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Each week the staff at NASCAR.COM will pick a race winner, a dark horse for the checkers and the ain't-got-a-chance driver (no scrubs; someone with a Q score).
Our scoring system: Experts receive as many points as the "winner" pick gets in the race.
| Writer | Winner | Here's why | Dark Horse | No Chance | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duane Cross | Tony Stewart | C'mon, no one is better at hittin' the bricks than Smoke -- and certainly he's been better than 10th in the point standings would suggest. | Clint Bowyer | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2,808 |
| Bill Kimm | Tony Stewart | OK, enough of this charade. Stewart is so overdue for a win it's not even funny. The rest of the field might as well just park on pit road at the green because this is Smoke's weekend and his quest for a third championship starts Sunday at the Brickyard. | Juan Montoya | Jimmie Johnson | 2,791 |
| Joe Menzer | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | He has never won at Indy, but he has had some good cars that have led laps -- and this could be the best car he's ever driven here. Plus he said he will use a car setup similar to the one he used at Michigan, where he won earlier this year. | Juan Montoya | Ryan Newman | 2,743 |
| Josh Pate | Kyle Busch | I'm picking him until he proves to me he cannot win, which may not happen until the season is over. Bottom line, he's got the best average finish at Indianapolis and he's improved his finish by three each year. Last year's finish: fourth. | Reed Sorenson | Ryan Newman | 2,719 |
| David Caraviello | Kyle Busch | Why? Because Indianapolis puts a premium on horsepower, and his No. 18 car has plenty. Oh yeah, and because the kid has won at just about every other tough track this season. Now comes the toughest. | Brian Vickers | Juan Montoya | 2,596 |
| Raygan Swan | Tony Stewart | With two wins at the famed track and the race in his backyard, you can't go against Tony Stewart. He may not have any Cup wins yet this season, but he certainly can get it done at Indy. | David Ragan | Juan Montoya | 2,563 |
| Dave Rodman | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | He will win because I wrote a column saying he would, so I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't pick him; plus he has some bad to the bone Hendrick horsepower this weekend. | Elliott Sadler | Clint Bowyer | 2,504 |
| Jarrod Breeze | Mark Martin | Martin has been saying that he would win this race for more than a month now, and who am I to doubt his word? | David Ragan | Juan Montoya | 2,389 |
| Mark Aumann | Kyle Busch | Why not? He's won everywhere else this season, plus he's never finished worse than 10th at the Brickyard in three career starts. | Juan Montoya | Greg Biffle | 2,376 |
| POPULAR ALERTS | ||||
|
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Kyle Busch | 2881 | Leader |
| 2. | -- | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2619 | -262 |
| 3. | -- | Jeff Burton | 2590 | -291 |
| 4. | -- | Carl Edwards | 2509 | -372 |
| 5. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 2494 | -387 |
| 6. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 2384 | -497 |
| 7. | +4 | Greg Biffle | 2318 | -563 |
| 8. | +1 | Matt Kenseth | 2317 | -564 |
| 9. | +4 | Kevin Harvick | 2308 | -573 |
| 10. | +2 | Tony Stewart | 2305 | -576 |
| 11. | -3 | Kasey Kahne | 2295 | -586 |
| 12. | -5 | Denny Hamlin | 2283 | -598 |