Fantasy Nascar

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            First I have to apologize for my article getting posted late last week. The owners of the site were out of the country and didn't have internet access to post the articles.

            It’s still a 3 horse race heading into the last 4 races of the season. However, I don’t really see Clint Bowyer having much of a chance just because of how strong the Hendrick teams have been all year. Clint is peaking at the right time but will need some bad luck to happen to Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon to overtake them. Jeff is going to have to run well on the intermediate tracks to hold his lead over Jimmie and all 3 of these drivers have to stay out of trouble on the track and hope they don’t have any mechanical problems. Anything happening over the next 4 races could be devastating.

            This week we head back to Atlanta where Jimmie Johnson won this spring. Jimmie has 2 wins, 2 runner-up finishes, a 3^rd, 4^th and 6^th place finish at Atlanta over his last 8 races there. His worst finish there in the last 8 races was 16^th. For this reason I am picking him to win this week.

            Jeff Gordon has done pretty well here lately himself. Jeff has 11 top 10 finishes in his last 15 starts at Atlanta. What more can I say about the Hendrick teams this season? Once again these are 2 of your best picks this week. This is another 500-mile race, which will be tough on engines but the Hendrick engines have run well all year.

            Clint Bowyer finished 6^th in Atlanta this spring but his other 2 starts yielded him finishes of 27^th and 25^th at this track. Another downside to Clint’s chances are the engine problems that the RCR teams have been having this season. At least this isn’t a COT race where they lost a majority of their engines at Charlotte a few weeks ago but it is still 500-miles.

            Tony Stewart finished 2^nd to Jimmie this spring and won this race last year. Tony has 11 top 10 finishes in his last 12 races at Atlanta, which should put him in contention once again this weekend. They have been a little off their game during the Chase but this team can strike at anytime.

            Carl Edwards has 2 wins and 5 top 10 finishes in 6 races at Atlanta. Carl has run well all year at similar tracks and won at Michigan, which is just a little longer. The Roush/Fenway engine program has been just as good as the Hendrick program this year when it comes to durability. Look for Carl to come away with another top 5 finish.

            Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have the Roush/Fenway power under their hoods also and like this type of track. Matt has struggled during the Chase but should run well over the final 4 races of the season. Greg is getting better every week like he does every year when the season is winding down. I won’t be surprised to see him win another race this year yet.

            Dale Earnhardt Jr. has 9 top 10 finishes in his last 12 starts at Atlanta and has a 66 point lead over Ryan Newman for the 13^th spot in the standings. The only downside to Junior this weekend is the fact that he has one of the DEI/RCR engines also in a long race.

            Yahoo Picks for Atlanta

            Group A

            Jimmie Johnson (starter)

            Jeff Gordon

            Group B

            Clint Bowyer (starter)

            Casey Mears (starter)

            Kurt Busch

            Ryan Newman

            Group C

            David Ragan (starter)

            Dave Blaney

            Top 5 Overall at Atlanta

1.      Jimmie Johnson

2.      Tony Stewart

3.      Carl Edwards

4.      Jeff Gordon

5.      Greg Biffle

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Kevin Harvick

            As always you can Email me with any questions, comments or suggestions at gutsamaniac@hotmail.com. Good luck once again this weekend!