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Greetings On Pit Row readers.
Fresh off an unexpected finish at Indianapolis, we shift to Pocono Raceway - a unique triangle that features three turns, each modeled after different tracks. Since each of the three turns are so different, Pocono has drawn comparisons to a road course. Turn Two, “The Tunnel Turn”, is banked nine degrees and modeled after the turns at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Like Indianapolis, Pocono has also been proven as a place that has been difficult to make passes. In the June race, of the drivers who qualified in the top-16 only four finished worse than 16th; two were due to mechanical issues (Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin). Also, half of the field finished within five spots of their original starting position.
I will be among the media covering Sunday’s race! I’m hoping to squeak out a blog entry or two in addition to sending out updates over Twitter. Follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/ericmcclung
Oh, props to rambler14 who called Mark Martin’s top-five finish at Indianapolis. I also goofed up on this week’s show; I said Tony Stewart won the pole in the June race at Pocono when in fact the starting grid was set due to points after rain canceled qualifying.
Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.
- Y! A/B/C – The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
- Strong qualifier – History of winning poles or qualifying inside the top-five.
- Good qualifier – History of qualifying inside the top-10.
- Value play - Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.
- Risky play - Good overall history at this week’s track but poor recent finishes.
Good luck this week and please leave your comments below! Download a printer-friendly version here.
- Tony Stewart… Won from the pole in June but started from the rear, runner-up last year. Last eight races this season: 3.1 average finish. Y!-B1
- Carl Edwards… Won last year, runner-up in June and led the most laps (103). Led an average of 78 laps in both races. Y!-A1
- Jimmie Johnson… Strong qualifier. Last five races: 4.0 average start. Last four races: 5.3 average finish. Has led at least 30 laps in three straight. Last eight races this season: 6.75 average finish. Y!-A2
- Jeff Gordon… Last six races: one victory, four top-fives, five top-10 finishes. Y!-A3
- Denny Hamlin… Risky play. Last two races: finished 38th and 23rd. Prior five races: 2.8 average finish, two victories, led an average of 60 laps. Y!-B2
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Career best eighth-place finish in June, average finish of 9.0 in the six races since. Y!-B3
- Mark Martin… Good qualifier. Last five races: 10.6 average finish but finishing worse than he starts: 6/09- 12th/19th, 8/08- second/eighth, 6/08- third/10th. Y!-A4
- Kurt Busch… Last two races: finished 37th and 38th. Prior six races: average finish of 5.0; two victories, runner-up twice. Y!-B4
- David Reutimann… Career-best start (13th) and finish (third) in June. Y!-B5
- Ryan Newman… Risky play. Started and finished fifth in June. Average finish of 18.2 in the six races since, only one top-10 finish. Y!-B6
- Kasey Kahne… Finishes where he starts: 6/09- 14th/15th, 8/08- seventh/seventh, 6/08- first/first. Y!-B7
- Matt Kenseth… Last four races: average of 3.0 laps led, average finish of 12.0.
- Greg Biffle… Last three races: average of 3.3 laps led, average finish of 13.0. Only two top-10 finishes in 13 career starts.
- Kyle Busch… Last top-10 finish: 6/07, average finish of 28.25 in the four races since, one DNF.
- Clint Bowyer… Seven career starts, two of his three top-10 finishes have come in August: 8/07- eighth, 8/08- sixth.
- Marcos Ambrose… Strong value play. Started 20th and finished sixth in June, first career start at Pocono. Y!-C1
- Joey Logano… Strong value play. Started and finished 23rd in June, first career start at Pocono. Won the ARCA series race. Y!-B8
- Jeff Burton… Last seven races: average finish of 11.0, four top-10 finishes.
- Jamie McMurray… Weak value play. Led an average of 1.5 laps in the last two races, 11.0 average finish. Finished 20th or worse in the prior four races.
- Casey Mears… Weak value play. Last three races, finishing and starting better: 6/09- 14th/21th, 8/08- 22nd/33rd, 6/08- 26th/34th
- AJ Allmendinger… Started and finished 30th in June, finished 19th and 12th in ’08. Y!-C2
- Brian Vickers… Last five races: 23.0 average finish. Only one career finish better than 20th, runner-up 6/08.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Last four races, finishing and starting worse: 6/09- 27th/18th, 8/08- 12th/12th, 6/08- fourth/seventh, 8/07- won the pole, finished runner-up.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Long shot value play. Career best 10th-place finish in June, finished 26th and 42nd in ’08. Y!-C3
- Martin Truex Jr…. Long shot value play. Seven career starts: average start and finish each 15.6.
- Kevin Harvick… Started and finished 24th in June, breaking a streak of eight races of finishes 17th or better.
- Bobby Labonte… Started and finished 28th in June, finished 33rd and 11th in ’08. Y!-C4
- Elliott Sadler… Last three races: 28.6 average finish, led eight laps in two.
- Reed Sorenson… Career best 20th-place finish in June, only start in seven attempts which he gained track position.
- David Ragan… Finished 26th in June, finished fifth and 24th in ’08.
- Joe Nemechek… DNFs in two straight races, 22.5 average finish in four previous starts.
- Paul Menard… DNF last August, average finish of 27.0 in four other career starts.
- David Gilliland… DNF in June, 30.8 average finish in four other career starts.
- Michael Waltrip… Finished 17th in June, best finish since ’05.
- Robby Gordon… Last three races: 34.6 average finish.
- David Stremme… Finished a career-worst 34th in June.
- John Andretti… Started and finished 35th in June, first start at Pocono since ’03.
- Scott Speed… Finished 32nd in June, first career start at Pocono.
- Patrick Carpentier… DNF in June, finished 32nd in ‘08.
- Tony Raines… Did not start in June, 16.5 average finish in two previous August starts.
- Dave Blaney… DNF in June, 24.3 average finish in three previous starts.
- Sterling Marlin… DNF in June, first start at Pocono since ’07.
- Mike Wallace… Did not start in June, no Pocono starts since ’05.
- Derrike Cope… Did not start in June, no Pocono starts since ’03.
Who's Up
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Who's Down
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Biggest Gain This Week:
Mark Martin: 5th to 3rd
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Biggest Drop This Week:
Jeff Gordon: 3rd to 4th
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New This Week:
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Dropped Out This Week:
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Rank: 1st
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Tony Stewart- 2 Wins, 16 Top TensTony Stewart has been the picture of consistency this season. The last time Tony Stewart didn't finish in the top ten (excluding rain out events) was at Talladega where he finished 23rd with a dying motor. |
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Rank: 2nd
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Jimmie Johnson- 3 Wins, 14 Top TensIndy is a unique race because the best team of the season usually wins. The "Real Season" hasn't started yet and with his third win of the season Johnson will now start the Chase with 30 bonus points. |
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Rank: 3rd
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Mark Martin- 4 Wins, 10 Top TensMark Martin almost had the perfect weekend but his teammate Jimmie Johnson showed why he is the defending 3-time champion with his clutch performance. More importantly then the win Martin is now stretching his lead over 13th place David Reuitimann. |
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Rank: 4th
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Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 14 Top TensIt was just an off weekend for the 24. I expected more out of Gordon at Indy. He started off mid pack, moved up slowly, and finished a disappointing 9th. |
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Rank: 5th
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Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 10 Top TensChampionship teams overcome problems and Kurt Busch just wasn't able to bounce back after an early pit road problem. Track position was key at Indy and Kurt's 40th place starting position didn't help. |
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Rank: 6th
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Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 8 Top TensOver the last 6 races Kasey Kahne has accumulated the 4th most points. Only Stewart, Johnson, and Gordon have scored more. Expect a good showing out of Kahne at Pocono. |
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Rank: 7th
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Carl Edwards- 5 Top Fives, 9 Top TensI learned something new at Indy about Roush-Fenway Racing. Roush-Fenway selects one team every week and that selected team runs an experimental setup that weekend. At such a prestigious race Carl's setup was only good for a 15th place finish. |
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Rank: 8th
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Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Pole, 9 Top TensJuan Pablo Montoya had the best car but the late speeding penalty did him in. To bad, I was actually hoping for a win or at least his first top five. It sure would be interesting if he made the Chase without a single top 5. |
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Rank: 9th
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Denny Hamlin- 6 Top Fives, 8 Top TensDenny Hamlin looked good at Indy but mechanical problems once again affected the 11. In fantasy racing people often relate Pocono and Indy to each other. Hamlin looked the same in both races with his car coasting back to the garage. |
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Rank: 10th
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Brian Vickers- 3 Top Fives, 9 Top TensBrain Vickers is quietly making a run towards the Chase. Will he make it? The answer to that question can be found if you were to study the schedule. Quick Answer: It will be really close, but he wall fall just short. |
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Rank: 11th
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Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 9 Top TensOut of all the teams in the Chase Ryan Newman is currently running the worst. The 39 had a good stretch from Talladega through Pocono but other then that there really hasn't been much to say positive about Newman's season. |
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Rank: 12th
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Greg Biffle- 6 Top Fives, 9 Top TensGreg Biffle makes his re-emergence in the Power Rankings with his solid 4th place finish. Greg needs to continue to perform well if this team is going to make the Chase, and if he's going to prove me correct Kyle Busch will miss it. |
Greetings On Pit Row readers.
The historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built back in 1909 but the configuration has remained similar, a flat 2.5-mile rectangular track. The venue has hosts the largest single-day sporting event the world, the Indianapolis 500 (IndyCar Series) but added an annual NASCAR event starting in 1994. The track lends itself more to battles for track position and fuel mileage rather than side-by-side racing.
Last year marked the first time the Car of Tomorrow was raced here and the results were dreadful. Tire issues plagued the race, no more than 12 consecutive green-flag laps were recorded and 52 of the 160 laps were completed under caution. Since the debacle, seven tire tests have been held with very positive results.
Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.
- Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
- Strong qualifier – History of winning poles or qualifying inside the top-five.
- Good qualifier – History of qualifying inside the top-10.
- Value play – Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.
Good luck this week and please leave your comments below! Download a printer-friendly version here.
- Tony Stewart… Finished 23rd last year but eighth or better in four of the last five starts, including wins in ’05 and ’07. Led 40 or more laps in four of the last seven. Y! B-1
- Jeff Gordon… Four career wins. Top-10 finishes in 12 of 15 career starts. Top-eight finishes in seven of the last eight. Y! A-1
- Jimmie Johnson… Last five starts: won from the pole last year, won in ’06. Finished worse than 30th in the other three. Y! A-2
- Carl Edwards… Started ninth, finished second last year. Average finish of 13.0 in three other career starts. Y! A-3
- Kasey Kahne… Strong qualifier. Started fourth or fifth in four straight attempts. Accidents in ’06 and ’07, but finished seventh or better in three other career races. Y! B-2
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Finished 39th (DNF, engine) last year. Runner-up only other Cup series start at Indianapolis. Won the ’00 Indy 500, started second. Y! B-3
- Denny Hamlin… Started 23rd, finished third last year. Finished 22nd and 10th in two other career starts. Y! B-4
- Kyle Busch… Four career starts: three top-10 finishes, has never finished worse than 15th. Has led laps in three straight. Y! A-4
- Mark Martin… Finished 11th or better in five of the last six starts.
- Matt Kenseth… Last seven starts: four top-five finishes but 38th and 10th in the last two.
- Kurt Busch… Good qualifier. Started seventh or better in three straight starts but finished 40th, 11th and 12 in those races. Y! B-5
- Greg Biffle… Only two top-10 finishes (’04, ’08) in six career starts.
- Ryan Newman… Strong qualifier. Only one career top-10 finish but has never started worse than eighth. Started fifth or better in five of eight career attempts. Y! B-6
- Clint Bowyer… Going the wrong way in three career starts: started 40th, 26th and second, finished 19th, 13th and fourth.
- Jeff Burton… Only four top-10 finishes in 15 career starts, but two have come in the last two years.
- AJ Allmendinger… Strong value play. Started 26th, finished 10th last year and led four laps last year, first career Indianapolis start. Y! C-1
- Marcos Ambrose… Started 24th and finished 22nd last year, first career Indianapolis start. Y! C-2
- Brian Vickers… Going the wrong way in last four starts: finished 42nd, 21st, 17th and third. Y! B-7
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Only one top-10 finish (’06) in the last seven starts. Led laps the last two years. Y! B-8
- Joey Logano… No starts at Indianapolis.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Started 38th and finished 21nd last year, first Cup series Indianapolis start. Won the ’06 Indy 500 from the pole, finished fourth in ’07. Y! C-3.
- Reed Sorenson… Weak value play. Won the pole in ’07, finished fifth, led 16 laps. Started 22nd and finished 17th last year. Y! C-4
- David Ragan… Weak value play. Two career starts: finished 14th and 16th.
- David Reutimann… Two career starts: started 33rd and 34th, finished 30th and 38th.
- David Gilliland… Long shot value play. ’07- 20th, ’08- 17th.
- Kevin Harvick… Won from the pole in ’03, average finish of 14.8 in the five starts since.
- Martin Truex Jr…. DNF in his first career start, average finish of 18.33 over the last three.
- Jamie McMurray… Finished six last year, breaking a streak of three finishes of 17th or worse.
- Elliott Sadler… Started sixth, finished fourth last year, finished 28th or worse in the previous three.
- Casey Mears… Only one top-10 finish in six career starts (’05), finished 23rd or worse in the other five.
- Bill Elliott… Won in ’02, finished 23rd or 24th in three straight starts.
- Bobby Labonte… Won in ’00, zero no top-10s in the eight starts since.
- Robby Gordon… Two top-10 finishes in ’02 and ’03, average finish of 28.2 in the five races since.
- John Andretti… Average finish of 21.7 in the last three Indy 500s. No Cup starts since ’03. Only one top-10 finish in 10 career starts (’98), average finish of 32.4 in the five races since.
- Max Papis… Started in the ’02 and ’06 Indy 500, average finish of 18.5
- Michael Waltrip… Only one top-10 finish in 13 career starts (’94).
- Joe Nemechek… Zero top-15 finishes in 14 career starts (24.6 average finish).
- David Stremme… ’06- 18th, ’07- 26th.
- Paul Menard… ’07- 20th, ’08- 41st.
- Regan Smith… Started 42nd and finished 31st last year, first career Indianapolis start.
- Dave Blaney… Only one top-10 finish in 10 career starts (’07).
- Scott Speed… No starts at Indianapolis.
- Sterling Marlin… No starts since ’06. Average finish of 26.8 from ’02-’06.
- Terry Labonte… Finished 27th or worse in four straight starts (three DNFs).
- Mike Skinner… No starts since ’06. Average finish of 34.25 from ’02-’06 (two DNFs).
- Derrike Cope… No starts since ’04. Average finish of 32.9 in seven career starts.
- Mike Wallace… No starts since ’02, crashed after completing 10 laps.
Who's Up
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Who's Down
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Biggest Gain This Week:
Jeff Gordon: 5th to 3rd
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Biggest Drop This Week:
Carl Edwards: 4th to 6th
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New This Week:
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Dropped Out This Week:
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Rank: 1st
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Tony Stewart- 2 Wins, 15 Top TensTony Stewart continues his reign as #1 in the Power Rankings for yet another week. The 14 is the most consistent team by far this season. Stewart is also the only driver in the series who's had 6 top tens in the last six races. |
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Rank: 2nd
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Jimmie Johnson- 2 Wins, 13 Top TensJimmie Johnson almost had the win for the second year in a row at Chicago but was once again denied by a Joe Gibbs car. It seems like every week I mention the little mishaps that are hurting Johnson. It's OK now but not in the Chase. |
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Rank: 3rd
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Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 13 Top TensJeff Gordon has quietly been improving his recent performances. Momentum going into the Chase is very important, and more importantly is the fact that this team hasn't peaked yet. |
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Rank: 4th
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Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 10 Top TensKurt Busch announced his disappointment in Jimmie Johnson's driving abilities after the race. The bumping and banging denied the 2 car a top 10 finish. |
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Rank: 5th
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Mark Martin- 4 Wins, 9 Top TensMark Martin had a big day at Chicago going from being outside the Chase to being the #1 seed if the Chase started today. Is Martin now safe? NO. He's always been unlucky and Bristol & Richmond are looming in the horizon. |
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Rank: 6th
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Carl Edwards- 5 Top Fives, 9 Top TensRoush-Fenway Racing was bad, awful, and pathetic at Chicago. Now I remember why this race team has never won there. Carl Edwards was the one bright spot though, but he had race issues at the end. |
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Rank: 7th
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Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 7 Top TensKasey Kahne jumped 4 spots in the points after finishing 3rd at Chicago. The R6 Motor has been the difference maker for this team. Look for Kasey Kahne to have a very good race at Indy. |
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Rank: 8th
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Denny Hamlin- 6 Top Fives, 8 Top TensHamlin was a big factor in the outcome at Chicago with his Jimmie Johnson move. Did it help him? It got Denny in a position where he was running side by side with Vickers but I wasn't surprised at all neither of these drivers could get the job done. |
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Rank: 9th
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Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Pole, 9 Top TensJuan Pablo Montoya is a top ten driver and sure enough at Chicago he finished 10th. Who would of known? In the last 6 races Montoya has 5 top tens and only Stewart, Gordon, Johnson, and Edwards have outscored him. |
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Rank: 10th
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Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 9 Top TensI usually like to write about how the #39 is struggling at Intermediate tracks. At Chicago he finished 6th. Was this team a 6th place car or was it the product of fresh tires at the end. Sorry to say it was the tires. |
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Rank: 11th
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Kyle Busch- 3 Wins, 6 Top TensWhat a difference a year makes. Last year Kyle won at Chicago. This year he finished 33rd and looked awful. Kyle now only has a 13 point advantage over 13th place Greg Biffle. Now Kyle needs point's race or he will miss the Chase. |
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Rank: 12th
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Marcos Ambrose- 2 Top Fives, 5 Top TensAmbrose has been a pleasant surprise this year. Over the last 4 races Ambrose has an average finish of 11.5 and at Chicago he finished 11th. The Chase isn't in the cards for him this year but a top 15 points finish might be. |
Greetings On Pit Row readers,
Chicagoland Speedway hosts one race a year and only eight Cup races have been held here so many fantasy owners may look for data from some of the similar cookie-cutter tracks. The most similar configuration is Kansas Speedway. Both are 1.5-mile, D-shaped ovals. The race at Kansas is held during the Chase so you’ll have to go back to last season for those numbers. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has some similarities and has been visited once earlier in the season.
Qualifying has not been very important at Chicago – anywhere in teens will do. Kyle Busch won from the pole last year but of the eight Cup races held at Chicagoland, the winner has started from outside of the top-10 on five occasions.
As I stated on this week’s On Pit Row, I prefer to look at each start individually but similar track numbers are helpful to break a split decision between two drivers. For more advice, please join me for this week’s live fantasy chat Thursday at 7PM Eastern!
Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.
- Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
- Strong qualifier - History of winning poles or qualifying inside the top-five.
- Good qualifier - History of qualifying inside the top-10.
- Value play – Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.
Good luck this week and please leave your comments below! Download a printer-friendly version here.
- Tony Stewart… Six top-five finishes over the eight races held at Chicagoland, including two wins (’04, ’07) Has led laps in six races, leading all drivers in total laps led. Y! B-1
- Jimmie Johnson… Good qualifier. Seven career starts: no wins but six finishes of sixth or better. Had led laps in six races. After his first attempt never started worse than eighth. Y! A-1
- Matt Kenseth… Good qualifier. Last four starts: started 10th or better in all four. Finished seventh or better in the last three races- led laps in all of them. Has led laps in six of the eight races held, finished 14th or better in seven of them. Led an average of 144.0 laps in the ’05 and ’06 races. Y! A-2
- Kyle Busch… Won from the pole last year, leading 165 laps. Has never finished worse than 14th in four races. Y! A-3
- Jeff Gordon… Four top-five finishes, including a victory in ’06. Has finished worse than 17th only once, due to an accident. Has led laps in four races. Y! A-4
- Greg Biffle… Improving slowly but surely. Finished 20th in ’03 and ’04, finished 11th ’05-’07, career-best four-place finish last year, led 43 laps
- Brian Vickers… Strong qualifier. Started fifth or better in three of four attempts. Two top-10 finishes, never finished worse than 14th. Y! B-2
- Kevin Harvick… Strong value play. Won the first Chicagoland races in ’01 and ’02. Has top-five finishes in three straight races. Had led laps in five of eight career starts, including two of the last three
- Ryan Newman… Strong qualifier. Has started third or better three times in seven attempts. Won the pole in ’02, won the race in ’03. Poor finishes from ’04-’06 but top-10s in ’07 and ’08. Y! B-3
- Kurt Busch… Has finished in sixth or eight place on five occasions. Finished 28th or worse in three other starts. Y! B-4
- Mark Martin… Had led laps in four races. Last top-10 came in ’05, finished inside the top-20 in the three races since.
- Jeff Burton… Good qualifier. Won the pole in ’06, started third last year. Two of his three career top-10s have come in the last three races. Finished 30th or worse three times in the five previous races.
- Clint Bowyer… Three career starts: ninth, 10th, 22nd.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Good qualifier. Started second and fifth in the last two races, finished 16th and 19th. Started 25th in ’05 and ’06- finished with a win and another top-five. Had led laps in four of eight races and in three of the last four. Y! B-5
- Carl Edwards… Four career starts: only one finish better than 20th. Kasey Kahne… Career-best 15th-place finish last year, finished 23rd or worse in the four other career starts. Y! B-6
- David Reutimann… Two career starts: 43rd (engine), 14th-place finishes. Y! B-7
- AJ Allmendinger… Strong value play. Started 39th, finished 13th last year in first career Chicagoland start. Y! C-1
- Denny Hamlin… Three career starts: has never finished better than 14th, but has started 13th or better each time. Y! B-8
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Two career starts: 15th and 18th-place finishes.Joey Logano… Started 13th, finished ninth last year at Kansas in the Nationwide Series.
- Martin Truex Jr…. Career-best ninth-place last year, led laps in the last two races.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Started 35th, finished 37th last year last year in first career Chicagoland start. Y! C-2
- David Ragan… Two career starts: 25th and eighth-place finishes.
- Casey Mears… Weak value play. Strong qualifier (in odd number years). Six career starts: has started fourth in ’03, third in ’05 (finished ninth) and first in ’07 (finished fifth).
- Marcos Ambrose… Started 24th, finished 15th last year in the Nationwide Series. Y! C-3
- Bobby Labonte… No top-10 finishes in eight races, 23.1 average finish. Y! C-4
- Jamie McMurray… Career-best eighth-place finish as a rookie in ’03, finished 22nd or worse in the last four races.
- Elliott Sadler… Finished 12th last year, finished 21st or worse in five of the previous six races.
- Brad Keselowski… Long shot value play. Two Nationwide Series starts: finished 14th and third.
- Reed Sorenson… Heading the wrong way in qualifying and finishes: ’06- 18th/seventh, ’07- 22nd/12th, 08- 32nd/31st.
- Scott Speed… Truck series: started and finished eighth at Kansas. ARCA series: won at Kansas, finished third at Chicagoland.
- Paul Menard… Two career starts: 42nd and 26th-place finishes.
- David Stremme… Declining in three career starts: ’05- 16th, ’06- 21st, ’07- 34th.
- Michael Waltrip… Finished 30th or worse in four straight races.
- Robby Gordon… Two top-20 finishes in the last five races.
- Bill Elliott… Solid from ’01-’03. Finished 28th or worse in three straight races.
- John Andretti… No starts since ’07: finished 18th.
- David Gilliland… Two career starts: 16th and 42th-place (engine) finishes.Regan Smith… Started 33rd, finished 34th last year in first career Chicagoland start.
- Joe Nemechek… Finished 29th or worse in three straight races.
- Dexter Bean… ARCA series: average finish 13.0 in four starts (best finishes: fourth, seventh)
- Mike Bliss… Starts in ’04 and ’05. Average start 9.0 but two DNFs.
- Dave Blaney… Three DNFs in the last five races, finished 17th in ’06, 23rd last year.
- Tony Raines… Last start came in ’07, finished 24rd.
- Mike Wallace… Last start came in ’05, finished 25th.
- Mike Skinner… Last start came in ’02, finished 23rd.
Who's Up
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Who's Down
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Biggest Gain This Week:
Kurt Busch: 5th to 3rd
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Biggest Drop This Week:
Ryan Newman: 9th to 12th
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No new drivers this week.
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No drivers dropped out this week.
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Rank: 1st
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Tony Stewart- 2 wins, 14 Top TensAs Stewart once famously said at Daytona, "Someone's going to die out there". Well luckily his prophecy hasn't come true but he did get the win which gave him 10 point bonus points for the Chase. |
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Rank: 2nd
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Jimmie Johnson- 2 Wins, 12 Top TensFor the first time since Dover the 48 team avoided race problems and finished 2nd at Daytona. Chad Knaus even claimed to have learned something for future Daytona races. |
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Rank: 3rd
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Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 10 Top TensKurt had a rough night at Daytona. He wrecked, he had pit stop problems, and despite all of these setbacks he still managed to get a top 5 finish. Overcoming bad circumstances is a sign of a championship contender. |
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Rank: 4th
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Carl Edwards- 5 Top Fives, 9 Top TensCarl Edwards loves slick tracks and once said that repaving tracks should be illegal. The track was super slick Saturday night and Carl finished 4th. Don't tell him but Daytona is looking to repave in the next few years. |
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Rank: 5th
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Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 12 Top TensIs the drive for 5 once again dead? Not yet but the 24 car definitely isn't performing at a championship level like they did in spring. |
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Rank: 6th
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Mark Martin- 3 Wins, 8 Top TensWith an early exit at Daytona Martin dropped to 13th in the point standings. The 5 car is competitive almost everywhere but they seem to be in a slump since their lucky Michigan win. |
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Rank: 7th
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Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 6 Top TensDodges have always been good "pushers" at restrictor plate tracks and at Daytona Kahne proved to be a strong pusher when he pushed Kyle Busch across the finish line. |
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Rank: 8th
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Denny Hamlin- 5 Top Fives, 7 Top TensDenny Hamlin had a strong car at Daytona but once again he wasn't able to capitalize on the situation. The 11 car has found consistency but now they need to put themselves in more race winning situations. |
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Rank: 9th
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Greg Biffle- 5 Top Fives, 8 Top TensThe 16 car is starting to drop off pace but yet they have managed to score the 9th most points over the last 6 races. It's kind of an amazing fact considering they have only had 2 top tens over that time span. |
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Rank: 10th
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Kyle Busch- 3 Wins, 6 Top TensAfter Kyle wrecked on the final lap he was lucky to get one last big hit from Kasey Kahne to propel him across the finish line. Carl Edwards wasn't that lucky at Talladega. |
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Rank: 11th
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Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Pole, 8 Top TensJuan Pablo Montoya is starting to become a weekly top ten driver. The key thing I keep hearing about the 42 team is that their points racing now. I just hope that also includes getting their first top 5. |
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Rank: 12th
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Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 8 Top TensI think Newman's in big Chase trouble now. This team has really struggled recently and their biggest achilles heel in 2009 has been intermediate tracks so don't expect much Saturday at Chicago. |
The prize list for our second, free, NASCAR fantasy racing game of 2009 is complete. The One and Done Race to the Chase will reward the top ten finishers in total points with more terrific swag.
The One and Done game has been a big success for us here. A really nice community has built up around the game. I think there are a couple reasons for that. One – its just so simple to play. Pick one driver each week – not six or ten. No salary caps or different categories of drivers. It’s the perfect game for lazy fans like me. Two – it’s free and you can win cool stuff anyway.
Check out the prizes below.
- The grand prize is a Fast Track Driving School 2 hour Thunder Course at legendary Rockingham! Twelve laps at the Rock! How cool is that!
- Kyle Busch No. 18 M&Ms Camry “liquid color” 1/24th scale diecast
- No Fear Racing team hat and t-shirt (size mens XXL)
- “The Blount Report: NASCAR’s Most Overrated and Underrated Drivers, Cars, Teams, and Tracks” (Hardcover) book. Great read.
- Kurt Busch 1st Win 1/64th diecast hauler and Gillette Young Guns hat
- Martin Truex Jr signature Bass Pro Shops team hat
- “50 Years of ARCA” hardcover coffee table book and ARCA hat
- Denny Hamlin Fed Ex Racing checkers set
- Joe Gibbs – Toyota Racing t-shirt (size mens large)
- Kevin Harvick Shell Gasolines bobblehead.
In addition, every one of the top ten will get a copy of the Backstretch Boys great racing music CD – “Rookie Season”. And…every week the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines player of the week will win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead.
Good luck.
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