Fantasy Nascar : Racing in North Carolina : Fantasy Nascar

Forget the Year of the Dragon, this is the year of the Rookie.
Winston Cup rookies are wrecking havoc on the regular year circuit, as well as the exhibition races. Last week, Ryan Newman raced to the front of the No Bull Sprint to claim his spot � the very last one � in The Winston. Rookie Jimmie Johnson had already guaranteed his spot in the Winston by his first Winston Cup win a month ago.
Then the Winston Started, with Johnson on the pole and Newman pulling up the rear. Johnson won the first two legs, without even putting his car into DRIVE (practically) and Newman steadily moved up through the pack -- clearing himself of the two cuts which took some of the Cup's veterans including Rusty Wallace, Jeff Burton, Sterling Marlin and the defending race winner Jeff Gordon.
Then the last leg of the Winston-- the fans vote to invert the field. Newman starts in the middle of the 10 car field, and he races to the front. Despite a run by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Newman held his position as leader and won his first Winston Cup race � although a exhibition race. But don't count him out. He will be winning points races this year -- if not this week.
So fast-forward a week. The circuit is still in Concord, North Carolina, rested from a slow week of not having to jetset the country from one track to another, which plenty of time to take the notes they recorded during the Winston and work them into their race plans. Jimmie Johnson goes out and wins the pole - his second time at Lowe's Motorspeedway in two weeks, and is followed closely by Elliott Sadler, Ryan Newman, Little E and Tony Stewart. The young-guns are showing talent on a track that usually shines with veteran talent.
The drivers are preparing for the longest race in the schedule. A grueling 600 miles race on the 1.5 mile oval, with 24 degree bankings. The wrecks were plentiful and colorful during the Winston, possibly a peek at what is to come Sunday.
While the rookies are definitely hot, and I pick them to stay in the top 10 -- if not one of them to win the race-- I am still going to pick some oldies but goodies.
Bobby Labonte, who currently sits in 22nd in the points standings, has ridden under the radar all year. He has one win, but only 3 top 10 finishes. But he rules Lowe's Motor Speedway. He has placed in the top 10 in six of the last six races at the track, placed in the two two twice, and winning in the Fall of 2000. He seems to have the knowledge of how to get around the track and keep his nose clean and end up near the front. He starts this race 23, but on a track that averages 23 lead changes a race, 23rd is not any record.
Mark Martin is another veteran driver, yet he has raced a strong season in the first 11 races of the season. He currently sits in fourth place in cup points with 7 top 10's this season. He has placed in the top 10 in 5 of the last 6 races in North Carolina and he starts to spots behind Bobby. But don't look for him to stay in the 20's I pick him to make his way to the front. 600 miles is a long way, and a lot can happen in that time period.
Veteran Dale Jarrett has also placed in the top 10 in 5 of the last 6 races at Lowe's, but he has had a rough year. He currently sits in 15th place and was forced to take a provisional starting place this week -- just one in several in the last handful of races. He is good at moving up through the pack, but the key for Jarrett will be staying out of the wrecks. They look to be plentiful this week and Jarrett has had some plain bad luck this season. Yet, I am not counting him out of anything.
Jeff Burton, and Tony Stewart have both placed in the the top 10 in 4 of the last 6 races at this track. Burton starts 8th and Stewart starts 10th and both should be worth watching. Bearing any problems in the pits, or on the track for that matter, I predict them to stay in the top 10. Burton is sitting 9th in the overall points, and Stewart is sitting pretty at 8 so they both have some placements to protect. Stewart is also coming off of a win in the last points race, so he wants another one.
All of these should be good bets-- as well as rookies Newman and Johnson. Other young-guns Kennseth (who won the Spring 2000 race at Lowes) and Kurt Busch both ran well in the Winston and are bring some high placing racing skills to the car with them Sunday.