The Pit Stop is the essential guide to setting your Fantasy
Racing lineup for the upcoming week. We provide you with pertinent news
and roster management advice during every race week.
Last season, NASCAR introduced the Chase for the Championship in which
the top 10 drivers after race No. 26 were slotted into a playoff
scenario.
A number of last season's Chase contenders have suffered bad starts to
their 2005 season. I thought it would be a good time to take a look
back, and ahead, at each of the former Chase contenders.
Last year's champion, Kurt Busch is hanging tough in fourth
place, with three top-five finishes in this year's four events. He has
won Bristol four times, with six top 10 finishes in his past six events
here.
Jimmie Johnson leads the circuit with a win and four top five
finishes this season. He is by far the most consistent driver out there.
He has two top five finishes at Bristol and three top fives at upcoming
Martinsville.
Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports' teammate, Jeff Gordon, has two
top fives this season, but he sits outside the top 10 in 12th place. He
has started on the front row in the last six Bristol races, although
only an average finishing position of only 15th. Gordon also has an
incredible 18 top 10 finishes at Martinsville.
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Matt Kenseth hasn't been in front of many other cars this season.
(Getty Images)
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Mark Martin remains in contention with a current fifth-place
standing. He hasn't finished in the top 10 at Bristol in his past eight
races there. Also, he is only averaging a 19th-place finish in his past
four Martinsville races.
The DEI company is still trying to work the kinks out of Dale
Earnhardt Jr.'s team. Little E is 26th in the standings and only one
top five. Through his career, Earnhardt has averaged only a 15th-place
finish at both upcoming tracks.
Tony Stewart remains in contention in seventh place overall. He
hasn't had much luck in Bristol (no top 10s in his past six races), but
he does have three top fives in his past six races at Martinsville.
Ryan Newman continues to be a little better than average with his
current sixth-place standing. He has averaged a fifth-place finish in
his last six races between Bristol and Martinsville.
Inexplicably, Matt Kenseth has dropped all the way down to 31st
overall with only one top 10 and one DNF this year. Kenseth has six top
10s in his past six races at Bristol, but only one top 10 in his past
five Martinsville races.
Elliott Sadler sits in the eighth spot currently, showing last
year was no fluke, with two top 10s in four races. He finished fifth at
Bristol in 2004, but he wrecked at Martinsville, finishing 32nd.
As predicted, Jeremy Mayfield has not shown the consistency many
need in Fantasy NASCAR. He is 21st among drivers right now with only one
finish higher than 20th. Bristol (average finishing position of 19th)
and Martinsville (22nd) won't make life easier on Mayfield.
Upcoming race: Bristol 500 -- Bristol Motor Speedway -- April 3
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S T O C K C A R M A R K E T W A T C H
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Here's a list of drivers expected to produce better or worse than
their salaries indicate on the coming track. Prices are derived
from the CBS Sportsline.com Fantasy Racing Challenge:
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Bargain drivers
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Overpriced drivers
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Rusty Wallace, $223,125: Nine wins here has to account for
something.
Jeff Gordon, $215,000: Gordon has started on
the front row in his past six Bristol races.
Matt Kenseth,
$233,750: Despite his struggles, he has six consecutive top
10s at Bristol.
Kevin Harvick, $136,875: Harvick has six
career top 10s in eight tries here.
Jamie McMurray, $221,875:
In four career Bristol races, McMurray has a seventh-place average finishing
position.
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Joe Nemechek, $143,125: He has never finished in the top 10
at Bristol in 20 tries.
Robby Gordon, $62,500: No top
10s in nine tries at Bristol.
Greg Biffle, $268,750:
Biffle has averaged only a 15th-place finish in his past three
Bristol efforts.
Mike Bliss, $212,500: Don't invest so
much on an unproven at this track.
Jeremy Mayfield, $181,250:
Mayfield hasn't registered anything higher than a 10th-place finish at
Bristol in seven races.
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H A P P Y H O U R
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One last look at the news and notes that might affect your
Fantasy Racing lineup decisions:
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The following drivers are not on the entry list at NASCAR's
official website: Andy Belmont, Johnny Benson, Geoff Bodine,
Todd Bodine, Ward Burton, Derrike Cope, Ricky Craven, Kerry
Earnhardt, Larry Foyt, Brendan Gaughan, Larry Gunselman, P.J.
Jones, Terry Labonte, Tony Raines, Boris Said, Johnny Sauter,
Mike Skinner, Martin Truex Jr. and Kenny Wallace.
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T H E P I T S T O P S T A R T I N G F I V E
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Beat the Expert! Staying within the $1,000,000 parameters set in
the 2004 CBS Sportsline.com Fantasy Racing Challenge, here
are my picks for this week's best lineup for the money:
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Driver
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Car and manufacturer
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Salary
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Jimmie Johnson
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No. 48, Chevrolet
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$275,625
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Jeff Gordon
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No. 24, Chevrolet
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$215,000
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Kevin Harvick
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No. 29, Chevrolet
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$233,750
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Matt Kenseth
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No. 17, Ford
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$136,875
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Bobby Labonte
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No. 18, Chevrolet
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$81,250
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Total salaries
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$942,500
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Next race: Martinsville 500 -- Martinsville Speedway -- April 10
You can e-mail your questions to David Gonos at
inthepits@commissioner.com. Be sure to put Attn: Spotter Blotter in
the subject field. Please be aware, due to the large volume of
submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers
to all questions.
