Quick refresher, in my picks we have the following to choose from:
48 or 99 in the A-List
20, 4, 39, 1 in the B-List
78 or 6 in the C-List
Keep in mind that track position is king here with passing being limited. A good pit stall selection is also vital to success, and the winners come from the first 10 stalls that always seem to have a slight advantage due to their easier entrance/exit angles. For reference here is the pit road selections for tomorrow's race:
And your team is...
A-LIST:
CARL EDWARDS (9 Starts Remaining) - Johnson's numbers are very stout here. I bought into the hype yesterday in practice when they showed no speed but JJ said the car was good. Now with the 48 buried in the pack and passing and pit road being so difficult, the 48 has to be saved for a better day. Edwards will nab me bonus points for leading a lap, and potential to also get bonus points for leading the most laps since most Phoenix races have a long green run early.
If you have Kyle Busch on your roster in the A-List, I'd start him here. He's on fire this weekend, he's even mentioned in some interviews he's got a few things figured out with the tire compound they've brought and his race experience from the Truck and Nationwide races. JGR as a whole is very strong on the flat tracks and as long as Kyle keeps his head on strait for all 312 laps, he'll be a contender for victory lane.
B-LIST:
JOEY LOGANO (9 Starts Remaining) -JGR is strong on the flat tracks and Logano is quickly rising in the ranks on the short tracks as well. Great starting position and a great pit stall is going to give him an advantage all day and I look for the 20 to be a Top-10 car once they go to the pay window.
KASEY KAHNE (9 Starts Remaining) - Kahne is not that great here at Phoenix, but he's got confidence and a great starting position. He even commented that this is the best car he's ever had a Phoenix. I'm not a huge fan of him taking a pit stall towards the entrance of pit road (even though he's got a big opening in front of him) but it's not enough for me to put him on the bench.
I'm putting Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray on the bench this week. Newman starting outside the Top 10 makes his life a little difficult to start, and then pitting behind the 2 in the middle of pit road is the final kicker for me to bench. McMurray has a decent car, probably a Top-15 car which will be solid but I'm rolling the dice and putting Kahne in with the 4 car having Top-10 potential.
I'd also bench Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton, they'll be solid Top-15 cars much like McMurray but you can get better value out of RCR cars at other tracks where they will be Top-10 runners. Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya are all over the map, hard to tell exactly what they've got but with them starting deep in the field, even if they do have good cars, it will be a struggle to make it to the front.
C-LIST:
REGAN SMITH - (8 Starts Remaining) - I'm very torn on the 78 Vs. 6 choice, as I want to use my David Ragan starts early. Ragan has a strong car here, probably the best he's ever had, and Roush is performing well this weekend. But I'm also a believer in striking while the iron is hot, and right now, Regan Smith is hot. He's oozing with confidence, has a great car, a better starting position, and an even better pit stall than the 6. Barely, just barely, Regan gets the start for the 2nd strait week in my C-List.
I'd start the 78 and the 6 before I'd start Paul Menard. Much like his RCR team mates, you will need 9 starts out of Menard and you can get better value out of Menard at other tracks.
We will be answering questions LIVE on the Yahoo Message Board leading all the way up to the green flag. Feel free to post your questions here as well on the blog. Also check out www.FantasyNascarPreview.com as we will be posting on their forum leading up to the race as well.
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