Bobby Labonte's move to the No. 43 may pay off for fantasy owners. Credit: Autostock

Fantasy: 2006 preview

With eight rookies and more than half of the Nextel Cup teams making driver or crew chief changes, the 2006 season promises to be a challenging one for the fantasy player.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE Give the right side of your brain the day off as you juggle a field of NASCAR drivers while staying under a salary cap.  •   To play,  click here For Reese's, it's all about the Cup. Pick the best drivers from each group and walk away with the top prize. Build your point total week after week! Earn great prizes! Are you ready to make the hard choices?  •   To play, click here Streak to the Finish challenges you to guess a top-10 driver in next week's NASCAR race.  •   To play, click here Who do you want to make a superstar? The Superstar Fantasy Cap Challenge gives you that power. Just don't use the same driver twice this year.  •   To play,  click here Play the Ultimate Fantasy League. Draft, trade, add, and drop drivers throughout the season. Dominate your opponents with the best team of drivers you can assemble.  •   To play,  click here

Who would have predicted Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne would have missed the Chase in 2005?

Gordon and Earnhardt made radical changes to their team's organization that would not have been possible if they were in the middle of a title battle -- changes which should help them to resurgent seasons.

Gordon elevated Steve Letarte to the role of crew chief and Earnhardt brought his cousin, Tony Eury Jr., to sit atop his pit box. Both drivers immediately saw results, although Earnhardt's raw finishes were minimized by several accidents in the final 10 races.

Near the end of the 2004 season, Carl Edwards was promoted to Nextel Cup when Jeff Burton moved to Richard Childress Racing. Edwards had immediate success, finishing in the top 10 at Michigan and following with two equally strong results in the next three weeks.

In 2005, Denny Hamlin had similar success, earning three top-10s in his first five starts.

Edwards battled for the championship last year, ultimately ending the 2005 season third in the points. Hamlin probably won't make the Chase, but he can be expected to run well more than he struggles.

Change can be a good thing, especially at a place like Petty Enterprises. With Robbie Loomis returning to a place where he spent nine years as a crew chief and the addition of crew chief Todd Parrott, the organization expects to have its best season in a decade.

However, don't mistake any advancement by the team with Bobby Labonte's expected finishes. He'll probably end up worse on the average than he did in the No. 18 in 2005, but if your competition assesses value to the No. 43 based on last year's results, this team could be a potential sleeper.

Add Jeff Green to your sleeper list as well. He showed the ability to run strongly in practice, even though that didn't always translate to top race finishes. Moving to the No. 66 in 2006, Green could show promise in the car Mike Bliss ran well at times.

Ken Schrader

In fact, Green's testing numbers at Las Vegas -- in the same company with Edwards, Kahne and Kurt Busch -- show that Gene Haas' Chevrolets may run strongest on the intermediate ovals.

While the Wood Brothers aren't the same outfit that dominated NASCAR in the '60s and '70s, Ken Schrader is moving to an organization with more potential than his previous employer. With Yates-Roush power, the No. 21 is worth a look.

One of the most intriguing changes heading into 2006 were the highly-publicized moves of Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch. Don't sell either driver short -- especially since both of their new teams made the Chase in 2005.

McMurray hasn't been there, but Roush Racing had five of the top-10 cars last season -- and fantasy owners should fully expect McMurray to continue that trend.

An off-track incident at Phoenix dogged Busch at the end of last season, but having settled that, he should remain a solid fantasy pick in the No. 2 and a favorite to win his second championship.

Don't forget: Winning your fantasy racing league isn't about picking the drivers who win the race as much as the person who best manages the middle-tier and darkhorse drivers.

Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch won their championships on consistency, showing the ability to turn what at first glance might be a terrible day into a mid-pack finish.