5.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Greetings On Pit Row readers,
Last week I got feedback from a reader that the Fantasy Racing Preview would be more useful if the drivers were ranked straight through, rather than split into the A/B/C list used by Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing. The Preview is still a work in progress and the aim is to inform all fantasy NASCAR players – regardless of format. That said, I’ve taken the feedback and I’ve ranked everyone on the entry list from No. 1 to No. 46 as a test run this week.

For Yahoo! players, the top-four A list drivers, top-eight B list drivers and top-four C list drivers will have Y! tags attached to them. Top qualifiers, for those chasing bonus points, and value plays, for those looking for low-rent salary cap options, will remain the same. Value plays are also geared for owners in allocation formats looking to save driver starts.

As I mentioned on Tuesday’s On Pit Row, starting position is huge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In the 28 races runs here, the winner has started 15th or better 21 times. Over the last three years (six races), two drivers have won from the pole. The other three winners qualified fourth, ninth and 11th. Kurt Busch won from the 26th position last year, but stayed out prior to rain showers and won a shortened race.

What do you think of the new format? Leave your comments below.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Swept in ’03. Top-10s in six of the last seven, finished 15th or better in 13 of 14 career starts. Best average starting position of the last five years (10 starts): 7.9. Y! A-1
2. Tony Stewart… Twenty career starts: 10 top-five finishes. Laps led in three starts in a row and seven of the last nine. Y! B-1
3. Jeff Gordon… Laps led in 17 of 28 career starts. ’08- 11th, 14th. ’07- second, second. Last pole- ’04. Last win- ’98. Y! A-2
4. Denny Hamlin… Six career starts: won in ’07, five top-10 finishes, never finished worse than 15th. Y! B-2
5. Greg Biffle… 13 career starts: won the most recent race in September, three consecutive top-fives (7/05, 9/05, 7/06). Only top-10 in the other nine starts. Y! A-3
6. Kyle Busch… Most recent pole winner. Laps led in four on eight career starts. ’08- 25th, 34th. ’07- 11th, fourth. Won 7/06. Y-4
7. Matt Kenseth… No victories, but consistent. Top-10 finishes in 10 of the last 13 starts.
8. Ryan Newman… Strong qualifier. Four poles but none since ’06. Laps led in 11 of 14 career starts. ’07- ninth, 10th. ’08- 15th, 36th. Y! B-3
9. Kurt Busch… Good qualifier. Started inside the top-three (9/06, 7/07, 9/07) Defending champion of this race, swept in ’04 but poor finishes in between (19th or worse in five straight races). Y! B-4
10. Carl Edwards… Finished third last September, only one top-10 in eight other starts.
11. Mark Martin… No starts since ’06, two top-10s in the last 10 starts.
12. Jeff Burton… Four career wins, none since ’00. Top-10 finishes in five of the last seven starts.
13. Clint Bowyer… Six career starts: one top-10, a victory from the pole in 9/07- led 222 of 300 laps.
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Good qualifier. Started fourth and fifth last year. Laps led in four straight races but uneven finishes: ’07- fourth, 16th. ’08- 24th, fifth. Y! B-5
15. Kasey Kahne… First five career starts: four top-10s. Next five starts: zero top-10s, finished 20th or worse three times. Y! B-6
16. David Reutimann… Improvements in four straight career starts: ’07- 38th, 26th. ’08- 19th, 15th. Y! B-7
17. Martin Truex Jr…. Strong value play. Six career starts: seventh or better in four straight. Y! B-8
18. Casey Mears… Weak value play. Two top-10 finishes over the last three starts. Finished outside of the top-20 in eight of 12 career starts.
19. Kevin Harvick… Laps led in eight of 16 career starts. Won from the pole 9/06.
20. Bobby Labonte… Weak value play. ’08- 10th, 13th. Outside of top-20 in four of five races prior. Seven top-10s nine races from 8/98-9/02. Y! C-1
21. Brian Vickers… Laps led in four of 10 career starts but only one top-10 finish (fifth in 9/06).
22. Marcos Ambrose… Two Nationwide starts: ’07- 27th, ’08- 14th. Truck series: ’06- 23rd. Y! C-2
23. Joey Logano… First career start in last year’s September race: started 40th, finished 32nd. Two ’07 wins in the East Series.
24. Juan Pablo Montoya… Four career starts: 22.8 average finish, never finished better than 17th.
25. Jamie McMurray… Eight straight starts without a top-10. ’07- 16th, 11th. ’08- 41st, 39th.
26. Elliott Sadler… Career-best fifth-place finish last year but only five top-10 finishes in 20 career starts.
27. Michael Waltrip… Finished second last year but 23rd or worse in three of the last four starts.
28. David Ragan… Four career starts: 25.5 average finish, never finished better than 15th.
29. Brad Keselowski… Long shot value play. One Nationwide start last year: 10th. Y! C-3
30. AJ Allmendinger… Two DNFs in ’08. One start in ’07- 33rd. Truck series- ’06- 13th, ’07- 34th. Y! C-4
31. Sam Hornish Jr…. First two career starts last year: 39th, 30th (34.5 average finish)
32. Reed Sorenson… Started and finished sixth last year (his only top-10 in six career starts), finished 22nd in September.
33. Paul Menard… Four career starts: 28.3 average finish, never finished better than 21st.
34. Robby Gordon… Won in 11/01. Outside of the top-20 in eight of the last 11 races.
35. Patrick Carpentier… Won the pole ’08. Finished 31st in both races last year.
36. Dave Blaney… Won the pole in ’07. Four straight finishes of 29th or worse.
37. Joe Nemechek… Won 9/99. Seven straight races of 20th or worse, three DNFs.
38. David Stremme… Declining finishes in four straight career starts: ’06- 11th, 20th. ’07- 27th, 42nd.
39. Regan Smith… Four career starts: 29.5 average finish, never finished better than 23rd.
40. David Gilliland… Six career starts: 28.7 average finish, never finished better than 28th.
41. John Andretti… No starts in ’08. One start in ’07- DNF.
42. Scott Speed… No starts at New Hampshire.
43. Mike Wallace… Ten career starts, none since ’05: 30.2 average finish.
44. Tony Raines… Six career starts: 25.8 average finish, never finished better than 20th.
45. Dexter Bean… No starts at New Hampshire.
46. Ted Christopher… Six lifetime Cup starts, none since ’06, five at New Hampshire: all DNFs. Four Nationwide starts (’97-’00): two DNFs, 18th, 12th

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 from Loudon

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Jimmy Johnson	9	7.3
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Jimmy Johnson	9	8.6
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Kurt Busch	3	9.4
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jeff Gordon	2	10.4
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Jeff Gordon	2	10.9
Dennis Mickelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Carl Edwards	19	11.7
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	David Reutimann	4	12.3
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Tony Stewart	5	12.4
Eric Brewer		Denny Hamlin	15	12.5
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Tony Stewart	5	12.9
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Kurt Busch	3	13
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Kurt Busch	3	13.4
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Ryan Newman	29	14.6
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Tony Stewart	5	16.1
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Tony Stewart	5	16.4
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	9	17.2
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Dale Earnhardt Jr	13	17.9

NASCAR Power Rankings: New Hampshire

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Kasey Kahne: 11th to 9th	Biggest Drop This Week: Mark Martin: 1st to 3rd
No new drivers this week.	No drivers dropped out this week.

Rank: 1st Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 2 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- 1 Win, 12 Top Tens Stewart has had a consistent season to date, but I really think in time questions about how fast this team is on the track compared to their competition will surface. Consistency is good but it isn't always enough (Jeff Gordon 2007 Chase).

Rank: 2nd Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 3 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 2 Wins, 10 Top Tens Jimmie Johnson is driving like a man on a mission and people better stay out his way or their day will end like Kurt's at Infineon. This team is ready for the Chase to begin.

Rank: 3rd Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 1 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin- 3 Wins, 8 Top Tens After a long day at Infineon Martin now remembers why he's skipped it the last 2 years. Did you know that Martin's never won at New Hampshire? It's true.

Rank: 4th Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 4 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 11 Top Tens Jeff Gordon battled back from a pit road penalty and finished 9th at Infineon. This team needs to step up their game now and get some bonus points, and more importantly build up some momentum for the Chase.

Rank: 5th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 5 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards- 4 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens Carl Edwards is quietly creeping into the Championship picture and will be the top Ford once the Chase begins. Out of all the non-Chevy teams Edwards appears to be their main challenger.

Rank: 6th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 6 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens Here's a little bit of a Ryan Newman history lesson. What is Newman’s highest points position entering the Chase? The Answer is 10th and all of his previous Chase appearances only featured 10 cars.

Rank: 7th Kurt Busch #22 Last Week: 8 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 8 Top Tens Kurt Busch had at top 5 car at Infineon until Jimmie Johnson was behind him. It almost reminded me of when Stewart used to teach "give and take" lessons. Except Johnson did it politely.

Rank: 8th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 7 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- 5 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens Greg Biffle will be happy to forget Infineon because New Hampshire is the site of one of Biffle's 2 wins in 2008. This team is really good and in time they will challenge for a top 5 spot overall.

Rank: 9th Kasey Kahne #4 Last Week: 11 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 5 Top Tens How neat was it to see the King in victory lane. Perhaps the most amazing thing was Kasey Kahne never even had a top ten at a road course until his win on Sunday.

Rank: 10th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 12 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin- 4 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens Denny Hamlin had a nice day at Infineon and will look to build on his recent momentum at New Hampshire which is similar to Richmond and Phoenix were Denny's been successful in 2009.

Rank: 11th Kyle Busch #18 Last Week: 9 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Kyle Busch- 3 Wins, 5 Top Tens In 2005 Jeff Gordon won 3 of the first nine races and missed the Chase. In 2009 Kyle Busch has won 3 of the first ten races. I'm not saying history will repeat itself but the 18 needs to find consistency again.

Rank: 12th Matt Kenseth #17 Last Week: 10 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Matt Kenseth- 2 Wins, 6 Top Tens Matt Kenseth doesn't like road courses and his results typically show it. Over the last 3 races this team has been averaging a 19th place finish. At this point in the season that isn't good enough.

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Toyota-Save Mart 350 from Infineon Raceway

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	2	7.1
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	2	8.5
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Jeff Gordon	9	9.6
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jeff Gordon	9	10.9
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Tony Stewart	2	11.2
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Jeff Gordon	9	11.5
Eric Brewer		Jeff Gordon	9	12.3
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Tony Stewart	2	12.8
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Juan Pablo Montoya	6	12.9
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Kyle Busch	22	13.5
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Ryan Newman	17	13.7
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Marcos Ambrose	3	13.7
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Tony Stewart	2	14.1
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kyle Busch	22	16.9
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Kyle Busch	22	17.1
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Juan Pablo Montoya	6	17.7
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Jamie McMurray	14	18.3

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Save Mart 350

Greetings On Pit Row readers,

Last week I added value plays for salary cap owners looking for cash-saving options to the NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview. This week I’ve marked drivers who are top qualifiers at the track. Several fantasy formats, including the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game, pay bonus points to drivers who qualify up front. In the Y! game, the top-four are paid out. Even if you don’t start the driver, you still get the points. If you’ve burned through a lot of starts on a top qualifier just keep them on your bench and hope for a good qualifying run!

For this week, a lot of focus will be on the road course ringers. Among the C drivers, Marcos Ambrose, in limited starts, has shown the most ability on the road courses- don’t overlook him. Boris Said and Ron Fellows are the only ringers worth considering.

The rankings are spilt by using the A, B and C drivers from the Y! game. Enjoy the rankings and feel free to add your comments below!

A List

1. Jeff Gordon… Strong qualifier: qualified inside the top-four on seven occasions. Last 14 races at Infineon: five poles, five wins, 10 top-fives, 12 top-10s. Finished worse than seventh only twice in that span.
2. Kyle Busch… Won at Infineon and Watkins Glen last year. Eleventh or better in three straight Infineon races.
3. Clint Bowyer… Two consecutive fourth-place finishes. Last three weeks: 11th, 12th, 10th.
4. Carl Edwards… Top-10s in two of the last three at Infineon. Has led laps in two straight. Qualifying runs have improved in four straight. Last four weeks: fourth, seventh, second and fourth.
5. Mark Martin… Last 13 races at Infineon: one win, five top-threes, 10 top-10s, all top-20s.
6. Greg Biffle… Finished 14th or better in five straight races, two top-fives over the last three. Last three weeks: third, 11th, fifth.
7. Jimmie Johnson… Laps led in three straight but finished 15th, 17th and 10th.
8. Jeff Burton… Capable but inconsistent. Last five: 13th, third, seventh, 30th, ninth.
9. Matt Kenseth… Coming off a career-best eighth-place finish last year, zero top-10s in the previous eight starts.
10. Kevin Harvick… Eight career starts at Infineon: 12th or worse on six occasions.

B List

1. Tony Stewart… Ten career starts at Infineon: two wins, six top-10 finishes, laps led in seven races.
2. Juan Pablo Montoya… Won in 2007, finished sixth last year.
3. Ryan Newman… Five top-10s in seven career starts at Infineon.
4. Kurt Busch… Strong qualifier. Eight career starts at Infineon: qualified inside the top-four four times, three top-five finishes, but 22nd or worse in five other races.
5. Denny Hamlin… Three career starts: 12th, 10th, 27th.
6. Martin Truex Jr…. Strong value play. Three career starts at Infineon: 15th, 24th, 16th. Owns fifth and sixth place finishes at Watkins Glen
7. Casey Mears… Finished a career-best fifth last year, has only one finish better than 20th in five other starts.
8. Brian Vickers… Enters with two consecutive 14th-place finishes.
9. Elliott Sadler… Weak value play. Three top-10 finishes over the last five starts. Moderate results at Watkins Glen.
10. Joey Logano… Nationwide road course starts: Watkins Glen- seventh, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve- 17th.
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. No top-10 finishes but has finished between 11th and 13th on four occasions.
12. David Gilliland… Long shot value play. Runner-up last year at Infineon, finished 25th and 32nd in two other starts.
13. Jamie McMurray… Good qualifier. Qualified first in 2007, second in 2006. Has finished better than 13th once only.
14. Kasey Kahne… Won the pole last year at Infineon but has never finished better than 23rd.
15. David Ragan… Two career starts at Infineon: 29th, 24th.
16. Paul Menard… Finished 34th in his first career start at Infineon last year.
17. David Reutimann… Qualified 42nd, finished 40th following an accident in his first career start at Infineon last year.
18. David Stremme… Finished 32nd in only career start in 2007.
19. Michael Waltrip… Not entered, Patrick Carpentier will drive the No. 55.

C List

1. Marcos Ambrose… Qualified seventh but finished 42nd (accident) in his first career start at Infineon last year. Finished third at Watkins Glen.
2. Boris Said… Nine career starts at Infineon: won the pole in ’03, four top-10 finishes over his last six starts. Finished 41st last year (shocks).
3. Ron Fellows… Seven career starts at Infineon: three top-15 finishes, 25th or worse in the remaining four. Four road course wins in the Nationwide Series.
4. Robby Gordon… Won back in ’03 but no better than 16th in the five races since.
5. Dave Blaney… Eight career starts at Infineon: three top-20 finishes.
6. AJ Allmendinger… Finished 37th in his first career start at Infineon last year. Finished 11th at Watkins Glen.
7. Bobby Labonte… Last top-10 was in ’03, no better than 18th in the five races since. Last year, started fourth but finished 39th due to an electrical issue.
8. John Andretti… Long shot value play. ’98, ’99- third, ’02- 10th.
9. Patrick Carpentier… Finished 23rd in his first career start at Infineon last year.
10. Max Papis… Finished 25th in his first career start at Infineon last year.
11. Sam Hornish Jr…. Qualified 17th, finished 31st in his first career start at Infineon last year.
12. Scott Speed… Only NASCAR road course start: eighth-place finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park, ARCA series.
13. Brian Simo… Four career starts at Infineon: started and finished 43rd last year (transmission). Started in ’05- 10th, ’01- 42nd (another transmission), ’00- 36th.
14. Joe Nemechek… Zero top-10s in 13 career starts at Infineon, has not finished better than 23rd in six straight.
15. Chris Cook… ’05- 28th.
16. Reed Sorenson… ’06- 29th, ’07- 40th.
17. Tony Raines… ’03- 31st.
18. Tom Hubert… Six career starts at Infineon: DNFs in four.
19. Brandon Ash… ’04- 41st, ’06- 38th, ’07- failed to qualify. Fourteen DNQs in 17 career Cup attempts.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Infineon Raceway

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Kurt Busch: 10th to 8th	Biggest Drop This Week: Ryan Newman: 4th to 6th
New This Week: Denny Hamlin	Dropped Out This Week:

Rank: 1st Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 2 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin- 3 Wins, 8 Top tens Some drivers would rather be lucky than good. At Michigan Martin was both lucky and good. In the last lap Martin went from third place to becoming a 5 time winner at Michigan International Speedway.

Rank: 2nd Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 1 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- 1 Win, 11 Top tens Over the last 6 races Tony Stewart has been averaging nearly 160 points per race which equates out to a 4th place finish. The only blemish over this period of time was at the Lowes Motor Speedway when Stewart finished 19th.

Rank: 3rd Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 3 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 2 Wins, 9 Top tens For the second consecutive week the 48 car ran out of gas at the end of the race. The fuel problems of the 48 car should not be of any concern because they have been fast, and fast cars win Championships.

Rank: 4th Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 5 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 10 Top tens Jeff Gordon was under the radar all weekend long and finished 2nd. At Infineon Raceway Jeff Gordon won't be under the radar. In 16 races Gordon has 5 wins, 10 top fives, and 12 top tens at the 1.99 mile road course.

Rank: 5th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 6 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards- 4 Top fives, 8 Top tens The 99 car is starting to get back to 2008 form and Carl Edwards is starting to look like he'll be a legitimate contender for the Championship. With the advent of the Chase the 99 car might be using the 48's 2008 championship peaking game plan.

Rank: 6th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 4 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman- 5 Top fives, 8 Top tens One of the main things I've been hinting about Newman for weeks was that this team is not on par with competitors at the standard Intermediates (Darlington and Dover not included). Michigan proved my theory correct.

Rank: 7th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 8 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- 5 Top fives, 8 Top tens Greg Biffle had a strong consistent afternoon at Michigan and managed to finish 4th with an empty tank of gas. Biffle is a driver who likes slick tracks, and summer time might just be the right time for Biffle.

Rank: 8th Kurt Busch #22 Last Week: 10 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 8 Top tens The Blue Deuce is leading the Dodge camp this year but lately they have only had good finishes every other week. Unfortunately if this trend continues Kurt Busch will have a rough weekend at Infineon. The performances have been good though.

Rank: 9th Kyle Busch #18 Last Week: 7 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Kyle Busch- 3 Wins, 5 Top tens Power Rankings are about “what have you done for me lately”. Lately Kyle Busch hasn't done much. In fact Kyle's finish average since he last won at Richmond is a lousy 19.6.

Rank: 10th Matt Kenseth #17 Last Week: 9 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Matt Kenseth- 2 Wins, 6 Top tens Keeping with the “what have you done for me lately” mentality Matt Kenseth appeared to be getting his season back on track at Dover after 3 consecutive top tens but the 17 has had problems at both Michigan and Pocono.

Rank: 11th Kasey Kahne #4 Last Week: 11 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne- 1 Top five, 4 Top tens Like the 99, Kasey Kahne has shown vast improvements in the 9's performances lately. The main difference since Dover has been the R6 Motor in his Dodge. He was extremely strong at Michigan, but like Johnson he's had fuel issues recently.

Rank: 12th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: NR Change: N/A Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin- 3 Top fives, 4 Top tens My main gripe about Hamlin has always been that they perform like a 2nd tier team at Intermediate tracks. If Hamlin can duplicate how the 11 car performed at Michigan then they will be able to return to 2006 form when he finished third in points.

The Cost of NASCAR

When we, as fans, watch a NASCAR race, we think about the speed of the cars, the technology used to make them sleek and fast, the skill of the drivers (and sometimes their looks or personalities), and the purse that the winning team will take home. Seldom do we think of the cost of these races, except in terms of what we pay for our tickets and spend at the concession stand.

The reality, of course, is that a NASCAR team is a business, just like any other, and as such, there is a serious amount of outgoing cash. Keeping in mind that these numbers are based on a mid-level, two-car team, and that actual expenses vary from team to team, here’s an overview of just how much money is being spent in a given year.

Largest Operational Costs

There are six main types of operational costs:

·    Research and development for in-house engines and other technology. This averages around $3.5 million a year, or more.
·    Team salaries. This includes the payroll for everyone from the accountants to the engineers, to the pit crew – everyone except the drivers, basically. For a typical team of 90-100 people, this will nearly equal the money spent on R&D – about $2.5-$3.5 million.
·    Driver salaries. These have a wide amount of variance, depending on the driver and the team, but drivers are typically guaranteed some kind of base salary, a percentage of the purse if they win, and fees for appearances, once they have some level of success. In 2005, cup rookies were starting at about $400,000 / year, and in 2004, according to a story in Forbes magazine, driver Jeff Gordon made $19.3 million, though only $8.3 million of that was from track winnings.

·    Travel. Including board and gear transport, this is about $1 million per team, each season.
·    Tires. Another $1 million a year, assuming about $20,000 per race weekend plus testing.
·    Cars. $1-3 million per team. From the ground up, including the labor and the engine, a race-ready Nextel Cup car costs a minimum of $125,000 to build, and most teams keep between twelve and fifteen cars ready at any given time, building cars all year (not just during the season), and sell the spares to newer teams, or teams outside of NASCAR.

One glaring omission in this list of expenditures is insurance. There are three types of insurance associated with NASCAR – or any racing.

1.    Track Insurance: Liability insurance held by the track owner, which covers injury to spectators, and damage to property, or off-track injury to drivers, crew, and track personnel.
2.    Driver Insurance: Once the responsibility of the team, there has been a growing tendency to pass this cost to the drivers themselves, especially in the light of many dramatic on-track car accidents.
3.    Insurance on the Cars and Team. The team insurance is essentially the same sort of benefit package most employers provide. The insurance on the cars, however, is generally written  by exclusive insurance companies that specialize in racecar insurance. Included is coverage for theft or damage to vehicles, as well as the cost of insurance trailers, tow trailers, and trucks to safely move cars from place to place (race cars, after all, are not street-legal) This racecar insurance also extends to cover gear left in the truck or trailer, and insures the cars when in the paddock. While there are no publically available numbers to detail the cost of such insurance, it’s known that the street-legal Bugatti Veyron has an insurance tab nearly equal to its sticker price; it is therefore a reasonable assumption that racecar insurance is just as expensive.

Who Pays for This?

The incredible total – millions of dollars each year – is partly funded from track winnings, and partly from sponsorships – all those stickers emblazoned upon the cars, and on the drivers’ gear represent hard-won corporate sponsorships, without which NASCAR could not run.

The next time, then, that you’re sitting at home watching a race, or even sitting in the stands cheering on your favorite driver, consider how much you spent for snacks and /or your tickets, and then think about the cash flow of the teams themselves, then try not to die of sticker-shock.

Photo credit: Charlie Turner – OnPitRow.com

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: LifeLock 400 from MIS

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	7	7.5
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Carl Edwards	4	9
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Mark Martin	1	9.6
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	22	11.1
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Carl Edwards	4	11.2
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Carl Edwards	4	11.9
Eric Brewer	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Tony Stewart	7	12.6
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	No Pick	44	12.9
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Tony Stewart	7	13.4
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Carl Edwards	4	13.4
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Matt Kenseth	20	13.6
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Carl Edwards	4	14.4
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Carl Edwards		15
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Greg Biffle	5	16.5
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Matt Kenseth	20	16.8
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kevin Harvick	18	18.6
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	7	18.6

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: LifeLock 400

Greetings On Pit Row readers,
For this week’s NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview I’ve added value plays; drivers aimed for salary cap owners looking for cash-saving options. Strong value plays are drivers with a good recent history at this week’s track and/or over the past several weeks. Weak value plays are less dependable drivers that have a good track record but have not performed as well in recent weeks.

The rankings will continue to be spilt by using the A, B and C drivers from the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game. Enjoy the rankings and feel free to add your comments below!

A List

1. Carl Edwards… Best average finish among active drivers, 6.6. Nine career starts: two wins, five top-fives, finished outside of the top-10 only once, led laps in six.
2. Matt Kenseth… Top-fives in four of the last five, led laps in three. Top-10s in 13 of the last 17.
3. Jimmie Johnson… Is he due? No wins but led at least a dozen laps in four straight, has qualified in the top-four five times.
4. Kyle Busch… Won the pole last year, finished 13th. Top-13 finishes in four straight, has led laps in five of eight career starts.
5. Jeff Gordon… Best starting position (4.8) over the last five years (10 starts): started first or second five times but finished 15th or worse six times.
6. Greg Biffle… Over the last nine starts: two wins, four top-fives, six top-10s, led laps in six.
7. Jeff Burton… Unspectacular but consistent: top-15 finishes in 10 of the last 13.
8. Mark Martin… Four career wins but none since ‘98. Twenty-fifth or worse in three of the last four.
9. Kevin Harvick… Top-15 finishes in six straight.
10. Clint Bowyer… Six career starts: never finished better than 16th, outside of the top-20 three times.

B List

1. Tony Stewart… Last 13: five top-threes, seven top-fives, 11 top-12 finishes.
2. Brian Vickers… Most recent pole winner. Top-eight finishes in three straight, led laps in each.
3. Kasey Kahne… Top-five or bust in 10 career starts: five top-fives, 18th or worse in the other five.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Led laps in seven straight: one win, four top-six finishes.
5. Denny Hamlin… Had never finished worse than 14th prior to an engine problem last year.
6. Kurt Busch… Blue Deuce is wild: only one top-20 over the last four but it was a victory.
7. David Reutimann… Career-best 14th-place finish in last year’s August race. Also had his best qualifying run, seventh.
8. Ryan Newman… No top-10s since ‘04 but it was a victory, has qualified inside the top-five four times since.
9. Martin Truex Jr…. Strong value play. ‘08- 16th and 17th-place finishes, ‘07- two second-place finishes.
10. Jamie McMurray… Strong value play. ‘08- two 10th-place finishes, ‘07- eighth and 30th-place finishes.
11. Casey Mears… ‘07- fourth, 11th; ‘08- 18th and 30th
12. Joey Logano… Seventh-place finish in one career Nationwide start.
13. Michael Waltrip… ‘07- 10th, 40th; ‘08- 19th, 23rd. Led one lap in each June race.
14. David Ragan… Weak value play. ‘07- 18th, 21st; ‘08- third, eighth. Led laps in each race last year.
15. Elliott Sadler… Weak value play. ‘07- 32nd, 35th; ‘08- two ninth-place finishes. Has qualified inside the top-10 in five straight August races.
16. Juan Pablo Montoya… ‘07- 26th, 43rd; ‘08- 25th, 38th.
17. Paul Menard… ’07, ‘08: 11th and 12th-place finishes in June, 24th and 39th in August.
18. David Gilliland… ‘07- 17th, 27th; ‘08- 26th, 27th.
19. David Stremme… ‘06- 19th, 28th; ‘07- 21st and 40th.

C List

1. Sam Hornish Jr…. Strong value play. Finished 22nd in both races last year.
2. Marcos Ambrose… Finished 43rd (engine) in last year’s August. Average finish of 15.5 in two career Nationwide races.
3. AJ Allmendinger… June ’08: started 39th, finished 19th. August ’08: started 33rd, finished 28th.
4. Bobby Labonte… One top-10 since ’04. Won both poles in ’03. Swept in ’95.
5. Reed Sorenson… Beginner’s luck: finished fifth and eighth as a rookie in ’06- 23rd or worse in four straight since.
6. Scott Speed… No career starts at Michigan.
7. Bill Elliott… Seven career wins. Last top-10 in ’01. Finished 36th last year.
8. Robby Gordon… Finished 24th or worse in the last three races.
9. Joe Nemechek… Finished 26th or worse in six straight.
10. John Andretti… One top-20 over the last eight races.
11. Max Papis… No career starts at Michigan.
12. Mike Skinner… Finished 35th in last year’s August race. Six career Truck series starts: two poles, three top-fives, four top-10s, average finish of 7.7.
13. Sterling Marlin… Finished 20th in ’07.
14. Tony Raines… Finished 31st or worse in nine of 10 career starts.
15. Dave Blaney… ’07- sixth, 18th. ’08- 39th, 41st

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