Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Chicagoland
This will be the fifth race on a 1.5 mile speedway this season. Plenty of data is available to help you make the most logical, rational fantasy decisions for this weekend. The rankings are again much of what you have come to expect. The season is halfway over, so make sure you are tracking how many times you have used and can use each driver. You don't want to overuse some of the top drivers when some of the tracks they dominate aren't scheduled until later in the season.
1. Kyle Busch, #18 M & M's Toyota, Gibbs Racing
I think this one goes without saying. Busch led 173 laps in Atlanta and scored his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing. He was 4th in Fontana, 3rd in Texas, and 3rd again at Charlotte. What's next after his 6th win of the year? Probably his 7th sometime in the near future.
2. Carl Edwards, #99 Office Depot Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
Edwards ran better than anyone en route to winning at Las Vegas and led 33 laps before a mechanical failure in Atlanta (where he has won twice). His win in Texas and 9th place finish in Charlotte further show his current position as one of the top drivers on the 1.5 mile ovals.
3. Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Toyota, Gibbs Racing
Stewart won this race in dominating fashion in 2004 and 2007. In the new car, he has had success on the 1.5 mile tracks this year. He drove to a 2nd place run in Atlanta, then followed that up with a 7th place run at Texas. Smoke led 23 laps in Charlotte, but ended up 18th. Last season he was 7th in Vegas, 2nd in Atlanta, and finished 7th in Charlotte. He has led 384 laps in his career at Chicago -- more than any other driver by far.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr, #88 AMP/National Guard Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Earnhardt led 62 laps and finished 3rd in Atlanta, was 2nd in Las Vegas, 12th in Texas, and 5th in Charlotte after leading 75 laps before blowing a tire. He is a strong class B selection again and has a win and a couple of top 5's at Chicago in 7 starts.
5. Jimmie Johnson, #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Hendrick Motor Sports
Johnson led 35 laps in Charlotte before blowing an engine and was 2nd in Texas. He has 4 top 5's in 6 starts in Chicago, with his only finish outside the top 10 coming last season after a crash. He is an excellent class A choice this weekend.
6. Greg Biffle, #16 3M Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
Check out these finishes: 3rd in Las Vegas, 4th in Atlanta, and 2nd in Charlotte. Bad luck derailed him at Texas, but he's one of the best bets in the class B group (despite no top 10's and an average finish of 14.6 in Chicago).
7. Brian Vickers, #83 Red Bull Toyota, Red Bull Racing
Vickers was running very strong in Charlotte when his wheel fell off the car and he crashed after leading 62 laps. He was 9th in Atlanta, 16th in Texas, and is easily the top class C pick this weekend. He has run stronger than several class A and B drivers on the 1.5 mile speedways this season.
8. Matt Kenseth, #17 DeWalt Tools Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
Kenseth was 8th at Atlanta, in contention for the win in Las Vegas before his late get together with Jeff Gordon, scored a top 10 at Texas, and was 7th in Charlotte after a strong 3rd place finish in the All Star race. He has led more laps than any driver other than Tony Stewart in Chicago and has 2 top 5's in 7 starts.
9. Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont Chevrolet, Hendrick Motor Sports
Gordon crashed in Las Vegas -- where he was running strong -- and also crashed in Texas. He was 5th in Atlanta, 4th in Charlotte, and has a win and 4 top 5's in 7 starts in Chicago. He's another great class A choice, but is probably best used elsewhere.
10. Kasey Kahne, #9 Budweiser Dodge, Gillett-Evernham Motorsports
Kahne turned around his performance on the 1.5 mile tracks with his sweep of the All Star Race and the Coca Cola 600. He was 6th in Las Vegas, 25th in Texas, and 28th in Atlanta. He has always performed well on the 1.5 mile tracks, despite the fact that he has never scored a top 10 in Chicago in 4 career starts. He's definitely a plausible class B selection this weekend.
11. Kevin Harvick, #29 Shell/Reeses/GM Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Harvick was 4th in Las Vegas, 7th in Atlanta, 8th in Fontana, 9th in Texas, and 14th in Charlotte. He has a solid history at Chicago with two wins and four top 5's. This is a weekend when he is a good class A option just because there aren't many other places you probably want to use him.
12. Jeff Burton, #31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Burton was 5th in Vegas, 10th in Atlanta, 6th in Texas, and 6th again in Charlotte. In 2007, we saw almost the same thing: 4th at Charlotte, 5th at Atlanta, 7th in Chicago, and 6th at Texas. I'm hesitant to ever recommend him as a class A choice, because he never seems to run up front and dominate, giving him a better shot at winning.
13. Ryan Newman, #12 ALLTEL Dodge, Penske Racing South
Newman was 14th at both Atlanta and Las Vegas, and was 10th in Fontana. He followed that up with a 4th in Texas and has 2 top 5's and a win at Chicago in 6 starts. He's a plausible class B option this weekend.
14. Denny Hamlin, #11 FedEx Toyota, Gibbs Racing
Hamlin had a nice top 5 run at Texas, a 9th in Las Vegas, and a 15th in Atlanta. He was 24th in Charlotte, and has finishes of 14th and 17th in his two starts at Chicago. He is a couple of notches below the top class A choices this weekend.
15. Mark Martin, #8 Army Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Martin finished in the top 10 in Las Vegas and Texas and is again a good class B option on weekends that he races. He has 3 top 10's in 7 starts in Chicago, though he has never been in the top 5 there. He's a tier below Biffle, Earnhardt, Newman, and Kyle Busch this weekend in his grouping.
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