Yahoo! Qualification Story – Dover

Nearly 80 percent of Dover's winners have started on the first five rows, giving 10 drivers a distinct advantage on Sunday. Find out if your favorite is among them in this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf).

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So far, so good for Truex

Martin Truex Jr. got his first laps in the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 in a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He posted the third fastest lap of 184.744 behind Mark Martin (185.182) and Carl Edwards (185.102).

Our View Speeds from tire tests can be misleading since they are working on whatever the manufacturer directs, but if the team is happy, that means chemistry is being built—and that can only improve his value to fantasy players.

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Homestead Chassis selections

Jayski.com has compiled a collection of some of the chasses for this week.

Our View Among those highlighted are Jimmie Johnson's as well as for dark horses Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. This information could be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle this week in your last chance to gain ground on the competition.

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Official tweets from the track

McMurray lands with Earnhardt-Ganassi

On Thursday, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing officially named Jamie McMurray as the replacement driver in the No. 1 that will be vacated by Martin Truex Jr. at the end of the season, according to a press release.

Our View Most of the pieces have fallen into place for next year. All that remains for drivers like Reed Sorenson and David Stremme are start and park or lightly-funded entries.

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Phoenix pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Martin Truex Jr. took the final slot before pit exit.

Our View Other drivers with an opening in front of them are Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, so they should have an easy time exiting after their service. Drivers with openings behind them are Casey Mears, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

The other driver with a mathematical shot at leaving this race with the points' lead, Jeff Gordon is pitting directly behind Truex and if the No. 1 team has any trouble, he could inherit the best stall.

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Official tweets from the track

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Phoenix

The last two winners and three of the last five have started from the pole at Phoenix. Is that a good omen for Martin Truex Jr.? Find out what we think in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Truex wins Phoenix pole

Martin Truex Jr. posted was one of less than a handful of drivers who posted his best time on lap one; a speed of 135.120 was good enough for the pole for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k by Pennzoil.

Our View That makes him nearly a half mile per hour faster than second-place Kurt Busch, but qualification has not been his problem this year. After starting in the top 10 on 10 occasions this year, he has yet to finish better than 11th.

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Official tweets from the track

MWR confirms Tryson

According to a tweet from @MartySmith, Michael Waltrip Racing has confirmed that Pat Tryson will be the crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. next year in the Cup series.

Our View It remains to be seen if the short time status of Tryson will affect Kurt Busch's Chase efforts. Follow the No. 2 team with some caution.

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Richmond pit stalls

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Mighty Mark Martin has taken the best spot after winning the pole for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Our View Martin Truex Jr and Kasey Kahne have the only other two spots with an opening in front of them, but Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski chose stalls with openings behind them.

This could be especially positive for Keselowski, who is bound to be cheap in cap games and under-utilized in allocation games.

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Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400

Truex wins Richmond practice 1

Martin Truex Jr. posted the quickest average speed in the first Richmond practice session among drivers working primarily on race trim. His average speed was 119.718 mph during 25 laps.

Our View After dominating early last week at Atlanta and falling off the pace late in the Pep Boys Auto 500, Truex needs redemption, but it's unlikely to come here. He has only one top-five in seven starts with an average of 23.9.

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Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400

Kahne wins seesaw battle over Harvick

The night was filled with comers and goers, but a late-race caution gave the edge to Kasey Kahne. His short run setup was better than Kevin Harvick's and he sprinted out to the lead with a handful of laps remaining.

Our View Three drivers dominated at different times. Harvick led 66 laps compared to Kahne's 60, but Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps at the start of the Pep Boys Auto 500 and headed the field for 68 circuits.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Atlanta

Starting position is of critical importance at Atlanta, so the drivers starting on the first five rows should dominate this week's roster. Check out this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf) to see who is hot prior to Sunday's race.

Truex wins third career pole

Martin Truex Jr. utilized cool conditions to win his second pole of the season and the third of his career with a speed of 184.149 mph. He will lead the field to green on Sunday night, with Kasey Kahne on the outside of the front row.

Our View Qualification is extremely important at Atlanta, but the No. 1 team's luck has been abysmal. Outside pole sitter Kahne will be a better bargain this week.

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Michigan pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections.

Our View As expected, pole winner Brian Vickers has chosen the final pit stall before the end of pit road. Other drivers with openings in front of them are Mark Martin, Juan Montoya, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

For the complete list, visit Jayski.

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LifeLock 400 newsbreakers

Truex docked for being too low

Martin Truex Jr. has been docked 25 owner and driver points for being too low following the LifeLock.com 400, according to autoracingsport.com.

Our View: The advantage didn't help much. Truex still finished only 16th last week at Chicagoland.

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Ganassi in no hurry to replace Truex

Chip Ganassi is in no hurry to replace Martin Truex Jr. now that he's been signed by MWR, according to Autosport.com. Ganassi said, "Martin made a business decision that he felt was in his best interest and we can't fault him for that."

Our View: The comment sounds eerily similar to ones he used with Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears left the Ganassi fold. One has to wonder how long this owner can keep losing talent without being seen only as a feeder for the superteams instead of a contender himself.

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It's official: Truex will race for MWR in 2010

One of the worst kept secrets of the silly season was made official on Tuesday. Martin Truex Jr. will join Michael Waltrip Racing in 2010 and race the No. 56 with sponsorship from NAPA, according to a tweet from the press conference by @DustinLong.

Our View: MWR has been steadily improving all year with Marcos Ambrose and David Reutimann in the second and third cars, but Michael Waltrip himself has struggled. This move will only enhance their value to fantasy owners next year, as Waltrip will run a limited schedule in a fourth car.

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171 winners

With his rain-aided victory, Joey Logano became the 171st driver to win a NASCAR Cup race. He joins a long list of active drivers with one win that includes David Reutimann, Juan Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Casey Mears and Brad Keselowski.

Our View: Most of these victories were earned on specialty tracks such as the restrictor-plate superspeedways and road courses, or through pit strategy like the one employed by Logano, which shows just how difficult it is to handicap a NASCAR race.

However several highly productive drivers such as Jeff Gordon (tire) and Ryan Newman (rain-aided) were given their first victory by strategy.

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Truex announcement coming in two weeks

According to a tweet from @BobPockrass, Martin Truex Jr. expects to make an announcement about his future in two weeks. That is the same time Michael Waltrip has an announcement scheduled about the future driver of the No. 55.

Our View: Two plus two equals four. Michael Waltrip Racing is on the uptick with strong showings by Marcos Ambrose and David Reutimann. Truex will raise the bar even higher.

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Truex posts single fastest lap in Happy Hour

Martin Truex Jr. posted the fastest single lap in Happy Hour with a speed of 128.186. His average speed was not bad either. At 126.253 during 43 laps, he was fifth best on average.

Our View: Truex was one of our dark horses at the beginning of the week and he's solidified his position as a strong mid-cap driver. A top-10 in well within his reach.