Brickyard Picks

With the 16th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard coming up tomorrow, I have decided to share with you my picks for Sunday. NOTE: I have dropped from 2nd to 8th in both of my Fantasy NASCAR leagues over the past four weeks, so please use these with the proper caution.

A Group: Jimmie Johnson
I could go with the cagey vet Jeff Gordon, who is looking for his fifth Brickyard title, but this is usually the time of year when Jimmie turns on the jets. The defending champion has only found Victory Lane twice this season, but is firmly in third place in the points standings thanks to 13 top-ten finishes.

B Group: Tony Stewart*, Juan Pablo Montoya
Smoke has kissed the bricks two of the last four (2005, 2007) races, and I don't really count last year's tire fiasco against him. The #14 has had a dream season so far - his first as owner/driver - and has opened up nearly a full-race lead in the Sprint Cup points standings. Also, unlike other drivers, I believe Stewart when he says that winning at Indy trumps even the Daytona 500 in his opinion.

As for JPM, if not falling victim to a blown tire last year, he probably would've been in contention. The former Indy 500 champion scored a runner up finish in the 400 two years ago, and has more experience on this track than about 90% of his competition.

C Group: A.J. Allmendinger
Last year was A.J.'s first career start at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but he finished 10th and even led four laps. I know it doesn't make much sense to use last year's caution-fest as a barometer, but he's run the best out of the C Group drivers so far this season.
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If I'm picking a winner, it has to be Stewart. Just like Helio Castroneves this past May, I feel like this is the #14 car's race to lose.