Hard Turn

A NASCAR BLOG BY Jeff Owens

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Fantasy Week 17: Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Jun 25

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.