Fantasy Nascar : Arriving at Atlanta : Fantasy Nascar

So I lied.
Last weekend's visit to Las Vegas was anything but the doldrums that I predicted. I don't know what I was thinking when I expected that a race in the American city of lights, glitter, and gambling would be dull. It certainly was not.
Sterling Marlin's win, although I didn't pick it, was not surprising. Marlin was tired of just nearly being in the winners circle. Daytona, well he screwed it up. Yes, he would have been penalized anyway you look at it, but getting out of his car just made him the center of jokes. Yet even starting at the back of of the lead lap cars, he raced to 8th place. Then at Rockingham a late caution ended the race under yellow and Marlin finished second, without the chance to challenge Matt Kenseth for the lead. So at Vegas he was tired of the bad luck and he wanted to further secure his 1st place standing in the points championship. He did.
Rookie Ryan Newman is talented. The young kid is currently third in the rankings, and although that might not hold up he is off to one hell of a season start. He is steady and he seems to be comfortable driving in the big leagues. Its good to see the new blood in there to shake up things. His second place start in this week's race gives him another incredible chance to shine.
Some cars that were expected to blow away the competition last week, just didn't make the grade. Jeff Gordon's car looked like he was running with a restrictor plate when in reality he wasn't. He finished the race in 17th, four spots worse than he began the race. Tony Stewart jumped up to 11th in overall points with his 5th place finish in Vegas. He started 15th and lead the race as one of the strongest cars for quite awhile. Then somewhere in the process, his car seemed to tire and he struggled the rest of the race to keep his fifth place standing. Yet, all the naysayers who said Stewart was out of the points race after bombing at Daytona need to eat their words. Stewart is almost back into the top 10 after only 2 races since Daytona. He is still one of the men to beat.
Mark Martin had a really steady race. Although not much was said about the veteran driver, he started the race in 6th and ran in the top 10 consistently throughout the race to finish in third. He is mild-mannered and not nearly as hyped as he should be but he has the driving talent.
So now we arrive at Atlanta. Several drivers who have had a tough season start might want to make their arrival known in Atlanta. Cup drivers Casey Atwood, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kevin Harvick are sitting way down in the standings and they don't like where they are. Little E will start this weeks race in the 3rd position and the master of passing, just might have it made starting so near the top of the pack. If his car holds up, he should be looking for his first win of the season. Kevin Harvick starts the race in the 8th starting position which is his highest start so far this year. He might just want to show that his rookie year success wasn't just a lucky break. He is also coming back to Atlanta, the site of his first win of the season last year, where he beat Jeff Gordon in a nose to nose competition.
In fact, the mile and a half track at Atlanta has a reputation for good racing. The track president Ed Clark said that Atlanta is one of the fastest tracks in the circuit and that the three different race grooves make for some good racing.
My racing mentor told me earlier in the week that Atlanta always produces good racing.
So hopefully some of that good racing will be evident this weekend. Some of the favorites are as follows.
Bobby Labonte, despite his 12th place settings right now, is going to be a forerunner in this race. He has placed in the top 10, three of the last four Spring races including a win in 1998. He didn't finish in the top 10 in 2001 but he is getting consistently better this season. From this track record (no pun intended) he should be well this well. An 18th place start might not exactly help him in his quest for the winners circle but its not an impossible feat.
Jeff Gordon may just get back on track this week. Although the beginning of his season hasn't been filled with the fireworks that all expected he isn't in a bad place. He currently sits in seventh place in the standings, and its still early. Gordon won 2nd place by less than an inch in 2001 to rookie Harvick and he won the 1999 Atlanta race. Despite Gordons starting position of 19th I predict he will end up in the top 5.
Although I have picked Dale Jarrett high in the last several races and he has let me down, I am going to go with him again. The veteran sits in 16th place but has a good record at this track, and will start this weeks race in 7th position. He has placed in the top five in the three of the last four spring races. He seems to know how to race on the fast track and I am going to gamble with him one more time. Jarrett doesn't like sitting so far down in the rankings and a top finish could help his cause.
Others to watch this week include bud pole winner Bill Elliott. This veteran has had one of the steadiest season starts this year, currently sitting in sixth place in the standings after 3 top 10 finishes this far. Elliott has experience on this track and will like his starting standings.
As I said above Newman has talent. He starts in the front of the race, and he is definitely going to be a contender. Kurt Busch, another talented sophomore driver who has had a successful season this year starts up high. Stewart is on a quest for the top 10 (well the top of the top 100 and he starts this race in 9th.
I will post this column each Friday afternoon. The ideas are strictly mine, with a little bit of help from the statistics and some of my racing enthusiast friends. AND I want to know what you think: If you agree, tell me. If you don't, tell me that as well. Drop me at a line at Theracingirl@yahoo.com