Fantasy Report: Best Buy 400

Sprint Cup drivers roll into the Dover International Speedway for the Best Buy 400. "The Monster Mile" is tough on the drivers and should an exciting, caution-filled race.

Here are our picks:

Brandon's picks: Carl Edwards✔, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch✔, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr.✔, Brian Vickers✔ and David Reutimann.

Erik's picks: Carl Edwards✔, Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle✔, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman✔, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers and Travis Kvapil✔.

Hints: This is a tough race to pick for because the checkered flag could fall to virtually any race team out there — which could be said for almost any race on the circuit. However, two organizations to watch this weekend would be Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, which have 10 and 7 wins there respectively. You probably can't go wrong picking someone from Roush because for the most part they've been on a tear and are pretty reliable for a good finish each week.

Sidenote: It seems as though Erik and I are thinking increasingly simliar. Last week, all of our picks were the same and this week there are only 2 different drivers. Hopefully we can do better this week that we did last week — and so can you!

Fantasy Report: Coca-Cola 600

After an entertaining All-Star Race in Charlotte, the NASCAR boys are getting ready to run 600 miles around "The Beast of the Southeast." Lowe's Motor Speedway has been good to some and treacherous for others over the years.

Here are our picks:

Brandon's picks: Jimmie Johnson✔, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch✔, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, AJ Allmendinger and Brian Vickers✔.

Erik's picks: Jimmie Johnson✔, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch✔, Dale Earnhardt Jr.✔, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers✔ and Travis Kvapil.

Hints: Whenever I say Johnson is someone to watch (or almost anyone else) he does very little so I'm just going to say that I intend to put in everyone I already have chosen (wink, wink). So I'm going to tell you what I'm doing this week — it is dangerous but sometimes you just have to take risks. The drivers I have chosen are the drivers I intend to put in the race. As you can see, I have some heavy hitters in this week. I'm partly driven by my desire to take the points lead and partly driven by what seems like good ideas. Everyone else I have on my roster are there in hopes that they'll get me some valuable qualifying points. Crazy? We'll see in a few days.

Press Release: "All or nothing" format suits some, not others

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race format – short segments, all-or-nothing racing – fits some driving styles perfectly. Like past winners Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, or the naturally aggressive Kyle Busch, for instance.

But, the format isn't always so kind to others.

Three drivers who usually top the statistical charts have struggled recently at the All-Star race: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.

Below is a rundown of All-Star experiences for those three drivers:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt's All-Star race stats tell an interesting story about his strategy. Earnhardt, known for running fast laps (he ranks third in Fastest Laps Run this season with 274), has taken a more patient approach during the All-Star race – at least that's what the stats suggest.

Over the past three races, Earnhardt has an Average Running Position of 12.7 (which ranks 18th), a Driver Rating of 76.4 (21st) and has run zero fastest laps.

BUT … because he has avoided trouble, his average finish over the past three races is a solid 9.3.

Denny Hamlin

On the other hand, Hamlin and Truex have been caught up in the inevitable – the accident that usually occurs when drivers are racing only for the win.

Hamlin has competed in just one NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, last season. The experience was not all that enjoyable.

Hamlin, who finished 17th in a field of 21 cars, had a Driver Rating of 47.7, an Average Running Position of 12.5 and zero Fastest Laps Run.

BUT … until a Lap 63 accident, Hamlin ran a solid race. He had spent all but two Laps in the Top 15 and had 27 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which was fifth-most in the race.

Martin Truex Jr.

Truex, in his first trip to the All-Star race (2005), suffered a similar fate as Hamlin in 2007. In 2005, Truex finished last among 22 cars and completed only 35 of the 90 laps. The culprit – a 10-car accident that ended the night for seven drivers.

But last season, Truex took a page out of then-teammate Earnhardt's playbook. A patient Truex finished 10th, but had a low Driver Rating of 57.7 and an Average Running Position of 12.7.

A potential "wild card" in the All-Star race: Elliott Sadler. Sadler, who is not locked into the race, needs to either "race his way in" by finishing first or second in the Sprint Showdown, or win the fan vote. If he does, he could pose a real threat.

In his last All-Star race, in 2005, Sadler finished second and racked up some single-race stats that haven't been eclipsed in the two years since: a Driver Rating of 135.7 and 32 Fastest Laps Run.

— Source: NASCAR

Vote for the All-Star Race

Go here to vote for who you want to race in the All-Star Race on May 17th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. After registering on NASCAR.com you can vote as many times as you like.

Who did you vote for? I voted for David Ragan because he's proven to be a real threat and as a young guy he could use a cool million bucks. Well, maybe not as much as I could.

Fantasy Report: Dodge Challenger 500

This week NASCAR heads to Darlington for race 11 on the Sprint Cup circuit. Fantasy selections for the “Lady in Black” might be tough to tame but with a little research your drivers might be headed to victory lane. Lets get to the picks …

Erik's picks: Denny Hamlin✔, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle✔, Mark Martin✔, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Travis Kvapil✔ and Paul Menard.

Brandon's picks: Jeff Gordon✔, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, David Ragan✔, Martin Truex Jr.✔, David Reutimann✔ and Regan Smith.

DRIVER TO PICK: Every week I try to make an educated guess on what driver will finish at the top. For the past few weeks my drivers have been running in the top five only to have some unfortunate event knock them back in the pack. As an experiment this week I am not giving any advice. When I finish ahead of Brandon I may have him write the fantasy advice. Best of luck!

Randy Moss to start truck team

Randy Moss has become the latest NFL personality to announce his intention of getting involved in racing.

Moss, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, announced the formation of Moss Motorsports LLC on Tuesday and said he hopes to have a team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series by the end of this year.

He said his goal is for the team to debut at selected races in the second half of the 2008 season, with a full-time schedule in 2009. Currently, the team has no driver, manufacturer or sponsors lined up.

— Source: kansascity.com