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's back to Daytona International Speedway for some night racing Saturday night at the Coke Zero 400, the third restrictor-plate race of the season.
Obviously this is the second stop at the famous track after the season-opener Daytona 500 in February won by Ryan Newman. This shorter race last year was won by Jamie McMurray -- shorter because it consists of only 160 laps for 400 miles compared to the 500 which is 200 laps.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked pretty good and had some quality equipment in February when he won the Bud Shootout and one of the Gatorade qualifying races before finishing a respectable ninth in the Daytona 500. Junior also ran well in the other restrictor plate race at Talladega (10th).
There are a number of drivers who perform well at Daytona, with Jeff Gordon highlighting the active drivers with six wins. Tony Stewart also has two wins and has led 531 laps in 19 races at Daytona. Stewart finished third in February.
Looking back on last weekend's race at New Hampshire, Kurt Busch added his name to the winner's list this year using good strategy and also having some luck in taking the checkered flag at the rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301. The rain forced the race to be called 17 laps short and under red flag. It was the 18th career win for Kurt.
The Penske Racing driver won his first race since last September at California Speedway. Kurt has not had much reason to celebrate this season, but for a second place result in February in the Daytona 500.
Kurt's younger brother and points leader Kyle Busch was involved in a late-race incident with Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian driver slammed into Kyle and was assessed a two-lap penalty for rough driving. Montoya eventually finished 32nd, while Kyle placed 25th.
The sense is that there might more to come from these two with plenty of races to go this season. Keep an eye on this little rivalry developing.
The first Sprint Cup race at Daytona was a 100-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1959. Lights were installed in the spring of 1998.
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
Dale Earnhardt Jr., $270,882: Junior has more positive results than negative at Daytona and he's generally good for a top 10 result at the track. He averages a 13.9 finish in 17 starts which includes two wins, one runner-up and three third-place finishes. Even though he is quite expensive, Junior should be a good bet for Fantasy lineups this week.
Kurt Busch, $188,823: The anticipation is that Kurt will follow-up his win at Loudon with a good run at Daytona. And why shouldn't he? Kurt finished third in this race last summer and was an even better second in February's 500 race. It appears he has this track figured out and the right car setup. Kurt also was runner-up at Daytona two other times and was third and fourth as well.
Kasey Kahne, $223,666: The early part of his career at Daytona were mediocre. Not lately, though, with top 10 finishes in the last three starts. Kahne was ninth in this race last year and seventh in February. He has improved his average finish at Daytona to 18 in nine races.
Casey Mears, $168,676: We're giving Mears some consideration this week due to his fairly accessible price range. He's had some mixed results at Daytona with a best finish of second and worst 43rd. His average finish is 20 in 11 starts at the track.
Robby Gordon, $120,441: Not extraordinary results at Daytona, but quite consistent over his last five starts at the speedway and his price is pretty good, too, at least for this week it seems. Robby's best career finish at Daytona was sixth in 2003, but he has posted steady results of 13th, 14th, 15th, 15th and eighth in the last five races. One might take a look at him and take a shot in lineups.
Tony Stewart, $225,294: Overlook his couple of busts in the last three races at Daytona because Stewart is due a win soon. He didn't do well at Daytona last year (43rd, 38th), but picked it up in February, finishing third. Also, in five races prior to last year, Tony won twice, finished fifth twice and had a seventh. Those are solid results and despite some of his tough luck recently, he should be given consideration at Daytona.
Elliott Sadler, $163,382: An average finish of 16.8 in 19 career starts at Daytona could make Sadler a candidate for Fantasy lineups this week. Finishes of sixth in three of the last four races at the track fortify considerations for him. He also finished fourth, third and second in his career at Daytona.
Jeff Gordon, $244,264: It's somewhat hard not to include Gordon on the list of drivers doing well at Daytona where he owns six wins, 11 top fives and 17 top 10s for an average finish of 14.7. Wether you like him or not, those are solid numbers to consider despite his rather high price.
Overpriced value
Matt Kenseth, $219,264: His statistics at Daytona are up-and-down throughout his career. While fifth is his best finish and one of six top 10s, Kenseth has placed 20th or lower nine times. An average finish of 20 does not make Kenseth the best of options for this week.
Jamie McMurray, $168,529: Even though he is the defending winner of this race, McMurray's numbers at Daytona are not all that impressive. In addition to the 26th place finish in February, he has placed in the 30s seven times in 11 starts. That gives him an average finish of 25 at the speedway.
Denny Hamlin, $241,176: Daytona is a track where Hamlin is still looking to perform better, if not a lot better. He has finished 17th twice, but his 28th, 30th and 43rd finish sets him back to a poor average finish of 27th. For this kind of money, Hamlin is not your driver in lineups for this race, at least not until he proves otherwise.
Martin Truex Jr., $211,029: He started six races at Daytona and is still looking for his first top 10 finish. We'll give him a little credit for the 13th place result in this event last year, but an average finish of 23.5 does not make him a very good candidate this week. For this price range, there are some other options available.
Dave Blaney, $137,968: A lot of starts for Blaney at Daytona (17) and a lot of poor results. The highest he managed to finish was 14th in 2005 and he was also 15th twice. But the rest of his results are 20th or lower for an average finish of 25.9.
Juan Pablo Montoya, $175,735: Consistent results in his last two starts at Daytona, but not on the high end of it. Montoya placed 32nd in this race last year and again in February. His first start in Feb. 2007 was slightly better in 19th. This is an amount better spent on another racer this week.
| 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 Daytona finish | Salary |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88, Chevrolet) | 36th | $270,882 |
| Kurt Busch (No. 2, Dodge) | 3rd | $188,823 |
| Kasey Kahne (No. 9, Dodge) | 9th | $223,666 |
| Casey Mears (No. 5, Chevrolet) | 19th | $168,676 |
| Robby Gordon (No. 7, Dodge) | 15th | $120,441 |
| Total salaries | $972,498 |
Next race: Chicagoland 400 -- Chicagoland Speedway -- July 12
