A List – 48, 24, 2, 14, 18, 5, 11, 42, 99

- Johnson once again looks to be the guy to beat. He can run a fast lap and is really good on long runs. Johnson was fastest in 5, 10, 15 and 20 lap averages.

- The 24 let the 9 car pass him in Happy Hour, then jumped right back on his bumper and raced him pretty hard for a few laps. Kahne was 7th in final practice, which convinces me the 24 has a pretty strong racecar. The commentators also mentioned that after 18 laps, Gordon was still in the 29 second bracket, which impressed them.

- Just a tick behind the 24 are the 2, 14 and 18. I ranked the 2 ahead of of the 14 and 18 strictly due to track position.

- I really like Tony’s racecar and think he’s better at working through the field and saving his stuff, so he got ranked just ahead of the 18. Larry Mac did not give specific rankings or speeds, but said he was looking at the average speed charts and Stewart looked stout. With Kyle starting 22nd and Tony starting 25th, it wouldn’t surprise me to see these two nose to tail early in tomorrow’s race while they work to the front.

- The next tier is the 5, 11, 42 and 99. Martin has a great starting position and was 4th in 15 lap averages during Happy Hour. I don’t see him contending for a win, but should run towards the bottom of the Top 10 all day.

- Hamlin was the hardest driver for me to rank this week. He hasn’t exactly lit up the speed charts all week, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him drive to the front and lead a bunch of laps.  With that said, he has too much value to use him this week when we’re unsure of how he’ll run. There will be plenty of opportunities for Hamlin in the future.

- Montoya is on the pole and always seems to run much better in clean air. He has a really good chance to lead a lap for a 10 point bonus. If you’re further down in your league and looking to make up ground, Montoya is a gamble I’d consider. But this breakdown ranks who I think are the best options for Sunday and I see at least 5 other A List driver who I’d take over Juan.

- Edwards has been very respectable on the speed charts, but I’m very wary of using him until he shows something. I don’t see any situation where he should be started in a league using Yahoo’s standard format.

B List -31, 33, 9, 56, 29, 39, 20

- I like the 31 as the best B Lister, but the gap is much narrower than that between the 48 and the rest of the A List. Burton has to start back in 17th, but has been fast since unloading and ranked 2nd in Happy Hour, just behind Johnson.

- The next tier of five cars is very close. The 33 and 9 were fast in Happy Hour and have track position. Kahne starts 2nd, so he has a chance at grabbing a lap leader bonus early. He also ranked 4th in 5 lap average.

- Both the 56 and 29 have fast cars, but are starting back in the mid 20’s. I do not have Truex this week, but he should get a good look for all of you looking to save starts.

- The 39 has great track position, but was only 23rd in Happy Hour. Newman was fast in Friday’s practice, Saturday’s first practice and qualifying, so he’ll still get some consideration.

- The 20 was a popular sleeper pick coming in, but hasn’t shown much speed in race trim this week. There are better options than Logano.

C List – 98, 43, 77, 78, 36

- Menard has surprised me this week. The 98 qualified 13th and was 14th in Happy Hour.

- Allmendinger was very disappointing in qualifying and very mediocre in race trim. I have him ranked ahead of Hornish because he is safer, but it’s so close that I’m starting the 77 and saving the 43 for another day.

- Smith has qualified and practiced around 20th on the speed charts. He is suffering from a broken wrist which scares me too much to start him.

- Mears came out of nowhere to post the 18th fastest lap in Happy Hour, which was worth mentioning. Still, I don’t see any situation where I’d consider him a legit C List option.

- I know there are many people who have Sorenson and Labonte on their rosters this week so I kept an eye on them. Neither of these guys have shown any speed since unloading and I do not see either of these cars finishing on the lead lap. If I had top pick one, I’d take the 83, but to be honest, would not be happy about it.

Top 5 Happy Hour 5-lap averages:

1. Johnson
2. Ky. Busch
3. Stewart
4. Kahne
5. Bowyer

Winner: Johnson
Sleeper: Truex Jr.

Track position is vital here but so is fuel strategy so i’ll just rank them based on strength of car and start position.

A list- 48, 24, 11, 14, 42, 2, 16, 18, 99, 5.

Kyle was faster than Stewart but Stewart was trying different setups. Kyle Busch also slid off course twice in practice. Gordon seemed to get his issue fixed and would expect a top 10 run. Wasn’t real impressed with Montoya or Kurt Busch. My Yahoo choice is 14 over 18 for now. Paythefan use Vickers and Montoya. Yes Vickers, gotta burn him somewhere.

B list- 47, 29, 31, 9, 56, 1, 33, 39, 19, 17, 20, 88.

Really like Ambrose and Harvick for this race. Burton is fast but i’d save him as too much can happen here. Truex and McMurray are your start saver picks. I also like Sadler in the paythefan format. My b list will be Ambrose and Harvick. In Paythefan give me Ambrose and McMurray. Do not use Kenseth here for whatever reason. Bowyer starts deep in the pack but should be good for a top 15, which means i wouldn’t use him here.

C list- 43, 09, 98, 82, 26, 13, 7, 83, 38, 12, 78, 77.

Hornish had all sorts of problems in practice, avoid at all cost unless your league scores times off the track. I really like the 09 too bad he isn’t on my Yahoo team. Was not impressed with Robby at all. I’d probably start 09 and 82 over AJ to save starts. I’m leaning AJ over Papis on my Yahoo team. Still considering Max though as he wasn’t too bad. In Paythefan give me 09 and 82. Said is also a good sleeper pick. Could do worse than Papis too.

My pick to win is Marcos Ambrose

My B list sleeper picks are Truex Jr. and McMurray. Sadler deep sleeper

Best of luck FNPers!!!

Kyle Wiseman

Follow FNP on Twitter @ twitter.com/fnpnascar or search for FantasyNASCARPreview.com on Facebook for breaking fantasy NASCAR updates and extended fantasy NASCAR coverage.

A List – 48, 24, 11, 2, 99, 16, 18, 14

- The two Hendrick horses (48 and 24)  look to be the best. In Happy Hour,  Johnson ranked 2nd in 10 lap average while Gordon ranked 4th.

- The Fords are showing more speed here, which is expected, than they have all season. I do like the 99 and 16, but still don’t have the confidence to start them over the 48, 24 or 11.

B List – 31, 17, 29, 9, 39, 20, 56, 6, 1, 88

- The 31, 17 and 29 make up the first tier of B Listers. They’re all very fast in race trim, with Burton getting the #1 ranking due to starting position. Burton mentioned in an interview that they took some initial speed out of the car after Saturday’s 1st practice to make the car better on long runs. He wants to be able to run the car anywhere on the racetrack late in runs and think the car is there.

- Kenseth and Harvick both have very fast cars that are good on long runs. Kenseth was 3rd in 10 lap average, moving him into the #2 ranking, just ahead of Harvick. They both start way back tomorrow, but Michigan provides plenty of room for fast cars to move up through the field.

- The next tier includes the 9 and 39.  Both were fast in practice and start in the Top 10.  Kahne led all cars in 10 lap average, giving him the nod over Newman in my rankings.

- The 20, 56, 6, 1, 88 make up the last tier of B List drivers. If I had any confidence in Ragan, he’d get a higher ranking. I know he’s been fast, I just can’t convince myself to start him. Logano ranked 5th in 10 lap averages, giving him the highest ranking of this group.

- The 88 said his car is extremely inconsistent and is doing something different every lap.

- The 33 struggled all day and hit the wall late in Happy Hour. They are going to a backup car and unfortunately will not get any laps in that car until the green flag tomorrow. He should not be started tomorrow.

C List – 98, 43, 78, 77, 21

- Menard looks to be the class of the C List. He starts back in 21st, but ranked 1st and 2nd in Saturday’s practice sessions.

- Allmendinger ranked in the Top 20 in both practice sessions Saturday and should be solid tomorrow.

- Smith has quietly been fast all weekend. I ranked the 43 ahead of him due to consistency week to week, but Smith’s practice speeds make me believe he can run in the Top 20 on Sunday.

- The Red Bull guys haven’t shown anything this weekend.

I’m leaning towards starting the 48, 31, 17, 98 over the 11, 29, 20, 77. But the 20 is still in play for the 31’s spot if I decide to go with a start save.

Make sure to check out our NASCAR Forum tomorrow morning for my final picks for Michigan.

Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Sleepers: Menard/Logano

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Thanks everyone,

PJ

Hey guys, this isn’t the practice breakdown, but my updated driver rankings and  thoughts after watching practices.

A List- 11, 48, 24, 42, 18, 2, 14

- Hamlin started Happy Hour on 3 lap scuff tires while Johnson started on new stickers. The 11 was able to stay in front of the 48 and slowly pulled away, convincing me to rank him #1 among A Listers. With that said, Johnson is a very close second.

- Gordon did not lay down the fast lap in Happy Hour, but was very happy with his car on long runs. He also led Saturday’’s first practice in 10 lap average speed.

- It’s not surprise that Montoya is fast, but can he actually put together a good finish? If he can keep the car in one piece, he is Top 5 material this weekend.

- I like Kurt for a solid Top 10, but am not sure if he has enough to get up there and run with the 11 or 48.

- The Roush cars did not look good and I simply can’t see starting Biffle or Edwards this week.

B List – 31, 33, 29, 9, 39, 17, 1, 20, 56

- The RCR cars are in a class of their own among B Listers.

- After RCR, the second tier seems to be the 9, 39 and 17.

- McMurray and Truex were able to lay down fast laps, but weren’t happy on long runs.

C List – 77, 43, 98, 78, 82

- I may regret this, but Hornish looks to be the class of the C List. Two Top 10’s at Pocono in ‘09 and 15th in Happy Hour do make the 77 look pretty good though.

- Apparently Allmendinger is sick, so that may have an effect on how well he runs. If you’re considering him, make sure to pay attention to prerace Sunday morning for any updates.

- Casey Mears did not show much. If you have a better option, bench the 83.