Hard Turn
A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens
Fantasy Week 15: Lifelock 400
The two favorites for nearly every speedway race this year have been the same.
Until now.
During the first 11 weeks, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch dominated races on tracks 1.3 miles and longer, combining to win the first five events on those type tracks.
Now, there is a new player to contend with.
Kasey Kahne.
Fortunately for fantasy players, Kahne is in a different group than Busch and Edwards, allowing you to stock up on the top contenders this weekend at Michigan.
Group A
Kurt Busch won at Michigan last year, and Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth both have two wins each at the 2-mile track. But it’s hard to pick anybody over Kyle Busch and Edwards the way they have run this season.
After an off week in which he finished last at Pocono, Busch is going to be raring to get back on track. Edwards, meanwhile, is trying to recapture the magic that propelled him to three wins in the season’s first seven races.
Michigan is a wide, multiple-groove track that lends itself to daring, hard-charging drivers. Busch and Edwards certainly fit that mold and should be hard to beat this weekend.
Group B
Suddenly, Kahne is now the hottest driver in the sport, having won three races in his last four events against Cup competition. He also won at Michigan in 2006 and runs well there.
With wins at Charlotte and Pocono, he has suddenly surged to the top of this group on the big speedways. Virtually everyone else in this group is also worth considering, however, at Michigan.
Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin are all capable of running well there, and Truex Jr. finished second in both Michigan races last year.
Newman has two wins there, and even Casey Mears had two solid finishes there last year.
Still, how can you pass up Kahne after his latest hot streak?
Group C
There is a lot of excitement around Petty Enterprises this week, with investment group Boston Ventures coming on board and driver Bobby Labonte signing a contract extension. The timing is perfect for the organization’s best run of the season. And Michigan is a place where it could happen. Labonte has three wins there and finished ninth there last August. Michigan is a race where Labonte and the Pettys could produce a solid run.
Others to watch in this group are Dave Blaney, Robby Gordon and Jamie McMurray, who all had solid runs last season.
Group D
The same two drivers should produce solid finishes from this group – David Ragan and Brian Vickers.
Fresh off his runner-up finish at Pocono, Vickers could be especially good at Michigan, where he finished eighth in August.
Group E
This is Roger Penske’s backyard and a track he used to own. It’s also a track that has hosted numerous open-wheel races.
All that should give former IndyCar champ Sam Hornish Jr. an advantage and plenty of incentive.
Along with David Reutimann, he should be the best pick in this group.
Jeff Owens
Jeff Owens has been covering NASCAR since 1991 and began covering the circuit full time in 1993. He has been with NASCAR Scene since 1998.
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