SCC Preview: Martin set to counterpunch at Kansas

What Martin didn't tell you is he just might be Lex Luthor, with the kryptonite to turn Johnson back into Clark Kent and bring his hopes of a fourth straight title crashing to earth.

Just as Johnson sent a message Sunday, this week Martin will make it clear he's got some superpowers of his own and, in the 2009 Chase, he's faster than a speeding bullet. Staggered by Johnson at Dover, Martin will punch back at Kansas with win No. 6 on the season and his second in the past three races. In case you forgot, here are a few facts to back me up. It's true Martin hasn't had very good finishes over the past two years at Kansas, coming home 12th in 2007 and 18th in 2008. His equipment in those races, though, wasn't as good as what he had with Jack Roush in the last two events he ran at Kansas for the "Cat in the Hat," where he won in 2005 and crossed the line third in 2006. In the category of "What have you done for me lately?" Martin's worst finish in the past five starts this year is fifth, with a win and two runner-ups. The average finish during that span is a microscopic 2.6.

Then, there's the matter of the sister track to Kansas. Back in July at Chicagoland, Martin blew the field away much like Johnson did at Dover, leading 195 of the 267 laps while Johnson zipped across the strip eighth. That's why my crystal ball sees a flip-flop from Dover. This time it will be Martin taking the checkered flag and Johnson coming home right behind him.

Johnson has once again turned it up a notch in the Chase, scoring fourth- and first-place finishes in the opening two events. How automatic is this guy in the final 10 races? In the past 27 Chase races, his worst finish is 15th, not to mention he's won around one out of every five Chase races he's ever run, including Kansas in 2008.

Those two are the only ones in Sunday's Price Chopper 400, so who has a chance to duke it out with this dynamic duo? Teammate Jeff Gordon could be right there. He won on another 1.5-mile track in Texas and was the runner-up to Martin at Chicagoland. Not to mention he finished fourth at the Kansas Speedway a year ago.

When it comes to Juan Pablo Montoya, don't even look at his past stats at Kansas or any of the Chase tracks for that matter. Is there any doubt this guy has found another gear lately? The Colombian driver should have won after dominating at Indy, and in the past month, he has also made serious bids to win at Atlanta and Loudon, where he led laps and finished third. He was solid off the truck at Dover, too, eventually taking away a fourth-place finish.

After he won in such convincing fashion at Atlanta, you have to show some love for Kasey Kahne, who was third at Chicagoland. His Kansas stats aren't that sporty, but this is another team, so I'm not too sure that really matters. I also think former Kansas winner Tony Stewart will run well Sunday, as will teammate Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers.

In years past, we almost always would be talking about Jack Roush's top drivers as top contenders at Kansas, but not this time around. Greg Biffle won this race in 2007, and in 2008 who can forget Carl Edwards' bouncing his car off the wall, on purpose, on the last lap, trying to take the race away from Johnson. The 1.5-mile tracks used to be the best places for the Roush Fenway Fords to shine, but they have proved to be this team's undoing in 2009. Other than Kenseth's winning the season's opening two races, Roush hasn't been back to Victory Lane, and I don't believe it will happen any time soon.

If you're looking for a dark horse, perhaps hometown hero Clint Bowyer could fit the bill. First, he wants to win at Kansas, in front of friends and family, so bad he can taste it. Secondly, he was second in 2007 and could have run top-5 at Chicagoland before issues near the end dropped him to ninth.

As long as he's 100 percent healed from the broken ribs he suffered at the beginning of the month, I like Bill Elliott to give you a top-20 at a value that will give you some flexibility. The Wood Brothers cut back to a part-time schedule this year and it's done exactly what they intended. They usually have at least two weeks to massage their Motorcraft Fords before they hit the track and they are coming ready. Elliott was 15th at Charlotte and had two 16th-place finishes at Michigan, and when David Gilliland recently jumped in for Elliot at Atlanta, he finished a respectable 17th. Another cap-friendly guy who could get you a top-20, and at least 100 points, is Bobby Labonte. With Erik Darnell taking his place in the Yates Racing No. 96, Labonte is back driving the No. 71 for Kevin Buckler. That's the team Bobby finished 18th with at Atlanta, the last race on a 1.5-mile track before this weekend. Other low-value drivers who could be of help this week include A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Big Bucks (SCC value 22.0 and up)

As you've heard me talk about, I don't think there's any way you go wrong in keeping Mark Martin (23.3) and Jimmie Johnson (24.0) on your team throughout the Chase. Juan Pablo Montoya (22.3) is a keeper and cap-friendly. Jeff Gordon (23.4) is also worth a look, as are Denny Hamlin (23.1), Ryan Newman (22.3) and Kurt Busch (23.3).

Serious Coin (SCC value 19.0 to 22.0)

The one guy that jumps off the page for me here is Kasey Kahne (21.8). Now that we're back on one of the big tracks, Brian Vickers (21.1) could also be of value. Teammates Greg Biffle (21.5) and Matt Kenseth (21.3) are also Kansas possibilities. Clint Bowyer (21.1) is cap-friendly, and if he could duplicate his ninth-place run at Chicagoland, he would be worth the money. Marcos Ambrose (20.2) and David Reutimann (20.7) were pretty stout at Chicagoland, too, and will be worthy of some consideration.

Budget Boys (SCC value 13.0 to 19.0)

If Bill Elliott (14.4) is completely healed from those broken ribs he suffered fooling around with a dirt bike a few weeks ago, then you have to give some really serious thought to using him. With such a low value, you might be able to do some real maneuvering for another big dog. On pure performance in this category, I like Kevin Harvick (18.0) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17.7) to bring you a finish somewhere around 15th. A.J. Allmendinger (17.4) looked pretty strong at Chicagoland and has a chance to duplicate that 13th-place run. Joey Logano (18.4) flipped, literally, back into the Budget Boy category this week. I also like the way Bobby Labonte (15.9) has run in the No. 71 and he might be a little better than top-25 with a cap-friendly price. Reed Sorenson (15.4) is also worth some consideration.

Debit … Not Credit

Up on top, I stay away from Tony Stewart (23.5). Would you pick him ahead of Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin right now? No. Would you be able to afford to put him on a team with Johnson and Martin? No. So, there's no need to go there even though Tony is potentially top-5 and a probable, at worst, top-10. I also don't like Carl Edwards (22.0). Not only have his performances been less than stellar, but just above him is Juan Pablo Montoya, and just below, Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers, three drivers I would rank ahead of Edwards going into the race. In the "Serious Coin" group, Jeff Burton (19.7) and teammate Casey Mears (19.0) aren't setting the world on fire. Again, if you want to bump up a little, you can go for Clint Bowyer and just below, Kevin Harvick will be a better call. Brad Keselowski (20.1) is overvalued in my opinion and I'm not in love with his Kansas risk-reward ratio.

Guru Garrow's Gang

Last week, I scored 707 points with Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and David Ragan. For my "prelim team" this week, I'm keeping Johnson, Martin and Harvick. I traded Greg Biffle for Ryan Newman and David Ragan for Bill Elliott.

Mark Garrow covers fantasy racing for ESPN.com.