Kobalt Tools 500 News and Notes

Driver to win the Kobalt Tools 500

Jimmie Johnson +500
Carl Edwards +500
Kyle Busch +550
Jeff Gordon +700
Greg Biffle +800
Matt Kenseth +800
Kurt Busch +1500
Tony Stewart +1800
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1800
Mark Martin +2000
Denny Hamlin +2000
Kevin Harvick +3000
Jeff Burton +3000
David Ragan +3000
Jamie McMurray +3000
Brian Vickers +3000
Kasey Kahne +3500
Clint Bowyer +3500
Field +2200

Kobalt Tools 500 PreQ

What a beginning to the season it has been for three time defending champion Jimmie Johnson. He finished 31st in the season opening Daytona 500. Then followed it up with a 9th place run in California, where he dominated the beginning of the race only to fade at the end. Last weekend in Las Vegas Johnson lost a lap while running up front when his teammate, Jeff Gordon, missed pit lane and then blew a tire causing the caution to come out. Johnson battled his way back onto the lead lap only to wreck with less than 10 laps remaining relegating him to a 24th place finish. He is looking for a much better run at Atlanta Motor Speedway where two wins and two 2nd place finishes in his last five races at the track. Johnson is in need of a consistent run and this is a track where he has done well in the past.

Carl Edwards has not begun the season very well either with a top finish of 7th place in California wrapped in between a pair of top 20 finishes. He has not been a major contender during the races running in the top 15 but not in the top 5 on a consistent basis. Edwards will be looking to notch his first win of the season at Atlanta where he has run very well in his career. In nine career starts he has posted three wins with seven top 10s. he ahs had some bad luck as well finishing 40th or worse twice which has pushe3d his overall career average to 11th place. Still, Edwards will be a contender for the championship this season and this could be the race where he kicks off a stretch of top finishes.

Clint Bowyer is showing that he will remain a presence along the top drivers in the series for years to come. Bowyer surprised two years ago with a 3rd place showing in the championship battle. He followed that last season with a 5th place finish. Now, Bowyer is second in the point standings with a pair of top 5 finishes to his name already this season. He has three 6th place finishes at Atlanta in six career starts with an average finish of 15th place. That isn’t saying much but with a hot start to the 2009 season Bowyer could be the dark horse driver for the Kobalt Tools 500 keep him on your radar this weekend.

This track has just not been that kind to Kevin Harvick in his career although he has been getting a tick better. In his last four races he is averaging a 15th place finish which is considerably better than his career average finish of 23rd place (16 starts). Harvick posted a 7th place finish in this race last season but that was his first top 10 at Atlanta since his rookie season in 2001. Harvick has been inconsistent this season with a 2nd place finish at Daytona, a 38th place finish in California, and a 12th place finish last weekend. We expect him to run outside the top 10 once again. Look elsewhere for a top tier driver for this race.

It has not been a good start for Casey Mears in his new ride with Richard Childress Racing’s #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet. He has posted back-to-back finishes outside the top 20 to drop all the way to 27th in the point standings. One more poor run and he could be battling to remain in the top 35 in the point standings which guarantees a starting spot each week after the fifth race of the season. Mears has struggled at Atlanta in his career averaging a 21st place finish in 12 career starts. He does not have a top 10 in his career at the track and is likely to have a long day once again. Avoid him for this race.

profantasysports.com

Kobalt Tools 500
By Eric McClung

This week, the NASCAR Cup series is shipped back east to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500. In 1997, the track was rebuilt into a 1.54 mile, quad-oval that has become one of the fastest courses on the circuit. Following this race, the drivers get a week off before heading to Bristol.

Kyle Busch, who is coming off a hometown victory last week in Las Vegas, is the defending champion of this event. Last October, Carl Edwards won recent the most race here.

Following the rash of blown engines last week, a lot of fantasy owners — myself included — are looking to recover. Would you believe in my ESPN auction league, I had both Matt Kenseth and David Ragan? I went from a huge lead in first place down to third, thanks to their last and next-to-last finishes. Of course on my bench was Clint Bowyer.

But enough of my bad week, several drivers have impressive numbers so Atlanta poses a great opportunity to jump right back into the thick of the standings.

Carl Edwards - (last season: 42nd @ Kobalt Tools 500, first @ Pep Boys Auto 500)
Jimmie Johnson - (last season: 13th @ Kobalt Tools 500, second @ Pep Boys Auto 500)
Over the last five years (10 races), the combination of Edwards and Johnson have collected six checkered flags at Atlanta. Edwards swept the 2005 races here, Johnson did the same in 2007.

Over the last 11 races, Johnson has never finished worse than 16th and nine of those races were sixth or better.

Edwards has nine career starts here. Five of them top-threes, seven of them top-sevens.

Each driver has their motives to win this week. Johnson, who spun out on Speedy Dry at the end of last week’s race, has been unable to capitalize on his strong starts. While Edwards, along with teammates Kenseth and Ragan, will look to rebound from blowing an engine last week.

I love either driver this week. Allocation owners can flip a coin or add them both to the provisional roster and start whoever qualifies the best. Salary cap owners should clear cap space to start them both.

Tony Stewart - (last season: second @ Kobalt Tools 500, 17th @ Pep Boys Auto 500)
Last week, Stewart was set for a third straight top-10 until he had to stop in the pits several times attempting to resolve an issue that was causing a vibration. Like Edwards and Johnson, Atlanta is a great place for Stewart to bounce back. Over his last 15 starts here, Stewart has finished in the top-10 on 12 occasions. Over the last five years, his average finish of 9.9 is second only to Johnson’s 4.8. Stewart has also led the most laps in that time. What’s not to like?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - (last season: third @ Kobalt Tools 500, 11th @ Pep Boys Auto 500)
After the Daytona debacle and engine problems at California, Earnhardt quietly finished 10th last week. Atlanta is a great opportunity for him to get back into the picture and I like his chances to make that happen. Over the last 15 races, he has eight top-fives while 10 have been top-10s.

Ryan Newman - (last season: 14th @ Kobalt Tools 500, 16th @ Pep Boys Auto 500)
Last season, Newman had respectable finishes in Atlanta but I hate what I’ve seen from him this season. Despite starting sixth last week, Newman sunk like a stone and he eventually finished 25th. However, I would put Newman on my provisional roster for any format that pays bonus points for the best qualifiers. Over a stretch of nine races, Newman won the pole seven times– the most recent coming in 2007. However, in those races Newman has only two top-10s and an average finish of 17.3.

Kobalt Tools 500 Preview
The Sports Network

Site: Atlanta Motor Speedway; Hampton, Georgia

Track: 1.54-mile oval

Laps: 325

Miles: 500.5

Race record: Bobby Labonte, 1997 (159.904 m.p.h.)

Qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine, 1997 (197.478 m.p.h.)

2008 Finish

Defending champion: Kyle Busch

Runner up: Tony Stewart

Pole winner: Jeff Gordon (185.251 m.p.h.)

Top 10:

1. Kyle Busch (Start: 6)

2. Tony Stewart (32)

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr (2)

4. Greg Biffle (13)

5. Jeff Gordon (1)

6. Clint Bowyer (7)

7. Kevin Harvick (8)

8. Matt Kenseth (38)

9. Brian Vickers (35)

10. Jeff Burton (15)

Average speed: 140.975 m.p.h.

Time of race: 3 hours, 33 minutes, 1 second

Margin of victory: 2.066 seconds

Caution flags: 8 for 35 laps

Lead changes: 26 among 9 drivers

Notes
After three previous lackluster appearances, Kyle Busch raced to victory last season, as he defeated Tony Stewart by just over two seconds. Busch, who started sixth on the grid, led eight times for a race-high 173 laps. Pole sitter Jeff Gordon placed fifth. Third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr battled throughout, leading six times for 62 laps, but lost the lead on lap286 to Busch, who held the advantage for the final 40 circuits.This week's race marks the 100th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Other notable milestones this week has Bobby Labonte making his 550th Sprint Cup start and Clint Bowyer seeking to extend his active running at the finish to 77, second on the all-time list.With a whopping 31 lead changes among 13 drivers, Jimmie Johnson was the last driver standing in 2007, as he crossed the finish line ahead of Tony Stewart for his 25th career Sprint Cup title. Johnson, who started third on the grid,led for the first 36 laps, but it wasn't until lap 323 when he over took Stewart for the lead with just three laps remaining. Johnson led for a race-high 135 laps, while Stewart led for 121. Pole sitter Ryan Newman finished23rd. Only two drivers, Brian Vickers and Scott Riggs failed to finish ther ace. Johnson swept both Atlanta races in 2007. Johnson's win total now stands at 40.Kasey Kahne defeated Mark Martin and the weather in 2006, to capture his second career Sprint Cup title. After a 24-hour rain delay, Kahne crossed thefinish line 1.928 seconds ahead of Martin. Kahne, who started on the pole,reclaimed the lead on lap 246 of the 345-lap event and never relinquished the top spot. Kahne led for a total of 85 laps, while Greg Biffle, who placed 16thled for 128 laps. The 2006 win was a springboard for Kahne, as he went on towin six races.Jeff Gordon has fond memories of Atlanta, as he recorded his first ever Sprint Cup start back in 1992. In 33 career starts, Gordon owns four wins and 21top-10 finishes. Since winning in October of 2007, Gordon has gone 44 races without victory.In 2005, Carl Edwards burst on the scene by capturing the previously named Golden Corral 500, his first victory at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level, just one day after he got his first Nationwide Series win. Edwards followed with yet another Atlanta triumph in October's Sprint Cup event. When he won that year,Edwards reclaimed the lead on the final lap to edge Jimmie Johnson by less than a second. That margin of victory was tied for eighth on the list of closest finishes since the advent of electronic timing in mid-season 1993.With his win, Edwards became the first driver ever to post a Nationwide-Sprint sweep at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.Cale Yarborough won it a record six times, including three in a row from 1967to 1969 while driving for the famed Wood Brothers. The 1967 race wa Yarborough's first superspeedway win. Yarborough was the last driver to win this race in back-to-back seasons. Ryan Newman has won the pole four times in the past six years and seven times overall in Atlanta, but has yet to convert. In fact, his best finish is fifth in 2004. The pole sitter has won this race 10 times and 14 overall in Atlanta,more than any other starting spot.In 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr captured the race as he took the lead on lap 310 of325 and powered across the finish line 4.584 seconds ahead of runner-up Jeremy Mayfield. Kevin Harvick, who took over Dale Earnhardt's car after the racing legend died in an accident at Daytona in 2001, notched his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in March 2001 when he edged Jeff Gordon at this race.Jimmie Johnson has performed quite well in Atlanta, posting three wins and ten top-10 finishes in 15 races, with an average finish of 9.1. Tony Stewart, who won this race in 2002, has finished second the past two years.Over the years, there have been 99 Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Speedway, two races per year except 1961, which had three. Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5 mile paved speedway. The track was re-measured in 1970 to 1.522 miles and was renamed in 1990 to Atlanta Motor Speedway. The layout was once again re-configured to 1.54-miles as the track was reversed.The fifth race on the Sprint Cup Series schedule will be at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 22nd for the Food City 500, as Jeff Burton defends his title.

Kobalt Tools 500 HOT! Sheet

You have to put Bobby Labonte at, or near, the top of the list of surprises in the first 1/12 of the season. Not too long ago, he was worried about what was going to happen this year. Then along came the opportunity to hop in the #96 car, and the change of scenery has done wonders for the former series champion. He has an average finish of about 15th so far, including a really strong outing at Vegas, where he posted his first top 5 since October of 2006. He’s got a six pack of victories at Atlanta. You can probably still get him pretty cheap, so do it.

Any time you can post a career high, you know things are going your way. That’s the case for David Reutimann after crossing the line in 4th at Las Vegas. That came on the heels of a nice 12th place showing at Daytona, and 14th at California. Although he has yet to lead a lap in the first three events, the #00 team finds themselves in 5th place in the standings. They are riding high on a wave of momentum, so now may be the time to latch on.

After a pretty disappointing 2008 season when he finished with 5 DNFs and 18th in the final standings, Kurt Busch has started off the new year in fine fashion. The “blue deuce” started off with a 10th place finish in the rain at Daytona. That was followed up with a top 5 at California where he led a couple of laps. He led another lap last week on him hometown track at Vegas to gain some more bonus points. He has an average finish of exactly 9th in his last four trips to the peach state. He’s a good option to go with Sunday.

After the race last week, a friend of mine emailed me and said, “I can’t believe (Mark) Martin’s luck. I’ve had him in my lineup every race this season and he is killing me!” Trust me my friend, you’re not alone. The veteran has been a detriment to fantasy lineups everywhere after posting back to back finishes of 40th place thanks to engine trouble. He hasn’t had the best of luck in Atlanta either as he has finished on the lead lap only once in his last five trips there. You may want to shy away for a bit.

Near the bottom with him this week is Paul Menard. Hopes were high when he started the season pretty high up on the speed charts in practice at Daytona. But then came the racing. It has been a nightmare for the #98 team with a pair of DNFs thanks to accidents, and in the one he did finish it was way back in 37th. If things keep going like this, he’ll find himself a “go or go homer”. Until he turns it around, stay away.

profantasysports.com

News & Notes: Atlanta Motor Speedway
By Nascar Geek

Top 12 Features Competitive, New Look

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series just returned from Las Vegas … and, if folks could have cashed in on the odds of predicting what the series’ top 12 would look like after the season’s first three races, the payout would have been monumental.

Heading into the KOBALT Tools 500 this Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the top 12 features a new and competitive look.

Only five drivers who were in the top 12 at this point last year are in there now and there is a trio of drivers — David Reutimann (No. 00 Aarons Dream Machine Toyota), Bobby Labonte (No. 96 ASK.com Ford), and Michael Waltrip (No. 55 NAPA Toyota) — that would have been considered long shots to break into this illustrious group at the beginning of the season.

Reutimann is coming off a career-best fourth-place finish at Las Vegas and has moved up to fifth in points. A year ago, Reutimann was 31st in points after the first three races.

Labonte turned in his first top-five performance since 2006 by finishing fifth at Vegas and is 10th in points — he was 15th this time last season.

Waltrip stayed in the top 12 for the third straight week. Consider: Has 34th at this stage a year ago. Clearly, he is answering the self-imposed pressure he applied during the preseason when he said that if his 2009 results weren’t considerably improved, that he would retire.

Call it parity; call it balanced competition. But however you frame it up, the new blood in the 1op 12 certainly has made for some interesting early-season conversation — and speculation about whether these teams will be among the elite later in the season.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, following his run at Las Vegas.

“I can’t wait to get back in it and go. We’re taking it one race at a time, so I’m excited. I just feel like we’ve got all of this confidence on our side right now.”
Jeff Gordon Returns to Familiar Position — Atop Standings

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) is back in familiar territory.

The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion finds himself atop the points standings heading into this week’s action at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It’s the first time since Oct. 28, 2007 that Gordon has been the series’ points leader. And, it is the first time since his championship season of 1997 that he has been the points leader after the year’s first three events. Gordon has parlayed solid finishes through the season’s first three events, including 13th at Daytona, second at Auto Club Speedway and sixth at Las Vegas, to take over the points lead.

“Three weeks in a row, I’ve felt like we have had the car that can win and that’s quite a change from last year,” said Gordon, who went winless in 2008, snapping a 14-year stretch in which he won at least one race per season.

At Atlanta this Sunday, Gordon will be looking for his first points victory since Oct. 13, 2007 (Lowe’s Motor Speedway), a winless streak of 44 races. Atlanta is the site of Gordon’s first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start (Nov. 15, 1992) and has historically been a strong track for the highly decorated driver. In 33 career starts at the 1.54-mile venue, Gordon has posted four wins, 13 top fives and 21 top 10s.

Gordon has 81 career victories — sixth most in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. At Las Vegas this past Sunday, he eclipsed the 20,000 laps led mark and heads into Atlanta ranked seventh all-time with 20,006 laps led.

Gordon’s last series championship came in 2001. He is seeking his first title under the Chase format, after finishing seventh (2008), second (2007), sixth (2006), 11th (2005) and third (2004) in the previous five Chase seasons.

Sunday’s Race Marks 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event At Atlanta Motor Speedway

This Sunday’s running of the KOBALT Tools 500 marks the 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And, if Sunday’s race is anything like the previous 99, one can expect an exciting and dramatic afternoon of competition.

Here’s a look at some of the most memorable races at AMS:

July 31, 1960—Fireball Roberts wins the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Nov. 5, 1978—Richard Petty thought he had defeated rival Cale Yarborough to win the race, however, a scoring snafu is discovered afterwards and the victory is awarded to Donnie Allison.

Nov. 15, 1992—Alan Kulwicki may have finished second in the race, but it was good enough for him to overtake Bill Elliott and claim his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship by a slim 10-point margin. Many deemed this race to be one of the greatest NASCAR races ever. It also marked the final race for Richard Petty and was the first career race for Jeff Gordon.

March 12, 2000—Dale Earnhardt beats Bobby Labonte to the checkered flag by .01 seconds to record his ninth and final victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earnhardt’s nine wins at AMS is the most of any driver.

March 11, 2001—Kevin Harvick holds off Jeff Gordon by .006 seconds to record his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. The victory came on the heels of the tragic loss of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona just a few weeks earlier. Earnhardt’s famed black Chevrolet had been painted white and re-numbered 29, with the rookie Harvick given the daunting task of driving the car. It was an emotional win for owner Richard Childress and marked the second straight win for his team at the Atlanta spring race.

He’s Back … Kyle Busch Wins At Vegas; Defending Race Winner At AMS

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) demonstrated once again last Sunday that he will be a force to be reckoned with in 2009.

Busch hit the jackpot at his home track in Las Vegas, winning for the first time there. His 13th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory moved him up to sixth in the points standings. Busch, who won a record 21 races across all three national series a year ago, is the defending race champion at this Sunday’s KOBALT Tools 500 in Atlanta. Knowing that he won eight times last year at the next 17 tracks that the series competes should provide reason for heartburn for the rest of the competitors.

“We didn’t let Daytona haunt us,” said Busch, referring to his car getting caught up in an accident towards the end of the race after being so dominant throughout the day. “We went to California and ran a smart race and finished third. We came here (Las Vegas) and ran a smart race and won. This could have been a 1-3-1 season thus far, but it is what it is. We’re really looking forward to getting back to Atlanta this weekend and defending our race title.”

RCR Team Posts Strong Showing At Las Vegas — Richard Childress Racing posted three top 12 finishes last week at Las Vegas. Clint Bowyer (No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet, 2nd), Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, 3rd) and Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Reese’s Chevrolet, 12th) came on strong and all moved up in the points standings. Bowyer is now second, having moved up four spots and now trails leader Jeff Gordon by just 18 points. Harvick moved up five spots to 11th, while Burton jumped 13 spots to move into 18th in points.

“Rocket Man” Looks For Record Friday At Atlanta — Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet) will be shooting for his eighth career pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Friday, which in turn would move him past Buddy Baker for the all-time pole winner record at Atlanta. Newman has 43 career poles, a total that ranks 11th all-time.

Footnotes — Bobby Labonte has six victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the most of any active driver … Rookie Joey Logano (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) posted his best NSCS finish to date last week — a 13th-place showing at Las Vegas … Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford) has three wins at AMS, including his first career series win in 2005 … Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) blew an engine after only six laps at Las Vegas and dropped from first to third in points.

Loop Data Points To Strong Showing By Carl Edwards At Atlanta

Though Carl Edwards sits in ninth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, he’s not exactly setting the world on fire.

At Las Vegas, he finished 17th; at Auto Club Speedway seventh; and at Daytona 18th. Edwards has led just three laps the entire season. What happened to the guy who won three of the final four races last season? Well, count on him coming back this Sunday at Atlanta — a track at which he dominated last October.

In Edwards’ nine-race Atlanta career, he has three wins (including his first career victory), five top fives and seven top 10s.

Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Edwards ranks among the leaders in a number of statistical categories. He has a Driver Rating of 107.4 (second best), an Average Running Position of 10.312 (third), a series-high 260 Fastest Laps Run, an Average Green Flag Speed of 174.094 (second fastest), a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 84.6% (second), and 250 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which is third-most.

Speaking of those who are having uncharacteristic struggles in the early going, at the top of the list arguably sits Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet). He rebounded some with his 10th-place finish at Las Vegas and the momentum should continue this weekend at Atlanta.

In his past eight Atlanta races, Earnhardt has a Driver Rating of 103.7 (third), an Average Running Position of 10.331 (fourth), 216 Fastest Laps Run (second), 484 Green Flag Passes (fourth) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 77.3%.

Seeing Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet) anywhere but Victory Lane is surprising. This season has thus far been full of disappointment for the three-time defending champion. Johnson sits 19th in the series standings, but is strong at Atlanta. He leads the series in Driver Rating with a 112.9 and is the only driver with an Average Running Position under 10.0 — he has a series-best 7.2. He also ranks fourth in 183 Fastest Laps Run.

Crunch Time Approaches For Top 35 Positioning

For the first five races of the season, the top 35 teams from the final 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner points get guaranteed starting spots. After the first five weeks, the guaranteed berths are based on the 2009 owner point standings. With two races remaining before the 2009 top 35 owner points come into play, there are some intriguing stories that continue to be followed:

For example: the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota driven by Joey Logano and owned by Joe Gibbs is 32nd; the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman and owned by Tony Stewart is 33rd; and the No. 5 CARQUEST Chevrolet driven by Mark Martin and owned by Rick Hendrick is 34th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rebounds At Las Vegas — Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted his first top-10 finish of the season at Las Vegas last week, placing 10th. The performance moved Earnhardt up six spots to 29th in the points standings. Earnhardt still has an uphill climb, as no driver has come back from that far back (29th) after three races to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. In fact, only three drivers have made the Chase from positions lower than 25th after three races — Jeremy Mayfield from 26th in 2005; Martin Truex Jr. from 27th in 2007 and Matt Kenseth from 28th in 2005. Earnhardt remains cautiously optimistic.

“We really needed that top-10 finish,” said Earnhardt. “We know that we have to put together six or seven good weeks to give ourselves a shot at getting back into the battle for the Chase. We’ve got some good tracks coming up where we can do just that. We’ve got to keep our heads on straight and be smart.”

Earnhardt has one win (2004), eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes at Atlanta.

Up Next: Bristol Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to its first short track of the 2009 season in Week 5 for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sunday, March 15.

FOX will televise the race nationally, with pre-race coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. Green flag will be shortly after 2 p.m.

Jeff Burton is the defending race champion, his first of two victories in 2008. Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) and Jeff Gordon lead active drivers with five wins apiece at this .533-mile highly-banked short track located in eastern Tennessee.

Burton overtook Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) on a green-white-checkered finish when Hamlin’s fuel pickup burped in Turn 4 of the next-to-last lap. Kevin Harvick was second and Clint Bowyer was third, as Richard Childress Racing finished 1-2-3 for the first time ever in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

Driver Handicaps: Atlanta
Racingone.com

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 325-lap event.

Who's HOT at Atlanta
• Three-time winner Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with a 9.1 average finish
• Three-time winner Carl Edwards has finished seventh or better in seven of his nine starts.
• Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with 16 top 10s on the 1.54-mile configuration.
• Matt Kenseth has posted an average finish of 4.6 in his last five starts.
• Kyle Busch is the defending race winner. He also finished fifth last fall.

Keep an Eye on at Atlanta
• Atlanta is Dale Earnhardt Jr's best intermediate track on the circuit based on finishing average (11.7).
• Tony Stewart has finished second in the last two March races at Atlanta.
• Jeff Burton will be driving the same car that finished third last weekend at Las Vegas.
• Mark Martin leads all drivers entered in the race with 22 top 10s at Atlanta.
• Bobby Labonte leads all drivers with six wins at Atlanta.

Qualifying Tidbits
Ryan Newman knows his way around Atlanta Motor Speedway when it comes to qualifying. Newman is tied with Buddy Baker for the most poles at Atlanta, seven. He won six straight poles there from 2003 to 2005 and took his seventh pole position there in this event in 2007. Despite Newman's success in qualifying at AMS though, the qualifying speed record belongs to Geoffrey Bodine, who set the record speed of 197.478 mph in November 1997. More recently, Jeff Gordon (Spring 2008), Greg Biffle (Fall 2007) and Kasey Kahne (Spring 2006) have been the only drivers, besides Newman, to win poles at AMS since the 2002 race. Kahne won the 2006 race from the pole. The pole position has produced the most race winners of any starting position at AMS. Weather has knocked out qualifying on two occasions in the past five races at Atlanta, with the most recent coming last fall. Past Pole Winners | Starting Positions of Winners

RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Jeff Gordon
Pete Pistone: Jimmie Johnson
Rachael West: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kym Opalenik: Tony Stewart

Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings

1. Jeff Gordon: Gordon has recorded four wins in 33 career starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is also first in laps led among active drivers at the track with 1,051. Gordon, who last won at Atlanta in the fall of 2003, has posted an average finish of 6.4 in his last seven starts at the track. In the 2005 spring race, Gordon posted his first DNF since 1999 after a lap two accident.

2. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer's three consecutive six-place finishes at Atlanta Motor Speedway from 2007-2008 are his only top 10s in six starts at the track. Last October, Bowyer finished 20th after he battled an ill-handling race car before getting caught up in a late-race incident on pit road. This weekend Bowyer will be behind the wheel of a new car (chassis No. 265) in the Kobalt Tools 500.

3. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has competed in 18 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, capturing seven top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. In this event in 2007, Kenseth scored his best finish at AMS in third. Over the past five races at Atlanta, Kenseth has posted an average finish of 4.6.

4. Greg Biffle: Biffle is coming off his seventh top 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway after finishing 10th last fall. His last of three top fives came in this event last year after he took the checkered flag on fourth. Overall, Biffle has an average finish of 14.4 and has led 289 laps. Despite leading 128 laps in the 2006 spring race, Biffle went on to finish 16th. That finish ended a four-race streak of top-10 finishes. His 41st-place finish in the 2007 spring race marked Biffle's worst in 12 starts at AMS.

5. David Reutimann: Reutimann has posted an average finish of 29.3 in three starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reutimann's 20th-place finish in this event last year is his best-to-date.

6. Kyle Busch: Last year in this event, Busch scored his first top 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway after capturing a win in Kobalt Tools 500. The victory came in his first start with Joe Gibbs Racing at the track after leading 173 laps. Busch posted another top five in the fall race with a fifth-place finish. His previous seven starts came with Hendrick Motorsports where he's best finish was a trio of 12th-place runs.

7. Kurt Busch: Busch captured his first career win on a track one mile or more in length at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in the 2002 rain-shortened event. In the 2004 fall race, the championship tightened after Busch exited the race only 51 laps in when the engine in his No. 97 Ford let go. Busch was credited with his worst finish at AMS (42nd) and second DNF in 16 starts. This weekend will mark Busch's seventh track start with Penske Racing. He captured his first top 10s with the team in the last two fall races. Busch, who finished 11th in this event last year, will drive the same chassis (No. 594) that finished fifth at Auto Club Speedway last month.

8. Tony Stewart: Stewart has finished in the top 10 in 12 of the last 15 events at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The top 10s, which include eight top fives and two wins, are his only at the 1.54-mile oval. Stewart, who finished second in the last two March events, will be driving the same car (chassis No. 425) that made six points paying starts with the Haas-CNC Team over the past two seasons. Johnny Sauter's ninth-place finish in the 2007 spring race at Phoenix is the chassis' only top 10.

9. Carl Edwards: Edwards became the first driver in NASCAR history to win his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races on the same weekend in Atlanta in March 2005. He went on to sweep Atlanta that year in the Cup Series, becoming the sixth of seven drivers to sweep Atlanta since the track opened in 1960. Edwards scored his third Atlanta victory last fall after leading 98 laps from the fourth starting position. Edwards has only finished outside the top 10 in two of his nine starts at AMS. In the 2006 spring race, Edwards finished 40th after an early pit-road collision caused heavy damage to his car. Last year in this event, he recorded his worst finish (42nd) after losing the engine. This weekend the No. 99 team will unload a new chassis (No. RK-565) for the Kobalt Tools 500.

10. Bobby Labonte: Six of Labonte's 21 career wins have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing. His last win came in the 2003 spring race and his last of 13 top 10s came later that year in the fall, when he finished fifth. Labonte's last six starts at Atlanta came with Petty Enterprises where he posted an average finish of 25.0. This weekend he will make his first track start in a Ford since 1993.

11. Kevin Harvick: Since winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the 2001 spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Harvick has gone on to score one more top five, coming in that same season. It took Harvick 13 more attempts at Atlanta before he posted another top 10, finishing seventh in this event last year. This weekend Harvick will race the same chassis (No. 272) that finished 12th last Sunday at Las Vegas.

12. Michael Waltrip: Waltrip has posted an average finish of 26.0 in his three starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 55 Toyota. Overall, Waltrip has captured eight top 10s with his last coming in this event (seventh) in 2005 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

13. Kasey Kahne: Since winning the 2006 spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kahne has gone on to post an average finish of 29.4 in five starts. Prior to finishing 35th in the 2005 fall race, Kahne posted three consecutive top fives at AMS. Kahne started ninth and finished 28th in this event last year.

14. Denny Hamlin: The team will unload car 196 this weekend in Atlanta. This is the first race of the 2009 campaign for this car, though it had four starts in 2008 – posting top-ten finishes at Darlington and Pocono. JGR 222 will serve in backup at Atlanta. This car posted third-place finishes at both Auto Club and Indy during the 2008 season.

15. Juan Montoya: Montoya has competed in four Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His best start of 16th and finish of fifth both came in his first start at the track in 2007. This weekend Montoya will race a Chevrolet for the first time at AMS.

16. Elliott Sadler: This weekend Sadler will be making his sixth start at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Richard Petty Motorsports (Gillett Evernham). His only top-20s with the team came in 2007 with respective finishes of 18th and 14th. Sadler's three top 10s at Atlanta came with Yates Racing. This weekend Sadler will pilot a new chassis (No. 274) in the Kobalt Tools 500.

17. Brian Vickers: Vickers has scored two top 10s in his four starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Team Red Bull. His best finish, of sixth, came with Hendrick Motorsports in the 2005 spring race.

18. Jeff Burton: Burton has finished in the top 10 in five of his nine starts with Richard Childress Racing. His best finishes with the team was a pair of top fives in 2007. Burton had a shot for another top 10 in the 2006 spring race when he was forced to pit while running fourth because of a vibration, relegating him to a 25th-place finish. Prior to RCR, Burton competed in 20 races at AMS, four with the Stavola Brothers and 16 with Roush Fenway Racing, capturing eight top 10s. This weekend Burton will pilot the same chassis (No. 271) that finished third at Las Vegas.

19. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson leads all drivers with a 9.1 average finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also holds the best driver rating at the track over the past eight races and has led 374 laps in 15 starts. Johnson's last five starts at AMS have resulted in two wins and and two runner-up finishes. This weekend's chassis (No. 502) is the same one that finished third at Pocono last August.

20. Marcos Ambrose: Last fall, Ambrose started 38th and finished 29th in his only Sprint Cup start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Notable Drivers Outside the Top 20

22. Jamie McMurray: McMurray has posted an average finish of 23.7 in his six starts with Roush Fenway Racing McMurray at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Last fall he scored his first top 10 with the team with a seventh-place finish. Prior to Roush, McMurray recorded three top 10s at AMS with Chip Ganassi Racing. This weekend he will be making his 14th start at Atlanta driving the same car (chassis No. RK-594) that finished fifth at Lowe's Motor Speedway last October.

24. David Ragan: Ragan is coming off his first top 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in four starts. His eighth-place finish last fall was his first top 20 and it lowered his Atlanta average finish to 24.2. Ragan, who has yet to lead a lap at AMS, will be driving a new chassis (No. RK-615) in the Kobalt Tools 500.

25. Reed Sorenson: Atlanta Motor Speedway is the only track on the circuit in which Sorenson has posted more than two top 10s. Sorenson's three career top 10s are his only finishes inside the top 25 in seven starts at AMS.

26. Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr's only top 10 at Atlanta Motor Speedway came in the 2007 spring race when he finished eighth. Four of his six starts resulted in finishes of 31st or worse when crashes and one mechanical failure took him out of contention. In the 2007 fall race, he led his first laps at AMS for a total of 135 up until a crash on lap 322 of 329. Truex finished 21st in this event last year. This weekend Truex Jr. will pilot the same car (chassis No. 070) that Ron Fellows competed in as the No. 01 at Watkins Glen in 2008.

27. Casey Mears: Mears has posted an average finish of 21.3 in 12 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His best finish was a 12th in the past two fall events. This weekend Mears will make his Atlanta debut with Richard Childress Racing. He will be driving a new car (chassis No. 269) in the Kobalt Tools 500.

29. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Atlanta Motor Speedway is Earnhardt Jr's best 1.5-mile track on the circuit based on his 11.7 average finish. He finished third in this event last year (first Atlanta start with Hendrick) after leading 62 laps. During his career with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Junior ended a streak of three consecutive top fives at AMS with a 14th and 25th-place finish in 2007. His best finish, and one of nine top 10s with the team, was a win in the 2004 spring race.

33. Ryan Newman: Newman holds the best starting average among all drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway at 5.1 in 14 starts. His only starts outside the top 10 came in the 2006 fall race an both races in 2008. In the 2007 spring race Newman scored his seventh pole at AMS. In the 2004 spring race, Newman posted his best finish, and fourth top 10, after he came home fifth. The last five races have marked the only events at Atlanta where Newman did not lead a lap. This weekend Newman will make his Atlanta debut in a Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. He will be racing the same car (chassis No. 529) that finished 28th at Auto Club Speedway last month.

34. Mark Martin: Martin leads all active drivers with 22 top 10s at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Martin's last of two victories at AMS came in the 1994 fall event, and all but eight of his 46 track starts have come with Roush Fenway Racing. Last year he finished 22nd in both races driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. This weekend Martin will make his Atlanta debut behind the wheel of the No. 5 Chevrolet. The chassis (No. 523) will be the same one that had a solid run going at Las Vegas until the engine expired on Lap 122.

Kobalt Tools 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard

Fresh off his win last week in Las Vegas, Kyle Busch and his No. 18 M&M's Toyota will try to win the Kobalt Tools 500 for the second consecutive year as NASCAR celebrates its 100th Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday at 2:15 p.m., televised by FOX.

One of the many things to look for this weekend is whether Stewart-Haas' Ryan Newman will win the pole. If he does he will set the record with the most poles at AMS. Between 2003-2005 Newman won six consecutive poles and won his seventh pole in only his 11th start at AMS. Newman has won 43 poles in his career. Owning the pole at AMS is all well and good, but when I'm investing in NASCAR on Sundays it is all about where the driver finishes and not where they start.

What has made this young season so exciting, in my mind, is that only five drivers who were in the Top 12 at this point last year are in the Top 12 this year. Michael Walltrip, No.55, currently 12th place in the standings, is in the Top 12 for the third consecutive week of the season while last year he was 34th in the standings after three races. This will most likely change this week, but it has made for an exciting start to a very long season.

Who will win the Kobalt Tools 500?

What happened to Carl Edwards? Wasn't this supposed to be the year he beats JJ for the Cup? Last week at LVMS Edwards finished 17th, in California seventh and at Daytona the No. 99 car finished a meager 18th place. Combined this is good enough to put him in ninth in the standings (better than Johnson's 18th), but he's returning to a track he won at last fall. Edwards is one of the best drivers in NASCAR at AMS. He has three wins in nine races and, according to Loop Data, has the second best rating, 107.4 -- just behind Johnson (the statistical leader with 112.9 rating). That said, I think this year Crew Chief Bob Osborne is still working out the kinks for Rousch Fenway Racing's best driver. Until I see more from the No. 99 I am going to pass backing on seeing the back flip this weekend.

Making his second appearance as my pick-to-win selection this year is four-time series champion Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. Gordon is currently No. 1 on the leaderboard thanks to finishing sixth at Las Vegas, second in California and 13th at Daytona (if the rain had held off he would have finished within the Top 10). But Gordon has red-hot Richard Childress Racing's Clint Bowyer (who has managed to come in sixth place three of the past four races at AMS) a scant 18-points behind him for second.

Gordon, the once dominant NASCAR driver, has not won a race in 44 attempts and has not won a title since before the new points system went into effect. If there is ever a race that says you can come home again it's AMS, where Gordon started his illustrious career. In fact, there are a lot of things that point to Gordon winning on Sunday. He has the most restrictor plate wins of all active drivers, he's had a fabulous car his last three races this season, and he is great on intermediate tracks.

With my apologies to Newman, last year the pole-sitter was Jeff Gordon but Kyle Busch won the race. This year Newman might win his eighth pole but Gordon is my pick to win his first since Oct. 13, 2007 at Lowes Motor Speedway.

Pick! Jeff Gordon, No. 24, (7/1)

2009 Kobalt Tools 500 - Lucky Dog Long Odds Special

Last year at this race Home Depot celebrated 10 years sponsoring Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 car with Tony Stewart behind the wheel. I guess this year the home improvement powerhouse will celebrate it's first year sponsoring the No. 20 car with young gun (or should I say adolescent?), and a considerably lighter Joey Logano. He won his first Nationwide race last year, had his Sprint Cup debut last September in New Hampshire, is the reigning Busch East Series Champion, and now is in his first full year on the Sprint Cup circuit replacing the driver known as Smoke.

In Logano's last two races he has improved remarkably, finishing 26th in California two weeks ago and 13th last week at LVMS. Crew Chief Greg Zipadelli did say a few weeks ago that JGR was shooting for Top 25s to start the season. It appears that Logano has been in that neighborhood the last two weeks and if there is no better way of erasing the memory of a former driver like winning at your sponsor's home track.

Pick! Joey Logano, No. 20, (22/1)

2009 Kobalt Tools 500 - Odds for Top 3 Finish

There is exactly one reason I have Johnson to finish in the Top 3 rather than to win this race; because his car owner, Jeff Gordon, will win. I love Johnson in this spot, despite the relatively lousy odds. Consider this; in the past five races at AMS JJ has come in the Top 3 four times. Last year was the anomaly as the No. 48 came in 13th. Of those five Top 3s JJ has won twice and finished second twice. If you go back to 2003, though, in 11 races Johnson has finished in the Top 3 seven times while also finishing fourth and sixth in that same time span.

Pick! Jimmie Johnson, No. 48, (5/4)

Martin on the rebound with Atlanta pole
Fri 6th, March 2009

Hampton, GA (Sports Network) - Mark Martin has bounced back from his engine woes the past couple of weeks by winning the pole Friday for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Martin, in the No.5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, turned in a lap of 29.640 seconds (187.045 m.p.h.) for his 42nd career Sprint Cup Series pole, but his first one since May 2001 at Richmond. He is currently 12th on the series' all- time pole winners list.

Martin also became just the second driver in NASCAR's premier series to win a pole at over 50 years of age. He joined Harry Gant, who scored three poles after turning 50.

"I feel like a rookie, I really, really do," said Martin, who turned 50 years old on January 9. "Not only did the lap scare me and I felt like I ran out of talent up off of turn four, there was no possible way I could hold my foot on the floor and not hit the wall with the back end first up off of turn four.

"It was really fun, I live to scare myself like that, that is part of it. But, I continued to be nervous all the way through the rest of qualifying much like I used back in the early '90s when we lucky enough to get poles back then. Has been a long time."

Martin recorded a pair of 40th-place finishes the last two weeks at California and Las Vegas after engine failure ended his days there prematurely. He started the season with a 16th-place finish at Daytona. Martin is currently 34th in Sprint Cup points.

Kurt Busch will start on the outside pole for the second week in a row. Busch posted the second-best lap at 29.748 seconds.

"We're real happy with the way the Miller Lite Dodge is running," Busch said. "We're calling this 'Round 3' here at Atlanta with the mile-and-a-half race tracks. So far, we feel that we've made great gains."

Jamie McMurray qualified third, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Greg Biffle.

Sixth through 10th were: Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

Busch is the defending race winner at Atlanta. He also picked up the victory last weekend at his hometown track in Las Vegas.

Ryan Newman attempted to capture his eighth career pole at Atlanta and break Buddy Baker's track record, but Newman settled for 12th in qualifying.

Jeff Gordon, who currently holds an 18-point lead, will start 16th.

Todd Bodine, Scott Riggs, Jeremy Mayfield and Geoff Bodine failed to qualify.

Sunday's race is scheduled to begin around 2:00 p.m. (et).

Smith wants to move season-ending race
March 6, 2009

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -Bruton Smith wants NASCAR to yank its final race of the season out of south Florida.

Never at a loss for words, the track owner said the championship-deciding race should return to Atlanta Motor Speedway, where it was held through 2001, or Las Vegas Motor Speedway - both facilities he owns.

``Why have the last race of the season at some Godforsaken area just north of Cuba?'' he said, referring to Homestead Miami Speedway.

Atlanta's fall race shifted a few weeks earlier in 2002 and this year it moves to an even earlier spot on Labor Day weekend. While plagued by weather issues when held in November, Smith said his track would still be a better location for NASCAR to hold the final race than Homestead.

``If they'll give us our date back,'' he said, ``we'll fill up the place again and do something major for the sport. If that doesn't work, put it in Las Vegas. We'll add more seats - and sell out every one of them.''

Smith, who controls Atlanta and six other Sprint Cup tracks through Speedway Motorsports Inc., has long feuded with NASCAR and a related company that owns a majority of the facilities used on the circuit, including Homestead.

``They're not doing anything for the sport,'' Smith said of the track south of Miami. ``Wouldn't it be better off holding the race where you can draw 175,000 people.''

NASCAR officials shrugged off Smith's complaints and disputed his claims that attendance was poor, saying last year's race was sold out.

``We think Homestead-Miami is an excellent venue for NASCAR's Ford Championship Weekend,'' Jim Hunter, the vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement.

Smith also renewed his call for NASCAR to hold a Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway, which he purchased last year. IndyCar and Nationwide Series events have been held there, but NASCAR has balked at scheduling a Cup race.

On another matter, Smith said NASCAR should not allow television networks to dictate the start times of races, pointing to a late-afternoon start for the season-opening Daytona 500. Rain halted the sport's biggest race before it could be completed.

``They should have started that race no later than 2 o'clock,'' Smith said. ``If they had done that, they would have had time for the whole race. We've got to think about the race fans first, then the fans.''

SPUTTER THOSE ENGINES: Everyone will be listening to their engines a little closer than usual in Atlanta.

A rash of motor problems plagued some of the top contenders last weekend at Las Vegas, putting the focus on durability for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500.

``All the manufacturers have been bit by the bug,'' Bobby Labonte said. ``It seems like everybody caught a sinus infection.''

At Las Vegas, five Toyota teams had to change motors for various reasons leading up to the race. Matt Kenseth, trying to become the first driver to win the first three events of the season, ran into problems during warmups and lasted only six laps once the green flag dropped in his Ford.

David Ragan and Carl Edwards, both driving Fords, also had engines fail. So did Mark Martin, whose Chevrolet went out for the second week in a row.

Several drivers said the problems at Vegas could possibly be traced to the Goodyear tires. Not that there was anything wrong with them - quite the opposite.

``Goodyear should be congratulated for the tire it brought last week,'' said Kurt Busch, who had his own mechanical problems. ``We got to RPMs we didn't expect to get to. I think we were running about 9,800. That's a lot of RPMs for an engine. I don't think you saw more than 9,600 last year. It caught some teams off guard.''

Jeff Burton also pointed to new testing rules that were imposed by NASCAR to cut costs in tough economic times.

``A lot of times before, stuff was going to break and it didn't break because teams were able to change things based on practice sessions and test sessions,'' he said. ``That's not available to us today. Whether testing would have caught them or not, I don't know. But there's situations where it probably would have.''

The cars are not expected to have the same grip on the Atlanta track, which caused all sorts of problems for Goodyear at last year's fall race. That should reduce the stress on the engines.

COMPUTER MAN: Bobby Labonte made a pit stop Friday morning, stopping off at a local elementary school in his No. 96 Ford.

Labonte visited Cotton Indian Elementary to make a donation of new computers as part of the Safe Search Schools program, which is designed to steer children away from offensive or potentially harmful sites when surfing the Internet.

The program was set up by Ask.com, Labonte's primary sponsor.

``We're trying to help raise awareness of Internet safety,'' Labonte said. ``I got a chance to meet with a bunch of fifth-graders, so they were all smarter than I am, I know that. As a dad with two kids at home and a big computer sitting there, I know how important it is to have Internet safety at home.''

Labonte, who won his Cup championship nine years ago, conceded that many of the students probably weren't as familiar with him as they are with younger stars such as Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch.

``Thank goodness their parents told them before I got there,'' Labonte quipped, ``or they wouldn't have known who I was.''

Saturday first practice for the Kobalt Tools 500
#16-Biffle 184.609
#99-Edwards 183.509
#12-Stremme 183.055
#11-Hamlin 182.537
#17-Kenseth 182.027
slowest: #34-Andretti 172.974 and #09-Bliss 174.521

Happy Hour [final] practice for the Kobalt Tools 500
#99-Edwards 179.522
#9-Kahne 178.793
#11-Hamlin 178.700
#2-Busch 178.660
#26-McMurray 178.459
slowest: #21-Elliott 173.603 and #71-Gilliland 173.706

Looks like Hamlin has a good ride for the race 😉

Trading Paint: Kobalt Tools 500 picks

Welcome to Trading Paint, a weekly entry where a statewide panel of four auto racing "experts" will make picks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. This week: Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta.

The rules:
1. A panelist can only pick a driver five times total for the season.
2. Standings will be calculated each week, with panelists awarded the actual points their drivers earned.

Be sure to give us your picks in the comments section below.

Here are the standings after three races, with last week's pick in parentheses:

1. Jeff Bleiler (Carl Edwards) -- 342
2. Steve Kaminski (Jimmie Johnson) -- 316
3. Troy Ruel (Mark Martin) -- 315
4. Mike Pryson (Matt Kenseth) -- 306

Jeff Bleiler -- Jackson Citizen Patriot
I hate to gloat this early in the season, so I'll just point something out instead. The three finishes of the drivers my esteemed colleagues picked to win this past weekend in Las Vegas were 24th, 40th and 43rd.

Now, I understand how quickly fortunes can turn in this sport (see Matt Kenseth), so I won't rub it in too much. But numbers don't lie, folks, and neither do the standings.

Winner: Jimmie Johnson
No Hendrick victories three races into the season, which makes this like betting on black when red's come up three times in a row. It's a sucker bet, to be sure, but one I'm going to make.

Sleeper: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Junior's 29th in the points standings, which makes him eligible, in my mind, for this category. He was third in this race last year, which also makes him eligible, in my mind, for this category.

No chance: Bobby Labonte
Sorry, I'm just not convinced that he's going to return to his old form. Sure, he's had a good few races. But that's all it is, a few races. Give me a couple weeks before we start thinking he's a contender again.

Steve Kaminski -- The Grand Rapids Press
No driver has recorded top-10 finishes in all of the first three races. Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann are in the top 12. Kyle Busch came from the back of the pack to win last weekend at Las Vegas.

Also, no one predicted Matt Kenseth would win the first two races, then flame out after seven laps last weekend. I don't know what's going on this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but I like it. It has been unpredictable so far, and that's what makes it fun.

Winner: Carl Edwards
Edwards has led just three laps this season, but look for him to get his mojo back this weekend.

Sleeper: Bobby Labonte
Labonte's last win came here six years ago, and he is coming off his first top-five finish since 2006.

No chance: Mark Martin
Martin entered the season with sky-high expectations, but he's 34th in points and has one top-20 finish in his last five Atlanta starts.

Mike Pryson -- Jackson Citizen Patriot
There will no mention of Matt Kenseth from me this week. Nope, not taking Matt Kenseth. Not picking him as my sleeper. Not picking him as my no chance pick, either. I refuse to even mention Matt Kenseth this week.

(For those of you scoring at home, Kenseth was my "No chance" pick at Daytona, and he won. Last week, he was my pick to click, and he lasted only about seven laps.)

This week's "No Mention of Matt Kenseth" NASCAR race:

Winner: Kyle Busch
Silly panel last week decided that Busch couldn't win on his home track in Vegas. Well, this week, Kyle is the defending champion. He's also one of just three drivers to have two top-five finishes in the three races, along with Clint Bowyer and what's his name.

Sleeper: Clint Bowyer
Bowyer, now second in points, will be on everyone's radar pretty soon. He's not there yet, however.

No chance: Michael Waltrip
Waltrip's stock is inflated at No. 12 in the points. The problem this week is that he's at a track where he's produced just one top-10 since 1999. He finished outside the top-30 in both stops there last year.

Troy Ruel -- The Muskegon Chronicle
Let's see. My pick to win (Mark Martin) crashed early last week. My sleeper (Sterling Marlin) failed to qualify and my no-chance driver (Clint Bowyer) finished second. Now, I realize why rookies fail to get any respect at the track.

Winner: Carl Edwards
I'm not going to try to out-think myself this week. Edwards has a history at the track and will show why he'll be a force the remainder of the season.

Sleeper: Reed Sorenson
Sorenson grew up in an Atlanta suburb and has a career-best third-place finish at the track when he was with the Ganassi organization in 2007.

No chance: Mike Garvey
I was rooting for the Muskegon native in the first three weeks. Unfortunately, he failed to qualify in all three events and isn't entered this week. Hopefully, the West Michigan short track legend will get another chance to prove his driving skills at some point this season.

milive.com

Kobalt Tools 500 PostQ

What has become an early season pattern has not been working out that well during race day. Jimmie Johnson has been rated as the No. 1 driver for the first two high-banked superspeedway races and again holds down the top spot for the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Johnson, however, has not had the finishes expected out of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team as Johnson has posted a 9th place finish (California) and a 24th place finish (Las Vegas). He has led plenty of laps in those races but has failed to be up front at the end. Johnson is looking to turn his luck around at a track where he has run very well in his career with an average finish of 9th place in 15 races with three wins. He should be a contender for the win in the Kobalt Tools 500.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Johnson’s teammate, and partial car owner, Jeff Gordon is ranked high on the PostQ forecast. Gordon ranks as the No. 1 driver in the point standings, is the No. 1 driver in NASCAR’s Driver Rating category, and is No. 1 in average finish this season. Gordon is looking to end a 44 race winless streak dating all the way back to the 2007 season. He has been running very well to start the season and has looked very good on the high-banked superspeedways. Jump on the Hendrick duo for this race.

Like Johnson a second driver has been ranked near the top of our PostQ forecast for the high-banked superspeedway races only to disappoint on race day. Mark Martin, another Hendrick driver, has been in the top 5 for the last two events only to struggle with engine woes recording back-to-back 40th place finishes. Martin will be leading the field to the green flag this weekend getting his first pole position since the 2001 season. Martin desperately needs a big run at Atlanta as he sits 34th in the point standings. He should not disappoint as he has a fast car ranking No. 1 overall on our Speed chart. Martin should at least post his first top 10 of the season.

Jeff Burton struggled at California (32nd place finish) and then bounced back in a big way last weekend at Las Vegas (3rd place finish). What can one expect this weekend at Atlanta? Well, it is not looking that good for Burton so far at the track. He has a solid qualifying run and will start the race in the 15th position but was ranked well back on our Speed chart in the 39th position. Burton was 35th quickest in the first practice season and did not improve that much moving up to the 22nd quickest in the final practice session. He does get better during the race but the slow practice times have to be a concern for the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team. We would look elsewhere for a top tier driver.

It was a solid start to the season for David Ragan until engine trouble sent him home from Las Vegas in the 42nd position dropping him 16 spots in the point standings. IT has not looked any better this weekend as Ragan will start the race in the 39th position and was not much better in the practice sessions ranking 38th on our Speed chart. Ragan is averaging a 25th place finish in four career starts at Atlanta with three finishes outside the top 20. It could be a long afternoon for the #6 UPS Ford drivers. Avoid him for this race.

profantasysports.com

Hang on, guys, it's time to go racin' in Atlanta
March 7, 2009

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -Grab hold of that steering wheel and hang on, guys.

It's time to go racin' in Atlanta.

The best stock car drivers in the world are preparing for another treacherous day on the high-banked oval that resembles an old country road from up close, but feels more like a sheet of ice when you're pushing the pedal toward speeds of 190 mph.

It's a throwback to old-style tracks like Darlington and Rockingham, the winner usually determined by which driver is most adept as straddling that fine line between going as fast as possible without ending up in the wall.

``As confined as Darlington is, it's still easier to drive than this place,'' said Mark Martin, who'll start from the pole in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. ``This thing is so big, so sweeping. When you're sliding for your life from turn 1 to turn 4, you're sliding for your life for a long time.''

Sounds like this should be known as ``The Track Too Tough To Tame.''

While the quality of tires provided by Goodyear is often the focus of handling issues - few will ever forget Tony Stewart's memorable tirade against the company after last year's spring race in Atlanta - it's really a perfect storm of various factors that forces cars to slip-slide their way around the 1.54-mile oval.

Start with the Car of Tomorrow, which is a lot harder to control than the cars of yesterday. Then go racing on a track that hasn't been paved in 12 years, leaving a rough, gritty surface. Throw in long, sweeping turns that generate some of the fastest speeds on the Cup circuit. And try to keep it all together on four tires that are designed for reliability first, speed second.

``It's a handful, man,'' said Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose daddy won nine Cup races in Atlanta, all but one of them on the track's old configuration.

In 1997, the facility was redesigned from a pure oval into a quad-oval. The main straightaway became the backstretch. A slight bend was inserted into the new front stretch. The entire surface was repaved, transforming Atlanta into the fastest of the non-restrictor plate races.

Now, a dozen years later, the place is showing plenty of wear and tear.

``The track just developed these bumps and swells that continue to grow,'' said three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. ``When you walk out there, there's nothing but jagged rocks and stones sticking out.''

So they need to repave, right?

Nope. Most drivers despise a new surface because it takes years to reform the grooves that naturally work their way into a track, allowing for more passing.

``As soon as you repave a track, it kills the racing,'' Stewart said. ``You're down to one lane, and it's three or four years before you can do anything. That puts us in an even worse position. I like it when they leave it the same.''

Stewart went off on Goodyear after last year's Kobalt Tools 500, saying the company ``can't build a tire that is worth a crap.'' Now, he seems more inclined to spread the blame around for the less-than-ideal driving conditions.

``The track is getting to the point where it's falling off worse than the tires are,'' Stewart said. ``It seems like every year the track changes more than what they can anticipate. I don't know if anybody can do it right now.''

Smoke has been one the early surprises in this Cup season, holding down the eighth spot in points after the first three races. Most expected him to go through a bit of a transition period after he left powerful Joe Gibbs Racing to take control of his own team, especially since he's always been a notoriously slow starter anyway. But he's been strong in qualifying (11th this week) and showed that he's likely to be a Chase contender in his red No. 14 Chevrolet.

Also standing out through the first three events: teammates David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip, both inside the top 12 in the points after struggling mightily the last couple of seasons, and former Cup champion Bobby Labonte, ninth in the standings after moving to a new, merged team.

As for the winner of the last three Cup championships, well, it's a much different story.

Johnson is 19th in the standings after getting caught up in a wreck at the season-opening Daytona 500, where he finished 31st, and making a series of uncharacteristic mistakes at Las Vegas last weekend. He nearly wrecked on pit road, overshot his stall, and finally drifted too high on the track, which sent him crashing into the wall for a 24th-place finish on a day when he led more laps than anyone.

``We just need to hit our stride,'' Johnson said. ``One thing we didn't have last year was fast race cars. We hit our stops. Our strategy was good. I didn't make any mistakes. This year, the car is ready but we're making mistakes. Last week, I was looking for the walk-off home run but I swung and missed and stuck it in the fence. We'll certainly race for wins. But we don't need to be in a big hole. We just need to come out and have a strong race.''

Martin became the second-oldest pole winner in Cup history when he turned a white-knuckle lap of more than 187 mph in qualifying. He said the setup of the car will be vital on Sunday.

``Under the best conditions, it's very treacherous out there,'' said the 50-year-old Martin, also off to a sluggish start in his return to full-time racing with Hendrick Motorsports. ``The thing you've got to do is have the best race car on the track. Then you don't have to drive it as hard and it feels like it's handling pretty good. If you have to drive it as hard as you can, you're going to be all over the racetrack. It's going to feel horrible.''

Martin, a part-time driver the last two seasons, joined Hendricks to take another crack at the first Cup championship of his illustrious career. But blown engines the last two weeks have already left him with plenty of catching-up to do; he comes into Atlanta 34th in the standings.

``You can always a find a silver lining if you look hard enough,'' he said. ``We know we had a fast car at Daytona, a top 10 car at California and a top five car in Vegas (before the engine problems). All the guys kept their chins up because of that.''