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.

A list ranks- 11, 48, 24, 2, 18, 42, 14, 5, 16, 99. Really close after Gordon. I really struggled ranking 2, 18, 42 and 14.  Wanted to rank 42 and 14 higher but they have to show me something in a race.

A few stats for you, winner of this race has come from the front row 23 out of 65 races. I realize atleast 1 (Stewart) started from rear of the field due to going to a backup car. 47 out of 65 race winners here have started from the top ten.

Jimmie may win but i wouldn’t burn him at this track. I’d start 24 and 11 over him to save a start.

In paythefan i like 11 and 9. Also like 39 and 42 in paythefan as sleeper options.

B list ranks- 31, 9, 33, 29, 39, 17, 20, 88, 1, 56, 00, 47, 12.

Harvick looked pretty good but i have a hard time using him here in Yahoo format. 39 is a good start saver in the  Yahoo game. I also wouldn’t burn Kenseth here in either format.

Really no sleepers in paythefan b list so i’m leaning 33 and 29. Don’t want to use Harvick but there is no safe gambles. AJ was my pick before practice in Paythefan but is under the weather and didn’t run that many laps in practice.

C list ranks- 77, 43, 78, 98, 82, 83. I really think Sam is the pick in this group. With AJ not running that many laps i think it’s a good week to save a start. Also don’t think i’d run Menard here as he’s much too valuable on the intermediate tracks. 78 and 82 are the sleeper picks this week. Mears is absolute garbage don’t run him.

My pick to win is Denny Hamlin

My sleeper picks are Kahne and Newman

Yahoo team is 11, 33, 9, 77

Paythefan teams are 11, 9, 33, 29, 77, 78. Not happy about having to run Harvick though.

As always good luck FNPers!!!

Kyle Wiseman

First off everyone have a safe weekend and please don’t drink and drive.

A drivers ranks- 48, 11, 24, 2, 42, 18, 14, 5, 16, 99. Wanted to rank 16 higher but he starts shotgun on the field. 11 was strongest in final practice but i’d bet on the 48 when the track gets cool. As far as paythefan goes i like the 9 and 42 in the A list. 11 and 2 should be good too but i like the sleeper route for this race.

B list ranks- 31, 9,  56, 20, 17, 29, 33, 00, 39, 1, 6. 00 would be higher if he could finish races consistently. Ragan good C list pick for paythefan. I like the 31 and 56 in paythe fan for B list. Also like 20.

C list ranks- 43, 98, 83, 78, 82, 21, 77. Elliot never showed anything all weekend. 83 struggled but like his patience here. 98 would be the pick over AJ if he had track position. 78 would be ranked over Mears if i trusted the durability of his race car. 82 could suprise as he usually finishes races and stays out of trouble. With this being a 600 mile race Sam may set a record for times in the fence.

My pick to win the Coca-Cola 600 is Jeff Burton, not going with Mr. Obvious here.

Sleeper picks are Truex Jr. and Kahne. Dont’ count out Logano either.

My team will more than likely be 48, 9, 31, 43 over 18, 17, 20, 98. If any changes are made it will be with the 20 for the 31 as i would like to save a start with Burton.

That’s all for this weekend gang and as always Good luck FNPers!!!

Kyle Wiseman

Alright gang, i know i preach it on every short track but track position and pit stall selection will be key here. Very tight pit road.

A list ranks- 18, 11, 48, 99, 24, 5, 2, 14, 16, 42. Montoya found speed late and Biffle was not happy with his car after 5 laps. Gibbs cars are the class of the field and Kyle is my pick to win. Edward very happy with his hot rod. Stewart could impess as well but i’m gun shy.

B list ranks- 33, 31, 17, 9, 39, 56, 20, 1, 29, 12, 00, 88, 6. Harvick may very well beat my rank but i wouldn’t burn him this week. Ragan very good pick for Paythefan (c list). Roush looks pretty good this weekend as expected. Jr. really struggled and starts way back which is a bad combination. Logano good sleeper pick as his teammates are super fast.

C list ranks- is a complete mess and i don’t want to rank them but i will anyways. 43, 77, 98, 83, 82, 78. Notice i went track position as it’s very close. AJ was not happy at all after 2 laps. I didn’t get a good read on the tires that 98 or 83 were on but they were stupid close on lap times. 77 wasn’t as fast on the stop watch as the 98 or 83 but i think he was on older tires more and has track position.

My initial thought for my team is 18, 56, 39, 98. Benching 48, 17, 31, 83. Saving some starts this week as 56 and 39 look pretty good and qualified well. Only 4 Burton starts left and I won’t use Kenseth unless he is top 5 material, which i think he just misses.

Paythefan team is looking like 99, 11, 33, 18, 6, 12.  Martin, Kahne and Newman will also get a look in A list.  Burton, Truex, McMurray make for good sleeper picks in B. Don’t think there’s any choice in C…12 and 6 the way to go.

My pick to win is Kyle Busch

B list start savers are Newman and Truex Jr.

Good luck FNPers!!!

Kyle Wiseman

Hey everyone, KWise and Randy were unable to do the breakdown this week, so once again, you’re stuck with me. Practice saw a bunch of cars spin out and earn their Darlington stripes early. Dale Jr. hit the wall on the 2nd lap of practice and then hit it again once he got into his backup, which sadly doesn’t surprise me. Biffle and Bowyer are also going to backups.

For the record, I posted this breakdown immediately after today’s practices were over, so these rankings don’t reflect anything that happened in qualifying.

I’m hitting the road for Darlington at 4 pm today, so I may not be able to post my active roster in the forum for this weekend’s race. I will have my cell phone and can access email, so feel free to email me at fantasynascarpreview@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments. Now onto practice.

A List Rankings: 11, 18, 24, 48, 2, 5, 42

- Denny Hamlin is in his own league right now. He’s fast in qualifying trim, fast in race trim and his car doesn’t fall off too much on long runs.

- Kyle Busch is very close to Hamlin and has been fast since unloading. He did hit the wall in 2nd practice, but it looked like the crew was able to fix it.

- Gordon does not seem to be able to run the very fast lap that Denny and Kyle can, but that car looks good on long runs and he has been in the Top 5 of 5 lap averages in race trim.

- Johnson’s car looks very similar to Gordon’s. He couldn’t lay down that fast lap in race trim, but was good on long runs and good in qualifying trim.

- I have Montoya, Ku. Busch and Mark Martin about even. Put those three in a hat and pull out a name.

B List Rankings: 31, 29, 9, 56, 39, 1, 12

- The RCR guys all look awesome. Bowyer was fast in his primary car, but did not make my rankings  since he is in a backup. With Bowyer being a 9 start guy this season, I’d bench him. As I mentioned earlier, Dale Jr is in a backup, McMurray and Logano both earned stripes.

- McMurray looked awesome in qualifying trim, but I don’t have confidence in that car for the race.

- Noticeably absent from the B List rankings is Matt Kenseth. He has been slow since he unloaded and is too valuable to risk here.

C List Rankings: 43, 98, 77, 78

- Allmendinger looks to be the class of the C Listers. Unfortunately for all of us who have him on our teams, he drew first in qualifying order, so don’t be surprised to see him qualify towards the back. But we do know he has a fast car in race trim, so be sure to factor that in if a subpar qualiyfing effort is trying to scare you off him.

- After the Dinger, the 98 and 77 looked to be pretty even, but the 98 got the #2 ranking because Hornish scares the hell out of me on easier racktracks. At Darlington, I wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole, especially after watching better drivers hit the wall in practice.

My pick to win: Denny Hamlin
Sleeper: Martin Truex Jr.
Avoid: All Roush drivers. Biffle looked pretty fast in his primary, but hasn’t shown much in his backup. Edwards is simply terrible right now.

In the words of our Practice Breakdown guru, KWiseman, “Good Luck FNP’ers”.

-PJ