Fantasy Nascar : Tall-A-DEGA : Fantasy Nascar

Probably one of the most fun aspects of being a race fan is watching drivers make the switch from a small, short track like Martinsville to a granddaddy of a monster track like Talladega. The mindset, as well as the car setups, are so incredibly different at the two extremes that drivers are required to do an 180 in thinking, in about four days.
Oh, the joys of racing.
First, to wrap up Martinsville. To start, the Harvick soap opera. I like Harvick, I think he is a good kid, but I think he got what he deserved. It might have been a bit harsh, and its a shame that his team and the "fans" got shafted, but apparently he needed a wake up call. He is a rough and tough driver, but there are plenty of ways to be a rough driver and not wreck havoc. Like it or not Harvick is a role model, and like it or not he was not fulfilling his end of the deal on the track. Nascar finally woke up ��and took action. His fine, like most fines in Nascar, won't really effect him. But making him sit out a race was the best punishment they could do.
It will be interesting to see what kind of precedent that this sets. Nascar officials have always been wary of sitting drivers out (as is evident by the few incidents of it happening). But now that the have seen it as an real eye-opening punishment, I am guessing that it might make a difference. Because as I have said from the beginning, fines really don't hurt these guys.
Now a comment on Jeff Gordon. This guy just seems to run into trouble week after week after week. He started this race on the pole, and looked strong for quite a few laps. And then something blew, or broke and he couldn't get it back. This looked like a car problem, and but did hold on to finish the race, but in a dismal position. Gordon has had trouble have trouble after trouble. Eventually he is going to get into his groove (as he always does) but this just might not be the year.
Stewart finished third and ruffled plenty of finishes to end up there. But he drove the race, kept his nose clean and if not for a lousy tire call by his crew chief late in the game, he probably would have won the race over former championship winner Bobby Labonte. Matt Kennseth improved his following up on Sterling in the points, leaving a mere 27 points now standing between Sterling Marlin and the youngin. Kenseth finished second, showing grace under fire on a track in which he is not all that experienced.
So now we switch gears and put on our restrictor plates. Talladega is one two restrictor plate races on the circuit, which makes for good, fun racing but often dangerous conditions for the drivers. Talladega has several grooves, which allows for some exciting side by side racing, and the restrictor plates make passing a breeze.
There are a handful of races that simply have to be mentioned when talking about restrictor plate racing. Stewart, Earnhardt, Jr., and Mark Martin are just superspeedway pros.
I pick Earnhardt, Jr to win this race. He is going to end up at the top of the ranks. He loves big tracks, and he was disappointed with his showing at Daytona. Jr is the last winner at this track and he is looking for his first victory of this year. Plus he is in a streak of shorts, placing in the top 10 in the last handful of races. He is going to be one of men racing for that checkered flag.
And the man racing him for it will be Stewart. A versatile driver, Stewart was picked to shine this year at Daytona. Then an engine problem in the first couple laps of the race dashed the dreams (and the bets) that had been placed with him to win the race. Qualifying means little to Stewart on superspeedways. He can come from the behind or start at the front and stay there. Him and Little E love to race each other and I am guessing we are going to see alot of that side by side fun this weekend.
Veteran Mark Martin has a pretty good streak going on at Talladega. He has placed in the top 10 in 5 of the last 6 races, including fourth in this race last year. He is quiet and understated but has a pretty good start going, on currently sitting in third in the rankings. He has a consistent year and I look for him to be one of the guys racing for the checkered flag when it falls.
I would also look to some of the young, hotshots to give us something to watch this week. Jimmie Johnson won the Bud pole and hung in there to finish in the top 15 in his first cup race. Fellow rookie Newman started 23rd and drive his heart out and drove around the wrecks to finish 7th in his first race as a Cup rookie. These two drivers have grace, grit and they just love being up in the top. While I don't look for them to necessarily win, they might be worth picking for leagues where you get points for anyone in the top 10. Matt Kenseth has two wins this year and he loves being so close to Sterling. It might just be the key to pushing him towards another victory, or at least a damn good finish.
This column was posted before qualifying was over for Sunday's race. 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