Fantasy Report: Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA

This week NASCAR rolls into Dover for the second race of the Chase. The Monster Mile is a tricky track for most but some drivers are historically good and bad here and that's advantageous to Fantasy team owners. Our picks for this week:

Brandon’s picks:
Carl Edwards✔, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin✔, Greg Biffle✔, David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr., Travis Kvapil✔ and David Reutimann.

Erik’s picks:
Jimmie Johnson✔, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman✔, Jamie McMurray✔, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann✔ and Travis Kvapil.

Safe bets: Two names come to mind this week: Concrete Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. After a dismal finish at Louden you can bet that Busch will be coming to Dover with something to prove. Busch won the Dover race earlier this year. Also, Edwards didn't get the nickname Concrete Carl from being bad on concrete tracks. I think he'll cruise into victory lane this weekend if he can stay out of trouble.

Worth a shot: Truex is also very good at Dover. He has an avg. finish of 9.6 for the last 5 years there and this weekend should be no different. Kvapil finished 11th there earlier this year and he's about as good of a C pick as you can get this weekend. Also, Martin steps back into the #8 this weekend and has been strong here in the past with 4 wins.

Battle of the bloggers: Things are heating up in the battle between your two humble narrators. After a great weekend at Louden I've pulled ahead of Team Clorox Disinfecting Wipes by 6 points. Since the first place team in our league is 355 points ahead of me, and we've all but come to the conclusion that he can't lose, it's turned into more of a fight between everyone else in the top 10. I'm currently in 4th and Erik is in 5th. One thing's for sure: regardless of the fact that neither Erik or I most likely won't win the league there are still bragging rights up for grabs as to who finishes best. Break a leg Erik!

Same blog, different name

The Anniston Star racing blog is now known as "Star Racing." Be sure to update your bookmarks! The correct URL is now http://starracing.blogspot.com.

Fantasy Report: Sylvania 300

It is finally here. The Chase for the Cup starts this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to crown the next NASCAR champion. Anything is possible but I don’t see the trophy going to anyone other than Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards or Jimmie Johnson. With Busch being strong at almost every track it is going to be hard to take the top spot away from him. Enough with speculation let's look at our picks.

Erik's picks:

Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann and Scott Riggs.

Brandon's picks:

Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and David Reutimann

Every point counts: It is late in the fantasy season and every point counts. Even a few points from qualifying can move closer to the competitor ahead of you. If you want some possible qualifying points consider putting Ryan Newman on your roster. He has a total of four poles and holds the qualifying record at New Hampshire.

Where they start: I try to stick with the drivers I believe are strongest at a particular track regardless of there starting position. I might look at that differently this week. Fourteen of the last twenty-seven victories have been won from a top ten starting position. If you have a driver that qualifies high it might be wise to stick with them even if they might not be high in the standings.

Tonight's Top 12 list

To kick off this year's chase, just like last year, the 12 drivers involved in the playoff went to New York City. One of their stops included The Late Show with David Letterman.

This isn't the first year they've done this. See below for past year's lists.

Here is the Top 12 list ... Top 12 perks of being a NASCAR driver



From 2006 (when it was just 10 drivers.)



From 2007 (the list starts around 2:29)



And this has nothing to do with the Chase, but it's Dale Earnhardt doing the Top 10 list after his first Daytona 500 win.

Fantasy Report: Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Saturday night will determine those who make the Chase. You can bet that those right outside the top 12 will be on a mission. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton have already clinched a spot in the Chase. It will be interesting to see how far some, specifically Clint Bowyer, David Ragan and Kasey Kahne, will be willing to push it to get a shot at a championship. Our picks:

Brandon’s picks:
Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards✔, David Ragan✔, Greg Biffle✔, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, AJ Allmendinger✔ and Joey Logano.

Erik’s picks:
Jimmie Johnson✔, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle✔, Jamie McMurray✔, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Travis Kvapil✔ and Scott Riggs.

Good finishers: Busch has the best overall finish of any driver at Richmond — you can bet that he'll be one to watch Saturday even though he's never been to victory lane here. Johnson, who swept both races last year, and Denny Hamlin, who led most of the laps this spring and has 2 wins here, could really give Kyle a run for his money. Don't forget how well Carl Edwards has done this year. Jeff Gordon has 3 wins here but I'm reluctant to put him in these days. He's had 5 poles and 2 wins here in the past but has been awfully unpredictable this year. Don't forget that you can put Martin in this weekend. He's had lots of success at Richmond.

Play it safe: Don't forget that we're getting closer and closer to the end of the season. Don't take any wild chances at this point unless you're like the first place guy in our league and have a commanding lead. The only chance I'm taking is possibly putting Ragan in. He's a young relative-newcomer and trying desperately to get into the Chase. However, he seems seasoned beyond his years and I think that he can handle the pressure ... assuming he doesn't start racing with Bowyer, who won in the spring.

Of note: The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 will mark Joey Logano's first Cup race — assuming he qualifies. I didn't notice him when first picking my drivers because he was at the very bottom of the C list. I decided to replace Reutimann with him. There's no telling how he'll do but if he qualifies well I'm going to give him a shot. This goes against my idea of 'playing it safe' but this kid has proven himself in other series. Keep an eye out for Joey in the #02 Home Depot car to shake things up.

Good luck and stay out of the wall!

Fantasy Report: Pepsi 500

In week two of the 2008 season Carl Edwards found victory lane at Auto Club Speedway. He did it again last week with an exciting bump and run finish at Bristol. With Edwards in the spotlight there are a few questions that will soon be answered. Can Edwards keep building on his solid late season run with a third straight win? What of the newly formed Busch/Edwards rivalry? Only time will tell but it makes NASCAR even more compelling at this point of the season.

Erik’s picks:
Jimmie Johnson✔, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle ✔, Jamie McMurray ✔, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Travis Kvapil✔ and Scott Riggs.

Brandon’s picks:
Carl Edwards✔, Jimmie Johnson, David Ragan✔, Martin Truex Jr.✔, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, AJ Allmendinger✔ and Aric Almirola.

IN THE CHASE?: After last week's disappointing finish at Bristol Dale Earnhardt Jr. seems even more motivated to make a statement this week at Fontana. With a strong finish Jr. will be able to lock up his spot in The Chase. Look for a strong run from the 88 team in order to secure that spot and tie up some loose ends in order to make a run for his first championship.

ROUSH AND HENDRICK: Consider putting in any of the Roush or Hendrick teams. Both of these teams have each won six races at Fontana. That is more than any of the other organizations in NASCAR. Also keep an eye on Jeff Burton. He has some experience being one of the few drivers to drive in all of the sixteen races at Auto Club Speedway.

NASCAR puts Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards on probation

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – NASCAR placed Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards on probation Wednesday for the next six Sprint Cup Series races, the result of their on-track incident last weekend at the end of the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

During the cooldown lap after Edwards' Ford took the checkered flag for Roush Fenway Racing, Busch drove alongside Edwards and bumped his car. Edwards responded by driving the nose of his car into the right side of Busch's Toyota, spinning him out.

The postrace incident was apparently a reaction to Edwards nudging Busch aside with 30 laps to go Saturday night. Busch had led the previous 415 laps.

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Watch the incident: