F1: Hamilton hopes to turn season around

Lewis Hamilton believes his team can reverse their fortunes, according to an interview at Formula1.com.

Our View: After such a big high last year, he's been one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in 2009, but if you jumped off his bandwagon fast enough, he could be a great value in the second half of the season.

IRL: Servia, Bell best non qualifiers

Oriol Servia and Townsend Bell have been fastest in practice this week among drivers who still need to qualify for the Indy 500 this weekend, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View: In the unique Indy 500 qualification procedures, there is plenty of time to practice for both time trials and the race. If they cannot get the car dialed in with so many sessions, there is simply not any speed to be found in the car.

Drivers call for banned substance list

NASCAR drivers are calling for NASCAR to provide a list of banned substances, according to Dustin Long.

Our View: NASCAR likes to play their cards close to their vest. And while it's perfectly right for them to police this drug policy, before they put something into motion that could destroy a driver's reputation, they owe fans, drivers and sponsors the courtesy of being open and communicative.

IRL: Day 7 Trackside report

IndyCar.com has been publishing daily reports from trackside at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Our View: This report has plenty of interesting tidbits, but when track activity is limited, fantasy owners will get little bang for their buck.

Burton team wins pit crew challenge

Jeff Burton's No. 31 team has won the pit crew challenge and set a new record in the process, according to the Sporting News Wire Service.

Our View: The team avoided mistakes and pushed the car across the line in 22.115 seconds. Flawless pit stops is one key to success in a NASCAR race.

N'Wide: Carpentier entered at Charlotte

Patrick Carpentier will drive a Toyota for SK Motorsports at Lowe's on May 23rd, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: A talented driver, Carpentier jumped feet first into the Cup series last year. If he wants to stay in NASCAR, this is a much better approach. He finished 17th with this team at Darlington.

Elliott's record attempt ends on a hook

Bill Elliott was attempting to set a new closed course record in a specialty-prepared Mustang, but it ended up on the hook after he crashed, according to al.com.

Our View: Rain limited Elliott's time on track, which may have caused him to push a little too hard. This car went 252 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats; the closed course record at Talladega is 212 and that was set by Elliott in 1987.

Earnhardt excited about new format

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is excited about the new format of the All-Star race, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: No points on the line should take away the pressure and Earnhardt believes he can get up on the wheel for the final 10-lap segment. This could be his best chance to get his first top-five in more than five years. Click here for a record of the last five years.

The Circus

Event Day Games Preview: Everybody loves a circus and that seems to be the theme behind every All-Star race.

What happens when you put a million dollars on the line and tell the drivers to come back with either the checkered flag or the steering wheel? All too often, they end up coming back with the steering wheel. The All-Star race offers no points and there is nothing to lose by putting your car in harm's way. Kyle Busch can tell you precisely how that affects a driver's style—he's never finished one of these events.

Jeff Gordon has finished his share of All-Star races, however, and he stands head and shoulders above his competition with three victories in this specialty event, but even a driver of his magnitude has not been immune to trouble. Since winning his latest in 2001, he's only cracked the top five twice and his last two races have been among his worst.

So, who will be the favorite? Well that's anyone's guess since only one driver has taken the money home twice in the last decade. Jimmie Johnson is a master of this track in both point-paying races and exhibitions, so don't be surprised to see him at the head of the field.

Join us at http://www.eventdaygames.com/ this week to play along with our unique fantasy game.

Week 21 Unified Power Rankings

Jenson Button won the Spanish Grand Prix, which was his fourth Formula 1 victory in five starts, and by virtue of dominating that series, he remains firmly in control of the "highly-scientific" Unified Power Rankings.* What makes this more impressive still, is that he's doing so with a team that was not favored to run well at the start of the season because they are new to the series.

Teammate Rubens Barrichello finished second in last week's battle in Spain, which allowed him to pad his advantage over the remainder of the field. Barrichello was mildly upset that he was not allowed the opportunity to win after team strategy was altered mid-race that favored Button.

Meanwhile, the NASCAR boys continue to run strong and take up most of the remaining top-10 spots. Tony Stewart's third-place finish at Darlington was enough to keep him third on the Unified Power Rankings grid, while Jeff Gordon's fifth-place finish allowed him to leapfrog Kurt Busch into fourth.

The Indy Racing League has not yet run five races this season, which is the minimum required for inclusion to this list, so none of their drivers will be included until after the Indy 500.

Three drivers, Mark Webber, Mark Martin and Fernando Alonso jumped nine positions between last week and this week to become the biggest gainers.

Justin Allgaier's impressive fifth-place finish in the Nationwide Darlington race allowed him to leap onto the grid in 45th, which Nick Heidfeld scored a seventh in the Spanish Grand Prix to sneak into 50th.

Unified Power Rankings

Rank	Driver	Competition Points	Last week	+/-
1	Jenson Button	107.80	1	0
2	Rubens Barrichello	96.00	2	0
3	Tony Stewart	92.92	3	0
4	Jeff Gordon	90.82	5	1
5	Kurt Busch	89.55	4	-1
6	Denny Hamlin	82.50	7	1
7	Jason Leffler	82.20	10	3
8	Jimmie Johnson	81.73	12	4
9	Timo Glock	81.60	6	-3
10	Ryan Newman	81.38	13	3
11	Ron Hornaday Jr	80.80	9	-2
12	Jeff Burton	78.94	14	2
13	Kyle Busch	78.52	8	-5
14	Mark Webber	78.40	23	9
15	Carl Edwards	78.33	11	-4
16	Greg Biffle	77.40	16	0
17	Sebastian Vettel	77.20	24	7
18	Matt Kenseth	76.76	19	1
19	Juan Montoya	74.36	17	-2
20	Mark Martin	73.83	29	9
21	Fernando Alonso	73.80	30	9
22	Clint Bowyer	73.14	15	-7
23	Brad Keselowski	72.73	28	5
24	Brian Vickers	72.38	20	-4
25	Kevin Harvick	72.00	27	2
26	Dale Earnhardt Jr	71.80	21	-5
27	Matt Crafton	71.80	25	-2
28	David Reutimann	71.40	22	-6
29	Kasey Kahne	70.00	26	-3
30	Jason Keller	69.60	31	1
31	Joey Logano	69.50	34	3
32	Mike Skinner	67.33	36	4
33	David Ragan	67.00	32	-1
34	Johnny Benson Jr	67.00	37	3
35	Marcos Ambrose	66.18	33	-2
36	Lewis Hamilton	65.20	39	3
37	Nico Rosberg	65.20	40	3
38	Martin Truex Jr	64.73	45	7
39	Jarno Trulli	64.00	18	-21
40	Casey Mears	63.91	35	-5
41	Reed Sorenson	63.73	41	0
42	Scott Lagasse Jr	63.70	38	-4
43	Steve Wallace	63.60	43	0
44	Regan Smith	63.00	42	-2
45	Justin Allgaier	62.60	NR
46	Jamie McMurray	61.55	44	-2
47	Chad McCumbee	61.20	47	0
48	Brendan Gaughan	60.90	46	-2
49	A J Allmendinger	60.82	50	1
50	Nick Heidfeld	60.80	NR

The Unified Power Rankings are based on "percentage points." Starting with a 100 score for the winner of a Nationwide race, each subsequent position is decremented by a percentage that relates to the number of drivers in the field. In a 50-car field of potential qualifiers, the second-place driver receives 98 points, third-place gets 96 points, the 43rd-place driver gets 16 points (because he beat eight other driver to even get into the field) and so on until the last non-qualifier in 50th-place gets two points.

Only races run in the last three months count in this formula.

The Cup, IRL and Formula 1 series start at 110 points for a victory (since its so difficult to win one of these races) and then decrements 1/50th of 110 points for each subsequent position. It’s an unscientific way to determine who is the best in their series, while simultaneously trying to compare apples to oranges.

Previous Unified Power Rankings:

Week 20

RPM teammates struggle to keep Kahne company

Only Kasey Kahne is locked into the All-Star race by virtue of winning it last year, which leaves Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger hoping to win the Sprint Showdown or get voted in by the fans, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Until last year, we would have said that none of these drivers would be a very good value, but Kahne won after the fan voted him into the big show and Sam Hornish Jr. finished seventh after racing his way into last year's field.

Newman knows how special All-Star race is

"Until I won the Daytona 500, the All-Star win was my greatest victory," said Ryan Newman in a press release this week. "We beat everybody on a given night in our backyard. We weren't racing for points but racing for glory and money, and it was a great win." Newman's victory came in 2008.

Our View: If the drivers think its special, they are going to put the pedal to the metal and go flat out. Newman is one of the hottest racers in the field this weekend and he cannot be overlooked by fantasy owners.

IRL: Powers dream about to end?

Will Powers has done everything Penske Racing could expect while subbing for Helio Castroneves, but he could be out of a ride following Indy, according to Racer.com.

Our View: Two weeks ago in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, he finished second and there are few who will question his talent. If there is a ride open somewhere for the remaining of the season, it's hard to imagine he won't fill it, but his value as a fantasy pick will be limited by the resources of the team.

Kenseth is a true All-Star

Matt Kenseth will race in his ninth straight All-Star races, according to a team press release, which makes him a true All-Star.

Our View: In that span, he's earned five top-10s, three of which were top-fives, but the crowning moment was his victory in 2001.

F1: Renault also considering options

The Renault Formula 1 teams may also chose to leave the series in 2010, according to Racer.com. Like Ferrari, they are upset about a potential salary cap.

Our View: It may be naive, but as long as each manufacturer has to abide by the same rules, the playing field should be level. Of course, that is an American's opinion, where salary cap restrictions have been in force since the beginning of auto racing.

Gordon seeks memorable win

Each of Jeff Gordon's All-Star wins has been memorable in its own right, and when he's not in victory lane there, one of his current teammates has been, according to Motorsport.com.

Our View: Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have combined for eight of the last 14 wins of this event, and while they may have been running for another team at the time, they are just as likely to run up front this Saturday night.

IRL: Tracy says he can win

In his Blog for Racer.com, Tracy asserts that he is not at Indy for the experience. He believes the team is a legitimate contender for the win.

Our View: It's hard to bet again Tracy's determination and he feels he has something to prove. In 2002—his last time at the track—a controversial ruling about the timing of a caution flag placed him in second.

All-Star race too forgiving, Johnson says

The criteria for entering the All-Star race is too forgiving, according to Jimmie Johnson. This race should be about the best of the best.

Our View: Of course, if NASCAR was interested in having the specialty race be about excellence, they wouldn't have allowed it to devolve into a crash-fest circus. This one's all about the fans—not about who's the best driver.

F1: Ferrari can survive without F1

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo believes the famed brand will find the same level of passion from fans in a series other than Formula 1 if they leave the world driving championship because of a rumored salary cap, according to Racer.com.

Our View: Of course, most other series have similar limits to spending and they might find it is just as difficult to buy a championship elsewhere as it is in F1.

Newman feel HMS drivers are teammates

Ryan Newman feels that the Hendrick Motorsports drivers are his teammates, because of a close bond between HMS and Stewart-Haas racing, according to Racer.com.

Our View: The two organizations may share information, but Newman and Tony Stewart know what to do with it. Otherwise, Gene Haas would have been just as successful with his constant stream of other races.

IRL: Servia added to Indy roster

Rahal-Letterman Racing will enter Oriol Servia in this year's Indy 500.

Our View: Servia has one win in the CART series on the road course Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In one previous Indy 500 start, he finished 11th after starting 25th last year, so he should not be expected to earn maximum points this weekend.

IRL: Lloyd is pretty in pink

Alex Lloyd and sponsor HER Energy Drink are turning a few heads, according to IndyCar.com. That will happen when a driver and car are liveried in hot pink.

Our View: In today's economy, one takes their sponsors as they find them. This energy drink is marketed to women, one of the fastest growing demographics in auto racing.

F1: Glock disappointed with Spanish performance

"It was a tricky weekend and in the end it was really disappointing. We all hoped for a lot more from the Spanish Grand Prix so to finish in 10th-place was way below our expectations," Timo Glock told Formula1.com following last week's race.

Our View: While Formula 1's point system is heavily skewed toward the top finishers, most fantasy games award points throughout the grid, so drivers like Glock need to be maximized when they run well. Unfortunately, that was not the case in Spain.

IRL: Looking to expand internationally

The Indy Racing League could expand their international reach in the coming year, with stops in Brazil and China a possibility, according to AutoRacingDaily.com.

Our View: These added races will almost certainly be road course events and tip the balance of the schedule in their favor. Fantasy owners with a solid road crew will be happy to capitalize on the trend.

Johnson says its too soon to think championship

Jimmie Johnson says it's too soon to start thinking about the championship, but it's not too soon to assess his season, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Johnson is well ahead of last year's mark, but that really doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. Like the last three seasons, his team is going to have to hit its stride in the final 10 races, but it's earning major points for fantasy owners.

5-Yr Average Finish, All-Star Race

Jimmie Johnson enters the All-Star race with a four-year streak of top-fives, which has to make him one of the favorites again this week.

Ryan Newman has not been quite as strong, but he's just consistent with five straight results of 12th or better.

Driver	Avg Finish	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004
Elliott Sadler	5.00				2	8
Jimmie Johnson	5.80	4	2	1	5	17
Ryan Newman	6.60	6	8	5	12	2
Matt Kenseth	6.60	3	7	11	11	1
Sam Hornish Jr	7.00	7
Mark Martin	7.60	9	3	15	1	10
Jeff Gordon	7.80	15	11	3	4	6
Dale Earnhardt Jr	8.20	8	9	9	10	5
Tony Stewart	8.40	5	5	12	17	3
Brian Vickers	9.33		13		3	12
Carl Edwards	9.67	10		4	15
Scott Riggs	10.00			10
Kasey Kahne	10.40	1	14	14	16	7
Kevin Harvick	10.80	11	1	2	18	22
Jeff Burton	12.00	20	4
Jeremy Mayfield	12.50			17	8
Bobby Labonte	12.60	12	21	6	9	15
Greg Biffle	12.60	2	15	13	14	19
Juan Montoya	14.00	14
Michael Waltrip	14.33			19	20	4
Casey Mears	15.50	13	18
Martin Truex Jr	16.00	16	10		22
A J Allmendinger	17.00	17
Kurt Busch	17.60	22	19	20	7	20
Sterling Marlin	18.00					18
Clint Bowyer	18.00	18
Jamie McMurray	18.50	19		18
Denny Hamlin	20.00	23	17
Kyle Busch	20.00	24	20	16
Robby Gordon	21.00					21
Joe Nemechek	22.00				21	23

Truck: Skinner gets sponsor

Mike Skinner and Randy Moss Motorsports will receive sponsorship for an additional seven races, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Skinner has done well with relatively limited resources and currently sits atop the Craftsman Truck Series standings, but more revenue means he will run even stronger.

Mayfield Motorsports to Yeley, "not so fast"

It seems like the announcement J.J. Yeley would drive the No. 41 was a bit premature, according to FoxSports.com. No driver has been officially named yet.

Our View: Does it really matter? This team has been nothing more than field filler all year and when they qualify, it's a start and park operation. Yeley would be a huge step up for this team, but the team is not capable of backing him.

"Cookie-cutter" kings dominate Texas/Atlanta

The four drivers with the best "cookie-cutter" Fantasy Power Rankings * average dominated the last two races on unrestricted, intermediate speedways.

Our View: Jeff Gordon won at Texas and finished second at Atlanta, which contributed to his Power average of 10.21. Jimmie Johnson was second at Texas and ninth at Atlanta (with a Power average of 6.90), Tony Stewart was fourth at Texas and eighth at Atlanta (11.17) and Matt Kenseth was fifth at Texas and 12th at Atlanta (10.80). Those are the four best Power averages on this track type.

* The Fantasy Power Rankings is a driver's raw finish plus the time they spend among the lead, average running position and several other strength'-based intangibles.

Truck: Billy Ballew gets four race sponsor

Billy Ballew Motorsports will have sponsorship from the Samsung Instinct mobile phone during the next four races beginning at Lowe's, according to SceneDaily.com. Brian Ickler and Ryan Lawler will share driving responsibilities.

Our View: Especially in the Craftsman Truck Series money is crucial to success since the purses are so small. This team has been able to do an amazing job with limited resources so far, mostly because of Kyle Busch's remarkable talent.

F1: Sauber's making progress

BMW Sauber earned their first two points of the season in the Spanish Grand Prix when Nick Heidfeld finished seventh, but team principal Mario Theissen believes the team is making notable progress, according to Formula1.com.

Our View: The team hopes to have a "modified KERS" system in place for the Turkish Grand Prix in June. The added boost could help in the long straights between turns 10 and 12.

Nationwide: Suspended crewman resigns

Ben Williams, the crewman suspended last week for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, has resigned from Roush-Fenway Racing.

Our View: The No. 16 team will need to find another gas man, and team chemistry always takes a while to build.

IRL: Everything falls in place for Sharp

Scott Sharp qualified only 20th for the Indy 500, but he's never been happier to be in the show, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View: "It seemed liked the car should have been faster, but you can only do what you can do," Sharp said. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in potential fantasy players.

Notables on the outside looking in

Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are among the notable drivers on the outside of the top 12 in points who need to pick up the pace to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Our View: In the first several years of the Chase, it has been shown that drivers in the top 12 at this stage of the season are liable to stay there, which is bad news for these drivers' fans.

F1: Spanish GP Recap

Formula1.com has published a snapshot analysis of the Spanish Grand Prix, and no one will be surprised to see Brawn Racing highlighted after Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello swept the race.

Our View: Two traditional powerhouses, McLaren and Williams struggled, which makes this an interesting season to handicap.

Results

IRL: Hamilton confident about Indy

Davey Hamilton is approaching the Indy 500 with confidence after qualifying for the Indy 500 during the second day of time trials, according to RacingOne.com.

Our View: Hamilton has made the last two Indy 500s and finished ninth in the 2007 edition of this race, but he may yet be a little rusty. Those are his only two IRL events since midway through the 2001 season.

Yeley in for Mayfield

J.J. Yeley will sub for Jeremy Mayfield effective immediately, according to RacingOne.com.

Our View: It won't matter much who is behind the wheel; this team has struggled to finish better than 40th each time they have made the race. In addition, Mayfield cannot be listed as the owner, so any owner points will probably not help them climb toward the top 35.

Truex spends most time in Darlington top five

Martin Truex Jr. spent the most laps among the top five at Darlington, with 235 of 367 laps at the very top of the field. Tony Stewart (214), Ryan Newman (190), Greg Biffle (180) and Kasey Kahne (162) rounded out the top five.

Our View: This data is approximate and based on NASCAR.com's TrackPass, but it is a good gauge of who showed the greatest strength. Put their name in a reminder file for next year's Southern 500.

Buescher wins ARCA contest

Up and coming driver James Buescher held off Justin Lofton at Kentucky Speedway to win the ARCA Drive Smart Buckle-Up Kentucky 150, according to ARCA.com.

Our View: This series provides a great opportunity to learn the fast line around tracks like Kentucky Speedway—one of the "cookie-cutter" courses. This slightly improves Buescher's odds in the Nationwide Series on the similarly-configured, 1.5-mile tracks.

Keselowski earns respect

Brad Keselowski earned a Darlington stripe or two last weekend, but more importantly, he earned veterans' respect, according to NASCAR.com.

Our View: Rookie success is not unheard of at Darlington, but it is certainly uncommon. After winning Talladega and then finishing in the top 10 at Darlington in consecutive attempts, Keselowski can pretty much write his on ticket among mid-range teams.

IRL: 11 more in the Indy 500 field

The second day of qualification is in the books at Indy and two-thirds of the field is now set.

Raphael Matos posted the fastest time of the day and rounds out row four.

Row five will be made up of Paul Tracy, Vitor Meira and Justin Wilson.

Row six will be made up of Hideki Mutoh, Ed Carpenter and Dan Wheldon.

Row seven will be made up of A.J. Foyt IV, Scott Sharp and Sarah Fisher.

And finally, Davey Hamilton qualified 22nd to take the final spot on the roster.

Our View: The pressure is off these drivers, but the remaining hopefuls have to sweat all week until next Saturday's session.

F1: Spanish Grand Prix Results

Jenson Button has gotten off to an amazing start in 2009 by winning four of the first five events on the Formula 1 calendar, but the Spanish Grand Prix was a study in domination for the entire team. This week, Button led teammate Rubens Barrichello to the line. Team orders may have come into play, but either way, both drivers earned maximum points.

Finish	Start	Driver	Laps	Status
1	1	Jenson Button	66	Running
2	3	Rubens Barrichello	66	Running
3	5	Mark Webber	66	Running
4	2	Sebastian Vettel	66	Running
5	8	Fernando Alonso	66	Running
6	4	Felipe Massa	66	Running
7	13	Nick Heidfeld	66	Running
8	9	Nico Rosberg	66	Running
9	14	Lewis Hamilton	65	Running
10	6	Timo Glock	65	Running
11	10	Robert Kubica	65	Running
12	12	Nelson Piquet Jr	65	Running
13	11	Kazuki Nakajima	65	Running
14	20	Giancarlo Fisichella	65	Running
15	16	Kimi Raikkonen	17	Hydraulics
16	18	Heikki Kovalainen	7	Gear Box
17	7	Jarno Trulli	0	Accident
18	15	Sebastian Buemi	0	Accident
19	17	Sebastian Bourdais	0	Accident
20	19	Adrian Sutil	0	Accident

Two crewmen also suspended

In addition to Jeremy Mayfield, two NASCAR crew members were also suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. These were Tony Martin, a crew member with the No. 34 Cup team and Ben Williams, a crew member of the No. 16 Nationwide Series team.

Our View: Fans should appreciate the integrity that NASCAR tries to bring to their sport, as opposed to the stick and ball sports. Stock cars are just too dangerous to allow any leniency in regards to drugs.

Bowyer's streak ends at 83

Clint Bowyer came up one race shy of tying Herman Beam's long-standing record of 84 races in which he was running at the end. On lap 221 of the 367 that make up the Southern 500, he bounced off the wall and was turned into the inside retaining wall. The damage was too great to overcome.

Our View: In some ways, this was karma. Two weeks ago at Talladega, the team waited until two laps remaining to get his crash damaged Chevrolet back on track—most likely because it would not have been capable of meeting NASCAR's minimum speed requirement in that race.

IRL: 11 locked in to Indy 500

In the first day of qualification, 11 drivers have been locked into the Indy 500. Led by pole sitter Helio Castroneves, Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe is in the middle of the first row and Chip Ganassi's Dario Franchitti is on the outside of that row.

Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan make up row two.

Mario Moraes, Marco Andretti and Will Power make up row three.

And finally, Danica Patrick and Alex Lloyd will take the inside and middle of row four. The rest of the field will be filled on Sunday and next Saturday.

Our View: Castroneves has bragging rights, but the remainder of the field can rest easier knowing they will start near the front of the field.