NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Earning your Darlington Stripes

Track Classification: Intermediate

Similar Tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway • Charlotte Motor Speedway • Chicagoland Speedway  Homestead-Miami Speedway • Kansas Speedway •  Kentucky Speedway 

Las Vegas Motor Speedway • New Hampshire Motor Speedway • Texas Motor Speedway

Distance: 1.366 miles

Career Top 5s Among Active Drivers: 

Jeff Gordon- 19

Jimmie Johnson - 8

Ryan Newman - 7

Both with 4 - Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart  

All with 3 - Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray  

All with 2 - Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth  

All with 1 - Dave Blaney, Brad Keselowski, David Ragan and Martin Truex Jr.

Career Top 10s Among Active Drivers: 

Jeff Gordon - 22

Both with 11 -  Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart   

Ryan Newman 10

Matt Kenseth - 9

Dale Earnhardt Jr. -  8

Both with 7 - Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin  

Kevin Harvick - 6

All with 5 - Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch 

Kasey Kahne - 4

Martin Truex Jr. - 3

All with 2 - Dave Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Joe Nemechek 

All with 1 - Marcos Ambrose, Clint Bowyer, Travis Kvapil, David Ragan and Brian Vickers 

Recent Pole Winners:  

2013 Kurt Busch
2012 Greg Biffle

The Likely Suspects: Darlington is traditionally a fun race to watch with lots of beatin' and bangin', and more importantly, competitive racing. The performance package of this new car has made the car faster and harder to handle for some drivers. This all adds up as a big plus for the fans watching the race on Saturday night. Darlington's elite drivers include: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth.

My 2 Cents: If you want to take a break from mindfully picking your fantasy team this team, go for it. Just load up with as many Hendrick Motorsports drivers as possible, and relax. The Hendrick organization has won 14 races at Darlington, more than any other team.

My no-brainer pick this week is a tie: Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson is also an obviously fine choice. My next picks are Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart. I will complete my team with Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon. When doing final picks this week, focus on teams with the whole package. At Darlington, the most important thing is keeping up with the track, so consider strong crew chiefs.

Post your comments here or email me at ssfantasyracing@skirtsandscuffs.com Enjoy the race!