Penultimate race to Chase has contenders as favorites

With two races remaining until the Chase begins, racing should reach a fever pitch this weekend at Atlanta. The 1.5-mile intermediate oval plays host to its second, and final, race of the season on Sunday.

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This will be the first of two races remaining until the Chase format begins. The drivers 10th- through 15th-place in the point standings will be racing with some real urgency this weekend, as what they do in the next two events will dictate if they will participate in this season's 10-race playoffs.

At the top of the standings it's a three-way battle for the lead between Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Each of these drivers will be looking to visit Victory Lane in the Pep Boys Auto 500, since each victory will pad that driver's points when the standings are reconfigured for the Chase format. These factors will all play a big part in driver performance this weekend at AMS, and fantasy racing players everywhere should be up to speed with what's happening in the Chase and how it affects their fantasy lineups.

The following is our weekly power ranking:

Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Atlanta

1. Jimmie Johnson
The winner of both 2007 races at Atlanta hasn't had much luck in recent weeks. In fact, Johnson hasn't won a race since July 26 at Indianapolis. The timing could be right for the No. 48 team to win again. Despite being shut out of Victory Lane in the past four races, Johnson has led more than 260 laps in those events. It's just a matter of time before skill defeats luck.

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2. Carl Edwards
We've almost given up on Edwards winning a race in 2009. However, if there is one last gasp for the No. 99 team to make it into Victory Lane it is this weekend at AMS. Edwards has three victories at Atlanta; the most recent came in this event one year ago. He has led laps at the 1.5-mile track in each of his past three races there and is easily a top-five threat.

3. Kurt Busch
When the Cup Series last visited Atlanta, it wasn't Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards lapping the field -- it was Busch. While he doesn't sport the consistency at AMS that the other elite drivers do, his dominant victory in March is still fresh on our minds. Busch is a two-time winner at the Georgia track, and he's well aware of what it takes to win here.

4. Jeff Gordon
The intermediate ovals have been very kind to Gordon this season; he won at Texas and has runner-up finishes at Atlanta and Chicago. Gordon enters this event on four-race top-10 streak at Atlanta, so all the indicators point to a great performance this weekend.

5. Tony Stewart
His eighth-place finish in March was the third top-10 in four races to start the season and Stewart served notice that he would be a dominant force. He has gone on to win three races thus far this season, as well as the All-Star Race. The No. 14 team may not be one of the prime contenders to win this weekend but it should easily capture a series-leading 19th top-10.

6. Clint Bowyer
Bowyer had been on fire until his disappointment at Bristol, where the No. 33 had a three-race top-10 streak snapped. Bowyer heads to Atlanta to make one more stab at cracking this year's Chase field. He currently sits 15th in the standings, 112 markers back of the final spot. Bowyer has four top-10s in his past five visits to AMS.

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7. Brian Vickers
Vickers is another bubble driver in the Chase field. He enters Atlanta ranked 14th and in better position to make the Chase than Bowyer. The No. 83 team has been flawless on the larger ovals this season. Vickers finished fifth earlier this season at Atlanta, and he has top-10 finishes at all the intermediate ovals this season with the exception of Texas.

8. Greg Biffle
Biffle has been coming on in recent weeks. His impressive top-five finishes at Bristol underscores how well the No. 16 team is performing. Biffle has had some decent success at AMS in recent seasons; he had two top-10 finishes in the past four races. He had a powerful top-five car there in March before an accident took him out late in the event.

9. Kasey Kahne
Kahne is 11th in the point standings and is fighting to maintain his spot in the top 12. With drivers like Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer breathing down his neck there's no margin for error. Kahne is hoping to snap a three-race top-10 drought. He has raced well enough at the track through the years to warrant fantasy consideration; Kahne finished seventh at Atlanta in March.

10. David Reutimann
One of the surprise teams this season has been Reutimann's No. 00 team, which has excelled on intermediate ovals this season. While his recent results at Atlanta have been far from impressive, Reutimann's victory at Charlotte and his top-15s at the circuit's other intermediate ovals is a very encouraging sign heading into Atlanta.