SCC Preview: Allstate 400

This weekend's race will take place at one of the greatest racing venues in the entire world, much less the entire country. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the site of great racing history, and NASCAR holds its own place in that. In fact, the circuit's very first race at the Brickyard was won by an Indiana native (Jeff Gordon). This event has become the second largest race in NASCAR, with all due apologies to the Coke 600. So, why is it so boring?

This topic was covered a lot better by Terry Blount here. Here's a brief recap. The track is long, but very flat. It's a little like Pocono, only with less room to maneuver. That makes passing very difficult and it can be done only by out-braking other drivers into the corners and out-accelerating them down the long straightaways. That kind of track often makes for a pretty slow day with no side-by-side racing due to the single groove.

What does that mean for fantasy? Well, first, look to the Pocono race earlier in the year. This will be the first time the newly styled race car will be running at Indy. Looking at Pocono for the cars that ran well there could give a hint as to who will run well at Indy. It's not an exact match, but it's the best we've got. Second, look to the cars that have had the horsepower advantage all year, specifically Toyotas. The Camry has been outperforming the other cars in terms of horsepower for most of the year.

Kyle Busch (Market value: 24.8): In my head, I know it's crazy to think a driver can win three races in a row. It's not that it's impossible, just fairly unlikely. All that said, Busch has a great history at Indy with three top-10s in his only three races at the site in the Sprint Cup Series. He has the Toyota horsepower advantage, and he's just the best there is right now. So, even though he may not win this race, he's about as safe a driver as can be had in fantasy. As for his Pocono finish of 43rd? Ignore it.

Tony Stewart (22.0): He's the defending champion of this race and this is Stewart's favorite race of the year. At one point I think he would have gladly won here over the Daytona 500. Now that he's won at Indy twice in the past three years, he'll take that 500 win, but that doesn't make this place any less special. Last year he won this race in the middle of a hot streak, one that had become quite synonymous with his season stylings. He hasn't had the streak quite yet, but he's a safe bet for this weekend. He knows this track, has the horsepower advantage and has run well enough recently that I'm confident he'll finish well.

Jeff Gordon (22.4): A four-time winner at Indy, Gordon has kind of become an afterthought in fantasy circles. In our most recent rankings, Christopher Harris had him 10th for this weekend. I'm not willing to concede he's that far from winning another race. He doesn't have horsepower of the Toyotas, but he knows how to handle a track like Indy as well as anyone and that can be used to his advantage. Gordon is a safe bet this week, maybe not a winning bet, but definitely as a top five.

Denny Hamlin (22.0): Hamlin loves the big, flat tracks of NASCAR. He pretty much owns Pocono and that will translate well onto Indy. He finished 22nd at Indy last year, but was able to maneuver the new car around Pocono with ease and should have no problems this week. I've ranked him ninth for the week, but that was a conservative rank and could easily be adjusted up after the first set of practice numbers.

Mark Martin (18.3): As I looked over my rankings, it was hard to find a true sleeper as my top 10 looks like a who's who of the Chase contenders. Martin is a little bit on the outside of that group, but he's so competitive when he does race that you have to add him. He has three straight top-10s at Indy. Granted, they were in the old car, but Martin has shown he can handle this new car. He finished 10th at Pocono, and has two top-10s in his past four races. He should be a good bet this week.

Bill Elliott (11.2): This is a crazy shot in the dark, and one not necessarily reflected in my rankings, but Elliott has a victory at Indy before. He doesn't necessarily need to qualify for this race on time. He has a champion's provisional to fall back on should Terry Labonte qualify on time. But Elliott has finished in the 20s in three straight tries at Indy and has enough knowledge that he could overcome his horsepower disadvantage and finish in the 20s again. And if you want to roster four elites and a lower driver, this is the lower driver to go with.

Greg Biffle (21.6): There are so many tracks that Biffle is good on, and they all share one common trait. They're all big with high banking in the turns. Indy is a big track, but the bankings do not suit Biffle's strength. He has only two top-15s in his five races at the track. And when he costs as much as he does, you want a little assurance of a good finish. Biffle could finish well, but this track style just doesn't make that a given like Michigan or Texas would.

Last week, I scored 660 points, better than 66.76 percent of Stock Car Challenge participants.

Kyle Busch: My pick to win the race, and he's increased in value so much that it would be pretty dumb to drop him.
Tony Stewart: Two wins in the past three Indy races, and he comes in at a value that makes him worth having on your roster.
Matt Kenseth: This is all about riding the hot hand. He has three straight top-10s at Indy and has eight top-10s in the past nine races.
Mark Martin: Another strong choice for this weekend, even though he's not as good a bet as the top three.
Reed Sorenson: He won the pole last year and finished fifth. Maybe it was lightning in a bottle, or maybe Ganassi knows something.

Kasey Kahne (20.1) won at Pocono, but he's struggled at Indy recently with two finishes of 36th or worse. … Juan Pablo Montoya (17.8) finished second at Indy last year and won his only start in the Indy 500. If you trust him, pick him up. … Jimmie Johnson (23.2) won the Brickyard in 2006 and has five top-10s in the past seven races. Unfortunately, he has also finished 36th or worse in three of the past four Indy races.