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 didn't last long, did it? After a couple of weeks of setbacks, Kyle Busch got back to winning ways, doing so at the road course event at Infineon Raceway in California. Once Kyle grabbed the lead from Juan Pablo Montoya, there was no looking back the rest of the way.
That makes Kyle Busch a winner of five Sprint Cup races this year and 11 in all in NASCAR's top three series (Nationwide, Truck Series). It all but seems this is Kyle's season, but still, there is a long way to go.
Next up is the 300-lap race at the relatively flat New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
Denny Hamlin is the defending champion after holding off a challenge and a bit of a bump from Jeff Gordon down the stretch. Hamlin used a two-tire final pit stop strategy that paid off.
Jeff Burton leads all drivers with four wins at New Hampshire, including the fall race in 2000 when he led all 300 laps wire-to-wire.
There are other several notables who perform or have performed well at Loudon, with Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch as the only drivers to complete season sweeps at the track. Johnson turned the trick in 2003 and Kurt in 2004.
Only four drivers have competed in all 26 races held at New Hampshire -- Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
The 1.058-mile oval opened in 1990, with the first race being a Nationwide event on July 15. The first Sprint Cup race was held on July 11, 1993.
For those considering manufacturers when making lineups, make note that Chevrolet has won 12 New Hampshire races, including five of the last six. Also keep in mind that Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have each won six races -- more than any other team.
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
Denny Hamlin, $238,750: Averages a finish of 6.5 in his four starts at New Hampshire. Hamlin has one win, three top-10s and his worst finish is still a respectable 15th. he has led in three of the four races at the track. That should make Hamlin a good option in Fantasy lineups for this race.
Jeff Gordon, $243,906: Loudon is a track where Gordon has generally performed well. He has not finished lower than 25th in the last 10 races at the track and was a runner-up in both events last year. Gordon has won here three times in his career and placed in the top five on 12 occassions. His average finish is 9.8, which is only second-best to Hamlin among active drivers, but consider that Hamlin has fewer starts. Gordon should be good for a top result this week.
Martin Truex Jr., $203,906: His statistics are not quite as good as Hamlin's, but they are good enough to be given consideration for lineups this week. Truex was third and fifth in the two stops at Loudon last year, which are significant improvements from fairly respectable 18th and 22nd from his first two starts in 2006.
Ryan Newman, $208,125: He is usually on at New Hampshire, or so the numbers during his career seem to indicate. Newman had top 10s in both races last season (10th, 9th). He also scored two wins, five top-fives and nine top 10s in 12 races. His only blemishes at Loudon are a 33rd in 2004 and a 39th in 2006. Other than that and a fairly acceptable price makes him a positive candidate in Fantasy lineups for this race.
Matt Kenseth, $220,625: Kenseth has been very consistent throughout his career at New Hampshire. His statistics clearly show that. In the last 10 races he has not finished lower than 14th, which includes four top-fives and five other results in the top 10. Although he has no wins to show for at the track, his positive results and a 10.5 average finish makes Kenseth one of the better options for lineups this week.
J.J. Yeley, $94,615: Sure, he's a long shot and a driver few might consider for their lineups, but this might be a good week to take a look at Yeley. His average finish at Loudon is not spectacular, but it is a decent 17.2 in his five starts. Those five results are 8th, 10th, 12th, 22nd and 34th. That's not too bad, and the price for him this week is even better.
Kurt Busch, $175,625: It's his pretty fair price that makes Kurt somewhat appealing for this race, and also some of his past results. Kurt has won back-to-back in 2004 and also has a pair of second-place finishes at Loudon. But he has struggled to come up with something good in the last five starts, none better than 19th. It might be time for a break!
Overpriced value
Greg Biffle, $240,468: We'll consider Biffle's value a little too high this week for just an average finish of 19th at New Hampshire. While he's had three top-fives here, Biffle also has finishes of 27th or worse in five other races.
Jamie McMurray, $177,500: His best result was fifth at Loudon back in 2004, but he also finished 40th twice, as well as 33rd and 29th. Such results gives him an average finish of 20th in 10 career starts at New Hampshire.
Elliott Sadler, $154,062: Even though he has finished in the top 10 four times at Loudon, Sadler has been no more than mediocre at the track. He has finished 20th or lower nine times, including the 33rd and 38th finishes in the two races last season.
David Stremme, $135,000: The 27th and 42nd finishes from last season are not encouraging at all for Stremme this week. Looking at the price, he might not be that expensive, but lineups can be worked around him for the race.
David Gilliland, $177,031: Three starts and three poor results at New Hampshire for Gilliland. A 28th was his best showing in this race last year. He followed that with a 39th in the fall race. His first race was a 36th place finish.
Dave Blaney, $141,500: Has posted one too many finishes of 25th or lower at Loudon -- 10 to be specific in 16 races. That gives him an average finish of 25th. Last year he placed 29th and 35th.
| 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 Loudon finish | Salary |
| Denny Hamlin (No. 11, Toyota) | 1st | $238,750 |
| Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1, Chevrolet) | 3rd | $203,906 |
| Jeff Gordon (No. 24, Chevrolet) | 2nd | $243,906 |
| Ryan Newman (No. 12, Dodge) | 10th | $208,125 |
| J.J. Yeley (No. 96, Toyota) | 22nd | $ 94,615 |
| Total salaries | $989,302 |
Next race: Daytona 400 -- Daytona International Speedway -- July 5
