Looking Ahead to California Speedway, By Looking Back At Daytona- Fantasy Follow

Surprise Top 10

We've looked at the big stuff, now lets look at the smaller things we overlooked, post Daytona.

Q) Any idea what team finished with the most engines in the Top 10.

A) Gillett Evernham Motorsports

Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon finished in the 6th, 7th and 8th spots respectively in the finishing order of the Daytona 500. While all of the hype (including from us) has gone to great job done by the Penske, and Gibbs' drivers, and the flop the Hendrik cars had, the Gillett Evernham engines have gone under the radar.

Sadler and Kahne are both drivers signed with Gillett Evernham, and we learned a few weeks ago that Robby Gordon Motorsports had signed a technical manufacturing and marketing services agreement with Gillett Evernham. For all the talk that the Penske and Gibbs drivers got for their teamwork and helping each other, many over looked the quiet success that the Gillett Evernham drivers had We predicted earlier that the three drivers could team up together to help each other on the track, and it looks like that is what happened here.

Fantasy Impact

Keep an eye on these three. Perhaps the move to the Gillett Evernham engines will help Robby Gordon more than we first thought. He is a bottom tier driver, and could be a bottom bargain driver to plug in. At worst, as we said earlier, he is a road course stud, and Daytona was just a fluke. Ignore the Robby Gordon infraction and penalty doled out by NASCAR. The penalty had nothing to do with the car he was racing on the track, it stemmed from a prerace inspection that took place more than a week before the race.

Kasey Kahne underachieved greatly last season, and is looking to bounce back, and make a run for the Chase to the Championship. Elliott Sadler... he had a nice beard.


Reed on the Rise

We predicted that Reed Sorenson would make the leap and become a Chase driver this season. Sorenson would finish 5th in the Daytona 500, and is off to a good start. His team didn't do a great job of helping him out, which could be a cause for concern going forward. Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti finished 32 and 33 respectively and will need to contribute more to Chip Ganassi racing stable if they Sorenson plans to be a real contender this season.


Who we like this week at the California Speedway

Kurt Busch has won the pole in 3 of the last 4 races at California Speedway, and after his strong finish last week look for him to have continued success and a strong race

Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson should both bounce back this week, and have strong top 10 finishes. Johnson won here last season, and I just cannot see the Hendrik cars struggling again like they did last week.

Matt Kenseth has 8 top 10 finishes at California Speedway, to g along with 2 wins in the last 4 races there. This could be just the tonic Kenseth needs to rebound after a 36th place finish at Daytona.


Lower Guys With Good Value

Fantasy NASCAR players will tell you that it doesn't really matter who your top drivers are, they will finish pretty close together by the end of the race. The difference will come in the lower ranked drivers you choose to start. A top 15 is much different than a 32 place finish. This is why we are going to try to highlight some drivers who most wouldn't think of, and we feel could make or break your week.

Sam Hornish Jr. finished a surprising 15th at Daytona, and has gone under the radar because his Penske teammates faired so much better in week 1. Obviously Hornish is not a guy who you would want to carry your fantasy NASCAR team, but I think as a cheap, 3rd tier driver, he will do just fine.
Brian Vickers- *Sleeper Lock* had a finishing average inside the top 20 in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He took a step back last season with a finishing average outside of the top 25. He had a strong start to his 2008 season finishing 12th at Daytona, and looks to build on that success at the California Speedway. Despite his struggles last season, California Speedway was one of the few places he did see success with a 10th and 8th place finishes in his starts there last season. He is probably your best bet this week based his success in prior seasons and early success this season.

Scott Riggs, finished 21, and is a consistent pick to finish in the top 25. He won't win many races, but as a lower tier you could do much worse. Again, Riggs' best attribute is that he is consistent.

David Ruetimann's 18th place finish was easy to overlook, but its rather impressive when you take into account he started 42! I have never been a huge fan Ruetimann, but his 24 improvement from start to finish cannot be ignored. He might be a decent option this week

Daytona 500 Recap: Teamwork Beats Talent

With all the hype heading into Sunday's Daytona 500 surrounding Joe Gibbs Racing and the unstoppable force that is Hendrick Motorsports, everyone forgot about the talented stable of drivers held by Penske Racing. By lap 499, everyone remembered the names of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, when they managed to hold off Gibbs' Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch, who had dominated most of the race.

In a scene reminiscent of the New York Giants SuperBowl victory, it was teamwork that beat talent. It was lap 499, and millions watched as Kurt Busch was willing teammate Ryan Newman to victory. Kurt Busch, who at one point was at the back of the pack. Ryan Newman who has always been a solid driver, but has yet to enter the status of racing's elite, and who hadn't entered Victory Lane since 2005, showed the world what teamwork on the track can do.

When the race started a lot of the hype surrounded Hendrick Racing and its Big 3 of Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. As the race wore on, Gordon bowed out because of a problem with his suspension, and by the time he retook the track was too far behind to be a factor. Jimmy Johnson, got caught up in a wreck on lap 176 and was put out of contention, leaving Hendrick with Earnhardt and Casey Mears, who is not an elite driver, but can still do some racing out on the track. It seemed like the two drivers would try to work together, until Mears crashed on lap 195, and Earnhardt was left alone with no friends left on the track.

In the middle of the race, it was Kyle Busch who proved to be the dominant car, leading a total of 81 of the 200 laps at Daytona. There was constant talking between Busch and teammate Tony Stewart about strategy, how their cars were doing and how the track was feeling. Busch was looking good until he slid across the end of his pit stall on lap 181 and restarted 9th. He and Tony Stewart would make a go of it at the end battling the two Penske drivers for Daytona supremacy, but came up short.

Over the course of the last 3 laps, Stewart was indeed the fastest car on the track, but the Penske team had the fastest two cars on the track. Kyle Busch had used up most of what his car had left, making up for his mistake on pit row and didn't have enough car left in the end to help Stewart over come Busch and Newman.

With the Car of Tomorrow being used in all of the Cup races this season,we can expect to see a lot more finishes like the one we did in Daytona. Solidarity and an understanding of what a team needs to do to win will lead a team to success. Look for Hendrik Motorsports to rebound in the weeks to come, they have too much talent to struggle like they did on Sunday. Expect to see Joe Gibbs racing continue their strong start. Denny Hamlin struggled today, and Gibbs Racing still had 2 of the top 4 drivers in the race. Penske racing also should continue to be a solid team, as they have in the past. The best part about Daytona is that is showed that perhaps this season won't be the cake walk many expected for Hendrik Motorsports. As we predicted here earlier, Joe Gibbs racing will be in it at the end, and more surprisingly it looks like Penske might be there also.

Things We Learned at the Budweiser Shootout

1) Hendrick Still Dominates the Car Of Tomorrow

Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have won the race, and Tony Stewart might have finished in second, but that is not the big news. The big news was that Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears finished third, fourth and sixth respectively. That means that Hendrick cars took four of the top six spots in the field. After having extended time in the off season to continue research and development on the COT, Hendrick has shown to still have a huge advantage, and to be light years ahead of the rest of the field when racing NASCAR's new car.

2) The move to Toyota Won't Kill Gibbs' Season

After a less than news worth rookie season, many wondered why Joe Gibbs Racing would make the move to Toyata cars in the 2008 season. Some thought the move would hurt their ability to compete, with other elite teams like Hendrick and Penske. In the first unofficial race of the season, team Gibbs has gone a long way to squaching those worries. With Tony Stewart taking second and Denny Hamlin finishing ninth, the Gibbs Toyota showed that not only can the Toyota be competitive, but it can win a race too.

3) Reed Sorenson To Compete for the Chase

Entering his third season in the Cup Circuit, Sorenson knows it is time for himself and his teammates at Chip Ganassi racing to step up, and start winning. Sorenson showed he is ready by finishing fifth in the Budweiser Shootout. Sorenson does have two experienced drivers on his side, in Juan Montoya and Dario Franchitti. The problem is they have one season of stock car racing between them and both have some learning to do when it comes to NASCAR racing. Juan Montoya is entering his second season as a NASCAR driver, and showed both flashes of brilliance and mediocrity in his rookie year. While Franchitti is a rookie, he brings with him the bravado of being the reigning Indy 500 winner, along with the experience of a 34 year old racer.

4) We Have Not Seen the End of Stewart V. Busch

The problem with Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch is that they are both similar drivers. Winner take all mentalities, who get frustrated when not winning and struggle to keep their composure when they have to come from behind. Their competitiveness often gets the better of them on the track and these two now have gone at it a couple of times dating back to last season. This time reports are that the run in ended with Stewart punching Busch in the NASCAR trailer. Both have been warned to stay away from each other on the track, but over the course of a 36 week season, thats impossible.

The only thing that could put an end to this whole feud is if Stewart's new teammate, and Kurt's brother, Kyle Busch steps in and plays mediator for the two.

5) Mark Martin is Immortal

There are three constants in life. Death, Taxes and Mark Martin. Change teams, change motors, change cars, change rules, and Mark Martin will drive, and finish in the top 10. Martin finished 8th in the Budweiser Shootout, once again reminding everyone not to forget about him and what he can do on the track. He will race in a scaled back schedule, like he did last season, and will probably still be a force every time he takes he track.

Robby Gordon To Run Gillett Evernham Motorsports Engines

NASCAR's most successful single car team is leaving Ford and will be driving a Dodge next season. Robby Gordon Motorsports signed a technical, manufacturing and marketing services agreement with Gillett Evernham Motorsports on Friday, in an attempt to help the single car team not only remain competitive, but become more competitive as NASCAR moves to the Car of Tomorrow full time in 2008.
In 2007, while the COT was still used on a part time basis, a lot of teams (both small and large) struggled to find consistency. Going into next season, expect those bigger teams with more money to spend on Research and Development, to find a groove earlier in the season with the COT. Moving to Gillett Evernham Motorsports gives Robby Gordon Motorsports the opportunity to have the same RAD advantages that larger teams have.

FANTASY FALLOUT

Robby Gordon is not going to become a Chase driver any time soon, but this is a move that does help his fantasy value out. Gordon's biggest strength as a fantasy driver is when he can be used as a stop-gap guy on a road course. He is by far one of the better options when it comes to road track racing, not matter what team or car he is driving. After that he doesn't have too much value on a week to week basis.

Another advantage is that while Gordon won't be a member of the Gillett Evernham Motorsports team per se, it does give him a few more allies out there on the track, that he did not have before. Kasey Kahne, and Elliott Sadler are both very fine drivers, and if push comes to shove, I am willing to bet the three of them wind up helping each other out on the track more than they hurt each other.

Busch Looks Strong in Gibbs Debut: Fantasy Implications

Kyle Busch posted the fastest testing lap time at Daytona International Speedway to conclude the three day event. This shows the Toyota cars can hang with the big boys. Following a season where the Toyota's posted mostly mediocre finishes, this looks to be a positive step forward in their attempts to hang with the big boys at Chevy, and Dodge.

Fantasy Implications

This is a strong message for Joe Gibbs Racing and their drivers, "Don't worry about the cars." I am sure there were many worries about Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin this season because of the car switch. Now it looks like, both should be fine this season, and expect Kyle Busch to be extra motivated to stick it to his former teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, after being blackballed out of the organization last season.

Joe Gibbs Will Win The Big One in 2008

Don't be fooled by the title of the article, we all know Joe Gibbs NFL football coach has retired. But most of us seem to forget that Joe Gibbs NASCAR team owner is alive and well. Gibbs heads into the 2008 season with arguably the best stable of drivers in all of NASCAR.
The Gibbs racing staff is anchored by two time Cup winner Tony Stewart. Stewart's fire and fierce competitiveness make him, not only a perennial Cup favorite, but also one of the most talented racers in the entire world. Most of the time, Stewart's worst enemy is himself. He gets frustrated easily behind the wheel, and is prone to making overly aggressive moves that at best irk other drivers and at worst are a constant safety hazard.

Flanking him are two of the most talented, young racers in all of NASCAR in Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Formerly of Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Busch enters Joe Gibbs racing with an already very impressive NASCAR resume. Entering his fourth season as a full time Cup driver, Busch's brash, aggressive driving style often rubs other drivers the wrong way. Busch has been called everything from immature, to down right reckless at times on the racetrack. He has often been accused of not following some of the unwritten rules of NASCAR etiquette on the racetrack. It was probably these things that fueled Hendrick Motorsports, to replacement him with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Denny Hamlin, on the other hand is more laid back and certainly doesn't have the reputation of his counter part. Hamlin, entering only his third full season as a Cup driver, and has already made it to the Race for the Chase championship twice. He certainly will once again be a formidable driver once again this season for the Joe Gibbs Racing team.

The biggest problem the Joe Gibbs Racing will face in 2008 is Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports, certainly had one of the most dominating seasons in NASCAR history. It wasn't enough for Hendrick to boast Cup champs Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon on their roster, they proved to be light years ahead in the research and development of the Car of Tomorrow. Add to that the addition of the aforementioned Earnhardt Jr. and one would figure that a Hendrick driver would be a shoe in for a repeat Cup championship.

Aside from the obvious challenges that may arise from Hendrick Motorsports, the other major Gibbs Racing roadblock on the way to the Cup will be their switch to using Toyota cars. The Toyota made its debut last season as a Cup car, and it proved to be mediocre at best. The cars didn't have many catastrophic failures, like the DEI cars did, instead they were just consistently mediocre. Despite all this, I find it hard to believe the Gibbs racing team (that is in constant competition for a championship) would move to a car they found to be unreliable, or just a substandard product in general. If they are putting their trust in the Toyota product, they must know the car must be built well enough to help them contend for a championship.

This is why I believe the influence and calming leadership of Joe Gibbs will have to be the difference maker, in order to the Gibbs Racing drivers to fulfill their full potential. There is certainly a lot of attitude and competitiveness with Stewart and Busch, and Denny Hamlin will go into next season as hungry as ever. This could be the perfect recipe for disaster, if Joe Gibbs wasn't the chef stirring the pot. Gibbs showed last season how much his drivers respect him when Stewart and Hamlin were having serious issues with each other, following an ill fated crash that Stewart blamed Hamlin for causing. It seemed the two drivers would be more a collision course than a course to a championship. But then Joe Gibbs showed up, and defused the situation to the point that the two drivers were seen laughing and rough housing after the meeting. I feel the combination of Joe Gibbs reasserting himself as the boss and the off season to fine tune necessary changes to their Car of Tomorrow car, should propel a Joe Gibbs driver to the top seed of the Cup championship next season.