The Pit Stop is the essential guide to setting your Fantasy Racing lineup for the upcoming week. We provide you with pertinent news and roster management advice during every race week. It took 40 races, but Toyota finally got its first Sprint Cup victory thanks to a fine performance by Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He led eight times for 173 laps and actually made it an even better weekend for Toyota by also winning the Truck Series race on Friday.
Tony Stewart made it a 1-2 finish for Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, even though he was irate and complained about the poor performance of the Goodyear tires.
The win was the first in NASCAR by a foreign manufacturer since Al Keller drove a Jaguar to a road course win in Linden, New Jersey, in June 1954.
Busch now has five career wins. The circuit also happens to move to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for the Food City 500, which coincidently happens to be the track where Kyle captured his last victory before Sunday. He is the defending champion at the track where he scored his first career short track win.
Carl Edwards also looked strong at Atlanta before his transmission gave out and so did Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished a solid third.
In last year's spring stop at Bristol, Kyle Busch led 29 laps to take the checkered flag. Stewart actually led the most laps, with 257, and had the car to beat until he no longer had fuel pump pressure on Lap 292. Stewart ended up finishing 35th.
Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers with five wins each at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Driver Stockwatch
Here's a list of drivers expected to produce better or worse than their salaries indicate on the coming track. Prices are derived from the
CBS Sports.com Fantasy Racing Challenge:Best value
Jeff Gordon, $161,666: He is still at a good value considering he is a pretty good driver on short tracks, particularly at Bristol, where he has the five wins. Gordon averages a 5.5 start and 11.7 finish in 30 career races at this popular speedway where he has led a massive 2,437 laps. He is usually a good bet at Bristol; finished third and ninth last year.
Greg Biffle, $280,833: One would say the money is somewhat expensive, which is true, but if you want a driver who has not finished lower than 22nd in 10 races at Bristol, one who averages a 10th place finish in those starts, and one who was fifth in this race last year and 10th in the autumn stop at the track, then Biffle is worth spending your money on.
Kurt Busch, $215,000: Just like Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch has figured out this short track a little better than some of the other drivers. Kurt at one time had won three in a row here and has five victories in all. He averages a 14th place finish in 14 races which is pretty good by anyone's standard.
Kyle Busch, $316,666: Even though he is this expensive, he might be worth the risk at Bristol. That's because he has scored four top-10 finishes in the last four races at Bristol, which is the longest current streak for all drivers. Those results were first and ninth last year and eighth and second in 2006. Kyle is the defending champion and also is coming off a good win at Atlanta.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., $225,833: Junior is a driver to watch at Bristol after taking a look at his results here. He has scored 12 top-15 finishes in his last 13 races at Bristol, including seventh in this race last year and fifth in the second visit. He averages an 11.7 finish in 16 starts.
Carl Edwards, $334,166: Indeed a very high price, the most expensive actually. But sometimes you have to spend money to get results and here's why some might want to go for Edwards again this week -- won last fall, 12th in this race, seventh and fourth in 2006 for his last four results at this speedway.
Clint Bowyer,$159,166: He might be able to follow his good run in Atlanta (6th) with another one at Bristol. Bowyer has finished eighth and third in the two events here last season. That means his team should have the right setup figured out at least to some degree.
Jamie McMurray, $154,166: Not too bad for a driver who has finished in the top 10 four times at the track. McMurray was ninth in this race last year. He did fade a bit in the fall event to 26th.
Casey Mears, $107,500: Call it a long shot for a possible decent result, mostly based on his 10th place finish from last spring. If he uses a similar car like last year and gets the breaks during the race, then why not?
Overpriced value
Bobby Labonte, $200,000: Consider this amount a bit too high for Labonte at Bristol. He has finished 16th or worse in seven of the past nine races at this track.
Ryan Newman, $300,000: That's too much money for a driver who has placed 30th or lower in three of the past six races in Bristol. He finished 39th in this event last season.
Martin Truex Jr., $234,166: This sum would be better spent on another driver this weekend. Why? Well, because he has not scored a top-10 finish in his four races at Bristol. In the spring he has been even worst than the fall, with showings of 38th and 37th. That pretty much says it all.
Elliott Sadler, $231,666: Give him credit for finishing consistently in the high 20s here last year if that's the kind of results you're looking for. Sadler was 27th in March and 29th in late August. Surely you can find another driver for this kind of money.
Tony Stewart, $220,833: While Stewart does have one career win at Bristol way back in 2001, he has posted just one top-10 finish in the past four races. The 35th place finish from last March is not all that encouraging. This will be his 325th Cup start.
Jimmie Johnson, $210,833: He has had a bit of a shaky start to the season, nothing like the championship material from last year. Johnson has collected only one top 10 in the last five Bristol races. He averages a mediocre 16th finish in 12 races.
Kyle Petty, $72,500: See if you can choose another inexpensive driver instead of Petty. In 48 career starts at Bristol he has no wins, has just a pair of top-five finishes and averages a 20.6 finish.
Brian Vickers, $215,000: In seven races at the short track, Vickers has not broken into the top 10. His best result was 12th in 2004 and his average finish is 25th.
| T H E P I T S T O P S T A R T I N G F I V E |
| Beat the Expert! Staying within the $1,000,000 parameters set in the 2008 CBS Sports.com Fantasy Racing Challenge, here are the picks for this week's best lineup for the money: |
| Driver | 2007 Bristol finish | Salary |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88, Chevrolet) | 7th | $256,875 |
| Matt Kenseth (No. 17, Ford) | 11th | $218,750 |
| Jeff Gordon (No. 24, Chevrolet) | 3rd | $202,500 |
| Jamie McMurray (No. 26, Ford) | 9th | $123,750 |
| Clint Bowyer (No. 07, Chevrolet) | 8th | $197,500 |
| Total salaries | $999,375 |
Next race: Goody's Cool Orange 500 -- Martinsville Speedway -- March 16
