NASCAR

[Buffalo4]

One thing about this sport is if you're talkin' favorites you're talkin' about the same few guys. This week I again like Earnhardt Jr. to win. Jeff Gordon will be there too seeing that he has raced here 12 times and finished top 10 ten times. I also like Mark Martin.

 

Others that race well here:

 

Tony Stewart

Matt Kenseth

Ryan Newman

 

Darkhorse:

 

Bobby Hamilton Jr.

[Jumpin Johnies]

I got this from Racers Edge:

 

NASCAR.com's fantasy racing experts list their favorite drivers for this week's race!

RACE: SUBWAY FRESH 500

Last Updated: 4/18/05

RANK DRIVER

1. Jimmie Johnson #48

Phoenix is more forgiving than the short or the similarly configured 1.5-mile tracks on which the series has competed lately, which give Johnson time to adjust for victory.

2. Kurt Busch #97

It took exactly two tries for Busch to learn his way around this 1-mile oval and he has been inside the top-10 in the past three races.

3. Greg Biffle #16

A 13th and a 15th place finish in his two-race Phoenix career carry far less weight than the momentum he brings with him to Arizona.

4. Ryan Newman #12

Newman was third two years ago and second last year at Phoenix, which leaves him with only one position left to make up.

5. Jeff Gordon #24

Gordon enters Phoenix with a seven-race streak of top-10s on this track and a need for revenge over his ill-handling Texas car.

6. Kasey Kahne #9

Kahne took an immediate liking to Phoenix and finished in the top-five in his only attempt on the flat one-miler.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8

Junior is one of the best flat-track drivers in the game, but he has been far from infallible in the first part of the season.

8. Kevin Harvick #29

After finishing 17th twice and then 34th in 2003, Harvick finally broke into the top-five with a fourth-place finish here last year.

9. Matt Kenseth #17

A three-race streak of top-10 finishes, including a victory in 2002, was not enough to deter bad luck last year when Kenseth blew an engine on lap 280.

10. Rusty Wallace #2

Wallace has always been strong on the flat tracks, and he has nine victories here, at New Hampshire, and at Martinsville to prove that fact.

11. Mark Martin #6

On the flat tracks, Martin has two top-10s in his last eight attempts, but he is far more likely to earn a top-15, which he has done on seven occasions.

12. Tony Stewart #20

Stewart may be replacing Joe Nemechek as the hard-luck kid; or maybe that distinction belongs to the entire Gibbs organization for the moment.

13. Jamie McMurray #42

There will be plenty of opportunities to start McMurray on a track where he has a history of success: he has yet to earn a top-10 at Phoenix.

14. Jeff Burton #31

When Burton needs something good to happen, he looks to the flat tracks to guide the way, like he did in New Hampshire in 2000 when the led flag-to-flag.

15. Michael Waltrip #15

Predictions of his struggles at Texas were pre-mature, and it seems that DEI is finally turning the No. 15 car in a positive direction.

16. Jeremy Mayfield #19

Mayfield overcame a mid-race deficit at Texas to finish in the top-15. On the flat tracks, he has fallen back from his starting spot in all but two of the last 15 attempts.

17. Elliott Sadler #38

Sadler has a ninth-place finish here in 2002 to prove he knows how to find the groove, but five finishes of 20th or worse suggest he doesn't find it often.

18. Casey Mears #41

Mears had a career defining moment at Texas when he rolled the dice on two tires and went for the victory.

19. Sterling Marlin #40

Marlin had some good runs at Phoenix, but they were more than 10 years ago and he has failed to record a top-10 in the past decade.

20. Joe Nemechek #01

Nemechek has never earned a top-10 at Phoenix in the senior series, despite starting in the front of the pack in the last three races.

21. Scott Riggs #10

Except for a blown engine in the Busch series in 2002, Riggs has finished in the top-15 in four starts in NASCAR's three major touring divisions.

22. Ricky Rudd #21

Rudd is finally back on track with two consecutive top-10s; the last time he had three in a row was back in 2002.

23. Dave Blaney #07

When things go wrong for Blaney they come in pairs: he wrecked two cars at California and spun to begin and end the show at Texas.

24. Dale Jarrett #88

Jarrett had four straight top-10s entering Phoenix in 2003; his last two races have slipped into the 20s.

25. Travis Kvapil #77

Kvapil deserves a second look at Phoenix after sweeping the top-15 in four starts, but he will find the competition much stiffer in the Cup series.

26. Brian Vickers #25

After starting on the outside of the front row in his first two Phoenix attempts, Vickers has fallen back rapidly.

27. Ken Schrader #49

Schrader has more stock car experience at Phoenix than any other driver in the field: he has earned top-10s in five different NASCAR touring divisions.

28. Carl Edwards #99

A fourth and a 10th in two Craftsman Truck Series races were insufficient to stave off a 27th place finish in the senior series last year.

29. Kyle Busch #5

To improve his effort on the flat tracks, Hendrick Motorsports entered Busch in an Elite Southwest race and it paid dividends in a second place finish in the Busch series.

30. Kyle Petty #45

Petty has moved forward in the race in every attempt of 2005; last week that was only four spots from 28th to 24th, but it still counts.

31. Jeff Green #43

While his teammate Petty has been driving forward in the race, Green has fallen back from his qualification attempt in the last three races.

32. Mike Bliss #0

Like Ward Burton before him, Bliss started out strong with this team, but he has slipped to a finishes outside the top-20 in his last three attempts.

33. Mike Wallace #4

In 1999 Wallace won a Grand National West race on this track; in 2001 he finished second in a Roger Penske car, but last year he was 29th in Larry McClure's ride.

34. Jason Leffler #11

In five combined starts in the three major touring divisions, Leffler has still managed to record only one top-10.

35. Scott Wimmer #22

Wimmer has three top-10s in the senior series but the last one came 30 races ago.

 

I like all of the Roush guys, the 29, 48 and 31 cars.