Load your lineup with Hendrick, RCR at Phoenix

The one-mile tri-oval of Phoenix International Raceway hosts this weekend's Cup Series event. The off-week over Easter gave the drivers and teams a chance to catch their breath and take a break. Now it's back to the business of racing. PIR is unlike any other track on the circuit. It's a short track masquerading as an intermediate oval. The irregular "D" shape and relatively flat banking in the corners still keep the short-track feel despite the one-mile size. We can look at the statistical history of Phoenix to a great extent, but we'll also need to stay mindful of the teams that have raced well on short tracks so far this season. These two indicators should provide a great basis for fantasy racing prognostication this weekend. The following is our weekly power ranking for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway (8 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX).

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Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Phoenix

1. Jimmie Johnson
The defending Cup Series champion has made a living winning at Phoenix recently. Johnson has won the last three events at the Arizona oval, and he already has one short-track win this season. The No. 48 Chevrolet has visited the top five in five of the last six races at PIR, and those are some staggering numbers to consider.

2. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin has been outstanding thus far on the circuit's shorter tracks. He's led more than 300 laps and has a pair of top-fives at both Bristol and Martinsville. Hamlin also likes PIR as well. He's collected four top-five finishes in his last six races at the one-mile oval. He should challenge Johnson for the win this Saturday night.

3. Jeff Gordon
Now that Gordon has the monkey off his back, he can focus on lining up a series of other victories this season. Phoenix could be the venue of back-to-back wins for the veteran driver. Gordon won here as recently as 2007, and he's been a regular face in the top 10 with four top-10 finishes in his last six starts at PIR.

Fantasy Report

Jimmie Johnson has won three in a row at Phoenix and Mike Bell thinks the No. 48 will get win No. 4.

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4. Mark Martin
Martin got his slow start to the season turned around on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville. His current hot streak should continue this weekend at Phoenix. Martin has a pair of top-fives in his last five starts at the flat oval, and he's not finished outside the top 14 during that span.

5. Kyle Busch
Busch slides down our rankings just a bit this weekend due to his unpredictable inconsistency this season. Some races he's shown up with the fastest car in the field, while others he's had non-top 20 equipment. Busch has one pole and four top-10s in his last six starts at PIR, so there's reason to be optimistic this weekend. Still, use a measure of caution in deploying the Joe Gibbs Racing star on Saturday night.

6. Tony Stewart
Consistency hasn't been a problem for the owner/driver of the Stewart-Haas No. 14 Chevrolet. Stewart has had solid and consistent cars virtually everywhere this season. He owns three top-fives in his last six Phoenix starts and should have no trouble cracking the top 10 in the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

7. Kevin Harvick -- Harvick's ranking is more by virtue of his career record at Phoenix than what's he's done on the short tracks this season. Harvick swept both races at PIR in 2006 and he's finished in the top 10 in three of the four races since then. This team hasn't had it all together so far this season, but Phoenix provides a good opportunity for the No. 29 team to run strong.

8. Jeff Burton
Burton is in much the same boat as Kevin Harvick this weekend. He has some strong career numbers at the desert speedway, but he's also had some struggles on the short tracks to this point. However, Burton's five top-10 finishes in the last six events at Phoenix International Raceway fill us with a major dose of confidence heading into Saturday night's race.

9. Ryan Newman
We'll ride Newman's hot streak this weekend. The No. 39 team has come together nicely after the slow start to the season, and Newman finished well at both Bristol and Martinsville. His recent performance at PIR lacks consistency; still he has managed to collect one pole and one top-five finish in the last three seasons. Rocket Man clearly knows how to race up front at PIR and he should show it this weekend.

10. Clint Bowyer
Bowyer's last three starts at PIR have netted 11th-, second- and 12th-place finishes. This team has been in and around the top 10 at the desert oval frequently in recent seasons. Bowyer's recent dominance at the flat track of Martinsville has us paying close attention to him this weekend. The team will likely run a similar setup for this race as well. It wouldn't be a total surprise to see the No. 33 Chevrolet crack the top 5 in the Subway Fresh Fit 500.