Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Charlotte

13. Ryan Newman, #12 ALLTEL Dodge, Penske Racing South

Newman could be a nice class B option this weekend. He was 14th at both Atlanta and Las Vegas and was 10th in Fontana. He followed that up with a 4th in Texas, showing what he may be capable of. He has been consistent and if you have overused Busch or Earnhardt in the B tier, he may be a driver to go with.

14. Kasey Kahne, #9 Budweiser Dodge, Gillett-Evernham MotorSports

Kahne was 6th in Las Vegas, 25th in Texas, and 28th in Atlanta. Kahne has won on several of the 1.5 mile tracks (including Texas0 and may be a good selection despite his shaky results this season. He did win the All Star Race and his car was much better late at night as opposed to in the opening event. This should bode well for the end of the race this weekend, which will be under the lights.

15. Mark Martin, #8 Army Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc

Martin has been on an absolute roll in the 8 car as of late. Following his 22nd place finish at Atlanta, he was 8th in Texas, dominant in a 5th place run at Phoenix, and solid all night in a 3rd place finish at RIR. Martin finished in the top 10 in Las Vegas and has more top 5's than any other active driver at Charlotte (17) to go with 4 wins.

16. Martin Truex, Jr., #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc

Truex had an engine problem at Texas, but was 3rd and 7th there last season. Truex finished 15th in Las Vegas and 21st in Atlanta, and it's probably best to use him later this season when he gets more positive momentum going on this type of track.

17. Casey Mears, #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet, Hendrick MotorSports

Mears was 13th and 17th at Las Vegas and Atlanta, and 22nd in Texas. Last year, he won at Charlotte, finished 5th in Chicago, and was 4th in Kansas. He is a plausible class B selection this week, although there are a lot of drivers within the class B group that will probably finish better.

18. David Ragan, #6 AAA Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing

Ragan is slowly becoming a legitimate fantasy option, although he isn't quite there yet. He was 7th in Vegas, 14th in Fontana, 23rd in Atlanta, and 13th in Texas. If he can knock out a few more top 10's, he will be a candidate for class B selection. One other thing: he would be in the Chase should the post-season start today.

19. Bobby Labonte, #43 Cheerios Dodge, Petty Enterprises

He's had a great career, with two wins and 12 top 5's in Charlotte. However, he won't help your fantasy team any this year. He ran a solid 17th in Vegas, 20th in Texas, 12th at Atlanta, and had a mediocre showing in the All Star race. It's a shame, but he isn't capable of much more than that in the car he is driving.

20. Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Penske Racing South

The former Cup champ was 23rd in Texas and 11th in Atlanta and while he was good on the 1.5 mile tracks last season, he hasn't shown any positive results this year. Just about every other class A driver is better suited for your fantasy roster this weekend.

21. Jamie McMurray, #26 Crown Royal Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing

McMurray finally got a positive result on a 1.5 mile track when he finished 14th at Texas. He has finished in the top 20 in 5 of his last 6 starts (he crashed at RIR) and was 11th at Darlington. One of his two career victories came at Charlotte and while he shouldn't make your roster this weekend, he may be valuable later in the season.

22. Brian Vickers, #83 Red Bull Toyota, Red Bull Racing

Vickers was 9th in Atlanta after a 24th place run at Las Vegas and then was a solid 16th in Texas. He was also 11th in Fontana and overall is a top class C choice week in and week out.