Fantasy Report: UAW-Dodge 400

Here are this week's picks for Las Vegas UAW-Dodge 400:

Erik's picks: Matt Kenseth✔, Jimmie Johnson , Kyle Busch✔, Greg Biffle✔, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs✔ and Brian Vickers.

Brandon's picks: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth✔, Ryan Newman✔, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle✔, Bobbie Labonte, Brian Vickers and Scott Riggs✔.

Drivers to watch:

• Safe pick: Selecting a fantasy driver each week can be a risky and sometimes tedious task. This week is no different but one driver sticks out as a safe bet. Jimmie Johnson. He is going for a record four wins in a row in UAW-Dodge 400 this weekend at Las Vegas. Even if he does not win on Sunday it is a good chance that he will finish in the top 10 and bring in some valuable fantasy points.

• Middle of the road: If you are looking for a potentially safe B driver this week Greg Biffle could prove to be of use to your fantasy team. In his last two starts at Las Vegas he has finished 8th and 16th. He also qualified on the pole at this race in 2006. If his luck continues in the UAW-Dodge 400 he could find himself with a top 10 finish.

• Dark horse to win: After a disappointing forty-first place finish at Fontana it will be interesting to see how Denny Hamlin responds this week. In his past two races at Las Vegas Hamlin has finished 3rd and 10th. If he gets his season back on track this week he could be the first to bring home a win for Gibbs Racing.

'That was completely inappropriate'

A poll on the NASCAR Web site asked fans to pick their favorite commercial from the Daytona 500 broadcast.

Taking the checkered flag was this gem from Toyota and the Joe Gibbs team:



My favorite part? When Tony Stewart hurls his helmet at the 20 car. Priceless.

"Super Dario"

HBO's Real Sports With Bryan Gumbel recently did a segment on Dario Franchitti. I listened to it on the show's podcast. It's interesting to here the Scott with an Italian name talk about his thoughts on switching from IRL to Cup, his hot wife and how he got started.
At the very least, I've been introduced to one of the "rookies. "

"Auto Museums in the Deep South"

The New York Times just did a short piece on Auto Museums in the Deep South. Among those listed:

Alabama

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Leeds, Ala. 35094
International Motorsports Hall Of Fame, Talladega, Ala.
Mercedes-Benz Usa, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Arkansas

The Museum Of Automobiles, Morrilton, Ark.

Louisiana

Ark-La-Tex Antique & Classic Vehicle Museum, Shreveport, La.

Mississippi

Tupelo Automobile Museum, Tupelo, Miss.

Oklahoma

Muscle Car Ranch, Chickasha, Okla.
Townsend's Classic And Antique Auto Museum, Shawnee, Okla.

Texas

Central Texas Museum Of Automotive History, Smithville, Tex.
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Tex.
Pate Museum Of Transportation, Fort Worth, Tex.
Petroleum Museum Chaparral Gallery, Midland, Tex.

Before I debate whether Oklahoma is in the "Deep South," I would add to the list The BMW Zentrum in Spartanburg, S.C.
They've got all of the details on the NYT site.

The Times did an article in 2006 with more museums called "Auto Museums in the Land of Nascar."

Florida

Elliott Museum, Hutchinson Island, Stuart, Fla.
Don Garlits Museum Of Drag Racing, Ocala, Fla.
Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Sarasota Classic Car Museum, Sarasota, Fla.
Tallahassee Antique Car Museum, Tallahassee, Fla.
Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, Pinellas Park, Fla.

Georgia

Stone Mountain Antique Car And Treasure Museum, Stone Mountain, Ga.
The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum, Madison, Ga. 30650.

Kentucky

National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, Ky.

North Carolina

Hendrick Motorsports Museum, Charlotte, N.C.
Richard Childress Racing Museum, Welcome, N.C.
G. Grier Beam Truck Museum, Cherryville, N. C.
Kelly’s Classic Auto Museum, Pinebluff, N.C.
Wheels Through Time Museum, Waynesville, N.C.

South Carolina

Bmw Zentrum, Spartanburg, S. C.
The Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum/ N.M.P.A. Hall Of Fame, Darlington, S.C.

Tennessee

Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum, Sevierville, Tenn.
Lane Motor Museum, Nashville.
Smoky Mountain Car Museum, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Virginia

Car & Carriage Caravan Museum At Luray Caverns, Luray, Va.
Roaring Twenties Antique Car Museum, Hood, Va.
Virginia Museum Of Transportation, Roanoke, Va.

Anyone ever been to any of these? I've been to the IMHOF before and it was a neat trip. I am surprised there is not some kind of museum at all of the big tracks.

Fantasy Report: Auto Club 500

After an exciting Daytona 500 the haulers headed to the California Speedway.

It can be said that it is difficult to choose drivers that will prevail for most races — this one is no exception.

Brandon's picks: Jeff Gordon✔, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman✔, Kyle Busch✔, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers✔ and David Reutimann.

Erik's picks: Jimmy Johnson✔, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch✔, Kasey Kahne✔, Reed Sorenson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers✔ and David Reutimann.

It is a 2-mile track with 14° of banking in the turns and you can expect drivers that excel at speedways to continue that trend this weekend. However, with the COT it seems like anything can happen as was evident in Daytona.

Now that we've all got a look at how drivers may perform in 2008 the selection process becomes a little easier because some of the guessing is over. Dale Jr. is going to be strong this year — as is Toyota. Nevermind Hendrick Motorsports' shoddy finishes at Daytona ... they're not going to go away.

Good luck!

It's Newman Time

By the way here is Ryan Newman's media schedule for the next few days according to his fan club site. Fame has its price, and his will be paid in the hours of sleep he will miss ... but I bet he wouldn't trade it for anything.

• MONDAY:
  7:20 a.m. - Fox & Friends (National TV)
  7:42 a.m. - Mike & Mike in the Morning (radio/TV)
  8 a.m. - No. 12 Alltel Dodge inducted into Daytona 500 Experience
  Various Radio and TV at the induction
  11:30 p.m. ET - Late Night with David Letterman
• TUESDAY:
  9 a.m. ET - LIVE with Regis & Kelly
  Various NY media, Radio Media tour, NASCAR Teleconference
  3:30-6:30 p.m. ET - Ryan will be doing various shows for ESPN which will air that night. Ryan will also be the host of NASCAR Now on ESPN on Tuesday night.
• WEDNESDAYS:
  AM - Various California media
  PM - Best Damn Sports Show

He is in Daytona at 8 a.m. and then in N.Y. tonight doing a show. Tuesday he's got ESPN stuff which could be in Bristol, Conn. or I guess they could move the NASCAR Now set to California. Either way he's got some traveling to do.

Rooting against the little guy

I was lucky enough to go to the Master's in Augusta, Ga., last spring where I noticed a strange thing about the way I root for sports. I felt the same thing yesterday watching the race at Daytona.

In most sports I root for the little guys. I hate the Yankees and I go against the Cowboys and Notre Dame and Duke and the Lakers. I found myself rooting against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I love seeing the Colorado Rockies go to the World Series or see App. State upset Michigan. Every March I always jump on some mid-major school's bandwagon in the NCAA basketball tournament. But at the Master's I was disappointed when Zach Johnson won and Tiger or Phil or one of the other superstars didn't.

I felt the same way yesterday. Not that Ryan Newman is a slouch (12 Cup wins but 0 since 2005 before Sunday) but I found myself disappointed that Stewart or Junior or Gordon or Johnson or one of the big superstars didn't win. It was the 50th Daytona 500 for crying out loud! It got me to wondering why do I root for the big boys with major events in PGA and Cup when I root for the little guys everywhere else?

Did anyone else feel this way yesterday?