Martin found something in Nationwide race

Mark Martin thinks he found something. Immediately following Friday's Nationwide Series Lipton 250 (in which he finished seventh), Martin called to crew chief Alan Gustafson to tell him he found something that could be used in Saturday's Cup race.

Our View: The cars are very dissimilar, but when a veteran like Martin says he learned something, fantasy owners should take note. If he wasn't on your radar before this, he should be now.

Kyle Busch wins Richmond Nationwide race

Kyle Busch won the Lipton Tea 250 to take his 24th Nationwide Series win.

Our View: He back in top form and fantasy owners can realistically expect him to carry that momentum into Saturday's Cup race. Join us for a cell phone fantasy game at Event Day Games.

Yahoo! Qualification Story

Brian Vickers backed up a strong practice with a pole winning run in qualification. It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, but this team may be one of the best sleepers at Richmond nevertheless. Check out the Yahoo! qualification story for more information.

Martin quickest in Happy Hour

Mark Martin posted the quickest average speed in Happy Hour practice, with a speed of 121.995 mph during 11 laps.

Our View: That speed is respectable, but we would have liked to see him sustain it during a longer run. Still, Martin is capable of winning again this week, just like he did two weeks ago at Phoenix.

Johnson fastest in Happy Hour

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap in Happy Hour practice at Richmond with a speed of 124.636 mph.

Our View: His average speed of 119.745 mph during 24 laps was not bad either, and it placed him fourth on that chart. He could be poised to win his fourth race on this track in his last five starts.

Stremme scrapes wall in Happy Hour

David Stremme scraped the wall just past the one hour mark of Happy Hour and scratched the Star Trek decals off the right side of his Dodge.

Our View: Stremme was probably on a qualification practice run at the time, because his early speed was not great in terms of the fastest single lap. He was, however, 15th quickest at the time based on average speed with a 118.324 during 18 laps.

IRL: Ganassi has Dynamic Duo

Chip Ganassi will enter the last two champions of the Indy 500 (Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti) in this year's edition of that race, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View: That is certainly a dream team that makes him hard to overlook for your IndyCar fantasy team.

Truex wins Richmond practice 1

Martin Truex Jr. posted the single fastest lap in the first practice session at Richmond for the Crown Royal 400 at 123.046 mph.

Our View: His average speed was not bad either, with an average of 119.407 mph during 39 laps. He should be watched closely in Happy Hour and could be a solid dark horse. The only two drivers who beat his mark in terms of average speed were "go-or-go-homers" Joe Nemechek (120.196 during 12 laps) and Dave Blaney (119.595 during 17 laps), but they were not working on race trim.

Junior Will Not Roll out a Backup

Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not do enough damage to necessitate rolling out a backup car during his early crash at Richmond. He got back on track and logged more than 20 laps in the first hour of practice.

Our View: At that time, he was fairly competitive. He had the ninth quickest average speed at 119.206 mph during 23 laps. Unfortunately, his fastest single lap was only 27th best at 120.595.

Bliss replaces Keselowski at Richmond

Mike Bliss will replace Brad Keselowski in the No. 09 this week. Tuesday's preliminary roster had the younger driver listed.

Our View: While we have been cautioning Keselowski all week about jumping series too soon, there is such a thing as momentum and the Young Gun had it. Bliss should not be as highly regarded in terms of his chances to finish among the top 15.

Biffle also spins in Richmond Practice 1

Greg Biffle followed Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the spin cycle at Richmond only moments after the series went back to business at Richmond. Unlike Earnhardt, however, he did not make significant contact with the wall.

Our View: The drivers are hitting the track on "full kill," and it's biting them. Now that these two incidents are in the books, hopefully they will calm down.

Junior crashes in Richmond Practice 1

Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed barely one minute into the first practice session at Richmond after making contact with Juan Montoya. The damage may be enough to necessitate a backup car for the No. 88 team.

Our View: Junior was hoping to capitalize on some of the momentum he gained with last week's strong Talladega run, but it seems like Fate may have a different idea altogether. Regardless of whether he is forced into a backup, this hurts his Richmond odds.

Harvick has Most Top-10 Laps

Kevin Harvick has spent more time in the top 10 than any other driver during the last five years. He's logged 2,807 laps among the leaders and this has paid dividends in the form of eight top-10s in 10 starts and an average finish of 8.5.

He may not have been the strongest overall at Richmond, however. With two fewer seasons under his belt, Denny Hamlin has logged 2,162 laps with the leaders, which equates to 89.7% of the time compared to Harvick's 70.0. Kyle Busch has raced at Richmond only four seasons, and he also has been stronger than Harvick with a top-10 percentage of 73.1% and an average result of 6.75.

Driver	Laps in Top-10	Possible Laps	%
Kevin Harvick	2,807	4,010	70.0%
Tony Stewart	2,571	4,010	64.1%
Dale Earnhardt Jr	2,371	4,010	59.1%
Kyle Busch	2,347	3,210	73.1%
Denny Hamlin	2,162	2,410	89.7%
Ryan Newman	2,157	4,010	53.8%
Jeff Gordon	2,014	4,010	50.2%
Greg Biffle	1,870	4,010	46.6%
Kurt Busch	1,852	4,010	46.2%
Mark Martin	1,787	4,010	44.6%
Kasey Kahne	1,732	4,010	43.2%
Jimmie Johnson	1,729	4,010	43.1%
Jeff Burton	1,687	4,010	42.1%
Matt Kenseth	1,574	4,010	39.3%
Jeremy Mayfield	1,102	2,000	55.1%
Clint Bowyer	1,094	2,410	45.4%
Martin Truex Jr	938	2,410	38.9%
Carl Edwards	715	3,610	19.8%
Jamie McMurray	577	4,010	14.4%
Bobby Labonte	573	4,010	14.3%
Brian Vickers	522	3,610	14.5%
Dave Blaney	518	3,610	14.3%
Elliott Sadler	473	4,010	11.8%
Casey Mears	382	4,010	9.5%
Michael Waltrip	319	2,810	11.4%
Joe Nemechek	204	4,010	5.1%
David Ragan	181	1,610	11.2%
David Reutimann	171	1,610	10.6%
Reed Sorenson	160	2,410	6.6%
Scott Riggs	123	4,010	3.1%
Juan Montoya	95	1,610	5.9%
Tony Raines	91	2,400	3.8%
David Stremme	23	2,000	1.2%
David Gilliland	17	2,010	0.8%
Robby Gordon	14	4,010	0.3%
Paul Menard	1	1,610	0.1%
A J Allmendinger	1	1,610	0.1%
Sam Hornish Jr	1	810	0.1%
Todd Bodine	0	800	0.0%
John Andretti	0	400	0.0%

Keselowski gets back to business

Winning a Cup race was nice, but this week Brad Keselowski's focus returns to running strong in the Nationwide Series at Richmond, according to NASCAR.com.

Our View: It is easy to lose perspective, but drivers like Joey Logano and Scott Speed are proof of how difficult it can be to jump series without enough seat time to perfect their craft.

Richmond Drama

If last year was any indication, fantasy owners will need to wait for the checkered flag to count their points, according to the Sporting News Wire Service, because Richmond has also had their share of wild finishes. Last year, Kyle Busch spun Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two laps remaining and handed the lead to Clint Bowyer.

Our View: Richmond also had a 12-car, "Big One" crash on lap 230 in this race last year that necessitated a red flag. There may still be a couple of wild cards in the deck.

Event Day Games: Richmond

Last week was wild and wooly at Talladega; the action at Richmond will be just as action-packed.

Richmond is known as the action track for a reason. It's a short course that thinks it's a superspeedway and 43 cars are able to race side by side in 3/4ths of a mile. The leaders are clear of traffic only moments after a green flag waves and the fans in the stands have a hard time deciding which battle to follow.

Somehow, however, the cream continues to rise to the top. Six drivers enter the weekend with at least three top-10s in their last four attempts, and one of these racers—Kevin Harvick—has an eight-race top-10s streak to his credit.

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

Stewart has longest Richmond Top-5 streak

Kevin Harvick may have the longest top-10 streak, but Tony Stewart has come closest to finding victory lane in recent Richmond events. He enters the weekend with three consecutive top-fives on this track.

Our View: Fantasy owners are probably getting tired of hearing this, but it seems that the "next" race continues to be the best opportunity for Stewart to get his first win as an owner/driver. And regardless of whether he wins, he will still earn a lot of fantasy points.

Close, but no cigar at Richmond

Joe Gibbs Racing racers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are the two drivers with the best average finish at Richmond without a victory, according to NASCAR.com. Busch's average finish is 6.8; Hamlin's is 8.8.

Our View: Handicapping races and selecting a winner can be difficult, but guaranteed top-10s can be worth their in fantasy gold.

Short Tracks, Three-year Avg. Finish

All signs are pointing to this being a good week for Denny Hamlin. Not only does he have the second-best average finish at Richmond (behind teammate Kyle Busch), he has also been the best on the three combined short tracks of Richmond, Martinsville and Bristol. His average finish is 8.11 in 18 races.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are the only two other drivers with an average finish better than 10th.

Driver	Avg Finish	Attempts
Denny Hamlin	8.11	18
Jeff Gordon	9.06	18
Jimmie Johnson	9.89	18
Kevin Harvick	10.56	18
Clint Bowyer	10.83	18
Kyle Busch	10.83	18
Tony Stewart	11.00	18
Dale Earnhardt Jr	11.00	18
Marcos Ambrose	12.00	2
Mark Martin	12.70	10
Carl Edwards	13.67	18
Ryan Newman	14.50	18
Jeff Burton	15.06	18
Greg Biffle	17.50	18
Kasey Kahne	17.50	18
Matt Kenseth	18.72	18
Juan Montoya	20.29	14
Casey Mears	20.44	18
David Ragan	20.93	15
Kurt Busch	21.61	18
Bobby Labonte	21.83	18
Martin Truex Jr	23.83	18
Scott Riggs	24.22	18
David Reutimann	25.14	14
David Stremme	25.50	12
Jamie McMurray	25.50	18
Tony Raines	26.62	13
Reed Sorenson	27.44	18
Elliott Sadler	27.50	18
Paul Menard	27.86	14
Dave Blaney	28.06	18
A J Allmendinger	29.92	12
David Gilliland	30.65	17
Brian Vickers	30.72	18
Michael Waltrip	31.33	18
Scott Speed	32.33	3
Robby Gordon	32.78	18
Sam Hornish Jr	33.11	9
Joey Logano	35.00	2
Joe Nemechek	35.59	17
John Andretti	38.71	7
Jeremy Mayfield	38.82	11
Todd Bodine	42.50	2

Harvick has longest Richmond Top-10 streak

Kevin Harvick enters the weekend with the longest top-10 streak among active drivers. He's finished that well in eight consecutive races and garnered an average finish of sixth.

Our View: If RCR's crew swap between him and Casey Mears is going to work, it should start to show dividends right away. And if Harvick cannot be successful this weekend at Richmond, there is very little hope for the immediate future. It is probably safe to start him this week, but if he stumbles, then approach the No. 29 with caution for the next few weeks.

Prilosec OTC to sponsor RCR

Prilosec OTC will be the primary sponsor for three races with RCR, according to SceneDaily.com. They will sponsor Jeff Burton this week at Richmond and for the upcoming Brickyard 400. Additionally, they will be the primary sponsor on Clint Bowyer's car in October's race at Auto Club Speedway.

Our View: Money makes the world go round and teams are likely to get a little more bang for the buck with limited-run sponsorships.

Keselowski welcome to stay at JR Motorsports

Brad Keselowski may not know what he's doing in 2010, but he's welcome to stay at JR Motorsports if he desires, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Our View: Keselowski needs to give some serious thought to remaining in a competitive ride, regardless of whether it is in the Nationwide or Cup series. The temptation to capitalize on his momentum is great, but if he is patient, a long term future could be guaranteed by staying with JR and Hendrick Motorsports.

Richmond entry list posted

The entry list for the Crown Royal 400 has been posted and it features 45 cars. Notable among the part time entries is Brad Keselowski in James Finch's Chevrolet.

Our View: It's taken a while, but the entry list is shrinking because of the economic situation. That will allow the more determined teams easier access into the race and give them a chance to improve their performance.

McClure sentenced

In the same week that his son failed to qualify the family car at Talladega, Larry McClure was sentenced to 18 months in prison for federal tax fraud, according to SceneDaily.com.

Our View: Once considered a powerhouse in NASCAR, the sport seemingly passed them by as multi-car owners and high dollar sponsorships edged out the independent owner. Notably, car owner James Finch went to victory lane last week, but no one expects that smaller, lightly-funded teams will make a resurgence any time soon.

Indy Tire woes continue

Goodyear's tire woes that plagued last year's Brickyard 400 are far from fixed. In recent tire tests, drivers were still able to make only 12-15 laps runs before the cords were showing.

Our View: Last year's Brickyard 400 was outright embarrassing and impossible to handicap. Be prepared to throw this race away unless Goodyear comes up with a new compound quickly. For more on the story, check out NASCAR.com.

Yahoo! Richmond Preview

Last week's race gave new meaning to the phrase "wild card." This week should be much more predictable. Check out the Yahoo! Preview.

Six Who Can

Six drivers have dominated the top 10 at Richmond during the last two years. Jimmie Johnson leads the list with three victories in four races and is followed by Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon with four consecutive top-10s. Actually, Harvick has eight such results in the last four years to expand on his streak.

Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch round out the list of top Richmond performers with three top-10s in their last four efforts. The cream truly rises to the top.

Handicapping Talladega sucks (or, "It's not my fault")

If you got creamed in your fantasy team this week, don't feel too bad. No one would have predicted Brad Keselowski would win or that four "rookies" would finish in the top 10. Marcos Ambrose in fourth, Scott Speed in fifth and Joey Logano in ninth locked up a bunch of top-10 spots that might have been taken by marquee drivers. I have to point out, however, that Ambrose was on my Yahoo! team.