SCC Preview: Can anyone topple Johnson at Lowe's?

Last week, I predicted Jimmie Johnson was going to send a message at California, and he did, loudly proclaiming -- as if anyone really doubted -- he was still the king of the Sprint Cup Series and the would-be challengers were merely a part of his fiefdom.

However, at Charlotte on Saturday, the trumpets will blare the arrival of the former "black knight" Tony Stewart, who might act occasionally as the clown prince but still desires to rule the NASCAR kingdom for a third time. His recent record at Lowe's Motor Speedway isn't all that great, but I believe that with the serious jousting for the title afoot, Stewart will join the hunt, meaning he must strike back at Johnson immediately.

Stewart won this race in 2003, and he led 42 laps last year before fading to an 11th-place finish. That won't happen this time. Look for the Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet to be even stronger than in his recent win at Kansas. No driver is tougher when his back is against the wall and there is so much at stake. Stewart is 81 points behind Johnson in the Chase for the Championship, and he understands that not only can he ill afford to fall farther back but a win will get Johnson looking in the rearview mirror for a warrior who will not be vanquished easily.

There will be others who will give Johnson fits throughout the night. His teammate Mark Martin has an average finish of 3.6 in the opening four races of the Chase. He's down only 12 points and, like Stewart, has a chance to win and make a statement of his own. In the past seven races, Martin's worst finish is seventh and he has six top-5s, including a win and a runner-up run. He's hot and showing no signs of cooling down.

A frustrated Jeff Gordon will be in the mix, too. He's been "cash" on the 1.5- to 2-mile tracks this year. His lone win came at Texas, and among his eight second-place finishes are Atlanta, Chicagoland and Kansas, all kissing cousins to Charlotte's 1½-mile layout.

I also think this race will tell us a lot about whether Juan Pablo Montoya is for real and can record his fifth straight top-4 finish. The Colombian-born driver was eighth at Lowe's in May, the first time he finished better than 28th in five starts at the track. One thing we've found out lately when it comes to Montoya is to forget about the past statistics. That was then and this is now, as Montoya clearly has raised his game.

Of course, Johnson has a chance to win every time he straps into the Lowe's Chevrolet and, yes, he has won two of the past three Sprint Cup races and is a five-time Charlotte winner, including a stretch of four in a row. I'll also admit it might be wishful thinking to believe Johnson will come up short Sunday night, but although he was top-10 at Chicagoland and Kansas, those races were a bit of a struggle. He also appears to have lost a bit of his Charlotte magic, with only one top-10 in the past four attempts.

For those trying to put together a high-scoring team for ESPN.com's Stock Car Challenge, one guy with a nice price who might be worth a big bag of gold is Kasey Kahne. In his past four races on tracks 1.5 miles in length, the Budweiser Dodge driver has claimed a win and finished no worse than seventh. That's where he finished in May at Charlotte, but the team is twice as good now as it was back then. Kahne has won three of the past seven races at Lowe's, with a second-place finish and only one non-top 10 performance in that span.

If he's back feeling anywhere close to 100 percent from the bug that bit him this past weekend, Kyle Busch also is worth watching. Problems in the past three races have dropped his value, making him attractive when you think about the fact that he was sixth earlier this year in the Coca-Cola 600, and that was the worst he has done in the past four Charlotte starts.

You'll also see a few "white knights" among the lower-valued drivers this week. David Ragan is still cheap, and if he can duplicate his top-10 run at Fontana, that will give you some flexibility to put more big hitters on your team. Bill Elliott and the Wood Brothers are returning to the track, and this combination is turning into a nice safe top-20 pick. It's crazy that a driver as good as Kevin Harvick has such a low value, which rose after a 10th in Fontana and probably will climb again after Charlotte.

Big Bucks (SCC Value 22.0 and up)

Jimmie Johnson (24.6), Tony Stewart (24.2), Jeff Gordon (24.1) and Mark Martin (23.9) will be worth the money. Juan Pablo Montoya (23.2) has been money in the playoffs. Unfortunately, unless you go low and get lucky with two budget drivers, you can afford only one of these guys if you haven't already locked them in at lower value. Carl Edwards (22.4) and Ryan Newman (22.1) could give you some cap relief, but the payoff will not be quite as big.

Serious Coin (SCC Value 19.0 to 22.0)

This group has a number of drivers who could deliver a big number at a decent value. I really like Kasey Kahne (21.8). His value is cap-friendly, and he has top-10 potential. Again, if Kyle Busch is anywhere back to being healthy, I'm also a big fan of him at 21.0. Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle (21.9) and Matt Kenseth (20.9) also could be of some help. Brian Vickers (20.3) usually has a chance to run top-10 on tracks this size, and fellow Toyota driver David Reutimann (21.0) has a shot to do that, too. RCR drivers Clint Bowyer (21.1) and Casey Mears (19.5) appear to be getting stronger and should be worth some consideration, as well. Most of us will end up going with two of the drivers in this group. On the plus side, we have a number of solid choices. On the other hand, it's going to take some work to figure out the right combination.

Budget Boys (SCC Value 13 .0 to 19.0)

I'm always a big fan of Bill Elliott (14.9) when he shows up at the track these days to race the Wood Brothers No. 21. He's got a nice low price, and I'll say it again: He's a safe pick to finish in the top 20 and score more than 100 points. David Ragan (15.6) finally broke through last week and will need to get some respect when choosing a Charlotte team. A little higher up, Kevin Harvick (18.3) has seen his performance picking up. Given he ran top-10 in May at Lowe's, Joey Logano (18.4) warrants a little consideration. Sam Hornish Jr. (16.8) needs to be kept in mind, as well as teammate David Stremme (15.5), who finished 14th at Atlanta recently. Martin Truex Jr. (17.7) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17.3) will be fast, but can they finally finish up front?

Debit … not credit

Up on the very top, I'm not a huge fan of Kurt Busch (23.4). He'll have a solid run, but drivers just above and below him in value will outrun him. For instance, Montoya is 0.2 cheaper, so if you had to pick between those two, whom do you take? Montoya. Would you pick Busch over Stewart, Johnson, Gordon or Martin? Most people would answer no.

In the Serious Coin category, Jeff Burton (19.3) continues to struggle, and he's been snakebit lately, to boot. Marcos Ambrose (20.2) could be a "tweener" Saturday as a driver who could run decent, but, like Kurt Busch, is surrounded by drivers above and below who should finish ahead of him.

Guru Garrow's Gang

I decided to travel a road less traveled by many last week in Fontana but ran off a cliff. Still, if not for Denny Hamlin's crashing himself out of the race, I would have scored 700-plus points. Instead, I had to settle for a disappointing 580 with the team of Hamlin, Edwards, Kenseth, Harvick and Stremme, my floor pick who finished 16th. Unfortunately, that was balanced by my top pick Hamlin killing me with a 37th.

So, this week I again tipped my team upside down, trading all but one driver: Harvick. I'm picking up Stewart, Kahne and Kyle Busch, and Elliott again will be my floor pick. Again, remember this is all subject to change after I talk to the crew chiefs for our race-day chat session.

Mark Garrow covers fantasy racing for ESPN.com.