Jim Stewart 400

mikemethod — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:47:35 GMT

I'm trying to get some more traffic here in the NASCAR section. This is my first year in a Yahoo league, so I'll be using those standards for my weekend picks. After all, we can't pick Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson every week. :-)

Group A:

Jeff Gordon - If there's a week to sit Jeff, this might be it. In the last 5 years, he's only earned 3 top 10s and 0 top 5s in 8 races with 2 DNFs. He's on enough of a hot streak where anything is possible, but I look for him to cool a little and there are enough other good choices out there.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Some big improvement with a good showing at Talladega and I think he'll improve more this week. 5 year split shows 4 top fives and 2 wins at Richmond. I like Earnhardt for a top 5 this week.

Kevin Harvick - Ups and downs since Daytona, but this could be a big week for him. 5 top 10s, 3 top 5s with a win at Richmond. He's been up and down, but two straight top 10s could mean a top 5 could be coming as soon as this week.

Tony Stewart - That breakthrough has got to be coming one of these weeks. Pattern is that he follows a bad race with a top 5. This would be a top 5 week, so he could be a good flyer. A bit inconsistant recently...

Group B:

Kyle Busch - The guy has flat out torn up this track. 4 races, 4 top 5s. However, I doubt he'll maintain a perfect record for the rest of his life. He looked very shaky at Talladega after his spectacular crash on Saturday and then got into another wreck. It's possible he could be mentally unprepared for a big run. I would roster him and then see what happens in practice and the Busch series race. If he crashes again, I'd probably look for an option elsewhere.

Denny Hamlin - Sample size might be too small, but he has a pole and a top 5 here. And he's been performing well, so you can expect more good stuff from him.

Mark Martin - He's a good bet in any race he runs. The splits back that up as well with 4 top 10s and 3 top 5s at Richmond. Start him with confidence.

Ryan Newman - I was impressed by Newman's top 10 this week. He's underperformed all year, but I like the improvement. His Richmond splits speak well for him - 4 top 10s, 2 top 5s, a pole and a win. This adds up to a nice sleeper run this week.

Kurt Busch - I thought he'd do well last week, but I'm not as high on him this week. Sure he's won at Richmond, but hasn't done too well otherwise. I'd look elsewhere (maybe his brother) this week.

Jamie McMurray - It'd be a gamble if you take him as he hasn't done well at Richmond, but he is on a hot streak with 4 top 10s in the last 5 weeks.

Stay away from Gilliland, even after his top 5 last week.

Group C:

This group is always a crapshoot, so you can't ever go wrong with one or two of Yeley, Stremme, Sorensen, Raines, or Jeff Green. However, I will recommend Jeremy Mayfield as a sleeper if he qualifies. Splits show him with 7 races, a win, 2 top 5s, 3 top 10s. Considering you probably won't race him any other time, this seems like a good week to do so. Just make sure you pair him with one of the above group in case he DNQs.

Hope this will boost some traffic as I love talking Fantasy NASCAR.

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Jim Stewart 400