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This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Below are 24 drivers of fantasy interest and their average finish this season at four flat tracks: Martinsville Speedway, Phoenix, Richmond International Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The four flat tracks vary in length but do feature similar banking. Over the last nine races this season, three have been on flat tracks: Richmond is a little shorter (0.75 miles) and banked 14 degrees; New Hampshire is a little longer (1.06 miles) and most recently, Martinsville which is much shorter (0.53 miles) both are banked 12 degrees. Phoenix is 1.00 miles and banked 11 degrees and held its first race in April, the eighth race of the season.

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Texas

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Mark Martin: 3rd to 2nd	Biggest Drop This Week: Juan Pablo Montoya: 4th to 6th
No new drivers this week.	No drivers dropped out this week.

Rank: 1st Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 1 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 6 Wins, 22 Top Tens Jimmie Johnson has been Superman in the Chase this year but Sam "Kryptonite" Hornish Jr proved to us that Johnson isn't invincible. The only effect of the Johnson crash will be seen at Homestead when he's points racing for the fourth year in a row.

Rank: 2nd Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 3 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin - 5 Wins, 20 Top Tens Mark Martin got the job done at Texas. Martin didn't win or even lead a lap but he renewed his championships chances by finishing 4th. At Phoenix where Martin won earlier this year he needs to further reduce his points deficit to Johnson.

Rank: 3rd Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 2 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 23 Top Tens Jeff Gordon started on the pole at Texas but if I were to grade his race I would give him a D. Gordon needed a top five day at worst, and the 24 team had perhaps their worst intermediate track performance of the year.

Rank: 4th Kurt Busch #2 Last Week: 5 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch - 2 Win, 19 Top Tens After the way the 2 car performed at Texas it's to bad Pat Tryson will be leaving this team soon. I know if I were a crew chief I wouldn't want to leave Kurt Busch for Martin Treux Jr.

Rank: 5th Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 6 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart - 4 Wins, 23 Top Tens Tony Stewart is a still a full race behind Johnson in the point standings. Their main goal this season was to make the Chase, but Talladega is what officially killed this teams chances.

Rank: 6th Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Last Week: 4 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Juan Pablo Montoya - 7 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens Montoya spent much of the Chase racing inside the top 5 but unfortunately it's starting to look inevitable that he won't finish there. I can't find any fault for a team that came virtually out of nowhere and was a legitimate threat.

Rank: 7th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 8 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin - 3 Wins, 18 Top Tens Hamlin had a big day at Texas and moved up three positions up to 8th in the points. At Phoenix Hamlin should be able to lock himself inside the top 10 in points.

Rank: 8th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 9 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle - 10 Top Fives, 16 Top Tens Other then Kansas and Talladega I don't remember seeing Biffle at all in the Chase. Their performances haven't really been that great, but they have managed to avoid DNF's which is a key aspect of the Chase.

Rank: 9th Kasey Kahne #9 Last Week: 7 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne - 2 Wins, 14 Top Tens After a failing motor at Texas Kahne now is sitting tenth in the points only 41 points ahead of Carl Edwards. I don't expect much out of either of these drivers at Phoenix so Homestead will be the key as to who goes to Las Vegas.

Rank: 10th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 10 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman - 5 Top Fives, 15 Top Tens If Ryan Newman is going to finish inside the top ten this season then he must avoid his 22.9 average finish at Phoenix. Newman's only had 1 top ten at Phoenix since 2005.

Rank: 11th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 11 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards - 7 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens Carl Edwards may have been the biggest loser at Texas. Now Carl sits 11th in the points after his Texas wreck. If Carl doesn't finish in the top ten then he can forget about recognition at the 2009 awards banquet in Las Vegas.

Rank: 12th Brian Vickers #83 Last Week: 12 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Brian Vickers - 1 Win, 13 Top Tens I think this team will be impacted tremendously in 2010 by their Chase disaster. Even at their very best they barely made the Chase. With Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr (yes him), and RCR teams improving forget Vickers chances of making the Chase next year.

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Almost before anyone sat down on Sunday, The Great Jimmie Johnson (there…I said it. It’s about time someone started calling it as it is) was in the wall and wrecked. The Jumbo-trons at Texas Motor Speedway immediately started displaying the silly “if it all ended right now…” scenarios of championship points possibilities.

But that wasn’t the end of J J’s Sunday afternoon drive. We have pictures, up close and personal like.

Click the thumbnail for a better view.

Click the thumbnail for a better view.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - On Pit Row

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Despite gaining 111 points on defending champion Jimmie Johnson in Sprint Cup points after the Dickies 500 at Texas, Mark Martin isn’t expecting his Hendrick Motorsports teammate to gift-wrap the title based on one poor performance.

Rather, the one they call “The Kid” is expecting a fight in the final two races just to stay a bridesmaid.

“I still have got my hands full for the top-six positions with all those guys — two guys that knocked me out of championships are breathing down my neck, so the race is still on,” Martin, 50, told the media after the race, in which he finished fourth. “I don’t know why everybody tries to cap this thing out and doesn’t just wait and watch. There are still two races to go and still things that can happen.”

One of those things happened to Johnson early in the race, after Sam Hornish Jr. sent him into the wall before the race was five minutes old. Losing dozens of laps while in the garage for repairs, Johnson returned to the track to finish 38th.

What had been a gimme championship, considering Johnson’s track record over the past few years, is now slightly more interesting.

True, Martin left 35 points on the table by failing to win and/or lead the most laps at Texas; the No. 5 car didn’t see the lead all day. A 38-point difference is much easier to overcome than one of 73 points - in the former scenario, were Martin to win at Phoenix, Johnson would lose the lead by finishing outside of the top five. In reality, Johnson only needs to crack the top 15, something that he has never failed to do at Phoenix.

That’s right. Johnson’s worst Phoenix finish is 15th, which occurred both in the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2005.

When a driver accrues as many strong finishes as Johnson has over the past few Chases, it’s easy and realistic for a driver to concede the title a few weeks early. But if any driver can challenge Johnson, it’s going to have to be Martin, who is the only driver within two figures of the three-time champ heading into the final two races of the season.

But while anything can happen (or has happened) to knock challengers out of title contention, even the almighty Jimmie Johnson is not immune to misfortune.

So while Mark Martin can talk about Johnson’s track record all he wants, there’s nothing to say that the same exact thing won’t happen next weekend at Phoenix. Being realistic is a positive, but resigning oneself to a bridesmaid?

Considering the way that 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002 worked for him, it seems that second-place finishes are being realistic for NASCAR’s elder statesman.

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How did your weekend of NASCAR from Texas Motor Speedway turn out?

Did you cheer when Jimmie Johnson hit the backstretch wall so hard, so early in the race? Many in attendance did.

Were you disappointed that Kyle Busch ran out of gas just short of sweeping all three NASCAR races on the same weekend? I admit that I was.

If you were Brian France for one day, what would you change about NASCAR?

We asked that question of some of the fans at the Great American Speedway. Here’s a bit of what we got.

You may recognize one Phil Tripp, author of the One Lugnut Short blog and long suffering Elliott Sadler fan. Phil and his lovely better half Janelle invited On Pit Row over for some tailgate and conversation. The time was one of the highlights of the weekend for us. Boomer!

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We took On Pit Row on the road to Texas Motor Speedway for the Dickies 500 weekend and the Great American Speedway did not disappoint us. The facility is fantastic. The staff, very accommodating. Texas hospitality all the way.

We have a ton of stuff to post from the weekend and here is the first. We asked fans all around TMS this question: What do you love about NASCAR?

Here’s some of what we got back.

We need to thank alot of folks, especially those who took the time to give their opinions and consent to be taped. Thank you.

There’s more to come so check back later.

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In a season that started so promising for Kyle Busch; the thought of saving some face, after not making The Chase was a real possibility if he could pull off the triple at Texas.

Rowdy won the first two races this weekend at The Great American Speedway; dominating both the Camping World Truck race on Friday and the Nationwide race on Saturday.   He set himself up to do something that has never been done before in NASCAR.  It seems almost impossible to think that the feat has never been done, but Kyle had the fans believing that it would happen on this warm November day.

Leading 232 of the 334 laps at times it looked the the days before; Busch would have his way with the rest of the field.  He was toying with the other competitors at times and it seemed that victory was imminent until The Dickies 500 turned into a fuel mileage race and Rowdy wasn’t going to have enough.  “Three laps short” was the call to Rowdy over the radio and for the want of about a gallon of racing fuel went his trip to the record books.

The driver who was there to pick up the win was the other Busch; Kurt who took his Miller Lite Dodge to the win by running the last 120 laps on only two stops for fuel.  He has this to say about racing his brother for the win:

It’s bittersweet to beat Kyle.  He was going for the sweep.  We took it away from him.  I don’t think he could have picked a better driver to lose to tonight.  So it’s fun.  It’s really fun.  We race each other to the bone, but we pat each other on the back at the end of the day.

So Kyle will have to wait to have a shot to take the triple again.  That, and only that could be what turns a season of high hopes and disappointment into something to remember.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler/ON PIT ROW

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Here’s what’s on my NASCAR mind this hazey Sunday in Texas, waitin’ for the start of the Dickies 500.

Will Kyle Busch pull off the sweep?

He’s had chances before. But he may have never looked as dominant on a weekend as he has at TMS this time. I picked him in the One and Done game this week. So he probably has no chance. But I’m pulling for him to make history.

Then there’s that Jimmie Johnson guy. Talk about history. I know it’s all over but the shouting but and he can’t officially clinch his fourth straight Sprint Cup championship. But a win would stamp it a done deal.

Or maybe Carl Edwards can get back on the winning track. Texas has been good to Carl. This could be the one. But he didn’t look all that good in the Nationwide Series Race Saturday.

First-time winner? David Ragan could do it, and start to repair the damage of 2009. Maybe A J Allmendinger can take that Richard Petty Racing retro paint job to victory lane. How ’bout Dale Junior? Oh wait - it’s just been so long…

We have On Pit Row on the road this week at Texas Motor Speedway. We’re getting ready to head out to the track now. Follow @onpitrow and @thunderounge on Twitter for race updates and pics.

Enjoy the race.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - On Pit Row

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Join us for our weekly NASCAR fantasy racing live blog/chat session today at 7 PM ET.

Eric McClung will lead today’s event. Eric authors our NASCAR fantasy racing preview every week and has an excellent record as a fantasy racing expert.

Leave your email in the box below and we will remind you right before the chat starts.

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Three races remain on the Sprint Cup Series schedule as the teams head to Fort Worth for the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is the third and final “cookie cutter” (1.5-mile tri-oval) race of the Chase, and its defending champion is Carl Edwards.

Going into Texas, the championship is all but settled, as Jimmie Johnson only needs to finish 10th or better in the next three races, even if second-place Mark Martin wins all of the next three races and leads the most laps, to clinch the title. It’s a magnificent achievement if Johnson can pull it off, as it will be his fourth consecutive title (a Sprint Cup record). A 10th-place finish should be easy for Johnson at Texas, who has only failed to finish in the top 10 three times in 12 starts at Texas.

And, oh yeah, there are other drivers competing too. Sorry, forgot about that. Since this column is about One and Done, and I have a format that I prefer to follow, I’ll get into some other picks too. But first and foremost of those picks:

Jimmie Johnson (avg. fn. 8.5): With one win and three second place finishes in his last six Texas starts, he’s just too good. Does anybody else think it’s time to Jimmie-proof the Chase? Texas wants to move this race date anyway - it’s the opening week of deer hunting season in the state.

Tony Stewart (avg. fn. 12.6): He won this race in 2006, led laps here in the spring and has an average finish of 8.5 in the four times Texas has had a November date. It’s not on par with Johnson, but it’s the best you’re going to get.

Carl Edwards (avg. fn. 13.4): Look, I know Cousin Carl hasn’t been himself this year. The broken foot doesn’t help. And to be honest, his Texas record isn’t all that impressive other than the three wins - his only other top 10 was a 10th this spring. But hey, he does have two more wins than Johnson here, and in three less starts - meaning he wins at a 33.3% clip. I think that even despite his off year in 2009, that winning percentage merits a long, hard look.

Mark Martin (avg. fn. 13.8): Martin has no choice but to do well at Texas. After his wild ride at Talladega, he’s mired in quite a hole in points, 184 back of Johnson. Simply put, he has to win, and not only win, but dominate. They’ve been hot and cold all season; this weekend we’ll see how good the 5 team really is.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (avg. fn. 13.9): I know, I’m breaking my own rule - no picking drivers outside the Chase - but this one just felt right. Junior had six top 10 finishes in his first seven Texas starts, winning the first, and has led at least one lap in all of the past six Texas races. He also had the best driver rating last week at Talladega, and you never know what even the weakest link in the Hendrick Motorsports chain can do with a little bit of momentum.

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Because the 1.5-mile, 24-degree banked track configuration at Texas Motor Speedway is similar to that of Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe’s Motor Speedway picking drivers for a fantasy lineup can be made much easier. The first Texas race, won by Jeff Gordon, was held in April. Atlanta and Lowe’s have already held two races a piece this season, so there a combined five races in which to analyze.

Three drivers have compiled an average finish better than 10th at the five 1.5M / 24° races: Jeff Gordon (5.8), Kasey Kahne (7.4) and Matt Kenseth (8.2). Six drivers averaged better than 16th: Tony Stewart (11.0), Ryan Newman (11.8), Jimmie Johnson (12.2), David Reutimann (12.6), Kyle Busch (12.6), Brian Vickers (13.4) and Mark Martin (15.2).

View my updated NASCAR Fantasy Tool: 2009 Average Finish at Similar Tracks - Atlanta, Texas and Lowe’s table to see the results at all five races, plus the average finish of 32 drivers.

Chasing the pole at Texas Motor Speedway

1. Jeff Gordon… In his last five qualifying attempts at Texas, Gordon has won two poles and started in the second position twice. At the five 1.5M / 24° races this season, Gordon has an average starting position of 6.8.
2. Jimmie Johnson… Although he was never won a pole at Texas, Johnson owns the best average starting position among all drivers (8.9) there. This season Johnson has an average starting position of 5.0 at the five 1.5M / 24° races, including the pole at the second Lowe’s race three weeks ago.
3. Matt Kenseth… He has also never captured a pole at Texas but Kenseth has started eighth or better in six of his last eight attempts there. Kenseth did not have great runs at some of the 1.5M / 24° tracks but did start third at Texas in April and fourth at Lowe’s three weeks ago.
4. Martin Truex Jr…. In his last three April runs at Texas, Truex’s average starting position is only 22.3. November has been much better, winning the pole in the ‘07 Dickies 500 and starting second the next year. In September, Truex won the pole at the second Atlanta race.

Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings. Download a printer-friendly version here.

• Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
• Value play - Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.

1. Jeff Gordon… Won at Texas in April. Runner-up in last year’s Dickies 500. Average finish of 5.5 in ‘07. Has led at least 15 laps in four of the last five races. Y!-A1
2. Jimmie Johnson… Won at Texas in ‘07. Runner-up in the last two April races, 15th in last year’s Dickies 500. Y!-A2
3. Tony Stewart… Won at Texas in ‘06. Finished fourth at Texas in April. Average finish of 11.5 in ‘08. Y!-B1
4. Mark Martin… Won at Texas in ‘98. Since ‘06: 6.5 average finish in April, 22.6 in November. Y!-A3
5. Matt Kenseth… Won at Texas in ‘02. Has a streak of five top-10 finishes at Texas– average finish of 5.4 in that span. Eight straight finishes inside the top-12. Had led at least one lap in 10 of 14 career starts. Y!-A4
6. Juan Pablo Montoya… Finished seventh at Texas in April, best career finish. Y!-B2
7. Kasey Kahne… Won from the pole at Texas in ‘06 but no top-10s since. Finished 19th at Texas in April, average finish of 24.5 last year. Y!-B3
8. Kurt Busch… Finished eighth at Texas in April. Average finish of 32.0 in ‘08, 9.5 in ‘07. Y!-B4
9. Ryan Newman… Won at Texas in ‘03. Average finish of 21.5 at Texas in the last two races, 4.5 in the prior two. Y!-B5
10. Kyle Busch… Average finish of 7.8 at Texas over the last four races, led laps in all four.
11. Denny Hamlin… Finished 12th at Texas in April, average finish of 11.0 last year. Y!-B6
12. Carl Edwards… Three-time winner at Texas (swept last year, ‘05). Finished eighth at Texas in April.
13. Greg Biffle… Won at Texas in ‘05. Average finish of 4.0 at Texas in the last two races, led laps in both.
14. Clint Bowyer… Finished 22nd at Texas in April, average finish of 7.0 last year. Owns a career average finish of 13.6 in seven career starts.
15. David Reutimann… Won the pole at Texas in April and finished 11th, finished 10th last year. Top-10 finishes in the last two Nationwide races. Y!-B7
16. Brian Vickers… No top-10 finishes at Texas in 10 career starts, average finish of 16.6 over the last three. Y!-B8
17. Jeff Burton… Two-time winner at Texas in ‘07 and ‘97. Top-10 finishes in five of the last seven races at Texas.
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Won at Texas in ‘00. Had led laps in six straight races at Texas, average finish of 18.0 in those races.
19. Joey Logano… Strong value play. Started 10th, finished 30th at Texas in April. Average start of 8.0, finish of 9.0 in two Nationwide races.
20. Kevin Harvick… Strong value play. Finished 27th at Texas in April, average finish of 9.0 last year.
21. Marcos Ambrose… Strong value play. DNF (engine) at Texas in April, finished 21st last year. Average finish of 13.5 in last year’s Nationwide races. Y!-C1
22. Brad Keselowski… Strong value play. Two career starts at Texas, 21.0 average finish. Average finish of 7.8 over the last four Nationwide races. Started 42nd, finished third in April’s Nationwide race. Y!-C2
23. Jamie McMurray… Weak value play. Finished 38th at Texas in April, average finish of 7.8 in ‘07 and ‘08.
24. David Ragan… Weak value play. Started fourth, DNF (engine) at Texas in April, average finish of 12.0 last year. Average finish of 8.5 over the last three Nationwide races.
25. Sam Hornish Jr…. Started 12th, finished 17th at Texas in April– both career bests. Average finish of 9.6 (two wins) in 13 IndyCar starts from ‘00-’07. Y!-C3
26. Martin Truex Jr…. Last two November races at Texas: started second, finished eighth last year; won the pole, finished third in ‘07. Finished 25th at Texas in April.
27. AJ Allmendinger… Average finish of 33.0 at Texas in three career starts. Y!-C4
28. Elliott Sadler… Won at Texas in ‘04, only one top-10 finish since. Average finish of 31.0 over the last three Texas races.
29. Casey Mears… Average finish of 22.2 at Texas since ‘07.
30. Bill Elliott… Long shot value play. Finished 28th at Texas in April, average finish of 32.5 last year.
31. Paul Menard… Average finish of 15.0 at Texas in April since ‘07, 26.0 in November.
32. Michael Waltrip… Average finish of 27.3 at Texas over the last three races.
33. Bobby Labonte… DNF (crash) at Texas in April, average finish of 29.5 last year.
34. Scott Speed… Started and finished 33rd in April, first career Cup start at Texas.
35. Reed Sorenson… Average finish of 32.3 at Texas over the last three races.
36. Regan Smith… Three career starts at Texas, 33.3 average finish.
37. Erik Darnell… No career Cup starts at Texas. Average finish of 22.0 in six career Truck starts.
38. Robby Gordon… DNF (engine) at Texas in April, average finish of 33.0 last year.
39. John Andretti… Started and finished 26th at Texas in April.
40. David Gilliland… Started 30th, finished 29th at Texas in April
41. Max Papis… Started 39th, finished 35rd in April, first career Cup start at Texas. Crash in ‘08 Truck race, ‘06 Nationwide race. Two IROC starts in ‘05 and ‘06.
42. Michael McDowell… Started 40th, finished 33rd in April of last year, first career Cup start at Texas. Started 15th, finished 17th in April’s Nationwide race.
43. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park. Failed to qualify at Texas in April, 37.5 average finish last year.
44. Dave Blaney… Likely start and park. Started and parked at Texas in April.
45. Mike Bliss… Likely start and park. Started and parked at Texas in April.
46. Mike Skinner… Likely start and park. Started ninth, finished 29th in April of last year.
47. Tony Raines.. Likely start and park. No Cup starts at Texas since ‘07.
48. Derrike Cope… Likely start and park. No Cup starts at Texas since ‘06.

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The sponsors of NASCAR teams are obligated to pay the bills in order to plaster their logos on the cars. They’re obligated to stick with a team through the length of their contract, for better or worse, and make the best of what the race team can provide them. But that doesn’t mean that when the situation is less than stellar and the contract is approaching its final year, the sponsor isn’t going to look for a quick out; they’ve also got an obligation to look for the greatest return on their investment.

Bass Pro Shops has been a major primary sponsor of a car in one of NASCAR’s top two series since 2003, when they debuted on the hood of Hank Parker Jr.’s Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet at a then-Busch Series race in Atlanta. They stuck with that team for the next two seasons, when they won championships with driver Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Bono Manion.

In 2006, the whole team moved up to the Cup series, and they made the Chase in 2007, with Truex taking his maiden Cup win at Dover. But in 2008 and 2009, the wheels started to fall off: the team failed to make the Chase again in 2008, it was forced to merge with Chip Ganassi’s team in the offseason, and right now is mired at 24th in the standings, while teammate Juan Montoya challenges for victories week in and week out. In response, Bass Pro Shops has scaled back its sponsorship of the car, with a presumptive 26 races this season and only 20 next year.

Right now, that car is vacant for the 2010 season, with Truex heading to Michael Waltrip Racing to replace its namesake in their flagship car. New owner Ganassi wants to put Jamie McMurray in the car, out of a combination of history (McMurray never finished worse than 13th in points in three years spent with Ganassi) and “best available”; the sponsor isn’t so sure that McMurray fits their image.

In a FoxSports.com article, Lee Spencer mounts a weak defense for McMurray, saying that last week’s winner “will go above and beyond for his sponsors whether it’s Bass Pro or anyone else.” Duh. Name me one successful driver this side of Stroker Ace who hasn’t.

Former champion Bobby Labonte is available to Ganassi, and he fits the sponsor’s image much better, but two things stand in the way of that marriage: TRG Motorsports is working to keep him on board with their team, and Labonte is having the worst season of his illustrious career, lingering at 30th in points.

The other available drivers, Reed Sorenson and Casey Mears, are other Ganassi castoffs who never did anywhere near as much with that team in the past (or with other teams as of late) as McMurray did.

The other, more desirable option that Bass Pro Shops has is to find a way out of their contract with Ganassi and head to Stewart-Haas Racing, where they would fill out the gaps in the schedule on Ryan Newman’s car left by the U.S. Army. It’s been an open secret for a while that the match makes a lot of sense; the sponsor occupies a B-pillar spot on owner Tony Stewart’s car, they’ve had an association with him for years, and Stewart-Haas is a step up from Ganassi in almost every way.

Back in April, Hermie Sadler reported on SPEED that there is no “out” in Bass Pro Shops’ contract for the 2010 season, just a day after Fox Sports posted rumors of the sponsor switching teams due to a performance clause. But sometimes, ripping up a contract makes more sense for both sides.

Ganassi, through Target as well as his team’s other partners, could probably find enough sponsorship to field McMurray for the full season if Bass Pro Shops were to be let out of its contract. Before the merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Ganassi had a commitment from Target that would have allowed him to run two full-time cars in 2009. This year, Target and its partners combined to sponsor 18 races for Truex and Aric Almirola, besides the full schedule for Montoya (who had other Target partners on his car for four races).

Running a two-car Target program in Sprint Cup could work similarly to Ganassi’s IndyCar Series program with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. This year, Dixon drove a Target car all season, while Franchitti’s car carried a multiplicity of sponsors who marketed through Target for the majority of the year.

It’s hard to convince an existing sponsor to expand its support in this economy, but given Target’s 20 years with Ganassi, McMurray’s solid history with the team, and the fact that his personality fits Target’s marketing programs much better than those of a hunting outlet, it seems only plausible. That would then free up Bass Pro Shops to fill out Newman’s schedule, strengthening Stewart’s new team even further.

Of course, this only works out as well as it does when you keep the monetary figures away - I don’t know that a buyout would be worth it for either Ganassi or Bass Pro Shops, or that Target would really be willing to expand its Sprint Cup participation. But for the sponsors, being involved in racing requires a return on the money they’ve invested. The way that things stand right now, everybody stands to be more successful if things get switched around.

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Talladega

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Kasey Kahne: 9th to 7th	Biggest Drop This Week: Ryan Newman: 8th to 10th
No new drivers this week.	No drivers dropped out this week.

Rank: 1st Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 1 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 6 Wins, 22 Top Tens Jimmie Johnson has absolutely dominated the 2009 Chase. At Talladega he most likely sealed the deal with many of his main Chase competitors getting collected up in the "Big One".

Rank: 2nd Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 2 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 23 Top Tens Jeff Gordon may not win the championship this year but he does have the most top fives and top tens in the series. In the end of the day people will only remember who won the championship.

Rank: 3rd Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 4 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin - 5 Wins, 19 Top Tens Mark Martin was confident that he wouldn't wreck at Talladega but unfortunately his wishful thinking didn't do the trick. Martin sometimes uses reverse psychology in interviews, I remember his bad 2006 Lowes wreck and he said he was having fun.

Rank: 4th Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Last Week: 3 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Juan Pablo Montoya - 7 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens Juan Pablo Montoya is 2009's version of Clint Bowyer's Cindrella Chase season. He is the little guy who no one ever gave a chance. Let's hope that his Chase momentum continues into next season.

Rank: 5th Kurt Busch #2 Last Week: 6 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch - 1 Win, 18 Top Tens Kurt Busch had a rough day at Talladega. He had a flat tire early and went down two laps. The new NASCAR wave around rule is what really saved his day. Now the big question surrounding him is when will he get a new crew chief? Will it be this year?

Rank: 6th Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 5 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart - 4 Wins, 22 Top Tens If NASCAR was still under the old points system I read that Jimmie Johnson would now be ahead of Tony Stewart by just 7 points. That sounds more exciting then Johnson's full race advantage he now has over his competitors.

Rank: 7th Kasey Kahne #9 Last Week: 9 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne - 2 Wins, 14 Top Tens Kasey Kahne's main goal this season is now to stay in the top 10 in points to ensure that he'll get an invitation to the awards banquet this year. In order for Kahne to accomplish that goal a good run at Texas is a must for the 9 team.

Rank: 8th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 7 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin - 3 Wins, 17 Top Tens Hamlin had a good run like he usually does at Talladega but this team never finishes races there. Hamlin was probably lucky to have blown up other wise he most likely would've been a victim of Brad Kesolowski again.

Rank: 9th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 10 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle - 9 Top Fives, 15 Top Tens Out of all the drivers who survived the "Big One" Greg Biffle is the last driver who I thought would be spared from the carnage at Talladega. Many of the historically unlucky Talladega drivers had good days.

Rank: 10th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 8 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman - 5 Top Fives, 15 Top Tens If your a NASCAR driver who can't win the race and you want airtime then I would recommend you do what Newman did. He's now one up on Carl Edwards in the flipping column for the year.

Rank: 11th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 11 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards - 7 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens I really think the Chase somehow needs a mechanism to eliminate drivers. Edwards doesn't even have a top 5 and Vickers doesn't have a top 10. I personally think it would've been more beneficial for this team to miss the Chase.

Rank: 12th Brian Vickers #83 Last Week: 12 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Brian Vickers - 1 Win, 13 Top Tens I wonder if this team will be able to bounce back in 2010. Before the Chase started Vickers was one of the hottest drivers in the series, now he's lucky to be locked in the top 12.

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This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Below are 32 drivers of fantasy interest and their average finish at three similar tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Texas.

Also see my 2009 Average Finish at Chase Tracks Table which is very useful for planning your lineup for the rest of the season.

*David Gilliland drove the No. 21 Wood Brothers in the second race at Atlanta. Bill Elliott cracked three ribs during a dirt bike accident and was unable to race. Elliott finished 19th two weeks ago at Kansas Motor Speedway in his first race back.

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So, there I was Sunday with the house all to myself; TV tuned to the NASCAR pre-race ordeal (sound muted), laptop in my…lap, tweeting away, enjoying the repartee, waiting for my afternoon of seat-edged rapture.

And some sumbitch killed my race.

There was more four-wide action at the Bono  trailer park than there was at Talladega Super Speedway. Had to be.

I could have set up my chair on an I-75 overpass and watched double-file cruisers for three and a half hours. Some of the cars would have looked better too. That’s right. This race sucked so bad it made me re-start my campaign against the Ugly Little Toad of a car we race now.

There was a bunch of chat before the race about NASCAR’s announced ban on bump-drafting in the corners. Not popular it seems with drivers or fans. But, could that be blamed for the lousy race? This looked like the very first COT race at Talladega. Bad.

With eight laps to go, Ryan Newman’s scary wreck woke everyone up. That’s two ‘Dega races in a row where the roof flaps on the cars (Carl Edwards was the other) acted more like aelerons than anchors. There’s something bad going on with this car.

For years, the Talladega races have been a showcase for what NASCAR should want casual fans to see when they tune in. Exciting, colorful side-by-side-by-side-by-side racing, with tons of passing with a who-knows-who will win, suspense to it.

And some sumbitch killed it.

Photo credit: Round girl Jen by BethAnne Heisler for OnPitRow.com

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Another Talladega race, another wild and dangerous finish.

So it goes every time the Sprint Cup Series visits the Alabama track, where upside down stock cars and a boring first 180 laps or so are about as inevitable as death and taxes.

Yesterday, both Ryan Newman and Mark Martin found themselves a little closer to the pavement than they would have liked over the course of the last few laps. Newman’s flipping Chevrolet actually landed on the hood of Kevin Harvick’s car, nearly putting his rear wing through Harvick’s windshield. Martin’s car was overturned by a spinning Martin Truex Jr. after the third controversial tri-oval finish in as many races.

At least there was some excitement at the end, though. For the majority of the race, cars ran in single file; before the race, Mike Helton warned drivers against bump drafting in the turns, threatening penalties against those who were too aggressive. Since nobody wanted to cross the line and find out how harsh NASCAR’s penalty would be, the cars ran as if in a parade for much of the race.

Everybody remembers Carl Edwards‘ car taking off into the catchfence earlier this year, when Brad Keselowski turned him to win Talladega’s spring race. That incident caused NASCAR to crack down even further on the drivers, adding to the old “out of bounds” restriction - no passing below the yellow line. Ironically, bump drafting in the tri-oval, where most of the problems at Talladega take place, is still fair game.

The restrictions have turned off drivers like Newman, who feels that the drivers should be able to police themselves on the track.

“The more rules, the more NASCAR is telling us how to drive the race cars, the less we can race and the less we can put on a show for the fans. They have created a lot of boredom because we couldn’t race. It is survival,” he complained after the race.

“Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, all those guys, they respected each other.”

The real cause of the problems that NASCAR currently has at Talladega dates back to the finish in October of last year. In that race, Regan Smith made an out-of-bounds pass of Tony Stewart in the tri-oval for what he and his team felt was the victory.

Smith cited NASCAR’s previous comments that any driver who was forced below the yellow line made an out-of-bounds pass, the pass would stand. Smith felt that Stewart forced him below the yellow line, and instead of deliberately wrecking the two-time champion, he made a clean pass.

NASCAR’s response was to dump him to 18th in the finishing order.

So when Keselowski found himself in Smith’s position this spring, he learned from the precedent that NASCAR had set, and dumped Edwards. The result, one of the scariest wrecks that the new car has ever seen, injured eight fans. NASCAR’s response was to further exacerbate the problem by giving the drivers even less control of the race, forcing them to be patient until the very end, at which point accidents happen.

The least that NASCAR can do to remedy the problem, if not removing all of their restrictions altogether and letting the drivers monitor themselves, is to change their rules about the tri-oval. The accidents are always caused by bumping and running out of room in the tri-oval in the final laps. NASCAR should be cracking down on bump drafting on the tri-oval at the end of the race, while allowing passes on the apron.

This forces separation between cars in the problem area of the track, while also freeing up another lane for those drivers who get forced down. It makes a whole lot more sense than risking more major tri-oval accidents at the end of the race, and putting more drivers in danger.

Then again, NASCAR hasn’t made a lot of sense with most of their decisions at Talladega in the past year or so, have they? I hate to say that I saw this coming when Smith’s win was disallowed last year, but the sanctioning body has made it clear that under the current rules, drivers will not be penalized for wrecking others to win.

As long as that mindset is around, there will be major wrecks at Talladega. And I don’t care how safe the car is, or that none of the drivers have gotten hurt (yet) - they shouldn’t be happening in the first place.

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The 2009 NASCAR Star Wars - or the Chase, as Brian France like to call them - are winding to an inevitable conclusion. Mindy Monday says wait until next year for the return of the Jedi - or anyone-but-Johnson.

The latest edition of the Monday Morning Crew Chief looks into strange sponsor relationships and another crew chief to throw at the 88’s wall.

Watch it right here.

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For the first time in its history, Talladega Superspeedway hosts a race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, as NASCAR’s premiere series heads to Alabama this weekend for the AMP Energy 500.

Of the ten tracks in this year’s Chase, Talladega is by far the most unpredictable. Only four drivers boast an average finish better than 10.0 at the track, and they have a combined four starts - all of which occurred in this spring’s race. That event featured a wacky finish in which Brad Keselowski found himself in victory lane, but Carl Edwards found himself airborne.

At a massive track like Talladega, where the cars reach some of their highest speeds and restrictor plates bunch up the field, the “big one,” a massive 20-something car pileup, is looming around every corner, on every straightaway, in every drag race to the finish line. For that reason, picking this race is a crapshoot. Take everything with a full shaker of salt, and go with any hunch you might have.

Seriously. Scott Speed finished 5th here in the spring. Think about that.

If there’s any weekend where staying within the confines of Chase drivers isn’t necessary, it would be this one, because of the likelihood that an incident will wipe out half the field. Whoever survives the wreck, if it happens, probably won’t have the best car in the field, just the best luck, and luck doesn’t discriminate based on the points standings. But week in and week out, the Chase drivers give fantasy players the best chance of scoring a lot of points, so we might as well stick with the established system, no?

The five Chase drivers with the best records at Talladega:

Kurt Busch (avg. fn. 12.1): The older Busch brother has quietly assembled a solid Talladega record, with 12 top-10s in 17 starts. He has also led at least one lap in 13 of his 17 Talladega starts. Only two of his last 10 Talladega starts have been worse than eighth. While he’s never won a Cup race at the track, the first thing you look to do at Talladega is survive, and he’s only crashed out twice.

Tony Stewart (avg. fn. 13.8): Smoke “won” this race in controversial fashion last year (and as far as I’m concerned, that still should have been Regan Smith’s win). He’s led laps in 10 of the past 11 Talladega races, with the lone exception being this spring’s race. Smoke’s crashed out in four of his 21 starts, a slightly worse percentage than Busch, but he’s also been able to do something that Busch can’t say: finish better than third (one win and six second place finishes).

Mark Martin (avg. fn. 16.1): Martin only has five crashes at Talladega in 43 starts, a slightly better percentage than Busch, and both of his wins came after his horrendous 1994 incident, proving that bad crashes don’t negatively affect everybody. But the last of those wins came in 1997, and Martin only has six laps at Talladega under race conditions in the new car: he skipped the track altogether in 2007 and 2008, and his spring race was cut short by an early incident.

Jeff Gordon (avg. fn. 16.4): The spring race didn’t go well for Gordon, as he finished 60 laps off the pace in 37th. But he swept the track in 2007, and generally finds himself up front: he’s led laps in 12 of the last 14 Talladega races (including six of the last eight). A statistic that should bring pause, however: In 11 starts since 2004, Gordon has won four, but has not finished better than 15th in the other seven.

Ryan Newman (avg. fn. 18.5): Well, Newman ran well and led laps in the wacky spring race… He also hasn’t wrecked out of a Talladega race since 2005, as he kept the car going during the Edwards wreck and scored his career best finish at the track (third). Here’s a question for you: If taking another stock car off the hood meant improving by another couple of spots, think he would take it?

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