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Fantasy Racing Darkhorse Picks: Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdel		Clint Bowyer	17	10.68
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Clint Bowyer	17	12.74
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Clint Bowyer	17	14.89
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	6	15.21
Eric McClung	KFFL	Juan Pablo Montoya	30	13.53
Eric McGuire	free agent	Martin Truex Jr	8	12.58
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Joey Logano	4	14.42
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	A J Allmendinger	12	13.00
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts			19.68
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Regan Smith	33	23.05
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Brad Keselowski	35	17.74
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Clint Bowyer	17	12.63
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Brad Keselowski	35	13.79
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Brad Keselowski	35	16.47
James Jones	On Pit Row	Brad Keselowski	35	14.42
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Joey Logano	4	10.00
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Clint Bowyer	17	14.42
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Burton	16	16.68
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Clint Bowyer	17	13.00

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: Lenox Tools 301

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell		Kyle Busch	36	13.16
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jeff Gordon	11	13.26
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Kurt Busch	10	12.89
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	10	10.89
Eric McClung	KFFL	Kyle Busch	36	14.11
Eric McGuire	free agent	Kevin Harvick	21	15.42
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Jeff Gordon	11	12.53
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	2	14.79
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts			19.05
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Ryan Newman	1	13.42
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Denny Hamlin	3	11.95
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	5	14.74
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	11	13.11
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Dale Earnhardt Jr	15	10.95
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	36	12.21
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Jimmie Johnson	5	12.32
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Jeff Gordon	11	8.74
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Gordon	11	9.58
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Kurt Busch	10	13.79

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Loudon - Lenox Industrial Tools 301

This week, the Sprint Cup Series visits New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Parking and traffic shouldn’t dominate the headlines this weekend, as it did before, during, and after the Kentucky race a few days ago (click here to read my story of that race, my first NASCAR experience). Now that my schedule is finally clear for an entire weekend, make sure you check out my Practice Breakdown and Post-Happy Hour Predictions, which can be found at www.ifantasyrace.com. Remember: the Sprint Cup Series takes the weekend after this race off before returning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the last weekend of July.

During The Last Race At Loudon…Clint Bowyer led a race-high 177 laps en route to his first victory of the 2010 season. He would have nearly all of those points taken away though as NASCAR found the rear of his car to not not be up to specs after the race. Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kevin Harvick all recorded top fives that day. Tony Stewart, as you may remember, was leading with one lap to go but ran out of fuel and finished a disappointing 23rd. “Smoke” led 100 laps that day. In the spring race at New Hampshire, Jimmie Johnson started 10th and led only nine laps but took the checkered flag once it was all said and done. Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick followed him to the line. Harvick, along with Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted top ten finishes in both Loudon races last season.

My Recommendation To Fantasy Racers…Practice, practice, practice. I preached that average speedswould be a huge determinant in the Loudon race last fall, and you can click here to see if I was right or not. There is one practice session scheduled for Friday afternoon, and those speeds will set the qualifying lineup, which starts later that afternoon. I wouldn’t pay much attention to the first practice session speeds. However, there are two practices set to be ran on Saturday morning/afternoon, and I would watch them very closely to figure out who to pick on Sunday. I will also be referring to Pocono and Phoenix a lot in this preview, as those are the other two flat tracks that have been raced on this season. Be sure to check out my Practice Breakdown on ifantasyrace.com, and my Fantasy Predictions will return this week as well.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The Lenox Industrial Tools 301:

1. Jimmie Johnson - One of the most surprising things to me thus far in the 2011 season is that the #48 team has only one win and that it came at Talladega of all places. I think that this will change in Loudon on Sunday. Johnson has the best driver rating over the past two years at this track and if a wheel wouldn’t have came loose from his Chevy in last year’s fall race, he would probably be coming into this race with an eight-race streak of top 10s at “The Magic Mile”. “Five Time” has visited victory lane here three times and has finished outside of the top 20 just twice in his eighteen career starts at this flat track.

2. Kurt Busch - I don’t know what Penske hit on, but week in and week out both of their cars are fast–and I don’t expect that to change this weekend. Only Johnson has a better driver rating over the last two years at Loudon than the elder Busch brother, and the “Double Deuce” came home 2nd and 8th at Pocono and Phoenix, respectively. Kurt has visited victory lane three times at New Hampshire, and you have to believe that he will grab a victory here soon. Will it be this week? I guess we’ll find out. Before Kurt’s 13th-place effort in the last race here, he had a streak of five finishes in the top 6 at this track.

3. Kyle Busch - After last week’s dominating performance at Kentucky Speedway, it’s official: no one is as hot as “Rowdy” Busch is right now–not even his brother. Over the last five Sprint Cup races, Kyle has accumulated 199 total points, five more than Kurt. In the last ten, the younger Busch brother has amassed 367 points. Matt Kenseth is a distant second in that category with 350 points collected. At Loudon, Kyle Busch has one win and eight top 11 finishes in twelve starts. At Pocono, Busch finished 3rd after starting 34th, and at Phoenix he 23 laps before finishing runner-up to Jeff Gordon. This season it’s been boom or bust for Busch, so expect either a top five or a mid-teens finish out of the #18 on Sunday. I’d bet on the former, though.

4. Tony Stewart - Fantasy owners are getting a surprise this summer: “Smoke” hasn’t been a great pick week in and week out. He has had great race cars, though, and eventually this team will put everything together and get the finish they deserve. Over the last four races at this track, Stewart has the third-best average driver rating in the series and two top five finishes, which both came in the summer race. Tony has led at least one lap in the last seven races at New Hampshire, and remember: he was leading the last race here with one lap to go and ran out of fuel (giving him a 24th-place finish). When you take that out of the equation, “Smoke” hasn’t finished worse than 14th at this track since early 2007.

5. Jeff Gordon - This year I haven’t really liked picking Jeff Gordon, but he’s 2-for-2 on flat tracks this year and I think he could contend for the win on Sunday as well. Jeff finished 4th and 6th at New Hampshire last season and three wins and five runner-up finishes in his 32 starts here. In the last eleven races at this track, Gordon hasn’t finished outside of the top 15, which is quite an impressive feat when you think about it. In the last two years, only three drivers have a better average driver rating than Gordon at this track.

6. Denny Hamlin - Statistically, this is Denny’s fourth-best track on the circuit, as his average finish here is 7.6 over ten career starts. That average finish is also the best of anyone in the series. He visited victory lane at New Hampshire in 2007, and in two of the last three races here the #11 has finished runner-up. The one thing that really stands out to me when looking at Hamlin’s stats at this track is that he has completed 100% of the laps ran, which is the reason he has never finished outside of the top 15. I don’t expect that to change this weekend.

7. Kevin Harvick - “Happy” won from the pole here in 2006 and has eleven top 10s in twenty career starts at this track. He crossed the stripe in 5th during both Loudon races last season and has finished in the top 15 in four of the last six Sprint Cup Series visits to the track. Harvick notched top five finishes at both Phoenix and Pocono earlier this year, and I don’t think it would surprise many to see the #29 Chevrolet up around there on Sunday, either.

8. Clint Bowyer - Bowyer isn’t consistently great at New Hampshire, but the most recent race winner here does have two career victories on this track and is on a three-race streak of top 10s here. The #33 got caught up in that wreck at Phoenix and wasn’t very competitive at Pocono, so he may drop in my rankings once Happy Hour is over, but going into the race I look at Bowyer as a pretty solid pick. He has the fifth-highest average driver rating at Loudon over the last four races.

9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Even though Junior didn’t have a great 2010 season, he did find success at Loudon, notched 8th and 4th-place finishes. He has never visited victory lane at this track, but Dale does have six top 5 finishes in his twenty-three starts at “The Magic Mile”. He finished 10th at Phoenix and came home 6th at Pocono, so you have to believe this team is going to get out of their little dry spell (best finish of 19th in the past four Sprint Cup Series races).

10. Ryan Newman - “The Rocketman” is a very good flat track racer, and he has the fourth-best average finish since 2009 on those type of tracks of anyone in the series. At Loudon, Newman has visited victory lane twice and notched twelve top 10s in eighteen career starts. He is on a three-race streak of top 10s at this track and I expect him to make that a four-race streak once the checkered flag waves on Sunday. At Pocono, Newman finished 9th, and at Phoenix he wound up 5th.

11. Carl Edwards - This will be the week that the #99 team has the chance to show that they are championship material. Of the 23 tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit, New Hampshire ranks 16th (in terms of average finish) for Carl Edwards. He has made thirteen starts on this one-mile track but has come away with just two top 10s, which were 2nd and 3rd-place efforts in 2006 and 2008, respectively. However, what is impressive to me is that Cousin Carl has just one finish outside of the top 20 in his career, and that was a 25th-place result in this race last season.

12. Brad Keselowski - As you probably know, I don’t like going against anyone on a hot streak, and over the last ten Sprint Cup races, only nine other drivers have scored more points than Brad Keselowski. He’s not blowing anyone out of the water–although I thought for a while that he was going to win in Kentucky–but he has three straight top 15s coming into the race this weekend. At New Hampshire, BK has an average career finish of 16.7, but he grabbed a 6th-place finish in his first start at “The Magic Mile” and won the pole here last September. At Phoenix, Brad brought the “Blue Deuce” home in 15th.

13. David Reutimann - With an average career finish of 17th, this is Reutimann’s third-best track on the series, and I think his 2nd-place run last weekend will give him momentum for a solid run at Loudon on Sunday. He started and brought the #00 Toyota home in 7th in the most recent race at this track and is on a five-race streak of top 15s here. As I’m sure you have figured out by now, Reutty is very hit-or-miss, so if he doesn’t look very good in practice, expect him to fall in my rankings.

14. A.J. Allmendinger - Right here is my sleeper pick for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Dinger was running in the top five in the last race here before running out of fuel and finishing 12th, and he also brought the #43 Ford home in 9th-place at Phoenix earlier this year. In this race one year ago, A.J. finished 10th. If he starts in the top fifteen and looks decent in practice, you’ll probably find him on at least one of my rosters Sunday.

15. Juan Montoya - The main concern with Montoya this week is whether he is going to get the finish he deserves. He was running great last week in Kentucky but had a pit road speeding penalty and had to settle for a finish outside of the top ten. In the last three Loudon races, JPM has two poles and a 5th-place start, but only one top ten (a 3rd in 2009) to show for it. In those three races he has also led a combined 141 laps. Juan’s average finish here is 19.5 but that should improve after Sunday’s race.

Just Outside The Top Fifteen Entering The Lenox Industrial Tools 301:

16. Joey Logano - If you are going to buy into “Sliced Bread” at New Hampshire, take your chances in the summer race. He won the race here in 2009–albeit being rain-shortened–and followed that up with a 9th-place in the summer race last season. In the fall races, though, Logano’s best finish in three starts has been 21st. Joey finished 11th at Pocono and started 6th at Phoenix before he had engine problems. If the #20 Toyota is fast in practice, expect Logano to move up my rankings when I make my post-Happy Hour predictions on Saturday.

17. Jeff Burton - Even this ranking may be a little to high for Burton, but I’m going to go with it. His 19th-place effort in Kentucky last weekend has been the #31 Chevrolet’s best finish since mid-May, but the team has been consistent in that span, with all finishes coming between 19th and 25th. Burton’s last three starts at Loudon have given him finishes of 16th, 12th, and 15th, and he finished 20th at Pocono last June. It’s hard to believe that this team still do not have a top 10 to their credit this season, and I just don’t see that changing this weekend.

18. Matt Kenseth - Please scroll down to the “Avoid” section of my post to read my thoughts on Matt Kenseth this weekend…

19. Kasey Kahne - Kahne started 2nd and led 110 laps in this race last season before an engine issue delegated him to a 36th-place finish. He followed that up with a 14th-place effort in the fall race at Loudon. Kasey’s best finish here is 4th, but that came in 2004, and his best finish in the last nine races at this track has been 10th. The fact that he has completed less than 90% of the laps ran here is enough for me to avoid Kahne this weekend. He finished 12th and 6th at Pocono and Phoenix, though, so I could be wrong.

20. Mark Martin - Martin won here in 2009, but I expect him to be his usual self on Sunday. He finished 21st and 29th in the two Loudon races last season and if you still think the #5 time has a chance to be competitive this season, I’m guessing you’re not doing very well in fantasy. In ten of Martin’s first twelve starts at “The Magic Mile” he finished in the top 10, but that was in the 90’s and this is 2011.

Avoid These Drivers For The Lenox Industrial Tools 301:

Matt Kenseth - I may have him ranked this week, but you won’t find him on any of my rosters. Matt hasn’t finished better than 17th at Loudon since 2007, but he used to find success at this track so I could end up being completely wrong on the #17 this weekend. From 2003 to 2007, Kenseth posted ten top 10s in eleven races at “The Magic Mile” and the lone finish outside of that was a 14th. He ended up 8th and 12th at Pocono and Phoenix, respectively, earlier this year.

Jamie McMurray - I wouldn’t touch Jamie Mac for the rest of the season. This has done a complete 180 from their very successful season in 2010. Jamie finished 3rd here last year, but that was then and this is now. Before that run, you have to go back to 2004 to find McMurray’s last top ten at New Hampshire. His average career finish at this track is 22.2.

Martin Truex, Jr. - Truex found some success at “The Magic Mile” from 2007 to 2008, where he posted four straight top 10s, but since that little run he had (he was running for DEI at the time), Martin has yet to finish better than 19th here. He finished 10th and 14th at Pocono and Phoenix, respectively, but I don’t see Martin coming anywhere close to that this weekend.

David Ragan - His momentum may give him a little luck this weekend, but I would still avoid David Ragan at New Hampshire. His best finish came in his first start at this track–he ended up 15th after started 32nd–and David has only completed 94.6% of the laps in the races he has started here. If you’re in an allocation league, I wouldn’t even think about starting Ragan this week. If not, and you feel like taking a major risk, make sure he starts up front and looks stout in practice.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	No Pick	44	15.06
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Mark Martin	21	10.76
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jeff Gordon	4	12.12
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Jeff Burton	12	13.00
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	4	14.00
Eric McGuire	free agent	Denny Hamlin	14	12.41
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Denny Hamlin	14	8.35
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	14	14.71
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Tony Stewart	2	13.47
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	4	14.06
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jimmie Johnson	1	9.41
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jeff Burton	12	16.41
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Greg Biffle	16	13.35
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	11	13.50
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	3	10.88
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Kevin Harvick	5	11.24
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	Denny Hamlin	14	13.35
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Denny Hamlin	14	10.53
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Jeff Gordon	4	15.06

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Expert Darkhorse Picks:New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The On Pit Row fantasy racing experts opinions of the best Sprint Cup driver currently outside the top 12 in Sprint Cup Series points, for this weekends race.

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Juan Pablo Montoya	34	16.82
James Jones	On Pit Row	Clint Bowyer	7	11.06
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	No Pick	44	22.47
Dennis Mickelson	RaceTalkRadio.com	Ryan Newman	6	11.71
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Joey Logano	9	13.06
Jerry Lagger Eric McGuire	One and Done Game Winner Free agent	Joey Logano Dale Earnhardt Jr	9 8	13.06 12.47
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Juan Pablo Montoya	34	12.12
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Ryan Newman	6	8.29
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Joey Logano	9	11.18
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Ryan Newman	6	12.35
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	Juan Pablo Montoya	34	13.24
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Clint Bowyer	7	12.65
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Ryan Newman	6	15.24
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Juan Pablo Montoya	34	19.24
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Ryan Newman	6	10.65
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Juan Pablo Montoya	34	14.53
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Martin Truex Jr	22	20.59
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Marcos Ambrose	13	10.71

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 from Loudon

It’s been a while since the Sprint Cup series drivers have battled on a flat track. The braking skills needed to succeed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway also apply to the other flat tracks: Martinsville Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Richmond International Raceway. To refresh fantasy owners on the best finishers from those tracks, I’ve built another NASCAR Fantasy Tool for flat tracks.

Chasing the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Note: Qualifying was rained out for last year’s summer race and the ‘08 fall race.

1. Kurt Busch… Started third in last year’s fall race at Loudon. Has started in the first two rows in four straight races this season.
2. Martin Truex, Jr…. Started seventh 4/09 at Loudon, eighth 6/08.
3. Jimmie Johnson… Has started third and second in the last two weeks, fifth or better in seven of the last nine.

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.

• Value play - Sneaky plays at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternatives in allocation formats.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Two-time winner (’03 sweep) at Loudon, average finish of 5.8 since ‘07 with average running position no worse than eighth, average of 35.8 laps led. Y!-A1
2. Denny Hamlin… Won 7/07 race at Loudon, runner-up in last year’s fall race. Average finish of 7.5 in eight career starts, six Top 10s– has never finished worse than 15th. Held an average running position of ninth or better six times. Y!-A2
3. Kurt Busch… Three-time winner (6/08, ‘04 sweep) at Loudon- average finish of 4.0 since ‘08, average of 17.8 laps led. Y!-A4
4. Jeff Gordon… Three-time winner (8/98, 9/97, 7/95) at Loudon. Average finish of 7.6 since ‘07– runner-up three times, has finished no worse than 15th. Has never held an average running position worse than 13th. Y!-A3
5. Kyle Busch… Won 7/06 race at Loudon, finished seventh and fifth last year- average running positions of seventh and 17th.
6. Kevin Harvick… Won 9/06 race at Loudon- average finish of 12.0 in ‘08, 33.0 last year. Y!-B1
7. Tony Stewart… Two-time winner (7/05, 7/00) at Loudon. Since ‘05: average finish of 9.7 in 10 starts. Finished fifth and 14th last year, average of 46.0 laps led- held average running positions of sixth and eighth.
8. Jeff Burton… Four-time winner (9/00, 7/99, 7/98, 7/97) at Loudon- finished 12th and fourth in ‘08, 31st and 16th last year. Y!-B2
9. Juan Pablo Montoya… Started and finished 12th in last year’s summer race, led six laps. Won the pole, finished third in the fall, led 105 laps.
10. Clint Bowyer… Won 9/07 race at Loudon, held average running positions of eighth and 10th in ‘08, 15th and 14th last year. Y!-B3
11. Kasey Kahne… Last three races at Loudon: 11th, 10th, DNF (engine). Y!-B4
12. Ryan Newman… Two-time winner (9/05, 9/02) at Loudon, average running positions of 17th and 10th last year. Y!-B5
13. Mark Martin… Won last year’s fall race at Loudon, average running position of eighth. Finished 14th in the summer, average running position of ninth.
14. Greg Biffle… Won 9/08 race at Loudon, average running position of 16th and 17th last year- finished 18th and ninth.
15. Matt Kenseth… Average finish of 22.5 last year at Loudon, no Top 10s since ‘07. Y!-B6
16. Carl Edwards… Only two Top 10s in 11 career starts at Loudon, 13.8 average finish.
17. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Has held an average running position of 13th or better in seventh straight at Loudon, 11th in both races last year. Y!-B7
18. David Reutimann… Held average running positions of 12th and 13th last year at Loudon, finished fourth and 12th. Y!-B8
19. Martin Truex Jr…. Strong value play. Average finish of 4.8 from ‘07-’08 at Loudon– DNF (crash) and 19th-place finish last year.
20. Marcos Ambrose… Strong value play. Average finish of 21.5 last year at Loudon.
21. Joey Logano… Won 6/09 race at Loudon, 21st in the fall. Started first, finished second in last year’s Nationwide race.
22. Brad Keselowski… Finished sixth in last year’s summer race at Loudon, average running position of 23rd. Average finish of 6.5 in two career Nationwide starts.
23. Jamie McMurray… No Top 10s since ‘04 at Loudon, finished 33rd and 18th last year.
24. Sam Hornish Jr…. Finished a career-best eighth in last year’s summer race at Loudon, DNF (engine) in the fall. Y!-C1
25. A.J. Allmendinger… Average start of 29.4, average finish of 34.2 in five career starts at Loudon– finished a career-best 25th in last year’s fall race. Y!-C2
26. Elliott Sadler… Two Top 10s in the last four races at Loudon, average running position no better than 20th.
27. David Stremme… Finished 28th in both races last year at Loudon. Y!-C3
28. David Ragan… Average finish of 28.8 in six career starts at Loudon, two DNFs due to crash.
29. Paul Menard… Average finish of 29.5 in six career starts at Loudon. Y!-C4
30. Scott Speed… Average finish of 33.5 in two career starts at Loudon.
31. Reed Sorenson… Finished 17th and 36th last year Loudon.
32. Regan Smith… Average finish of 29.0 in five career starts at Loudon.
33. Travis Kvapil… Average finish of 30.3 in six career starts in Loudon, no starts last year.
34. David Gilliland… Average finish of 35.3 in six career starts at Loudon.
35. Max Papis… First career Cup start at Loudon. Finished 22nd in last year’s Truck race.
36. Kevin Conway… First career Cup start at Loudon. Finished 21st in ’07 Nationwide race.
37. Casey Mears… Possible start and park. Average finish of 12.0 last year at Loudon.
38. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park. Won 9/99 race at Loudon.
39. Andy Lally… Likely start and park.
40. P.J. Jones… Likely start and park.
41. Mike Bliss… Likely start and park.
42. Dave Blaney… Likely start and park.
43. Michael McDowell… Likely start and park.
44. J.J. Yeley… Likely start and park. Average finish of 14.8 in six career starts at Loudon.
45. Todd Bodine… Likely start and park.

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

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