Fantasy Nascar : Visiting one of the sophomore stops : Fantasy Nascar

What a race under the lights!
Saturday night's Pepsi 400 was the kind of Cup race which gets my blood flowing. I watched the race from start to finish, leaving the couch only during commercials, and it didn't disappoint.
A couple comments. First, I picked Waltrip and I was so happy to see him in victory lane. It was a bit touching (and surprising) to see his brother DW crying in the booth, but it was also just what shows us that these people are human, that they are real families. Waltrip deserved his win and he was the rightful owner of victory lane for that evening.
Earnhardt, Jr. made a gutsy move and well, he lost that gamble. Personally, I am glad because it shows him he is not invincible. He made the choice to try to beat his teammate and he lost the roll of the dice. If he hadn't gotten greedy, which many will say is just part of the race, he would have finished second � the same place that his teammate Waltrip had finished several times in recent restrictor plate races to help insure his win. Earnhardt's frustration was obvious as he crawled out of his car Saturday night, and I can't say I blame him. It's a tough lesson, but one I feel it was time he learned.
Dale Jarrett showed a bit of the guts, a bit of the human and a bit of the cockiness that makes him both a champion and a veteran favorite among the fans. After waving off the audience he walked back to the care center. It looked from our vantage point as if he was wiping away tears from his eyes, but that could have been just how it looked. Yet, as pissed as he was that his strong car ended up in the wall, he still waved at his fans. He didn't sulk on by as hundreds of people stood up to cheer for him. He raised his hand and showed that he is a champion of a guy. Even when the camera crews caught up with him, he still minded his manners. He was obviously annoyed and bothered by the results but he still minded his Ps and Qs and he deserves a kudos for that.
Johnny Benson is a tough old bird. He wrecks his car, is diagnosed with a few fractured ribs, no doubt re-injured from his early season mishap that took him out of the car for several weeks. Yet, Monday he was back on his way to North Carolina. He is a good example of what these drivers go through to do their jobs.
Now we go from one extreme to another. We leave Daytona, a track with history seeped into its asphalt, and we travel to Chicagoland, a new track with many races yet to run its track.
Chicagoland is a 1.5 mile tri-oval with a 18 degree bankings in the turns. It is a tri-oval, and most similar resembles the Kansas City track in size and bankings. It's hard to make picks on a new track, yet there are similar tracks on the circuit. Kansas may be the closest match being the same distance and just a mere 3 degrees less in banking, yet Atlanta, Las Vegas and Texas are share some characteristics. So to make picks for this weeks race, you have to look at the inaugural Kansas race in 2001, as well as some other races, as well as qualifying for this week's race.
One of the top picks for this year's race is rookie Ryan Newman. He starts on the pole and finished 2nd at Kansas last year. He started this season strong and lost momentum as the season wore on, although many of his problems were beyond his control. He seemed plague by engine problems and was overshadowed by his co-hort rookie Jimmie Johnson who has blown his veteran competition out of the water. If Newman can avoid the curse of car problems that have plagued him this season, he will be a factor to consider in this week's race. I would look for him to stay near the top.
Kurt Busch is another of this week's picks. He has a pretty good record at the new tracks Chicago and Kansas and he starts this week in the 2nd position. He placed 8th last year at this track and 9th at Kansas, and had a dominant car in both qualifying and practice sessions this week. He has had a rocky season, although when he has done well he has shown his true talent. With probably one of the stronger cars this weekend, this young gun might try to add one to his win column for the year.
Now for some veteran's who look promising this week. First, Mark Martin is on a roll. This veteran has been driving one of his best seasons ever. He currently sits in 2nd place in the point standings, a mere 77 points behind cup leader Sterling Marlin. He has showed true brilliance on the track this year, and shown the aggression that is making this year's rookies popular. He won at Lowe's Motorspeedway back in May, and he has been looking for his next week ever since. He starts this week in 13th, yet with all the shuffling and moving that is no big deal. He placed 6th at both Chicago and Kansas last year in their inaugural races and I look for him to end up in the top 10, if not the top 5. Another veteran to keep your eye on is Bill Elliott. This oldie but goodie is also holding his own this year. One of Winston Cups most favorite drivers, Elliott is still looking for his championship bid. He currently sits in 9th place in the standings, and has shown to be pretty consistent all year long. He starts this race in the 3rd position, and will come off a 10th place finish in last year's race here. Elliott has an amazing gift for running clean, and simply staying out of trouble during these races. I would put money on it he will do the same this week.
Others to watch this week include Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Sterling Marlin. First, Matt Kenseth starts this race in 16th but he has shown some promise on similar tracks. Kenseth won at Texas earlier this season and placed 4 at Atlanta. He also finished this race in 7th last year. He sits in the top 10 in the standings and after a dismal rookie year, Kenseth is one to watch this year.
Tony Stewart is always one to watch. He can race stock cars, Indy cars, IROC cars, and whatever else you put him in. And he can run on about any track. Even more so, he has something to prove. Stewart was bitten last week by Daytona and dropped to 7th place in the standings. We have seen Stewart bounce back from worse (anyone remember the naysayers who predicted he wouldn't even catch up after blowing an engine in this year's Daytona 500?) and I pick him to run well this week, if he can avoid his own bad luck. He starts 6th in this week's race and finished 8th in last year's Kansas race. My gut (as well as the footage of Stewart after spinning out in the early laps of the Pepsi 400) tell me Stewart is mad. He is definitely worth watching Sunday afternoon.
The final person that would probably be a good pick this week is Sterling Marlin. And he just may have the most to race for. Marlin currently sits at the top of the food chain, but the sharks are swarming in fast. He has five people within 200 points of him and he needs a win or at least a strong strong finish to cushion his lead a bit more. He starts 4th this week and placed 9th at Chicago and 5th at Kansas last year.
Regardless of the outcome, history will be made this weekend as the cars take the track.
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