Fantasy Nascar

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            Hopefully this weekend we get back to some real exciting racing. Road courses, fuel mileage and Pocono just aren’t racing to me. Perhaps the oval track in Loudon is just what NASCAR needs to get a little bit of excitement back in the sport.

            My bold prediction for the week is that Jeff Gordon will get his first series victory of the year this weekend. Jeff has come up just shy the last 3 races at Loudon finishing with a 3^rd and two 2nd place finishes. He will break out on a track that he likes to race on and visit victory lane.

            It’s hard to pick against Kyle Busch every week and it would make the Yahoo league very boring if you could use him in every race of the year but you can only start him 9 times. Which 9 do we start him at? Kyle has a win and 2 other top 5 finishes in 6 starts at Loudon but he isn’t consistent enough here to warrant a start.

            Jeff Burton has 4 top 10 finishes in his last 5 starts at Loudon and won here 3 times when he was with Roush racing. He still sits 2^nd in the point standings and is quietly putting together a great season. This could be the place where he makes up a little ground on Kyle this week.

            Martin Truex Jr. has only run 4 Cup races here but he has finished in the top 5 the last 2. Martin learned quickly on this track and could very well have another good run this weekend.

            In his last 11 starts at Loudon, Jimmie Johnson has been very good. He has 2 wins, 7 top 10’s, finished 11^th twice and 13^th once. Jimmie could win on any given Sunday at Loudon if most of the pieces fall just right for him.

            Matt Kenseth has 10 top 10 finishes in his last 11 New Hampshire races. However, Matt has never won a race here. All of that could change this weekend as Matt has been on a roll lately and gotten himself back into the top 12 in the point standings just 2 points ahead of Kevin Harvick.

            Tony Stewart has a win, two 2^nd’s and a 3^rd place finish in his last 6 Loudon races. When the weather heats up, so does Tony and he will break out very soon and take some of the thunder away from Kyle Busch.

            Denny Hamlin has been fabulous at Loudon over 4 starts with a win and 3 top 6 finishes. His worst finish was 15^th last fall. Denny just loves the flatter tracks and is a factor every time he goes to one. Loudon only has 12 degree banking in the corners so it plays right into his hands.

            Kasey Kahne has been on a tear lately but hit a bit of a roadblock last week in Sonoma after winning the pole. Kasey lost his clutch right at the start of the race, which really cost him in the pits, but he never really had a handle on the car either.

            Dale Earnhardt Jr. is once again a factor on the short flat tracks since joining Hendrick Motorsports. Dale is another driver who has never won a race at Loudon but should be able to put together another decent run this weekend.

            Yahoo Picks for Loudon

            Group A

            Jeff Gordon (starter)

            Jeff Burton

            Group B

            Martin Truex Jr. (starter)

            Jamie McMurray (starter)

            Kasey Kahne

            Ryan Newman

            Group C

            Brian Vickers (starter)

            Travis Kvapil

            Top 5 Overall at Loudon

1.      Jeff Gordon

2.      Jeff Burton

3.      Tony Stewart

4.      Jimmie Johnson

5.      Denny Hamlin

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Clint Bowyer

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