SOZ on RTR - Lady in Black at 200mph Won't Lead to Lucky No. 73 for Junior by Michelsen

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Lady in Black at 200mph Won't Lead to Lucky No. 73 for Junior- Fantasy Insight Darlington

5/7/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

Is anyone else getting really nervous about our NASCAR stars doing 200mph at Darlington? The Lady in Black has a habit of reaching out and grabbing people even at lower speeds. This week the new pavement and hard tires is a combination that could lead to a tough handicapping dilemma. The Track Too Tough to Tame has always been a track position racetrack. Over 87% of the winners have started from a top ten starting spot at Darlington! If the tires are as durable as they were in the tire tests the strategy will make track position even more important. This place used to wear tires out in three laps! Each and every time a caution flew the recipe for success was to fire four new tires at each car. Now will Crew Chiefs take a risk to run on older tires? Can it be lucky number 73 for Dale Earnhardt Jr at a track his Daddy won at nine times? 200mph top speed at Darlington is reason enough not to miss a lap under the lights on Saturday night! Good luck with your fantasy 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

Kasey Kahne has the best average starting position of active drivers with 3 starts or more

Jimmie Johnson has the best average finish of active drivers with 3 starts or more

Sterling Marlin is in the No. 40

Bill Elliott is in the No. 21 with a guaranteed spot

Kenny Schrader is in the No. 70

Jeff Gordon has the most wins of any active driver (7)

Bill Elliott has the most poles of any active driver (5)

19 of the 104 Cup races have been won from the pole

Over 1/3rd of all Cup races have been won from the front row

91 of 104 Cup races have been won from a top ten starting spot

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

C Bowyer 94

D Hamlin 93

J Burton 92

Ky Busch 91

J Johnson 90

D Earnhardt Jr 90

C Edwards 90

T Stewart 88

R Newman 87

D Ragan 86

Horses for Courses

J Johnson 97

M Martin 93

J Gordon 92

D Earnhardt Jr 92

R Newman 90

G Biffle 89

T Stewart 88

K Kahne 88

J Burton 87

D Hamlin 87

Track Type Casting

C Bowyer 93

J Johnson 93

J Gordon 93

T Stewart 92

J Burton 92

D Hamlin 90

G Biffle 90

Ky Busch 89

K Harvick 89

M Truex 88

Professor DMIC's Power Rating Qualifiers

J Johnson 279

J Burton 271

J Gordon 270

D Hamlin 269

T Stewart 268

C Bowyer 268

D Earnhardt Jr 265

R Newman 265

C Edwards 264

G Biffle 261

M Martin 259

Ky Busch 258

M Truex 255

K Harvick 254

B Labonte 248

K Kahne 246

J McMurray 246

C Mears 245

T Kvapil 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: Crown Royal 400 (24th, 4th, 2nd)

Denny Hamlin my top pick was dominant until losing that tire in the late going. Four of the top five finishers including the winner were mentioned in my picks! Even nailed the top rookie and his 21st place finish was in my range I predicted and Struggling Star finished worse than 30th, which is the goal!

Win: Greg Biffle (15-1 Odds)

Tire tester and strong Courses rating

Place: Carl Edwards (6-1 Odds)

King of the Speedways in 2008

Show: Ryan Newman (30-1 Odds)

Most consistent qualifier also a tire tester

Outsider: Mark Martin (20-1 Odds)

(Outside of Top 20 in Points)

(3rd Last Week)

Cagey veteran on a cagey track

Long Shot Special: Kasey Kahne (25-1 Odds)

(20-1 or Greater in Vegas)