Fantasy Racing

NASCAR's 10 Hottest Drivers - Week 21

2008-07-17T16:09:00Z

1) Kyle Busch (Previous position: 3^rd) - A second win in a row moves this driver up to the number one spot. He is super hot right now.

2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Previous position: 2th) - With his top twenty place finish at Chicagoland he stays second place in my rankings. He has been solid as of late keeping second place in the points.

3) Jimmie Johnson (Previous position: 5^th) - Finishing second at Chicagoland helps Jimmie move up two spots in the standings. He really had a quality shot at the win for this race.

4) Jeff Gordon (Previous position: 4^th) - A top ten finish keeps him fourth place in my rankings. He has stayed around sixth place in the Sprint Cup standings for a while which is good.

5) Carl Edwards (Previous position: 1^st) - Edwards smashes down to fifth place with his 32^nd place finish at Chicagoland. He even had the lead for a while. To me third through fifth place this week is very tightly bunched.

6) Matt Kenseth (Previous position: 7^th) - Kenseth moves up one spot in the standings with his seventh place finish at Chicagoland. He also moved up one spot in the Sprint Cup standings as well.

7) Jeff Burton (Previous position: 6^th) - Burton moves only down one spot this week with a 19^th place finish at Chicagoland. He rebounded nicely from his first sub fifteen place finish from last week, but other drivers are hotter than him right now, in my opinion.

8) Kevin Harvick (Previous position: 10^th) - Harvick squeezes onto the list in last place. Had a solid 12^th place finish at Daytona, but just fell right out the chase though, only being 2 points out of the final spot in the chase.

9) Martin Truex Jr. (Previous position: 8^th) - Truex Jr. moves down another spot this week. He did not have as good a finish as Kevin Harvick did, but was solid, and his major penalty really hurt his chances to making the chase.

10) Clint Bowyer (Previous position: 9^th) - Bowyer moves down one spot in my ranking with his 22^nd place finish at Chicagoland. He also moved down four spots in the Sprint Cup standings as well which is not good at all.

Biggest gainers: Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson - 2

Biggest loser: Carl Edwards - 4

Off List: N/A

New to list: N/A

NASCAR: Look Back on Chicagoland Picks

2008-07-16T19:26:00Z

With the Sprint Cup drivers taking a week off before the race at the Brickyard I will once again take a more in-depth look at my picks where it was one of my best weeks of the season so far.

Well I had three active drivers in the top ten which is great. None of my picks did worse than 26^th place which is also great, in my opinion.

Kevin Harvick finished in third place. He had a great car all night long, but really did not have enough to win the race. He has one of the best finishing averages at this place so he was a no brainier pick.

Mark Martin was a good pick, finished in the top twenty. He was around the tenth place for a while in the race before falling back. I feel after the end of this race it was another solid use for this part time driver.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has some good data on him and also had a solid finish. He was not really a factor all race though. Not going to complain though.

Ryan Newman finished in tenth. He used some pit strategy late in the race in order to help him get a good finish. It was his only way to a top ten finish.

Clint Boyer had an okay finish, but was not super hot in the points. The data did look good on this driver though even with the limited starts he had. He was also not a factor in this race at all.

Brian Vickers continued his hot streak at Chicagoland. Was the best C level pick on the night and almost had the lead of the race. Paul Menard on the other hand had an okay finish and was not a factor all race long. He was exactly a pick and pray candidate like I said he was.

NASCAR's 10 Hottest Drivers - Week 20

2008-07-10T12:29:00Z

1) Carl Edwards (Previous position: 2^nd) - Edwards takes over the lead again with his second place finish at Daytona he was in the right place at the right time. Still is fourth place in the points which is great.

2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Previous position: 4^th) - DEJ moves up two spots with his top ten place finish at Daytona. With the new equipment he is showing that he is a good Daytona driver.

3) Kyle Busch (Previous position: 6^th) - A win at Daytona for Kyle moves this driver up three spots in these power rankings. He also extended his lead big time over Jeff Burton and some over Dale Earnhardt Jr. which is a good thing.

4) Jeff Gordon (Previous position: 1^st) - Gordon was so solid for most of the whole race and then got spun out with after the green/white checker came out. He wound up finishing 30^th which is not great at all.

5) Jimmie Johnson (Previous position: 5^th) - Johnson stays in his position while Jeff Burton really stunk at Daytona. His 23^rd finish in the race is not that great, but he did not drop down in the points at all.

6) Jeff Burton (Previous position: 3^rd) - Burton moves down three spots with his worst finish of the season/ I say his 37^th place finish is a one race blip due to racing at Daytona. He also dropped on place in the NASCAR standings.

7) Matt Kenseth (Previous position: 9^th) - Kenseth moves up two spots in the standings with his third place finish at Daytona. He also rocketed up four places in the Sprint Cup standings and back into the chase.

8) Martin Truex Jr. (Previous position: 7^th) - Truex Jr. moves down one spot this week. He did finish 17^th at Daytona, but does have some penalties that could be coming this way that can easily kill his chances at making the chase.

9) Clint Boyer (Previous position: N/A) - With Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart not doing so well at Daytona, Clint Boyer moves onto the list.

10) Kevin Harvick (Previous position: N/A) - Harvick squeezes onto the list in last place. He had a solid 12^th place finish at Daytona, but just fell right out the chase though, only being two points out of the final spot in the chase.

Biggest gainers: Kyle Busch - 3

Biggest loser: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon - 3

Off List: Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.

New to list: Clint Boyer and Kevin Harvick

NASCAR Lifelock.com 400 Expert Picks

2008-07-09T12:05:00Z

I had mostly "okay" fantasy picks for Daytona, in my opinion. But I feel most drafts had one bad active driver pick in them.

Tony Stewart was a top ten car, but he left the race around the halfway point.

Jimmy Johnson had an okay finish.

The B list active drivers did great for me. Had one in the top five.

Boris Said was a bust in the end, but he was leading some laps under caution though. David Reutimann had an okay finish at the end, but had to go though many lucky dog passes to get back on the lead lap though.

A list active driver pick:

Kevin Harvick - This is the first time on this list for Harvick. In the past six races at this track he has one win along with two extra top five finishes. I think his hot streak can continue at this track and is a safe A list pick.

B list active drivers:

Mark Martin - This is the fifth time on this list for Martin. He has four top 15 place finishes at this track in the past six races. That is some solid data. I am plugging in this part time driver when I can.

Ryan Newman - Third times (hopefully) a charm for Newman. You might call him a bit of a gamble at this track. He has three top tens at this track in the past six races, but also three finishes no better than 29^th. I think he will be a solid B list driver this weekend.

C list active driver:

Brian Vickers - This is the fifth time on this list for Vickers. When it comes to C list drivers he is the best of the bunch even though he only has three starts. He even has a top five finish which is great.

Sleeper Picks:

Clint Boyer - Boyer sas only two starts, but they are both top ten finishes. In the last three Sprint Cup races he has two top ten finishes. I think he will continue solid finishes at this track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - DEJ has one win at this track and three top ten place finishes at this track. With new equipment and a new team he will continue to have solid finishes at this track.

Paul Menard - It really is "pick and pray" with this driver and for all C list drivers except Brian Vickers. He has only one start at this track, but it is a junky 42^nd. I am going with a gamble and feel he is going to have a good finish this weekend.

NASCAR Lifelock.com 400 Racer/Track Trends

2008-07-09T11:55:00Z

Track: Chicagoland Speedway

Dimensions: 1.5 mile Intermediate track

7/15/2001 - Kevin Harvick - Chevrolet
7/14/2002 - Kevin Harvick - Chevrolet
7/13/2003 - Ryan Newman - Dodge
7/11/2004 - Tony Stewart - Chevrolet
7/10/2005 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Chevrolet
7/9/2006 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
7/15/2007 - Tony Stewart - Chevrolet

Multiple Wins list

Kevin Harvick - 2
Tony Stewart - 2

	Chicagoland Top Tens By Team Or Owner
Team Or Owner	Date Of Race
	July 14 2002	July 13 2003	July 11 2004	July 10 2005	July 9 2006	July 15 2007	Total
Rick Hendrick	2	2	3	2	3	2	14
Richard Childress	2	1	1	0	3	3	10
Jack Roush	2	1	0	3	0	2	8
Joe Gibbs	1	1	1	1	1	1	6
Rodger Penske	1	1	0	0	1	2	5
DEI	1	1	1	1	1	0	5
GEM	1	1	1	1	0	0	4
Chip Gnassi	0	1	1	1	1	0	4
Yates Racing	0	1	1	0	0	0	2
Nelson Bowers	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Wood Brothers	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Chicagoland Finishes By Driver Over Past Six Races
Driver	Race Date and Finish
	July 14 2002	July 13 2003	July 11 2004	July 10 2005	July 9 2006	July 15 2007	Avg.
Tony Stewart	3	2	1	5	32	1	7.33
Jeff Gordon	2	4	4	33	1	9	8.83
Kevin Harvick	1	17	10	19	4	4	9.17
Jimmie Johnson	4	3	2	3	6	37	9.17
Clint Boyer					9	10	9.50
Reed Sorenson					7	12	9.50
Kyle Busch				14	3	13	10.00
Brian Vickers			14	4	13		10.33
Matt Kenseth	14	12	12	2	22	2	10.67
Greg Biffle		20	20	11	11	11	14.60
Mark Martin	9	14	24	10	18	14	14.83
Juan Pablo Montoya						15	15.00
Denny Hamlin					14	17	15.50
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	10	38	22	1	5	19	15.83
David Gilliland						16	16.00
Kurt Busch	6	39	35	8	8	6	17.00
Casey Mears		34	15	9	25	5	17.60
Ryan Newman	5	1	34	29	36	8	18.83
Jeff Burton	39	6	33	30	2	7	19.50
Bobby Labonte	18	36	18	13	12	20	19.50
Jason Leffler				20			20.00
Bill Elliott	7	11			35	28	20.25
Robby Gordon	8	7	17	35	19	36	20.33
Carl Edwards				39	20	3	20.67
Scott Riggs			29	23	15		22.33
J.J. Yeley					10	35	22.50
Terry Labonte	13	15	6	42	43		23.80
Jamie McMurray		8	13	22	39	38	24.00
David Ragan						25	25.00
Elliott Sadler	21	9	21	37	29	33	25.00
Michael Waltrip	42	5	9	36	30	30	25.33
Joe Nemechek	33	42	8	15	33	29	26.67
Martin Truex Jr.					16	39	27.50
Johnny Sauter		35				22	28.50
Tony Raines		22			40	24	28.67
Dave Blaney	17	31	37	38	17	40	30.00
Kasey Kahne			36	41	23	32	33.00
Travis Kvapil				43	37		40.00
Paul Menard						42	42.00
David Reutimann						43	43.00
Chicagoland Average Starts By Driver Over Past Six Races
Driver	Race Date and Finish
	July 14 2002	July 13 2003	July 11 2004	July 10 2005	July 9 2006	July 15 2007	Avg.
Brian Vickers			4	5	2		3.67
Casey Mears		4	12	3	11	1	6.20
Ryan Newman	1	14	8	2	12	3	6.67
Jeff Gordon	15	2	1	14	13	11	9.33
Jimmie Johnson	37	6	3	1	5	8	10.00
Denny Hamlin					7	13	10.00
Bill Elliott	3	3			24	17	11.75
Kasey Kahne			2	18	3	24	11.75
NOTES: Blank spaces showcase driver was not in race This table looks at only the last six races at this track, drivers that have a start, is also sorted by average finish, and I also throw in the best average starters .

A look at the wins data:

Not many races at this track, but Chevrolet power reigns supreme so far.

Even with so few races run at this track, we do have Kevin Harvick who won the race twice in a row.

A look at the top tens data:

Rick Hendrick does have a small, but good lead over the rest of the field when it comes to top tens.

Joe Gibbs can claim exactly one driver per race in the top ten over the past six race, while Rick Hendrick can show off at least two.

Not a whole lot of love to the small teams.

A look at the average finish data:

Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson love this track a ton. They have five top six place finishes along with one junky finish though.

Reed Sorenson, Clint Boyer, Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers also love this track with an average finish around 10, but none of them have more than three stars at this track.

Jeff Burton has a 19.50 average at the past six times at this place, but has three finishes that are seventh or better.

Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne are three drivers that are not happy at this at all at this track. Carl Edwards does have one top ten finish at this track though.

A look at average start data:

I will say that qualifying at this track does help a bit. Brian Vickers, Jimmy Johnson, and Jeff Gordon are best at doing both at this track.

NASCAR's 10 Hottest Drivers - Week 19

2008-07-05T03:59:00Z

1) Jeff Gordon (Previous position: 2nd) - Squeezes into first place with his better finish than Carl Edwards at New Hampshire. He is showcasing that he rally wants to be in the chase.

2) Carl Edwards (Previous position: 1st) - Moves down one spot with his 17^th place finish at New Hmapshire. Never really had it going at all during the race.

3) Jeff Burton (Previous position: 5th) - Moves up a couple with his twelfth place finish at New Hampshire. He closes the gap the to the leader in the points as well. This guy never stinks this season.

4) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Previous position: 3rd) - Moves down one spot with his 24th place finish at New Hampshire. He was really fast early on in the race and led a bunch of laps.

5) Jimmie Johnson (Previous position: 6th) Moves up one spot with his ninth place finish at New Hampshire. He has really improved as of late.

6) Kyle Busch (Previous position: 4th) - Finishing 25^th at New Hampshire moves him down two spots. Also getting involved with Juan Pablo Montoya late in the race is not good for your ranking.

7) Martin Truex Jr. (Previous position:8^th) - Moves up to seventh with a top ten finish at New Hampshire. He also made a huge jump to get real close to the 12^th place spot in the points.

8) Greg Biffle (Previous position: 7th) - Moves down one spot with his okay finish at New Hampshire. He also drops one spot in the Sprint Cup standings as well.

9) Matt Kenseth(Previous position: 10th) With David Ragan stinking up the join he moves up- one spot. His 18^th place finish at New Hampshire is not super, but he fell to 13^th place in the points.

10) Tony Stewart (Previous position: Off List) - He gets onto the list now with three top 15 place finishes in a row. He also moves up a couple spots in the Sprint Cup standings as well.

Biggest gainer: Jeff Burton - 2

Biggest loser: Kyle Busch - 2

Off List: David Ragan

New to list: Tony Stewart

NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola Expert Picks

2008-07-02T14:05:00Z

Well, I had picks last week that we not so hot, but most everyone else scored less this week with so many junk drivers in the top ten. A Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip and J.J. Yeley top 3 was not really on anyone's wish list.

Yates drivers were a complete bust, but I thought they could do way better then the data showed.

A list active driver:

Tony Stewart - This is the third time on this list for Stewart. I like him since he does have two wins at this track in the past six races and that those wins are at the July race. I feel he is a solid A list driver pick.

B list active drivers:

David Ragan - This is Ragan's third appearance on this list. He is a bit of a gamble, but he does have one top five in three starts at this track. His last finish was 42^nd, but will rebound big time from that finish.

Bobby Labonte - This is the second time on this list for Labonte. He's also a gamble since he is not great at all at this track. Only two top 21 place finishes in the past six races. I think he avoids the big one and gets a solid finish.

C list active driver:

Boris Said - Said makes his second appearance on this list. He has two top fifteen finishes in three starts at this place over the past six races. He is going to have to get qualified on time though. All C level drivers are a gamble; none of them are super at this track.

Sleeper picks:

Jimmy Johnson - He has three top ten place finishes at this track over the past six races, but also has a couple of junky finishes. I think he will be up to top form at this track and get a top ten.

Casey Mears - He has two top tens in the past six races at this track, but his 2008 season has not been so great. I think he will get his second top 20 finish in a row.

David Reutimann - With every C level driver being a bit cold at this track you may want to go with this driver. He has improved his finishes every single time at this track which looks good data wise.

NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola Racer/Track Trends

2008-07-02T13:57:00Z

Track: Dayton International Speedway

Dimensions: 2.5 Mile tri-oval Super Speedway

2/19/1995 - Sterling Marlin - Chevrolet
7/1/1995 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
2/18/1996 - Dale Jarrett - Ford
7/6/1996 - Sterling Marlin - Chevrolet
2/16/1997 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
7/5/1997 - John Andretti - Ford
2/15/1998 - Dale Earnhardt - Chevrolet
10/17/1998 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
2/14/1999 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
7/3/1999 - Dale Jarrett - Ford
2/20/2000 - Dale Jarrett - Ford
7/1/2000 - Jeff Burton - Ford
2/18/2001 - Michael Waltrip - Chevrolet
7/7/2001 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Chevrolet
2/17/2002 - Ward Burton - Dodge
7/6/2002 - Michael Waltrip - Chevrolet
2/16/2003 - Michael Waltrip - Chevrolet
7/5/2003 - Greg Biffle - Ford
2/15/2004 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Chevrolet
7/3/2004 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
2/20/2005 - Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet
7/2/2005 - Tony Stewart - Chevrolet
2/19/2006 - Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet
7/1/2006 - Tony Stewart - Chevrolet
2/18/2007 - Kevin Harvick- Chevrolet
7/7/2007 - Jamie McMurray - Ford
2/17/2008 - Ryan Newman - Dodge

Multiple Wins List

Jeff Gordon - 6
Dale Jarrett - 3
Michael Waltrip - 3
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 2
Sterling Marlin - 2
Tony Stewart - 2

	Daytona Top Tens By Team Or Owner
Team Or Owner	Date Of Race
	July 2 2005	Feb19 2006	July 1 2006	Feb 18 2007	July 7 2007	Feb. 17 2008	Total
Rick Hendrick	2	2	1	1	3	1	10
Jack Roush	1	0	2	1	4	1	9
Rodger Penske	1	1	1	0	1	2	6
Richard Childress	0	1	2	2	1	0	6
GEM & James Rocco	0	0	0	2	1	2	5
Joe Gibbs	1	1	1	0	0	2	5
Yates Racing	1	2	1	1	0	0	5
Chip Gnassi	1	1	1	0	0	1	4
DEI	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
Ginn Racing	0	0	0	2	0	0	2
Larry McClure	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
BAM Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Wood Brothers	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Mark Simo	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
James Finch	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Robby Gordon	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
John Carter	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Daytona Finishes By Driver Over Past Six Races
Driver	Race Date and Finish
	July 2 2005	Feb19 2006	July 1 2006	Feb 18 2007	July 7 2007	Feb. 17 2008	Avg.
Kasey Kahne	16	11	25	7	9	7	12.50
Elliott Sadler	21	4	6	6	33	6	12.67
Clint Boyer		6	10	18	7	24	13.00
Ryan Newman	14	3	11	38	14	1	13.50
Kyle Busch	31	23	2	24	2	4	14.33
Sam Hornish Jr.						15	15.00
Jeff Burton	11	32	15	3	16	13	15.00
Tony Stewart	1	5	1	43	38	3	15.17
Robby Gordon	26	13	14	15	15	8	15.17
Boris Said	28		4	14			15.33
David Gilliland				8	11	28	15.67
Kevin Harvick	24	14	9	1	34	14	16.00
Ken Schrader	10	9	12	35			16.50
Matt Kenseth	9	15	5	27	8	36	16.67
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	3	8	13	32	36	9	16.83
Johnny Sauter	17			16	18		17.00
Terry Labonte		17					17.00
Jamie McMurray	2	37	8	31	1	26	17.50
Brian Vickers	29	7	18		29	12	19.00
Jimmie Johnson	6	1	32	39	10	27	19.17
David Ragan				5	12	42	19.67
Kurt Busch	37	38	3	41	3	2	20.67
Casey Mears	43	2	7	20	19	35	21.00
Jeff Gordon	7	26	40	10	5	39	21.17
Martin Truex, Jr.		16	29	29	13	20	21.40
Paul Menard					21	22	21.50
Mark Martin	39	12	33	2	17	31	22.33
Greg Biffle	36	31	31	25	6	10	23.17
Reed Sorenson		29	34	13	42	5	24.60
Carl Edwards	33	43	39	23	4	19	26.83
Denny Hamlin		30	17	28	43	17	27.00
J.J. Yeley		41	37	12	20	25	27.00
Sterling Marlin	22	34	24	17	40		27.40
Travis Kvapil	23	27	30			30	27.50
Juan Pablo Montoya				19	32	32	27.67
David Reutimann				40	26	18	28.00
Dave Blaney	27	22	27	34	23	38	28.50
Bobby Labonte	35	35	42	21	35	11	29.83
Michael Waltrip	40	18	38	30		29	31.00
Scott Riggs	41		20	37	41	21	32.00
Dario Franchitti						33	33.00
Regan Smith						37	37.00
Daytona Average Starts By Driver Over Past Six Races
Driver	Race Date and Finish
	July 2 2005	Feb19 2006	July 1 2006	Feb 18 2007	July 7 2007	Feb. 17 2008	Avg.
Tony Stewart	1	15	2	3	6	6	5.50
Denny Hamlin		17	6	9	2	4	7.60
Jimmie Johnson	3	9	9	21	4	1	7.83
Boris Said	4		1	23			9.33
Jeff Gordon	15	2	4	42	1	8	12.00
Martin Truex, Jr.		19	8	13	10	25	15.00
Kyle Busch	32	4	14	8	11	24	15.50
Michael Waltrip	17	30	19	15		2	16.60
NOTES: Blank spaces showcase driver was not in race This table looks at only the last six races at this track, drivers that have a start, is also sorted by average finish, and I also throw in the best average starters .

A look at the wins data:

Chevrolet cars perform best at this track the most.

Tough to get one driver to win more than one race in a row at this track. Michael Waltrip was the last to do it in a good car.

Jeff Gordon is the best at this track, but has not won a race in a while.

A look at top tens data:

Rick Hendrick is the only team that has at least one driver in the top ten in the past six races.

No clear dominate team though. Jack Roush is right behind Rick Hendrick in top tens.

A whole ton of love for the low end teams at this track.

A look at the average finish data:

Kasey Kahne has the best average, but it is a whopping 12.5. That 100% says no real super consistency at this track.

Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart are the only drivers on the list with 4 top ten place finishes. They both have three top ten finishes in a row and then one really bad finish.

If you look at the data given only Tony Stewart can claim a good finish after winning a race, but he also showed a dead last finish after a win as well. Just outside of the given data is a February 2005 win by Jeff Gordon with a July 2005 finish of seventh place.

Kurt Busch has a 20.67 average with three top three finishes and three finish no better than 37^th.

Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, and Juan Pablo Montoya also stink up the joint with an average finish over 20 in the past six races.

A look at Average start data:

To me qualifying up front means squat. I am showing you the best qualifiers, but the data is not important at all.

NASCAR's 10 Hottest Drivers - Week 18

2008-06-26T22:54:00Z

1) Carl Edwards (Previous position: 1^st) - Edwards stays in the first place spot with his top ten finish at Sonoma. He was solid all day long and was easily carving his way up the field all race long.

2) Jeff Gordon (Previous position: 4^th) - Gordon moves up a couple of spots with his third place finish at Sonoma. He also moved up three spots in the Sprint Cup standings as well, but still has no win this season.

3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Previous position: 3^rd) - DEJ stays in third place with his 12^th place finish at Sonoma. He also stays third place in the Sprint Cup standings as well.

4) Kyle Busch (Previous position: 6^th) - A win at Sonoma moves this driver up two spots in the standings. He also was able to extend his lead in the points as the well.

5) Jeff Burton (Previous position: 2^nd) - Burton squeezes right behind Kyle this week for the fifth spot with his thirteenth place finish at Sonoma. Just another solid finish for this driver.

6) Jimmie Johnson (Previous position: 6^th) - Stays in sixth place in the rankings here with his fifteenth place finish at Sonoma. Was the leader of the race early; also stayed fifth place in the Sprint Cup points.

7) Greg Biffle (Previous position: 10^th) - Biffle moves up three spots with his 11^th place spot finish at Sonoma and some help from Kasey Kahne. He also was able to move up one spot in the Sprint Cup standings.

8) Martin Truex Jr. (Previous position: 9^th) - Truex Jr. moves up a spot with Kasey Kahne stinking up the joint. He finished sixteenth which is a solid finish. He really needs to move it or will miss the chase.

9) David Ragan (Previous Position: 7^th) - Ragan moves down two spots in my rankings with his 23^rd place finish at Sonoma. He is still close to making the chase, but lost a spot in the standings and fell a bit further away from twelfth.

10) Matt Kenseth (Previous position: N/A) - Kenseth moves into this list with another top ten finish. He is really hot right now and has moved back into the chase after being briefly in it after the fifth race of the season.

Biggest gainer: Greg Biffle - 3

Biggest loser: Jeff Burton - 3

Off List: Kasey Kahne

New to list again: Matt Kenseth

NASCAR LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Expert Picks

2008-06-25T13:47:00Z

Okay, so I submitted my picks to the editor on a Tuesday and somehow the Yahoo Fantasy Experts for the Sonoma race had picks very, very similar to mine. Odd ...

Well, I wound up for the weekend with four picks in the top ten, but every single one of the road course ringers did very poorly and certainly were used big time and I guess in well over half of all fantasy drafts during the weekend.

A list active driver:

Matt Kenseth - This is the second time on this list for Kenseth. This driver has the second best finishing average at this track. He has also made a massive move in the points over the past few weeks in order to get him back into the chase.

B list active drivers:

David Gilliland - This is the first time on this list for Gilliland. He has the worst average finish out of the whole group of qualifying drivers with a start in the past six races, but his 2008 season has been great and he had a surprising second place finish at Sonoma. I think his Sonoma momentum will carry over to New Hampshire.

Kyle Busch - Busch makes his third appearance on this list. This driver is dangerous at every single track this year for a win and is the leader in Sprint Cup points. He has one win at this track along with two other top five finishes at this track in the past six races.

C list active driver:

Travis Kvapil - This is the fourth time on this list for Kvapil. I am going with both Yates drivers this week. Just like David he has a crappy finishing average, but both Yates drivers have been spectacular this year.

Sleeper picks:

Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is great at doing both qualifying and getting a great finish at this track. He has not been super solid in the Sprint Cup as of late, but I think he can pull in a top finish this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - I like this driver at this track. He has five finishes that were no worse than sixteenth. Hendrick power is going to give this hot driver another super solid finish this season.

Brian Vickers - Although the C list drivers get very little love, Vickers has the best finishing average at this track. His 2008 season has been great so far and should easily continue his success at this track.