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Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Pocono 2 - Good Sam RV Insurance 500

This weekend the Sprint Cup Series will visit Pocono Raceway for the second–and final–time of the season (yes, I hear that sigh of relief). This marks the third race in a row that the series is racing on a flat track, so you should expect some familiar faces to be strong once again on Sunday, even though the fuel mileage situation in Indianapolis put some surprising names up front in the end. Two practice sessions are set to be held on Friday afternoon and qualifying will start at 10:30 Saturday morning.

During The Last Race At Pocono…Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Juan Montoya, and Denny Hamlin combined to lead 190 of the 200 laps ran on this 2.5-mile tri-oval, and it was Gordon who went on to take the checkered flag in the end. Kurt Busch (the pole sitter that day) followed the 24 to the line, while Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five. As you may or may not remember, Kyle Busch was penalized six points after the race for his Toyota not meeting the minimum height requirements set by NASCAR.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The Good Sam RV Insurance 500:

1. Jeff Gordon - No one has been as dominant as Jeff Gordon on the flat tracks this year–he won at Pocono in June, won at Phoenix in February, finished 2nd in Indianapolis last week, and was running in the top five before running out of fuel in New Hampshire and finishing 11th. I’m usually not very high on the 24, but when the series comes to these flat tracks it’s hard not to be: this team has found something at them. Gordon also has five top 10s in the last six Pocono races.

2. Kevin Harvick - “Happy” is in a bit of a slump (no top 10s since Daytona on July 2), but he should turn that around this weekend. Harvick is on a three-race streak of top 5s at “The Tricky Triangle,” and before the last two races (New Hampshire and Indianapolis last week), he had a streak of eight top 6 finishes on these flat tracks. I fully expect him to restart that streak on Sunday, but he won’t dominate by any means: Harvick has started 21 races at Pocono and has led just five laps, which came in last year’s spring race.

3. Jimmie Johnson - I’ve been saying this for a few weeks now, but Jimmie Johnson is going to win soon. It’s hard to believe that the five-time champion has just one win this season, and it was at Talladega of all places. Johnson hasn’t finished worse than 13th at Pocono since 2007 and his 9.3 career average finish is bested only by Denny Hamlin’s 9.2. Jimmie has visited victory lane at “The Tricky Triangle” twice in his career, but they both came in 2004. What’s even more impressive is that in 19 career starts here, Johnson has just one finish outside of the top 15. He has led at least one lap in six of the last seven Pocono races.

4. Kurt Busch - Over the last five races, the elder Busch brother has the 5th-best average driver rating in the series, but he has the 20th-best average finish. If he starts up front, though, expect Kurt to get the finish on Sunday. And that shouldn’t be a problem for the driver of the Double Deuce because he has started in the top five in six of the last eight Sprint Cup races, and that includes three poles. A Pocono, he’s been hit or miss lately, with three top 10s and three finishes of 33rd or worse in his last six starts. Busch had the best driver rating in the June race here earlier this season.

5. Juan Montoya - The reason Montoya is ranked so high this week is because the following drivers have some major question marks with me, and while JPM certainly brings risk when you put him onto your roster, I think he’s set to break out with a very solid run this weekend, and will use that momentum for another great race at Watkins Glen. In Juan’s first four starts at “The Tricky Triangle,” he never finished better than 16th, but since then he has recorded four top 10s in five races and a worst finish of 16th. Montoya finished 7th in the June race here despite having the third-best driver rating and leading 38 laps.

6. Carl Edwards - Cousin Carl experienced a broken valve in the June race, but he was pretty strong before that issue happened, and I highly doubt that the same thing will happen again on Sunday. Edwards is a two-time winner at Pocono and finished 3rd here last August. He also has the fourth-best average driver rating at “The Tricky Triangle” over the last five races. However, for the first time in this 2011 season, Carl has had two straight races ending outside of the top ten, with 13th and 14th-place finishes in the past two Sprint Cup races. Will this mini-slump continue? I guess we will find out.

7. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is second on the active driver list in terms of laps led at Pocono, but we all know that this team isn’t running as strong as normal this year, and when they do (like at this track in June) they haven’t been able to get the finish (19th in June). However, you can’t overlook the fact that Denny is a four-time winner at “The Tricky Triangle” and that his career average finish of 9.2 at this track is the best of all drivers. In the last four races at Pocono Hamlin has led a total of 274 laps.

8. Kyle Busch - Pocono is nowhere near Rowdy’s best track (it’s actually his fifth-worst statistically) but when he’s running strong, he’s one of the best. He has a 2nd and a 3rd-place in the last two June races at this track, but those are Kyle’s only top 10s in his last seven starts here. Busch is actually a risky pick when the series comes to the this track, though, so watch him closely in practice, and be sure to remember he would be an even better choice if he starts near the front, although don’t count him out if he starts in the rear (remember he started 34th here last June and ended up 3rd).

9. Kasey Kahne - Kasey Kahne was wicked fast last weekend at Indianapolis, but he disappointed fantasy owners once again, which is something he seems to have found a liking to do this season. Despite his last three races at Pocono have given Kasey no finishes better than 12th, I think he has a good chance to change that on Sunday, especially if his Toyota is as fast off the truck as it was last weekend. Kahne won here in 2008 and has the 9th-best average driver rating at “The Tricky Triangle” over the last five races.

10. Ryan Newman - Newman is always a force when the series comes to a flat track, and Pocono is no exception. His career average finish in nineteen career races here is 13.1 and he hasn’t finished worse than 14th at this track in the last five races. “The Rocketman” won the pole for the July race at Pocono in 2003, and went on to lead 88 laps and take the checkered flag. In June, he started 8th and finished 9th. He also has six straight starts inside the top ten at Pocono.

11. Clint Bowyer - In terms of average finish, Pocono is middle of the road for Bowyer, but he has been pretty consistent here. Clint has made eleven starts at “The Tricky Triangle” and has amassed five top 10s and just two finishes worse than 21st. He finished 16th here in June, and if he doesn’t impress me very much in practice, expect him to fall right around there when I write my post-qualifying Predictions on Saturday. Bowyer hasn’t finished better than 12th since Sonoma in June.

12. Tony Stewart - I said it before and I’ll say it again: this team isn’t as strong as many expected they would be this summer, myself included. His average finish at Pocono is right around 12th, and that’s right around where I think “Smoke” will end up on Sunday. He finished 21st here in June after starting 15th, and I think the reason Stewart has posted his 6th-place effort at Indianapolis was because of luck. I could be wrong, but I don’t see the #14 being a factor this weekend.

13. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth posted a solid 8th-place finish here in June, but I’m still not ready to pull the trigger on him yet. Before that race, Matt had five straight starts here end in finishes between 11th and 18th, and he hasn’t posted a top 5 at “The Tricky Triangle” since June 2006. In 23 career starts, Kenseth has averaged a finish of right around 14th, and in the four flat track races this season, he has averaged a finish of 11.3. If he impresses me in practice, the #17 Ford will probably jump up my rankings when I post them again on Saturday.

14. David Ragan - Before the fuel came into the equation last weekend, Ragan was running great (I don’t think I saw him lower than 5th) and I thought he was really going to surprise some people after his pole run for the Brickyard 400. This team has been running strong for a while, actually, and I expect that to continue this weekend in Pocono as well. Ragan finished 17th here in June and ended up 14th in last year’s August race at “The Tricky Triangle”.

15. Paul Menard - The series most recent race winner isn’t that great at Pocono–his average finish is around 24th–but he has stepped up here lately, with three straight finishes between 13th and 16th here after failing to finish better than 25th at this track in his first six tries. Paul qualified on the front row here in June, and you never know what a little momentum from a win–even though it was a fuel mileage race–will do to a driver.

Just Outside The Top Fifteen Entering The Good Sam RV Insurance 500:

16. Martin Truex, Jr. - It’s always a risky pick when you put Martin Truex, Jr. on you roster, but he has two straight top 10s at Pocono and has ran pretty strong on the flat tracks this year, with a 14th-place finish at Phoenix in February and 10th and 8th-place efforts at Pocono and New Hampshire, respectively. Martin’s career average finish here is 15.6, which makes it his fifth-best track on the circuit–for whatever that is worth.

17. Brad Keselowski - BK seems determined to prove Jimmy Spencer wrong this week, and he has improved in every start at Pocono (in terms of driver rating) and been consistent with his finishes, with all of them being between 20th and 23rd. I don’t see Keselowski challenging for the win on Sunday by any means, but I think he could post a career-best finish at “The Tricky Triangle” because of how strong this team has been.

18. Mark Martin - Martin’s average finish at Pocono is right around 11th, but like the race here in June–where Mark finished 18th after starting 10th–expect him to worsen that average after Sunday. The only reason Martin finished 8th last week in Indianapolis was because of the fuel mileage situation, so don’t take that as a reason to pick him this weekend.

19. Jeff Burton - This team seems to have turned things around lately, but I still wouldn’t put Jeff Burton anywhere near the top ten. However, a finish between 15th and 20th should be expected from the #31 Chevrolet. Burton ended up 20th in the June race at this track, and posted top 10s in both races here last season. However, that was last season, so don’t expect the same.

20. Regan Smith - Don’t expect another top five finish like last week out of Regan Smith, but I think he could score a solid top 20 on Sunday as long as he doesn’t run into any trouble. He started 5th here in June before finishing 15th, and his two starts at “The Tricky Triangle,” Regan finished 18th and 21st.

Avoid These Drivers For The Good Sam RV Insurance 500:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr, - I understand that he finished 6th here in June, but in case you haven’t noticed, Junior is in a major slump. Since that aforementioned race here, Earnhardt’s average finish has been 23.7 and his best effort has been his 15th-place finish at New Hampshire. Until this team turns things around, you won’t see the #88 Chevrolet on any of my rosters.

Marcos Ambrose - The Tasmanian posted a solid 6th-place finish in his first start at “The Tricky Triangle,” but since then, his average finish has been 34.3 in four races. Ambrose’s average start in those four races is 15th, though, so don’t let a solid qualifying effort trick you into picking him this weekend.

Jamie McMurray - Before you get all riled up about Jamie Mac’s top five in Indianapolis last weekend, remember that it was a fuel mileage race and he had just the 18th-best driver rating in the race. Jamie has never found success at “The Tricky Triangle” (22.4 career average finish in 17 starts) and hasn’t finished better than 20th here since early 2009.

Bobby Labonte - Some fantasy racers in allocation leagues may already be looking for start savers, but Bobby Labonte wouldn’t be a wise choice. In three of the last five Pocono races, Labonte has finished in 28th, and his other two starts ended with 36th and 38th-place efforts. Even in his prime I wouldn’t have picked Bobby.

Greg Biffle - I’m not sure what is up with this team, but they simply haven’t been running consistently since April, and the 7th-place finish they got last weekend in Indianapolis was due to the fuel mileage factor, as the #16 Ford was junk for most of the race, in my opinion. Biffle won here last August, but that’s the only top 10 he’s posted at Pocono since early 2006. He finished 27th here in June after starting 37th, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if The Biff ended up there again on Sunday. Even if he looks good in practice, I would still avoid Biffle on Sunday.

Fantasy Racing Darkhorse Picks: 2011 Pocono 500

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdel		David Ragan	17	10.86
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jeff Gordon	1	11.79
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Marcos Ambrose	34	15.36
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Bobby Labonte	28	15.79
Eric McClung	KFFL	Juan Pablo Montoya	7	12.36
Eric McGuire	free agent	Jeff Gordon	1	10.57
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Jeff Gordon	1	15.14
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Marcos Ambrose	34	13.86
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Jeff Gordon	1	11.00
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Brian Vickers	22	20.50
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jeff Gordon	1	16.79
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	1	11.93
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	1	12.36
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Mark Martin	18	14.64
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	12	12.36
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Jeff Gordon	1	7.93
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Jeff Gordon	1	14.00
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kasey Kahne	12	18.07
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Juan Pablo Montoya	7	13.79

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: 2011 Pocono 500

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell		Carl Edwards	37	13.57
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Denny Hamlin	19	13.79
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jimmie Johnson	4	12.71
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	12	11.79
Eric McClung	KFFL	Denny Hamlin	19	13.57
Eric McGuire	free agent	Carl Edwards	37	16.36
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Denny Hamlin	19	12.14
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Carl Edwards	37	15.57
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Denny Hamlin	19	10.14
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	19	11.64
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Denny Hamlin	19	12.64
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Carl Edwards	37	12.07
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	19	13.36
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	3	10.93
James Jones	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	21	10.71
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Denny Hamlin	19	11.71
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Denny Hamlin	19	9.43
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Denny Hamlin	19	10.64
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Denny Hamlin	19	11.71

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Pocono - 5-Hour Energy 500

This weekend the Sprint Cup Series will visit Pocono Raceway to run the first of two races scheduled for this season. First, though, some of the drivers will make a stop in little Rossburg, Ohio for the 7th annual Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway. In case you haven’t heard about the Prelude before, you can click here to see what it’s all about. I will be there, and if you’d like to meet up sometime feel free to send me a tweet and let me know (@FanNASCARPredic). Nicknamed “The Tricky Triangle,” Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile track and is technically considered a flat track. 500 miles–or 200 laps–are set to be run on Sunday afternoon, and once again the only practice sessions of the weekend will be held before qualifying. After the starting lineup is set, the cars won’t see the track again until the drop of the green flag.

During The Last Race At Pocono…Greg Biffle showed the power of the new Ford FR9 engine and took the win after leading 28 laps. Tony Stewart started on the pole that day but led just two laps before finishing 2nd. Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. In the spring race, Denny Hamlin led 88 en route to his third win of the 2010 season. Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Jimmie Johnson followed the #11 to the finish line. Full results for the spring and fall Pocono races can be found by clicking here and here, respectively. Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Burton all notched top 10s in both races at this track last season.

My Recommendations To Fantasy Racers…The only flat track that has been raced on this season was Phoenix back in February. Does success there translate to success here? Not necessarily, but it’s something to think about when you are finalizing your rosters. In both Pocono races last season, six of the top ten finishers also started in the first ten positions, so qualifying can definitely be important at “The Tricky Triangle”. Only first practice will be used to set the qualifying order this week, so the second practice session on Friday will be the one where all cars are in race trim. Be sure to check out my Practice Breakdown this week, as the average speeds during the second session should tell who has a consistently fast car.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The 5-Hour Energy 500:

1. Denny Hamlin - Denny got off to a rough start to this season, but in the last five races he has four top 10s and a worst finish of 16th and I think he will get his first win of the season on Sunday. In his rookie season, Hamlin started from the pole for both Pocono races and ended up winning them both as well. He has since added two more wins at “The Tricky Triangle” and if you take away his two finishes outside of the top 20 in 2008 and 2009, Hamlin’s average finish here is 2.6.

2. Tony Stewart - In the last eleven races at Pocono, “Smoke” has finished outside of the top ten just once. Do you think that’s going to change this weekend? Me neither. Stewart is a two-time winner here and, as everyone knows, this is the time of year where he really starts heating up and putting together potential race-winning runs. Tony also has three poles in the last four Pocono races, so expect him to be up front early and often on Sunday.

3. Jimmie Johnson - Over the past two years at Pocono (four races), no driver has had a better average driver rating than “Five Time”. Johnson finished 42nd here in 2007 but other than that, his worst finish at “The Tricky Triangle” has been 15th, giving him an average finish of 9.6. He’s a two-time winner here, but both of those came in 2004. Jimmie finished 3rd in the Phoenix race earlier this season.

4. Jeff Gordon - This ranking is the most likely to change once qualifying is over, but I think Gordon will have a good race on Sunday. He got his first top five finish since Talladega last weekend and if the #24 Chevy is as strong as it was last week (and at Phoenix earlier this year, for that matter), Jeff could make it two in a row on Sunday. In 36 starts at Pocono, Jeff Gordon has four wins and just six finishes outside of the top twenty. He has four top tens in the last five races at “The Tricky Triangle”.

5. Carl Edwards - “Cousin Carl” won here in his first start at the track and added a second trip to victory lane in 2008. His average finish at Pocono is right around 12th and Edwards has completed every lap ran here since the rain-shortened 2007 race. The #99 Ford was wicked fast in Phoenix earlier this year, but damage from “The Big One” gave Edwards a disappointing 28th-place finish. As with every week, expect Carl Edwards to have a fast car this weekend and fight for a top five, if not a win.

6. Kevin Harvick - Kevin Harvick has led just five laps in his 20 starts at Pocono, but he does have three top five finishes in his last five starts here, and he finished 4th in both races at this track last season. Harvick also finished 4th in the Phoenix race earlier this season. He has five top 12 finishes in the last six Sprint Cup races, and I highly doubt that that changes on Sunday. Harvick has seven total top 10s at Pocono.

7. Kurt Busch - Is the Penske team finally consistently bringing two good cars to the racetrack week in and week out? Kurt has two straight top 10s and his teammate–who I will talk about later in this article–hasn’t finished worse than 19th in the last four Sprint Cup races and is the most recent winner. Busch has six finishes of either first or second at this track and has led at least two laps in four of the last five races at Pocono. He finished 8th at Phoenix earlier this season.

8. Greg Biffle - “The Biff” has the sixth-best average driver rating in the series over the past four races at Pocono and is the most recent winner at this track. However, that win is also his only top 10 finishes in Biffle’s past nine starts at this track. He’s not great here (his 17.2 average finish says that) but the #16 Ford has been strong all year and I don’t see that changing this weekend. As long as they don’t shoot themselves in the foot on Sunday, expect a good run from Biffle.

9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Close but no cigar yet again for Junior. He’ll be in victory lane soon enough, but I don’t think that it will be this weekend in Pocono. Earnhardt hasn’t had a top 10 finish here since 2008 but I expect that to change this weekend. With the way his season is going, it’s hard to go off of last year’s races to predict how he will do this year. He has six top ten finishes in his 22 starts at Pocono, and all but one of those have been top fives.  Expect Junior to improve his average career finish of 17.9 at Pocono this weekend. He finished 10th at Phoenix earlier this year.

10. Ryan Newman - This ranking may be a little to high for “The Rocketman” because he has just one top 10 finish in the last five Pocono races, but he hasn’t finished worse than 14th in that span. Newman visited victory lane here in 2003 and has a career average finish of 13.3 at “The Tricky Triangle”. At Phoenix earlier this season, Newman brought the #39 Chevrolet home in 5th place. He’s been struggling a bit lately, though, so keep an eye on him in practice on Friday.

11. Kasey Kahne - Kasey won from the pole here in 2008 and has five top 10 finishes in fourteen career starts at Pocono. If he doesn’t start near the front on Sunday, though, I would avoid him because he has just one top ten in the five races where Kahne didn’t start in the top ten. At Phoenix, Kasey ended up 6th after starting 3rd. Scott Speed ended up 20th in the June Pocono event last season while driving for Red Bull Racing, so you’d have to think that Kahne could end up a lot better than that in the same car.

12. Clint Bowyer - Bowyer has been in a bit of a slump recently (with just one top ten finish in the past four Sprint Cup races), but he hasn’t finished worse than 15th in the last five races at Pocono and three of those races have been top 10s. Clint’s average driver rating of 95.3 over the past two years at this track is good enough for 8th-best in the series.

13. Kyle Busch - This is nowhere near Kyle Busch’s best track, but he’s still the best (in my opinion) driver in the series and I’m sure he will visit victory lane her eventually. He has just three top 10s in twelve starts at “The Tricky Triangle,” but Busch finished 2nd after starting on the pole in the spring race last season and he ended up 2nd to Jeff Gordon at Phoenix in February.

14. Mark Martin - This weekend will be Mark Martin’s 49th start at Pocono Raceway and while he has never visited victory lane at this track, Mark has finished outside of the top 20 just seven times in all of those starts. Martin has a four-race streak of top 10s in the fall race at this track, so you might want to wait until then to pick him, but he did end up 13th at Phoenix earlier this season.

15. Jeff Burton - This could be the week that Jeff Burton gets his first top 10 of the season, but I’m going to guess that–as usual–it won’t happen. He finished 7th and 8th in the two Pocono races last season, though, and Burton has four top 10s in the last six races at this track. He has never won at “The Tricky Triangle,” and I don’t expect that to change on Sunday, but a top fifteen is possible.

Just Outside The Top Fifteen Entering The 5-Hour Energy 500:

Matt Kenseth - Matt has made 22 starts at Pocono Raceway but has just 8 top 10s. This isn’t his best track, but he’s really consistent. Kenseth may not post top 10s at “The Tricky Triangle” but he does have 18 top 20s in his 22 starts here.

A.J. Allmendinger - I’m starting to like “The Dinger” on flat tracks. He finished 9th at Phoenix earlier this year and has posted ten top 20 finishes in the last twelve flat track races. At Pocono last season, Allmendinger finished 10th and 24th. If A.J. puts the #43 Ford up front in qualifying, I’d put him on my fantasy rosters if I were you.

Brad Keselowski - He was my underdog of the week in Kansas, but of course I didn’t listen to myself and kept BK off of my fantasy rosters. He has made two starts at Pocono and ended up 21st and 20th in those races. Keselowski has a streak of four straight top 20s and I don’t expect that to stop this weekend. With the momentum from his win, I could see Brad posting a career-best finish at Pocono this weekend.

Martin Truex, Jr. - In ten starts at Pocono, Truex has an average finish of 16.2, which includes three top 10s. He finished 9th here last fall but I think he will end up in the teens on Sunday.

Brian Vickers - Vickers is either really bad here, or really good, so pay close attention to him in practice if you are thinking about putting him on your roster this week. In twelve starts at Pocono, Vickers has amassed six top 6 finishes, but he has also had four finishes outside of the top 20.

Avoid These Drivers For The 5-Hour Energy 500:

Jamie McMurray - You should know by now that you should avoid Jamie Mac pretty much every week. He had a good season in 2010, but that was last year. McMurray has made 16 starts at “The Tricky Triangle” but has come away with just three top 10s. Even if he qualifies well, avoid him.

Juan Montoya - In the last two years, Montoya has found success at Pocono, and for that reason many people will pick him this week. Don’t make that mistake. Juan hasn’t had a top ten since Martinsville in April and I don’t like how the Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevys are running.

Joey Logano - To say that “Sliced Bread” is underachieving this season would be an understatement, and I expect a finish in the mid-twenties at best out of Logano this week. He was running in the top ten before Harvick spun him during last year’s first Pocono race, which kept Joey’s average finish here at 22nd in four starts at the track.

Paul Menard - And the downward spiral continues. Menard hasn’t had a top 15 since Talladega in April, and I highly doubt that will change this weekend. He finished 16th and 13th in the Pocono races last season, but before that Menard’s best finish was 25th in his first six starts at this track.

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

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Pocono 500

Greetings On Pit Row readers.

The debut of the NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview last week was good one. The format is still a little bit influx so I appreciate your patience as we work on the best way to provide you with the top quick-hitting preview possible. The drivers are broken down into the A, B, C ranks that Yahoo! uses to divide the drivers. Salary cap owners can expect the price of the drivers to follow a similar structure. As we move forward, I’ll be looking to mark some drivers as good values in cap formats. For now, enjoy the ranking and feel free to add your comments below!

A List

1. Jimmie Johnson… Two career victories, both in 2004, top-12s in seven of eight since. Top-sixes in four the last five. Qualified first and second last year.
2. Jeff Gordon… Thirty-two career starts: 22 top-10s. Top-fives in three of the last five, including one victory.
3. Carl Edwards… Two career victories, first start in 2005 and most recent race in August. Two top-10s in the six races in between.
4. Mark Martin… Top-10s in seven of the last nine and four straight. Qualified second and third last season. No wins in forty-four career starts but 31 top-10s.
5. Matt Kenseth… Top-14s in six straight. Led a lap three straight but only tallying six. Has led laps in nine of 18 starts but only totally 32, zero victories.
6. Greg Biffle… Finished 13th and 15th last season, led a total of six laps. Finished outside of the top-20 in the three previous starts.
7. Kyle Busch… Too inconstant to trust at the Triangle; 2008: 36th and 43rd, 2007: eighth and 12th
8. Jeff Burton… Top-13 finishes in five of the last six, 19th or worse in four straight prior.
9. Kevin Harvick… Has qualified outside of the top-20 in three straight. Finished eighth or better in four the last eight.
10. Clint Bowyer… Six career starts: 21st or worse in half, but three top-10s in the last four.

B List

1. Denny Hamlin… Owns the best average finish, 6.2. Two career victories, both in 2006. Six career starts: five top-six finishes, four top-threes.
2. Kurt Busch… Sixteen career starts: two victories, runner-up four times, has qualified second or third on five occasions. Laps led in five of the last seven.
3. Tony Stewart… Top-seven finishes in six of the last seven and 14 top-sevens for his career, 20 starts.
4. Kasey Kahne… Finished where he started last season: won from the pole in last year’s Pocono 500, seventh place in August. Twenty-second or worse in five of 10 career starts.
5. Brian Vickers… Ten career starts: four top-fours and runner-up twice, including last year’s Pocono 500. Has qualified outside of the top-10 only twice but they were in the last three races.
6. Ryan Newman… Fourteen career starts: worse than 18th only three times. Five top-fives but only one since 2005.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Top-12s in four straight, including one pole- 25th or worse in four of five prior.
8. Jamie McMurray… Tied a career-best ninth place finish in August after starting 41st. Top-20s in six of the last eight.
9. Joey Logano… No starts at Pocono, but three top-10s over the last five races this season.
10. Juan Pablo Montoya… Two top-20s in 2007, two DNFs in 2008.
11. David Reutimann… One top-20 in four career starts.
12. Martin Truex Jr…. Has led laps in three of the last four but only totaling four. Finished 15th and 17th last season.
13. David Ragan… Career-best fifth-place finish in August, 24th or worse in three races prior.
14. Casey Mears… Would the real Mears please stand up? 2008: 22nd and 26th, 2007: fourth and 10th.
15. Michael Waltrip… 26th or worse in six straight.
16. Elliott Sadler… Has finished outside of the top-20 in five straight.
17. David Stremme… Four career starts: never finished better than 23rd.
18. Paul Menard… Four career starts: never finished better than 25th.
19. David Gilliland… Four career starts: never finished better than 34th.

C List

1. Sam Hornish Jr…. Started and finished 26th in the August race last year, DNF in June.
2. AJ Allmendinger… Three career starts: 12th and 19th last season
3. Bobby Labonte… Three victories, none since 2001- only three top-10s since. Thirty-two career starts, had led one or two laps on eight occasions.
4. Marcos Ambrose… No starts at Pocono, average finish of 26.33 over the last three races.
5. Reed Sorenson… Six career starts, never finished better than 24th.
6. Scott Speed… No starts at Pocono.
7. Joe Nemechek… Started in top-10 four times over last nine chances, finished in the top-15 only twice.
8. Robby Gordon… Finished seventh and eighth back in 2004, 36th and 37th last year.
9. Dave Blaney… 2008 finishes: 22nd, 31st.
10. Patrick Carpentier… Started in last year’s Pocono 500: finished 32nd
11. Sterling Marlin… Last start: 31st in 2007.
12. John Andretti… Two starts in 2003: 23rd and 33rd.
13. Mike Wallace… Two starts in 2005: 29th, 31st.
14. Derrike Cope… Last start in 2003: 42nd.
15. Dexter Bean… No starts at Pocono.

If you are thinking of doing any actual NASCAR betting you may be better served by finding actual NASCAR odds at a service that is involved in online wagering or something. We, most assuredly, are not.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Pocono

Kansas

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Mark Martin: 3rd to 1st	Biggest Drop This Week: Jeff Gordon: 1st to 5th
New This Week: Carl Edwards Kasey Kahne	Dropped Out This Week:

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

Mark Martin- New #1 in Power Rankings Mark Martin might not make history for being the oldest driver to win a race, but he is the oldest driver to ever be in first place in my Power Rankings. At Pocono Martin finishes in the top ten 70% of the time.

Rank: 2nd Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 4 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- New #1 in the Point Standings Tony Stewart had about a 10th place car at Dover and through pit strategy he wheeled the 14 to a 2nd place finish. The 14 hasn't been the fastest this year, but they have been consistent and Stewart collected his series high 9th top ten at Dover.

Rank: 3rd Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 5 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- Had a 150 Driver rating at Dover Johnson had the field covered at Dover and lead 298 laps out of 400. When this team is hot there is no stopping them. Expect a good run out of this team at Pocono where Johnson has a career average finish of 9.2.

Rank: 4th Kyle Busch #18 Last Week: 2 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Kyle Busch- Should of never mentioned 200 wins Dover was a perfect example of what I said about Kyle last week. Kyle doomed himself by saying he wanted to win 200 races. Will he ever win again (not with his recent luck)? Last year at Pocono Kyle finished 36th & 43rd.

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

Jeff Gordon- Did he even try to race at Dover? Gordon started in the back and finished there at Dover. Gordon was caught on pit row during caution and never recovered. If his back pains are still a problem then I would suggest maybe the 24 team should get a Kenseth winning robot to sub.

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

Ryan Newman- Hello Newman Being a Ryan Newman fan (like his name) I really hope he isn't fooling us with his recent strong performances this year. He does however have 4 top 5's and 5 top 10's over the last 6 races.

Rank: 7th Kurt Busch #22 Last Week: 7 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- 2 career wins at Pocono Kurt Busch will be a top contender at Pocono this weekend. He's had the ability to stink up this race in the past and on Sunday it might just happen again.

Rank: 8th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 8 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- Getting momentum Over the last 6 races only Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart have accumulated more points then Biffle. From a fantasy racing perspective I would steer clear of him this weekend because he only has 1 top ten over the last 6 races at Pocono.

Rank: 9th Matt Kenseth #17 Last Week: 9 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Matt Kenseth- Pocono Sleeper Matt Kenseth might not be the first person who comes to your mind at Pocono but over the last 6 races he does have an average finish of 10th. More importantly he collects a top ten finish every other race at Pocono and he's due for another top ten.

Rank: 10th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: NR Change: N/A Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards- Last Pocono winner Carl Edwards had a good run at Dover but as I've mentioned in previous Power Rankings (not at onpitrow.com) the magic just isn't there for the 99 team in 2009. His performance however was good enough for him to make a Power Rankings appearance.

Rank: 11th Kasey Kahne #4 Last Week: NR Change: N/A Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne- New R6 engine might be the answer Pocono is a track that is all about horsepower and accelerating off the turns. The new R6 motor is geared for acceleration. This week Kahne is testing at Indy so he might just learn something for Pocono there.

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

Denny Hamlin- Pocono medicine on the way Denny Hamlin might not be the best driver on the Intermediate tracks but he's a master on the short and flat ones. His numbers at Pocono are almost unrivaled. In the first 5 races of his career (6 total) his average finish was 2.8.

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