SOZ on RTR - Which Hendrick Driver to Choose by Michelsen

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Which Hendrick Driver to Choose-Fantasy Insight Talladega

4/23/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

It took Hendrick Motorsports eight races to reach Victory Lane this season but now they might own it! Everyone seems to be picking Dale Earnhardt Jr in the Aaron's 499. While I can't argue with the logic of picking an Earnhardt at Dega, Junior only needs to look at his teammates to find the guys to beat this week. Yes Junior has the best car he has ever had at Dega. But both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are great at Talladega too. Gordon has the most career wins among active drivers and Johnson has an incredible record in the past four races. At Talladega it is more about speed than handling and that's why Hendrick Motorsports is the pick this week at Dega. The tough decision is which driver from that stable do you pick? Good luck with your Fantasy Racing picks this week.

Race Winner on Couch Potato Corner Sunday Night on RaceTalkRadio.com

Live media center coverage of the winner's press conference is brought to you this week by Rockingham Speedway, home of the Carolina 500 on May 4th! Get your tickets today at RockinghamRacewayPark.com! Our thanks to NASCAR for granting us permission to use this audio every week to virtually put the fans inside the media center! Media Center audio may not be reused without express written consent from NASCAR and RaceTalkRadio.com.

Pace Laps: Sponsored by JAYSKI

46 cars for 43 spots

Kenny Schrader gets the ride in the No. 70 this week

AJ Allmendinger returns to the No. 84

Jon Wood replaces Elliott in the No. 21

Sterling Marlin is in the No. 09

Kurt Busch has the best average finish among active drivers but has never won here

Kyle Busch has the second worse average finish among active drivers

Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with 6 wins

Only seven drivers on the entry list have won here, only three drivers more than once

Tony Stewart has a record 6 runner up finishes with never having won here

72.7% of all Cup races have been won from a top ten starting position

Only 5 of 77 Cup races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20

By the Numbers: Sponsored by iHick.com

Every week the raw data is analyzed to separate the pretenders from the contenders! Anyone earning 240 points or more in the Power Ratings total has a great chance. 100 points is a perfect score for each category with 300 a perfect Power Rating. The top ten drivers will be shown in each category but only Power Ratings over 240 will be shown.

Consistency is King

J Burton 95

D Hamlin 94

C Bowyer 94

D Earnhardt Jr 93

J Johnson 92

T Stewart 92

K Harvick 90

C Edwards 88

Ky Busch 88

J Gordon 88

Horses for Courses

Ku Busch 94

M Kenseth 89

J Johnson 88

R Newman 88

T Stewart 88

K Harvick 87

C Edwards 87

B Vickers 86

K Kahne 85

J Gordon 85

Track Type Casting

Ku Busch 91

J Gordon 91

K Kahne 90

R Newman 88

J Johnson 86

K Harvick 86

D Gilliland 84

E Sadler 84

R Sorenson 83

A Almirola 83

Professor DMIC's Power Rating Qualifiers

J Johnson 266

Ku Busch 266

J Gordon 263

K Harvick 263

T Stewart 259

R Newman 257

D Hamlin 254

K Kahne 254

C Edwards 253

J Burton 252

M Kenseth 251

C Bowyer 251

D Earnhardt Jr 248

A Almirola 245

J McMurray 245

D Gilliland 245

Ky Busch 244

M Truex 240

G Biffle 240

DMIC's Picks: Sponsored by www.rowdy.com

Check out Rowdy's new FREE Fantasy Race Game and listen to my analysis and picks every Wednesday!

Last Week's Results: Subway 500 (1st, 14th, 19th)

For the second week in a row I had the winner on the top of the sheet! Tony Stewart had a strong run but faded late while Kevin Harvick was a bit disappointing. In addition to hitting the top pick my "Struggling Star" pick finished 36th and worse among the top 12 drivers in the standings heading into Phoenix.

Win: Jimmie Johnson (7-1 Odds)

Team does tend to get on winning streaks

Place: Dale Earnhardt Jr (9-2 Odds)

300th start at Dega would be perfect for first Hendrick win

Show: Jeff Gordon (5-1 Odds)

Team usually bounces back from adversity

Outsider: Casey Mears (30-1 Odds)

(Outside of Top 20 in Points)

(5th Last Week)

Sixth place here in the COT

Long Shot Special: Carl Edwards (20-1 Odds)

(20-1 or Greater in Vegas)