Fantasy Preview: Indy

Every rule has its exception, and Jeff Gordon was just that in the inaugural running of the Brickyard 400 in 1994. As a second-year driver with only one victory under his belt, he led nearly 60 percent of the laps and captured his first victory on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Brett Bodine -- racing in Kenny Bernstein's lightly funded No. 26 car -- crossed the line as the runner-up a half-second back, and on the strength of that one race, dark horses appeared to have the upper hand.

It wasn't to be for long, however.

Dale Earnhardt took the second running of the race as the field dodged raindrops in 1995. He was competing in his 17th season. In 1996, Dale Jarrett won in his 10th season of competition while Ricky Rudd won the following year in his 21st season. In his sixth year of competition, Gordon won again in 1998 and only two drivers with less experience have taken the trophy since. Kevin Harvick was in his third season when he took the checkers in 2003 and Jimmie Johnson was in his fifth season last year when he won.

Status Symbol
There is a reason why Indy holds so few surprises. Drivers and teams put an incredible amount of energy into this one race and the cream always seems to rise to the top. In the last three years, the top 10 has been dominated by Roush Fenway Racing (with seven), Hendrick Motorsports (six), Ray Evernham Motorsports (four), Joe Gibbs Racing (four), Richard Childress Racing (three) and Chip Ganassi Racing (three). Robert Yates Racing has two top-10s in that span, leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. to complete the list with a single strong showing. Fantasy owners will note that there are few surprises in that list and, except for Evernham and Yates, each of those superteams are expected to continue to dominate this week.

On certain tracks like Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago, strategy dictated selecting your roster from the bottom up -- i.e. identify strong sleepers and fill in the marquee drivers above them -- but for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the best advice is to pick one anchor and then fill in with mid-priced drivers that belong to the superpowers.

The Indiana Connection
Every driver in America who ever dreamed of turning a lap of competition, dreamed of racing at Indy.

Until 14 years ago, that could only become reality to a handful of drivers as this track hosted only the Indianapolis 500 open-wheel race. Economics demanded that Indy should expand, and NASCAR quickly became part of the tradition.

For Indiana natives who grew up in the shadow of Indianapolis, they finally had a chance to live their dream, and Gordon made the most of that in the inaugural race. His first victory was earned only a few months earlier in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and it came with a little pit strategy, but that was not the case in the Brickyard 400. He dominated at the Brickyard and had to hold off a furious charge by Ernie Irvan in the closing laps of the race. If not for a cut tire with only four laps remaining, the final lead change might have come as the two drivers crossed under the checkers.

Since then, Gordon has won about every third race with three more trophies added to his mantle in 1998, 2001 and 2004. If the pattern holds, he is due another in 2007 and there is every reason in the world to expect that could happen. When he has stayed out of trouble, the driver of the No. 24 has been perfect at Indy. Damage relegated him to 30-something finishes in 1996 and 2000, while last year he cut a tire early in the race and used up all of his strength to make up two laps and finish 16th, but every other race has ended in a result of eighth or better. Even with those poor showings factored in, Gordon has an average finish of 9.3 at Indy, which makes this his third-best track in that regard. (Continued)