Hard Turn
A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens
Fantasy week 19: LifeLock.com 400
This would be a fitting week for Tony Stewart to snap his winless streak.
Stewart, the defending champion at Chicagoland Speedway, has already announced that he will not return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season and is on the verge of unveiling his plans to be a driver/owner at Haas CNC Racing next season.
Mired in a slump and saddled with bad luck all season, it would be just like Stewart to produce his best performance of the season at a time when all eyes are upon him.
He will have stiff competition at Chicago, however, namely from red-hot teammate Kyle Busch and likely Carl Edwards.
Group A
Stewart has two victories at Chicago, but there are several other drivers worth considering in this group, including Busch, who has a season-high six victories and is coming off a win at Daytona.
Jeff Gordon won at Chicago in 2006, while Kevin Harvick has two wins there and finished fourth last year. Like Stewart, both Gordon and Harvick are looking for their first wins of the season.
Matt Kenseth is also worth keeping an eye on. He appeared on his way to victory there when Gordon punted him in 2006 and finished second to Stewart last season.
Then there is Edwards, who was the driver to beat on 1.5-mile tracks early in this season.
All are worth considering, but Stewart has a lot of incentive to come up big this weekend.
Group B
Given his recent run of strong runs on big tracks – wins at Charlotte and Pocono – Kasey Kahne is the best bet to win from this group. Kahne swept both races at Charlotte, the last 1.5-mile track the series raced on.
Two Hendrick drivers are also worth considering. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Chicago in 2005 and should be even stronger with Hendrick Motorsports. Teammate Casey Mears has also run well at Chicago, finishing fifth there last year.
Group C
Look for Elliott Sadler to feed off a strong performance by Kahne, his teammate, and produce a solid run at Chicago. His team has shown vast improvement on 1.5- to 2-mile tracks recently and should be primed for a good run at Chicago.
Group D
David Ragan and Brian Vickers are once again the best bets in this group, though Scott Riggs could also be a surprise if he makes the race.
Group E
As usual, the three Michael Waltrip Racing drivers are your best bets if you’re making your picks early in the week, since all three are in the top 35 in owner points and guaranteed starting spots.
Sam Hornish Jr. is also in the top 35 and had his best run of the season at Charlotte, another 1.5-mile track.
Also keep an eye on AJ Allmendinger if he makes the race. His best runs came at Pocono and Michigan, two other intermediate speedways.
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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