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. Just as we anticipated last week leading up to the race in Phoenix, Jimmie Johnson made no mistakes and pretty much wrapped up his third consecutive Sprint Cup title. Once he clinches it at Homestead-Miami, Johnson would equal Cale Yarborough (1976-78) in winning three titles in a row.
Not only did Johnson win the race in Phoenix, but he dominated by leading a race-high 217 of the 313 laps. He took his lead in the Chase from 106 points entering the race to 141 points leaving the desert.
Now, Carl Edwards is the only one still mathematically alive with a chance to catch Johnson, but he'll need to win the race in Miami, lead the most laps and Johnson to finish lower than 36th. That is a scenario that of course can happen, but highly unlikely.
Only a complete disaster and the worst luck could prevent Johnson from finishing 36th or better. Edwards, of course, will take his chances and go for it -- as he should.
Johnson has really made the Chase for the Championship his personal series of sorts since the format was implemented by NASCAR in 2004. He has collected 14 victories in the 49 races and before winning the last two years, he also was in contention for the title in 2004 and 2005. He just missed the title in those seasons.
It's been consistency that has made Johnson the best in the Chase, which is the same thing we look for in Fantasy leagues. Johnson has three wins in this year's Chase, six top five finishes and eight in the first 10. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that. It's the kind of driver you want to include in your Fantasy lineups week in and week out.
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
Jimmie Johnson, $292,071: It will be a shock if Johnson messes up and loses this title. He's a smart driver and knows what's at stake. He'll race, but he'll race a smart race. Jimmie was seventh in this race last year and ninth the previous season. He also has finished second, third and eighth, with 40th in 2005 being his lowest result.
Carl Edwards, $289,214: He has been good in the Chase, just not able to close in on Johnson more coming into the season finale. A Roush Racing driver has won the last four races at Homestead. Edwards is clearly a candidate to win the event. He has finished fifth last year, eighth, fourth and 14th in his four starts at this high banked track.
Greg Biffle, $256,285: A winner of three straight races at Homestead before finishing 13th last year. Biffle definitely has this track configuration figured out. He should be good for a positive result to close out his season.
Jeff Gordon, $237,285: It's his last chance to win a race this season and avoid going the entire schedule without visiting Victory Lane in a year since his rookie season. While Gordon has never won at Homestead, he has performed pretty consistently, averaging a finish of 10th in nine races. He was fourth last year, also finished third, fifth (twice), seventh and ninth.
Dave Blaney, $127,500: This is a very reasonable price for a driver who has finished 12th last year and also sixth three years ago. Blaney also has recorded one other sixth-place finish as well as a ninth, which might be worth a look for this season-ending event.
Martin Truex Jr., $200,357: With an average finish of 13th at Homestead, Truex Jr. could be a good option for Fantasy lineups this week. He took sixth last season and was an even better second in 2006.
Overpriced value
Dale Earnhardt Jr., $251,071: The Homestead-Miami Speedway has not been all that good to Junior in his career. He has yet to finish in the top 12, with 13th being his best result in his rookie season in 2000. Junior was 36th last year and has a modest average finish of 21st at the track.
Kyle Busch, $273,428: He had a super regular season, but did not do much in the Chase. And his Homestead results are nothing to talk about although he has improved some. Kyle was 41st in his first start in 2005, the next year he was 38th and made it up to 20th last season. Those are not safe enough numbers to spend this much money for your final Fantasy lineup of the season.
Clint Bowyer, $234,428: The 39th place finish from last year gives him an average finish of 24.5. True, it's only over two career starts, which includes a decent 10th in his first race. But the price is rather high to spend on Bowyer for this race.
Elliott Sadler, $159,642: He has not finished better than 21st in his last five races at Homestead. Sadler was 38th last year and 36th the season before and averages a lowly 27th place finish in nine races at the speedway.
Brian Vickers, $186,642: This is way too much money to spend on a driver who has not finished better than 18th at this track. Vickers finished next-to-last (42nd) in 2007 and was dead last in 2005. He averages a terribly disappointing 31.6 finish in five races at Homestead. There a handful of other drivers to choose from at this price range.
Kasey Kahne, $206,071: Excluding a nice fourth place finish two seasons ago, Kahne has not placed better than 16th at Homestead. He was 24th last November and also had a 38th finish in his first start.
| 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 Homestead finish | Salary |
| Jimmie Johnson (No. 48, Chevrolet) | 6th | $292,071 |
| Greg Biffle (No. 16, Ford) | 13th | $256,285 |
| Jamie McMurray (No. 26, Ford) | 14th | $185,285 |
| Dave Blaney (No. 22, Toyota) | 12th | $127,500 |
| Reed Sorenson (No. 41, Dodge) | 22nd | $125,367 |
| Total salaries | $986,508 |
Next race: Daytona 500 -- Daytona International Speedway -- Feb. 15
