Fantasy Nascar : Glitter, gold -- and green in Fontana : Fantasy Nascar

First things first, for those that read me religiously (as few as you may be) I apologize for getting the column posted so late. But as it is, we are in Cali this week, and well qualifying was late. So I waited, and actually got to see the qualifying cars on the track.
First of all: Talladega. It was both disappointing to me and satisfying. Most of the race was, do I dare say it, dull. I am usually a great fan of restrictor plate races, but this one was just quiet. Almost no cautions until the end of the race, and the only thing to really keep my attention being that I often liked the race leaders.
And then of course, Little E winning the race made it all ok. He, as I said last week, simply excels on superspeedways, and he made his presence known. His win also helped concrete his place in the top in standings.
The big one near the end of the race was a disappointment in several ways but one in particular: Tony Stewart. Stewart has had about the worst luck possible in the last few races. He has had a legitimate chance to win at the last few tracks and has run into problems, both in and out of his control. He has said himself this past week though that this is usually where he gets into his groove�I am watching for it.
So now on to the Golden State this week. Racing in California seems odd, although the state has produced one of Nascar's old standards � Jeff Gordon�and one of the new hotshots � Jimmie Johnson. So they must be doing something right.
One thing is clear�and that is that in the four years that Winston Cup has been racing at California, the track has picked up some fans. It seems from the stats to be a track where those who are not traditional winners seem to thrive. Cup regulars like Jeremy Mayfield and Mike Skinner seem to run clean under the hot son, where they are often quiet.
My predictions this week are made up of a little new and a little old. Rookie Ryan Newman sits on the pole, and fellow youngin Kurt Busch sits next to him. Busch has already won one this year, but Newman despite an incredible start has had some mechanical problems. If he can run his car clean, he had a mighty good chance of staying in the front. This kid has been showing his talent from Day 1 and I don�t count him out to win several this year, and California just might be the first one.
My next group of picks are standards in my columns�but mainly because they are winners on the circuit. Tony Stewart (my dog Talladega�s favorite driver) wants another win. He passed up a chance to do some fun racing this week so he would be ready for California. He has finished in the top 10 in the three races he has run at California and he qualified 8th. Jeff Gordon won at California in 1999 and has finished in the top ten in 3 of the 4 Cup races that have been run at the track. He starts 17th but if he can work his way up to the front, he will be worth watching. He is still searching for his first win of the season and pretty soon he is going to be foaming at the mouth for it. He has a lot to prove � and he surely wants to prove it.
Jeremy Mayfield qualified 14th but he has a hell of a record in Cali. He has finished in the top 10 in all four races that have been run at the 2-mile track. Cali averages many many (in the 20�s) lead changes and Mayfield should be able to easily jump up into the top 10�and maybe the top 5�and who knows he may get a win. He won at this track in 2000.
Others to watch this week are Dale Jarrett, who starts sandwiched in between the young guys in the 3rd position. He is looking for his first win of the season and he has a damn good start on this one. With a little tweaking his car might just end up as fast as the pole sitter, Newman�s. Jimmie Johnson, another amazing rookie, starts in fourth and is definitely not out of any contentions this week. Money placed on him won�t be a bad bet. And if you feel like taking a chance, pick my first �favorite� Casey Atwood. While I don�t know if it�s in him to win (although I wish it was) he has his best start at 12th this week. He likes this track, and this type of track and maybe this race will help him pick up some momentum.
So if this race plays out like I am told it might, be ready for some glitter and gold�and green�in Fontana.

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