Hard Turn

Races at Bristol can be among the hardest to handicap for fantasy players. Why? You never know who is going to get his car dialed in and take off. Though there have been dominant performances and streaks over the years, they sometimes change as quickly as the weather. Kurt Busch, for instance, was the man at Bristol from 2002 through 2004. Since then, Matt Kenseth has had two dominating performances there. In between, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick both scored their first Bristol wins. And since Kenseth’s last win in 2006, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton have all won. That could be encouraging news for a handful of drivers who are still scrambling to make the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup. With just two races to go before the Chase, Harvick, Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan all need strong runs to secure a spot in the field that will determine the 2008 Cup champion. And with the exception of Ragan, who was 21st, all of them had good runs at Bristol in the spring. Group A Kyle Busch and Edwards won the two races at Bristol last year, and based on their performances this season, figure to be the favorites at NASCAR’s most exciting track. Kenseth is also a good bet to turn things up a notch on a track where he has two dominating performances in the past three night races. Harvick and Bowyer finished second and third, respectively, during an RCR sweep there in the spring, so expect them to be strong again. Gordon, meanwhile, has fives wins at Bristol and desperately needs a strong run to stay in the top 12. Also, don’t count out Kurt Busch. He once dominated Bristol and, despite his team’s struggles, could be a strong contender again. Group B Burton won the spring race at Bristol, while Biffle wound up fourth. Though both are in the middle of the pack among Chase contenders, both still need strong runs to solidify their spot. While they may not win, both should be in the top 10. Kahne and Hamlin, currently 11th and 12th, respectively, in points, both finished in the top 10 in April and desperately need solid runs to stay in the hunt. Kahne finished second in this race last year. With both on the bubble in the Chase standings, they will probably race conservatively, doing their best to stay out of trouble and score a decent finish. Don’t expect them to win; but they could finish in the top five. Group C Bristol is a track where there are few surprises and few dark horses with a legitimate chance to win. A driver and team are going to have to come up with some clever pit strategy to pull a major upset at Bristol. The last driver to do that was Elliott Sadler, who scored his first career win at Bristol in 2001 with the Wood Brothers. Based on the way he has run with Gillett Evernham in the second half of the season, Sadler would be a good pick here. Bobby Labonte also finished eighth at Bristol last August. Group D Ragan is tied for 13th in the race for the Chase and could sneak into the top 12 with a good run at Bristol. Expect him to be on top of his game. Brian Vickers is also not out of contention yet and can gain ground on the top 12 with a good run. As has been the case all season, they are your best bets in this group. Group E This is a group with no good choices for a tough track like Bristol. Everyone in this group likely will be near the rear of the field and lapped quickly. Their challenge will be to just stay out of trouble and finish. Your best bets are drivers with a lot of experience. That means Michael Waltrip, Joe Nemechek or Ken Schrader, who will be driving the Hall of Fame Racing car this weekend.

There are few tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit where the field is as wide open as at Michigan. The last six races there have been won by six different drivers, and since Bill Elliott’s reign in the 1980s, there has rarely been a dominant driver on the 2-mile oval. Why? Because the track at Michigan is so wide, it has multiple grooves, allowing plenty of side-by-side racing and rarely allowing one driver to check out on the field. It is also a track where fuel mileage and pit strategy often come into play, leading to some upsets and surprise winners. Jeremy Mayfield won this race in 2005 on fuel mileage, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race there in June in similar fashion. Who will it be this time? There are numerous possibilities. Group A This might be one of the few weeks in which Kyle Busch is not the overwhelming favorite. Busch finished a mediocre 13th there in June, giving the rest of the field a bit of hope. It is also not a track that favors Jimmie Johnson, who has yet to win at Michigan. In fact, a Hendrick Motorsports driver had not won there since Jeff Gordon in 2001 until Junior stretched his fuel mileage in June. The favorites from this group are Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. Edwards won there last year and was seventh in June. Kenseth has two wins there and was third in June. He always seems to run well on the 2-mile track and has plenty of incentive as he fights for a spot in the Chase. Group B Though Earnhardt Jr. won in June, he did not have the dominant car; he merely came up with the winning strategy. After last week’s debacle at Watkins Glen, the odds of his crew pulling another rabbit out of their hat are not good. Kasey Kahne is the favorite here. He won at Michigan in 2006 and finished second there in June. He has been a contender on most of the big tracks this year, with wins at Charlotte and Pocono. Also keep an eye on Greg Biffle. He has not won a race this season but tends to run well at Michigan. He was the last driver to score back-to-back wins there (2004-2005), and his Roush Fenway Racing organization and Ford are typically strong at the track Ford and GM call home. Group C Two drivers in this group have teamwork on their side. Elliott Sadler should be a contender based on Kahne’s prowess at the track, while Jamie McMurray should get some help from his Roush Fenway teammates. Also keep an eye on David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. This is a horsepower track, and few teams generate more horsepower than Yates Racing. Group D As has been the case all season, this group has only two drivers worth considering, but they are both good ones. Brian Vickers finished fourth at Michigan in June and typically runs well on the bigger tracks. His Red Bull Racing team has shown vast improvement, and a win is not out of the question. Roush Fenway’s David Ragan has been the other biggest surprise of the season. He finished eighth at Michigan in June and could also win before the year is over. Both are in a fight to make the Chase, so expect them to be on top of their games at Michigan. Group E AJ Allmendinger, Vickers’ teammate, finally cracked the top 35 in owner points, taking tremendous pressure off of him and his team. With the pressure off and the ability to finally focus on the race instead of qualifying, Allmendinger could be in the hunt for another top-10 finish.

It's often been said that driving a stock car is only half of a NASCAR driver's job.

If there is one thing that is becoming clear about NASCAR road racing, it’s that you can’t just automatically pick the same old guys anymore. You used to be able to pencil in Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and a handful of other drivers and be reasonably sure one of them was going to win. Not anymore. Kyle Busch proved that at Infineon Raceway in June when he won his first Cup race on a road course. David Gilliland finished a surprising second, while Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears also finished in the top five. Denny Hamlin finished second at Watkins Glen last year while Jamie McMurray has also been a factor in each of the past two road races. So who do you pick? Your options are much greater now than they have ever been before. Group A That said, it still makes sense to pick either Gordon or Stewart in this group. Though neither has won a race this season, they are still the kings of NASCAR road racing, with four wins each at Watkins Glen and a total of 15 road wins between them. Stewart and Gordon squared off in a classic battle last year, with Stewart winning when Gordon spun while leading late in the race. Kyle Busch’s win at Sonoma in June certainly earns him consideration, but Gordon and Stewart should still be your favorites. Group B Of the drivers in this group, only Mark Martin has won a Cup road race, and he’s not racing at Watkins Glen. Your best bet is probably Hamlin, based on his runner-up finish here last year. He has also won a Nationwide Series at Mexico City, so he knows his way around a road course. Looking for a sleeper? Casey Mears would be a good gamble. He finished fifth at Sonoma and is usually solid on the road courses thanks to his experience in open-wheel racing. Group C Unlike most weeks, this group is loaded with possibilities, starting with Robby Gordon, who has a Cup win on both of NASCAR’s road courses. Though he has struggled with his own team, Gordon is always a threat on road courses. If he can run a mistake-free race and his pit crew can keep him in contention, his chances of winning, or at least running up front, are good. Juan Pablo Montoya scored his only Cup win at Sonoma last year and backed that up with sixth-place run there in June. A widely publicized run-in with Kevin Harvick ruined his chances at Watkins Glen last year, but he, too, could be a major factor. David Gilliland and Jamie McMurray are also worth taking a gamble on given their recent road-racing success. Gilliland, who also has a road-racing background, finished second at Sonoma while McMurray has been a contender in the last few road-course events. Group D Unlike Group C, this list has almost no good choices as practically none of them have had any success on road courses. Brian Vickers did manage to finish 15th at Sonoma, so he would probably be the top choice. If you want to take another gamble, try Paul Menard, who seems to be at least respectable on the road courses. Group E This is where you will find all you road-course ringers, and you have to pick one. The question is, which one? Ron Fellows, who is racing for Dale Earnhardt Inc. this weekend, should attract plenty of attention because of his road-course win in the Nationwide Series race at Montreal last week. Of the road-course ringers, Fellows has had more NASCAR success than any of them and could be a factor this weekend filling in for Regan Smith in the No. 01. Marcos Ambrose also deserves consideration. He should have won last week’s race at Montreal and was surprisingly strong at Sonoma for the Wood Brothers, whom he will race for again this weekend. Boris Said, a perennial road-course contender, is also in this group as is Patrick Carpentier, an open-wheel veteran who could contend for Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Grab one of these guys and it could pay of big with at least a top-five finish.

Pocono Raceway has one of the oddest schedules on the Sprint Cup circuit, typically hosting two Cup races a little more than a month apart. Though this year’s Pocono races are spread out a bit more than usual – June 8 and Aug. 3 – they are still closer together than any other track that hosts two races a year. That means that very little changes from race to race there. The drivers who do well in June typically run well again when the series returns in late July or August. Expect that to be the case again this year, with June winner Kasey Kahne, runnerup Brian Vickers and Denny Hamlin all returning to Pocono as favorites. Group A No one from this group even cracked the top five in June, leaving the pick here somewhat of a crapshoot. Or is it? Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards finished sixth through ninth, respectively, making them all viable choices. Johnson, though, is the driver to watch. After his dominating win last week at Indy, his Hendrick Motorsports team has clearly turned things around and seems to be hitting its stride. Johnson finished sixth in June and has two Pocono wins. Don’t be surprised if he has the car to beat again this week. Kenseth, Busch and Edwards are also worth a look. And, of course, don’t forget about Kyle Busch. He wrecked and finished last at Pocono in June, but could come storming backing this weekend. Group B Kahne, Hamlin, Earnhardt Jr. and Burton all finished in the top five at Pocono in June and are worthy choices. Kahne seems like the most obvious choice since he won there, but his team seems to have lost a bit of its momentum since its June victory. The most consistent threat at Pocono is Hamlin, who swept both races there in 2006 and runs well there every single time. After his third-place run in June, he seems like the safest pick on the board. Group C Bobby Labonte (11th) and David Gilliland (16th) both had respectable finishes at Pocono in June, but keep an eye on Elliott Sadler. He has four top-10 finishes in his last nine races, including an impressive fourth-place run at Indy. His Gillett Evernham team is showing vast improvement and Sadler could be in the hunt at Pocono. Group D Vickers nearly won the June race, finishing second to Kahne. After slipping to 17th in points after a blown engine at Indy last week, he desperately needs a strong run to get back into Chase contention. This has always been a strong track for him, so expect another solid performance. Group E Like Vickers, this has turned into a good track for Red Bull teammate AJ Allmendinger as well. He finished 12th in June and scored his first career top-10 finish (10th) last week at Indy. He could be a huge surprise at Pocono.

The Allstate 400, formerly known as the Brickyard 400, is one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events each year. As a result, it tends to bring out the best in NASCAR’s top stars. There are very few flukes at Indy. In fact, the list of previous winners reads like a Who’s Who of NASCAR. The only surprises were Ricky Rudd’s victory in 1997 and Bill Elliott’s in 2002, and those were big-name, successful drivers that pulled off mild upsets only because of their team situations at the time – Rudd winning with his own team, and Elliott winning after his move to Evernham Motorsports. The last three Brickyard winners were Tony Stewart (twice), Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, demonstrating that the cream clearly rises to the top at Indy. Group A Kyle Busch should be your prohibitive favorite given that he has won almost everything else this season. With seven victories and a big points lead, why shouldn’t he also win one of the biggest races of the year? To bet against Busch might only bring more disappointment. However, the three most recent winners at Indy – Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon – are all well worth considering. Stewart has won the big race at his hometown track two of the past three years. And now that his big announcement – he’s headed to his new Stewart-Haas Racing team next year – is out of the way, he should be ready to relax and embark on one of his summer hot streaks. Johnson won at Indy in 2006, the year he claimed the first of two straight championships. Though Johnson has struggled a bit this season, he showed signs of life last week at Chicago. He should be back on his game at the Brickyard. Another Indiana native, Gordon has four wins at Indy, twice as many as any other driver. He finished third last year and could use another win at his home track as a springboard to a strong second half. Though Kevin Harvick won the 2003 Brickyard, I would stay away from him this year. He has simply not run well enough this season to merit much of a look. Group B This group has all sorts of enticing possibilities. Mark Martin, for some reason, has practically predicted he will win this year at Indy, and what a feel-good story it would be if he pulled it off. Not one to typically make such boasts, Martin obviously believes he will have a strong car. Kasey Kahne finished second to Stewart in 2005 and always seems to run well at Indy. He also won in June at Pocono, the track most similar to Indy. Denny Hamlin excels on flat tracks – two wins at Pocono – and has the power of Joe Gibbs Racing behind him. Expect him to be a strong contender as well. Dale Earnhardt Jr. participated in the Goodyear tire test at Indy, so he should have his car dialed in and have a jump on the competition. Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton and Martin Truex Jr. are also strong enough to win at Indy. Who do you pick? While Kahne and Hamlin are the best bets, it’s hard to bet against Martin when he’s that confident. Group C Though he has struggled this year, Juan Pablo Montoya finished second at Indy last year and the 2006 Indy 500 winner certainly knows how to get around the track. He’s the best gamble in this group. Group D Brian Vickers participated in the Indy tire test with Earnhardt Jr., perhaps giving him a leg up on the competition. Coupled with the success he has already had this season – and an impressive history at Pocono – Vickers is a strong choice in this group. Group E Based on his experience and open-wheel performance at Indy, Sam Hornish Jr. is a no-brainer in this category. He could be this year’s Montoya, parlaying a strong Indy 500 record into a strong Brickyard run.

For those of you who still don't think Kyle Busch should be compared to Dale Earnhardt, rewind your tape from Saturday night’s race at Chicago and watch it again.

As soon as Tony Stewart’s press conference was over, NASCAR’s next great debate began.

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.

Do you believe in miracles? Jamie McMurray does. So does Ryan Newman. They are the last two drivers to win at Daytona, and both did so in improbable fashion. McMurray pulled off a stunning upset to win the Pepsi 400 last July. Newman’s victory was a milder surprise, winning the Daytona 500 in February. What does that mean for this week’s race? For fantasy players, not much. If you expect McMurray to win again, you’re taking a huge gamble. Newman has a better shot, but even that seems like a longshot the way his team has run since Daytona. No, this is a weekend when you want to stick with the favorites and take a close look at the teams that typically run well in restrictor-plate races. Group A This should come down to a Hendrick Motorsports vs. Joe Gibbs Racing duel, with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson battling Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. Though Hendrick has been strong in restrictor-plate races in recent years, Stewart and Busch get the nod this time. Stewart won the July race at Daytona in 2005 and 2006 and was in position to win his first Daytona 500 in February before getting steamrolled by Newman and Kurt Busch. He should be a serious threat again. Busch led the most laps in the Daytona 500 (86) and scored his first restrictor-plate win at Talladega in April. He should be in contention for his sixth win of the season. Group B Newman will make a lot of rosters based on his Daytona 500 victory. But this group could also come down to a Hendrick vs. Gibbs showdown. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the July 2004 race, and now with Hendrick should be a threat, though he and his Hendrick teammates didn’t work so well together in February. Still, you can hardly pass up Earnhardt Jr. in a restrictor-plate race. Also expect Denny Hamlin, who led 32 laps in February, to give Gibbs a third car that could win. Group C McMurray will be the favorite of most based on his victory last year, but don’t expect him to pull off another upset. His team has shown no signs of being close to winning and finished 26th at Daytona in February. Instead, keep an eye on Dave Blaney, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson, who all had solid runs in the Daytona 500. Of those, Sadler, who always seems to run well at Daytona, is the best bet to repeat. And don’t forget about Juan Pablo Montoya, who was in the hunt in February and finished second to Kyle Busch at Talladega. His daring driving style makes him a legitimate threat at Daytona. Group D David Ragan or Brian Vickers, take your pick. Group E Fresh off his runner-up finish at New Hampshire, Michael Waltrip finally has a bit of momentum, and there’s no track where he is better than at Daytona, where he has three of his four wins. This is one of the few weeks where picking him is a no-brainer.

You can't help but feel a bit sorry for Casey Mears.

If you’re itching to gamble and go against Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing, this might be a good week to do it. Busch and teammate Denny Hamlin will be the favorites at New Hampshire, Busch because of his dominance this season and Hamlin because of his win there last year. But there are a handful of top drivers who are in dire need of a win, or at least a good run, who also perform well at New Hampshire, making them promising picks this weekend. Group A Clint Bowyer scored his first career Cup victory at New Hampshire last September and will be primed for a good run there again. He has slipped to 10th in points and needs to build on his fourth-place run last week at Sonoma. Teammate Kevin Harvick is even more in need of a strong run. He dropped out of the top 12 in points last week and has been struggling. He won at New Hampshire in 2006 and had a top-10 in this race last year. His team needs to step up if it’s going to make the Chase. New Hampshire could be where they turn things around. Tony Stewart, who is now 11th in points, is also a past winner at New Hampshire and, like his Gibbs teammates, excels on flat tracks. He is almost time for his typical mid-summer winning streak. Like Stewart, Jeff Gordon, is also winless this season. Though he is climbing up the points standings, he desperately wants a win. It’s been 10 years since he’s had one at New Hampshire, but he finished second in both races there last year. Any of those drivers could step up and win this weekend. They are all worthy picks – if you are willing to gamble that Kyle Busch won’t stink up the show and win again. Group B Hamlin is the smart pick here. He is always good on flat tracks, having won at New Hampshire last year and Martinsville this year. Keep an eye, though, on Martin Truex Jr., who had top-five finishes in both races at New Hampshire last year, and Ryan Newman, who won there in 2005 and has demanded that his team step up. Both Newman and Truex are scrambling to get back into Chase contention and need to put together a streak of strong performances. Both are also pondering their future, trying to decide whether to remain with their current teams or move on. How they do this weekend at a track they both normally run well at could be a pivotal moment for them. Group C Buoyed by his best career finish last week at Sonoma, David Gilliland and his Yates Racing team are riding high. With that kind of momentum, Gilliland and teammate Travis Kvapil are worth a look in a group that has no overwhelming favorite. Elliott Sadler and his Gillett Evernham Motorsports team have also stepped up in recent weeks, so it might be time to take a shot at him. If he can shake the bad luck that seems to haunt him, every week, Sadler could be poised for a solid finish. Group D David Ragan and Brian Vickers continue to be the surprises of the season and are still the best options here. However, keep an eye on Scott Riggs if he makes the race. Both Haas CNC cars ran well at New Hampshire last year, with Jeff Green finishing sixth in the car Riggs now drives. Keep that in mind when looking at this group. Group E This group is becoming more of a crapshoot each week with drivers and teams scrambling to get into, or stay in, the top 35. David Reutimann, Michael McDowell, Michael Waltrip and Sam Hornish Jr. are your safe picks if you’re setting your lineup early in the week, because they are locked into the field. Keep an eye on AJ Allmendinger, though. He has come on strong of late and Red Bull Racing keeps getting better and better, with Vickers now threatening to win a race. If Allmendinger makes the race, he is worth taking a gamble on.

Sometimes as race fans – and observers – we get a bit jaded and expect too much. And when we don’t get it, the natural reaction is to complain, criticize and cry foul.

On the one hand, this might be the easiest race of the season to handicap, because there are only a handful of drivers who excel on road courses and who are consistent threats to win in NASCAR’s two Sprint Cup road races. On the other hand, NASCAR’s top drivers seem to get better and better on the winding tracks, and there are always some surprises. Taking a few gambles and hitting on one or two of those surprises could pay big dividends. Group A Though Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and others have shown improvements on road courses in recent years, there are three drivers in this group who are overwhelming favorites to win. Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with seven career victories on road courses, including five at Infineon Raceway, his hometown track. Tony Stewart is close behind with six career road-course wins, two at Infineon. Together, they have won three of the past four races at the Sonoma, Calif. track. Harvick, another California native, has not won at Infineon, but won at Watkins Glen in 2006. He is always a serious threat at Sonoma, however, finishing second there a year ago. Group B There are a lot of intriguing possibilities here, including Jeff Burton (third), Greg Biffle (fifth) and Denny Hamlin (11th), who all had solid runs at Infineon last year. Hamlin could be a particular threat. He finished second last year at Watkins Glen and has a road-course victory in the Nationwide Series at Mexico City. Martin Truex Jr., sixth at Watkins Glen last year, is also worth considering. He, too, won at Mexico City in the Nationwide Series. Any of those could finish in the top five, or find themselves in contention for the win. Group C There are two no-brainers in this group; the question is, which one to pick. Robby Gordon, a perennial contender on road courses, won at Infineon in 2003 and also has a victory at Watkins Glen. Juan Pablo Montoya, a former Formula One star and another road-racing ace, scored his first career Cup victory as a rookie last year at Sonoma. Though both have struggled this season, you absolutely must pick one of them in this group. I’d give the edge to Montoya, who also won last year at Mexico City and has the backing of a team that has been highly successful in road racing. Group D There is one name here that jumps out – Dario Franchitti. Having raced in both Champ Car (formerly CART) and the IndyCar Series, Franchitti has significant road-course experience, though not in stock cars. Montoya proved last year, however, that the transition is not all that difficult in road races where most of the drivers have limited experience. If Franchitti makes the race – he will have to qualify on speed – he could be a dark horse for Chip Ganassi Racing. Group E There are two other former open-wheel drivers with significant road-course experience in this group – Patrick Carpentier and AJ Allmendinger. With Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Carpentier could be a factor, as could Allmendinger with a much-improved Red Bull Racing team. Keep in mind, though, that, like Franchitti, both must make the race on speed. This group also includes some road-course ringers who could be surprise contenders. Boris Said, Ron Fellows and Max Papis are drivers to keep an eye on if they have a ride for the race.

NASCAR officials have got to be kicking themselves these days, wishing they had kept their mouths shut and kept that muzzle on their drivers.

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.

Halfway through the race at Dover Sunday, many of the grandstand seats were empty. Fans were leaving in droves.

This will be the first race at Pocono Raceway with NASCAR's new car, which makes you believe you can throw the old-car records from the past few years there right out the window. But two weeks of racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway proved that theory doesn't always work. Kasey Kahne debunked that concept at Charlotte, where the new car also made its debut. Instead of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, the top drivers this season, running away with the show, it was Kahne, who swept both Charlotte points races in 2006, again walking the big winner, taking both the all-star race and the Coca-Cola 600. What does that prove? It shows that when a driver is good at a certain track, he’s probably going to be good there no matter the car. Group A Though Kyle Busch and Edwards have been the drivers to beat on big tracks all year, don’t discount the drivers who typically do well at Pocono. Edwards has a win there and is certainly in that group. But so are Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson, who have all won there in recent years. Kurt Busch won the last race at Pocono and also won there in 2005. He also was fastest during a recent two-day test session there. Though his team has struggled a bit since finishing second in the Daytona 500, this is a week to keep an eye on him. The Hendrick teams have also done well at Pocono in recent years with Johnson sweeping the races there in 2004 and Gordon winning last year. Group B Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne are all worth considering at Pocono, but the top driver in this group should be Denny Hamlin. Hamlin won both races at Pocono in 2006 and finished third and sixth there last year. He also excels at flat tracks, giving him yet another advantage. And you believe that the Toyotas have a horsepower advantage, that’s even more reason to bet on Hamlin. If you want to take a gamble on a wildcard, consider Casey Mears, who finished in the top 10 in both races there last year, including fourth in the June event. Group C Juan Pablo Montoya is worth strong consideration in this group for one reason – Pocono is similar to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Montoya finished second last year and won the Indy 500. If Chip Ganassi Racing can give Montoya a competitive car, the driver should be able to race it to the front at Pocono. Two other drivers to keep an eye on are Yates Racing teammates David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. Both have had respectable seasons considering the team’s sponsorship troubles, and Yates is a master at making great horsepower for a track like Pocono. Don’t be surprised if both drivers are battling for a spot in the top 10 before the race is over. Group D There are only two drivers worth considering in this group – David Ragan and Brian Vickers. Group E Sam Hornish Jr. continues to impress and has emerged as the obvious pick in this group. His team could also get some help from teammate Kurt Busch, who always runs well at Pocono. David Reutimann and AJ Allmendinger are also worth considering given their recent signs of improvement.

Entering this season, there were two drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. was going to be constantly compared to and sized up against.

Dover is a track that presents numerous options for fantasy players, because the top drivers normally do well there. Carl Edwards, for instance, should be the favorite to win his fourth race of the season. Edwards won the last race at Dover in September and finished third there last June. Keep in mind that NASCAR used the new car in both Dover races last year, so most teams should already have a good idea what to expect. Also, as you make your picks, think Bristol. Dover’s 1-mile, concrete surface is basically a big Bristol, so drivers who do well at Bristol normally are in the hunt at Dover. Group A Edwards and Kyle Busch, the two dominant drivers this season, should be the drivers to beat again this weekend. Busch finished fifth there in September. Edwards finished third there in June. Also consider Matt Kenseth, who won this race in 2006 and finished fifth there last year. Two drivers to stay away from are Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Gordon, who has not won there since 2001, finished ninth and 11th last year while Johnson finished outside the top 10 in both races. Group B This group is full of solid picks for Dover. Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. have all won there. Truex scored his first career victory there last June and should be a strong contender again. Burton won there in 2006 and Biffle in 2005. Biffle also finished second to Edwards in September. And perhaps the biggest threat there from this group is Newman, who has three wins at Dover and finished second to Truex last June. Also, don’t count out Martin. Dover has always been one of his best tracks. He has four wins there and should be a serious threat to get his first win with DEI. Following Truex’s win in June, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third for DEI there in September, so this could be a big weekend for DEI. Group C This might be a good week to take a flier on Robby Gordon. He finished 10th and 19th in the two races at Dover last year. If he can stay out of trouble, he could contend for another solid finish. Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya also both had top-10 finishes at Dover last year. Group D David Ragan and Brian Vickers continue to be the best bets in this group. Ragan finished 14th there last June while Vickers had top-20s in both races. Group E Sam Hornish Jr. seems to be getting the hang of stock-car racing, scoring his best finish of the season (13th) last week at Charlotte. David Reutimann also scored his first top-10 of the season. They are emerging as the class of this group.