2009 Fantasy Rankings 24. Casey Mears

Fantasy Power Average*: 24.52
Wins: 0
Top-fives: 0
Top-10s: 4
Top-15s: 12

The economy may yet be the undoing of Casey Mears in 2010 and that is a shame because this mid-range driver was finally beginning to gel with his Richard Childress Racing team. Like most of the drivers from that stable, he had an up and down year, but starting with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire, he showed remarkable consistency. In the final 10 races of the year, he finished on the lead lap eight times and improved his average finish by more than two positions over the first 26 events of the 2009 season.

Mears never cracked the top five and came close only twice with a sixth in the Michigan Carfax 400 in August and a seventh at Lowe's in October, which meant that he probably flew under the radar screen for most of the year. But he was often a good utility to driver that could be used to stretch your salary cap and allow you to load up on marquee drivers.

The best trait of Mears in 2009, however, was his ability to coax the car to the end of a race. He was one of only three drivers listed as running at the end of all 36 events alongside Juan Montoya and David Reutimann, so fantasy owners had a reasonable expectation that he would get every position out of the car that it was capable of giving.

*The Fantasy Power Average is a formula that consists of a driver's finishing result plus other intangibles such as average running position, laps in the top 10, speed in traffic and quality passes. Each intangible is "expressed" as a finishing position (e.g. the driver with the most laps in the top 10 is given a hypothetical first-place finish), so the lower the number, the greater the strength.

25. Joey Logano

2009 Fantasy Rankings 25. Joey Logano

Fantasy Power Average*: 24.84
Wins: 1 (Lenox Industrial Tools 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
Top-fives: 3
Top-10s: 7
Top-15s: 13

Joey Logano fairly well lived up to expectations in 2009. While his rookie season lacked a lot of the flash of previous freshmen such as Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, fantasy owners will be well-served to remember that the original plan was to bring him into Cup competition in 2010 instead of last year. Tony Stewart's decision to leave Joe Gibbs Racing for his own team brought the teenager to the big leagues sooner than anticipated and yet the kid showed maturity and rarely drove over his head. In fact, Logano did precisely what NASCAR expects from a first-year driver: he improved in the second race on nearly every track that hosts two events.

Detractors will be quick to dismiss Logano's victory at New Hampshire because that race was shortened by rain while the No. 20 stretched its fuel, but they should note that his other pair of top-fives came in the closing events of 2009. Logano drove to a fifth at Lowe's in the NASCAR Banking 500 and crossed the line third at Talladega in the Amp Energy 500. Normally, we would discount any finish on the restrictor-plate superspeedways as a byproduct of luck over skill, but for a rookie to stay of trouble in the draft, it's remarkable.

Expect more of the same from Logano in 2010 as he visits tracks for the third and fourth time. As he and crew chief Greg Zipadelli develop more chemistry, the communication will only improve and Logano is learning how to describe the feel he needs. It's too soon to tell which track types will be his favorites, but in light of his strong Lowe's showing, watch him closely on the "cookie-cutter" tracks.

*The Fantasy Power Average is a formula that consists of a driver's finishing result plus other intangibles such as average running position, laps in the top 10, speed in traffic and quality passes. Each intangible is "expressed" as a finishing position (e.g. the driver with the most laps in the top 10 is given a hypothetical first-place finish), so the lower the number, the greater the strength.

25. Joey Logano

Inspection cleared part two

According to @bobpockrass: NASCAR engines of Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth from last weekend have all passed inspection with no issues.

Inspection cleared part one

According to @bobpockrass: NASCAR tech center evaluation of cars is done. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle cars all passed with no issues.

Can't stop this: Johnson wins NASCAR Banking 500

Jimmie Johnson won his third race during the 2009 Chase and his 17th Chase race of his career in the NASCAR Banking 500 to pad his points' lead.

Our View It's too soon to give the championship to Johnson, but in order to beat him, it's becoming apparent that the other Chasers are going to have to win.

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Lowe's Pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections for the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and, as expected pole sitter Jimmie Johnson has the last box exiting pit road.

Our View Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth are the other drivers with an opening in front of them. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Mike Bliss in the No. 71 this week have openings behind them.

As well as he qualified and as strong as he ran in the Nationwide race, Bliss should try to run the distance. If he "starts and parks," however, Bobby Labonte inherits an opening as he is immediately ahead.

Complete List

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Top-10 Quality Passers: Lowe's #NASCAR

Passing a car running in the Top 15 while under a green flag.
Number of Races: 9
NASCAR Banking 500 Pre-Race
For point-paying races in current and past four years, at this track.
Lowe's Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Avg. Fin	Avg. Quality Passes	Total
1	Jimmie Johnson	9.8	50.7	456
2	Kyle Busch	17.1	46.7	420
3	Kasey Kahne	10.2	39.6	356
4	Mark Martin	15.0	35.9	323
5	Jeff Burton	11.7	35.1	316
6	Joey Logano	9.0	34.0	34
7	Carl Edwards	10.0	33.0	297
8	Brian Vickers	20.0	32.9	263
9	Denny Hamlin	15.6	32.5	260
10	Greg Biffle	16.9	30.8	277

Top-10 Avg. Running Position: Lowe's

Average Running Position
Sum of driver position on each lap - divided by the laps run in the race.
Number of Races: 9
NASCAR Banking 500 Pre-Race
For point-paying races in current and past four years, at this track.
Lowe's Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Avg. Fin	Running Position
1	Joey Logano	9.0	6.9
2	Jimmie Johnson	9.8	7.0
3	Kyle Busch	17.1	11.0
4	Kasey Kahne	10.2	12.0
5	Mark Martin	15.0	12.1
6	Jeff Burton	11.7	14.8
7	Denny Hamlin	15.6	15.4
8	Carl Edwards	10.0	15.8
9	Brian Vickers	20.0	16.0
10	Greg Biffle	16.9	16.5

Top-10 Driver Ratings: Lowe's

Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.
Number of Races: 9
NASCAR Banking 500 Pre-Race
For point-paying races in current and past four years, at this track.Lowe's Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Avg. Fin	Best Rating	Avg.
1	Jimmie Johnson	9.8	128.8	116.6
2	Joey Logano	9.0	106.0	106.0
3	Kyle Busch	17.1	139.4	104.7
4	Kasey Kahne	10.2	143.6	99.5
5	Mark Martin	15.0	114.0	91.7
6	Brian Vickers	20.0	121.6	91.7
7	Carl Edwards	10.0	104.0	90.7
8	Greg Biffle	16.9	116.5	88.8
9	Jeff Burton	11.7	127.7	88.4
10	Jeff Gordon	21.8	128.2	85.6

Ky Busch "wins" Lowe's Happy Hour

Kyle Busch "won" Happy Hour by posting the quickest average speed of the session. His time was 181.211 mph during 45 laps.

Our View Busch reports that he is still not 100 percent, but last week he proved that even at 50 percent he could lead laps and pass cars in the Nationwide and Cup series before seeking relief from the flu.

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Johnson, Martin still one-two

Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin will lead the field to green from the front row. On Friday, they proved their qualification speed was no fluke by posting the first- and second-fastest laps in both sessions. To keep the symmetry, Johnson bettered Martin in both practices.

Our View If they keep this up during race—and it appears they will—it's going to be hard for the competition to make up any ground in the points.

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Montoya "wins" Lowe's practice 2

Juan Montoya won the second practice session with the quickest average speed at 182.509 during 17 laps.

Our View Montoya will have to come from the middle of the pack, but he has plenty of time to get it done. While the No. 42 did not run very many laps, the driver was happy with the car and that is what's most important.

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Johnson fastest in Lowe's practice 2

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap of practice on Friday afternoon with a speed of 187.162 mph. Mark Martin was second fastest at 185.790 mph and those are the two drivers who will lead the field to green Saturday night.

Our View So far, Johnson has been fastest in every session with the fastest lap in Thursday's 45-minute practice and earning the pole. He is primed to dominate the NASCAR Banking 500.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Lowe's

Rain delayed practice and qualification, but NASCAR got the upper hand over Mother Nature. It really didn't make much difference, since the point leader and the driver chasing him will line up on the front row. There were plenty of surprises, however, so check out this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Johnson wins NASCAR Banking 500 pole

Jimmie Johnson backed up his fastest lap in practice with the fastest lap in time trials. His speed of 192.376 mph is the fastest this new body style has ever qualified for a race.

Our View When Johnson starts up front at Lowe's, he tends to finish there. He was the latest driver to win from the pole in the 2004 Coke 600 and that should make him a favorite.

Unfortunately, his "cookie-cutter" record this year is less than impressive, so fantasy owners will have to hold their collective breaths.

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Johnson fastest in Lowe's practice 1

Jimmie Johnson continues to do his best to intimidate the competition. In the brief 45-minute practice run Thursday evening, he posted the fastest lap of the field at 192.486 mph.

Our View Mark Martin wasn't too cowed, however. Second in the points, he posted the second fastest lap. Unfortunately, it was more than one mile per hour slower than his teammate at 191.401 mph.

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Burton believes Harvick is leaving

With more than a year remaining on his schedule, Kevin Harvick is already a lame duck. Teammate Jeff Burton expects that Harvick already has plans to leave at the end of the 2010 season, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View It's hard to imagine this team can stay focused with this distraction, but Harvick has been running well lately. The imminent split between Kurt Busch and crew chief Pat Tryson also suggests Harvick and team can stay near the top of their game.

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Gunselman team withdraws from Lowe's

The Larry Gunselman owned team that was to be piloted by Mike Wallace has withdrawn their entry from the NASCAR Banking 500 lineup, according to Jayski.com.

Our View That leaves 47 cars on the entry list to challenge for 43 slots. Past champions Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott are among the entrants, which makes if even tougher for independents to make the show this week. Stick with marquee starts.

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Yahoo! Lowe's Preview

Momentum will be the name of the game this week as NASCAR stages their third consecutive race on one of the similarly-configured, 1.5- and two-mile tracks. Who has it? Check out this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf) to find out.

Gilliland in fourth Gibbs car for three races

Earlier this week it was announced that Bobby Labonte would replace David Gilliland in the No. 71 in seven of the final 12 races this season, which left the California native out of a ride in those events. He won't sit idle for at least two races, however, as he has been tagged to attempt to qualify a fourth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Texas and Homestead-Miami with sponsorship from Farmer's Bureau Insurance, according to ESPN.com. Gilliland is also expected to run the Gibbs car at Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is not a race Labonte is scheduled to run in the No. 71, but there is no shortage of drivers waiting to take his place.

Our View Gilliland will be much more competitive in the Gibbs car than he was in the start and park Racer's Group ride.

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