We like Johnson as our #1 overall pick

1. Jimmie Johnson

- I can make a case that Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch are all worthy of drafting first overall. These three drivers have talent and are in top notch rides, but only one of these teams has Chad Knaus. Give me Johnson at #1.

2. Carl Edwards

- Edwards became the top dog last year at Roush Fenway Racing while leading the Sprint Cup Series in wins, Top 5's and Top 10's. He may not win as many races as Kyle Busch will this season, but like all other fantasy sports, fantasy NASCAR is about consistency, so I take Edwards at #2.

3. Kyle Busch

- Kyle Busch will run up front, lead laps and win races. But he will also push too hard at times and end up with some poor finishes. Busch is a high risk/high reward fantasy option, which is why I like Edwards a bit more. With that said, he has way too much value to pass up at #3.

Expect Gordon to rebound in 2009

4. Jeff Gordon

- The #4 slot is where my preseason rankings differ from most others. Gordon was a huge disappointment last season after posting 30 Top 10 finishes in 36 races in 2007. He will never admit it, but I believe Gordon was distracted (and rightfully so) after the birth of his daughter and became complacent after a successful 2007 campaign. Gordon was embarrassed about his performance last year and will come out with a vengeance in 2009. Gordon has even more value if you play in a league that awards bonus points for drivers who win poles and qualify up front.


5. Matt Kenseth

- Much like Gordon, Kenseth had a very disappointing 2008 season. Even so, there were only 3 drivers (Johnson, Edwards, Ky. Busch) that had more Top 10 finishes last year than Kenseth. He has always had great fantasy value because of his consistency, and that consistency will return this season.

6. Greg Biffle

- After starting off slowly, Biffle won the first two races of the Chase before finishing 3 rd in the Sprint Cup standings. That team obviously started putting it all together at the end of last season and that's enough to convince me to take Biffle at #6.

7. Mark Martin

- Tony Stewart and Mark Martin are the two hardest drivers to slot because we have no idea how well they're going to perform in their new rides. I give the edge to Martin because he is familiar with Hendrick Motorsports and, unlike Stewart, only has to worry about the performance of his racecar. Martin was a valuable fantasy driver last season in the #8 car, and he'll be in even better equipment this year. He has the upside to be a Top 5 fantasy driver this year, but there is enough uncertainty in my mind to leave him just outside the Top 5 at #7.

8. Denny Hamlin

- Hamlin is a solid driver, in a solid ride, and is a solid fantasy NASCAR option. He's not someone who will win six races and help you dominate your fantasy NASCAR league, but he consistently runs up front and will give you solid finishes week in and week out. Don't go nuts over him, but the back end of the Top 10 is the right place to grab Hamlin.

We see Jr. as a low 1st or high 2nd round pick

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- This may hurt many of you to hear, but Earnhardt is not a premier fantasy NASCAR driver. If you can get him as the #2 driver on your team, then by all means pull the trigger. But because he's such a big name and NASCAR's most popular driver, someone in your league will stretch and take him in the Top 5. Don't be that person.

10. Tony Stewart

- It would not surprise me to see Stewart finish the season as high as the #5 ranked fantasy NASCAR driver or as low as the #15 ranked fantasy NASCAR driver. As a result, I'll slot him right in the middle at #10. He has a ton of upside, but like Earnhardt, I expect that he will be drafted much earlier than he should due to his popularity. Make sure not to stretch for him and draft him any earlier than #10.

Instead, let him go early. Stewart will mostly likely start the season off slowly as he gets used to new racecars and his role as a team owner. Then after 6-10 races, when his value is low, trade someone like Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick or any other driver whose value is high for Stewart. Once Tony figures out his racecars and goes on his traditional second half of the season tear, you'll laugh your way to your league champsionship.

11. Jeff Burton

- I have to admit that I undervalue Burton every year and I might be doing it again this year. Burton isn't flashy, but always seems to find his way into the Top 10 when it gets down to crunch time. I'm okay with him going as high as #8, but I personally like the upside of Hamlin, Stewart, and Earnhardt over Burton.

12. David Ragan

- While other teams are struggling to secure sponsorship, Ragan already has UPS, one of NASCAR's biggest sponsors, on board for the entire 2009 season. He has all of the tools to absolutely break out this year and will earn both his first win and a spot in the Chase. If everything falls into place, he could end up in the bottom five of the Top 10 in fantasy points this season. So if he's still around, I'm all over him at #12.

13. Kevin Harvick

- Harvick did finish 4 th in the points standings last season, but remember, I'm ranking fantasy value for the 2009 season, not where I think drivers will finish this season in the points standings. Harvick did not win any races or poles last year, so his value is based strictly on how well he finishes. It would not surprise me to see Harvick win three races this year, but I wouldn't take him any higher than #13.

14. Clint Bowyer

- Bowyer joined RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton with only seven Top 5 finishes last year. That's tied for the lowest among all drivers that made the Chase. Bowyer's not going to single handedly win your league, but I'd be pretty happy to see him around if I had the #14 pick.

Vickers will be a threat to make the Chase in 2009

15. Brian Vickers

- Vickers is an interesting fantasy NASCAR driver this year. He ran up front often last season, but those good runs didn't translate into many good finishes. I was very surprised when I looked up his stats from last year and realized he only had three Top 5's and six Top 10's. With that said, Vickers really intrigues me this season. It's no secret that the American auto manufacturers are struggling and those struggles are affecting NASCAR. On the other hand, Toyota and the other Japanese carmakers seem to be doing much better financially. This will affect NASCAR and Vickers could be the beneficiary of more financial and technical backing than most other teams.

From a strategy standpoint, this is the portion of the draft where I like to take some shots on upside rather than consistency. If your draft is going well and you like how your team is shaping up, this may be a good spot to gamble on someone like Vickers. I'd jump all over him at #15 and would go as high as #13, depending upon how the draft unwinds to this point.


16. Ryan Newman

- Ryan Newman is another driver that has a good bit of upside. It seems like light years ago when Newman was racking up poles and winning races. It's important to remember that Newman never got along with his longtime teammate Rusty Wallace, and over the last few years, Penske Racing's equipment has been inferior to that of Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs and Childress. This season, Hendrick Motorsports will be providing equipment for Stewart Haas Racing, so that should no longer be an issue for Newman.

I actually like Newman to get off to a better start than his teammate and car owner Tony Stewart will this season. Let me clarify myself here though, I do like Stewart more than Newman over the course of the entire season, but Newman very well could outrun his boss early while Stewart is learning how to balance being both a driver and car owner. At #16, Newman could be a steal.

17. Kasey Kahne

- Kahne is one of the most frustrating fantasy NASCAR drivers. He'll throw together a string of wins and Top 5's, then disappear for weeks at a time. I mentioned earlier that I like drafting for upside rather than consistency this late in the draft, but he is so inconsistent I can't justify taking him over the RCR drivers, Vickers or Newman. But he does have value in leagues where teams have multiple bench spots. If you can start him only at his strong tracks and maximize his value, he's worth drafting for your final starting spot or first bench spot.

18. Martin Truex Jr.

- I see Martin Truex Jr. as having equal value to Kahne, minus the upside of Kasey's poles and wins. Truex is fairly consistent, but only recorded three Top 5 finishes last year. If you get to this point in your draft and your team is loaded with high upside drivers like Mark Martin, Brian Vickers, or Ryan Newman, Truex's consistency would be a nice complement to your team.

19. Kurt Busch

- Busch only recorded 10 Top 10's last year and his one win at New Hampshire was more the result of good weather forecasting than a fast racecar. It's no secret that Penske and Dodge have struggled with the COT and I haven't seen anything in the off-season to expect any kind of major turnaround. I'd be thrilled to see Busch still around at #19, but in most drafts his name and previous success with Roush will convince someone to take him earlier.

20. Jamie McMurray

- I know I'm going to take some heat for having McMurray this far down in my rankings, but I'm not buying his strong finish from last year. Every year I rank McMurray high in the preseason and every year he lets me down. He only has one win since he's been in the 26 car with Roush Racing and recorded only four Top 5's last year. If he's still around somewhere between picks 18-20 he's worth a shot, but I wouldn't reach any higher to get him.

21. Casey Mears

- Casey Mears is my fantasy NASCAR kryptonite. Every year I spout off about my love for him and how the upcoming season will be his breakout season, and every year he does absolutely nothing. I don't see how his value increases after leaving as the 4 th driver at Hendrick to become the 4 th driver at RCR. I'd be shocked if he was still around at #21, so don't be the person who wastes an earlier draft pick on Mears.

22. Juan Pablo Montoya

- I loved Montoya coming into the 2008 season and had him ranked much higher than I do this year. Unfortunately, Montoya didn't live up to expectations and finished a disappointing 25 th in points. I do think Ganassi's merger with DEI will help and his numbers this year will look more like his 2007 season in which he recorded one win, three Top 5's and six Top 10's.

23. David Reutimann

- Reutimann took a huge step forward last year and became fantasy relevant. Still, he didn't record any Top 5's and had only four Top 10's. If he can continue on the same learning curve and improves at a similar rate, he does have some nice upside this season. I don't expect to see him in Victory Lane in 2009, but it's reasonable to expect an increase in Top 5's and Top 10's from last year.

Logano has upside, but don't get crazy on draft day

24. Joey Logano

- One of the top stories leading into 2009 will be how Logano evolves as the season progresses. There is no doubt that he has plenty of talent and has the luxury of top-notch equipment and a championship crew around him. But I'm not as high on him as others. He has tons of upside, but I don't want to have to rely on him for the first half of the season while he figures everything out. I'd draft him as high as #20 on upside alone, but I still like Ku. Busch, Truex and Kahne considerably more.

25. Aric Almirola

- At the time I wrote this article, there were still some issues concerning Almirola and his 2009 schedule. He did show some promise last season in the few races he ran in the #8 car, and if he is indeed running a full schedule, he's worth taking a flier on late.

26. A.J. Allmendinger

- Like Almirola, Allmendinger's 2009 schedule still looks uncertain. He was rumored to be replacing Elliott Sadler in the 19 car. Sadler sued Gillett Evernham Racing for breach of contract and, right now, is back in the 19. According to some reports, Allmendinger will be running a part time schedule for GEM. You can't afford to use a draft pick on someone running a part-time schedule, but if anything changes and he does get a full-time ride for 2009, he's worth a back-end draft pick.

27. Elliott Sadler

- Sadler has struggled since leaving Yates Racing and hasn't had much fantasy value over the last few seasons. It'll be interesting to see how Sadler responds to GEM's attempt to remove him from the 19 car. It's possible that it'll light a fire under him and improve the performance of that racecar. I don't expect that to happen, but Sadler might be worth a late draft pick just in case it does.

28. Travis Kvapil

- Kvapil was a bit of a surprise last season. For those of you that play Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR, you know just how valuable he was. Kvapil is capable of getting almost everything out of a racecar. Unfortunately for him, I don't have much confidence in Yates' equipment, so don't expect any kind of improvement over last year.

29. Bobby Labonte

- Labonte will be running the 2009 season in the 96 car for Hall of Fame Racing. Hall of Fame ended its technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last season and is now aligned with Yates Racing. Although Bobby Labonte is the most accomplished driver to step into the 96, the drop-off from Gibbs' equipment to Yates' will make it very hard for Labonte to be anything more than a backup fantasy NASCAR option this season.

30. David Stremme

- Stremme got a raw deal after the 2007 season when he was booted from Ganassi to allow Dario Franchitti to take over the 40 car. Last season, Stremme worked as a test driver for Penske Racing so he does have some experience with the COT and Penske's organization. I don't see Stremme being anything more than a backup this year, but expect him to steadily improve as the season goes on.

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