Gordon nearly perfect on tracks like NHMS in '10

There are 3,071 miles between Sonoma, Calif., and Loudon N.H., as the Cup Series travels coast-to-coast this week. Add in a stopover at most of their home bases in Charlotte, N.C., and everyone will log a lot of miles before the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Perhaps that will give the drivers a chance to calm down following the chaotic road race at Infineon last week.

New Hampshire

This week's fantasy studs, duds and sleepers.

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Beginning at New Hampshire, the series enters the Race for the Chase -- the final 10 events of the regular season -- but it's hard to imagine that the racers will have a greater sense of urgency than they demonstrated last week. Even drivers who normally show a lot of composure raced like madmen on the twisty track and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who left Sonoma last week without ruffled feathers. Anyone, that is, except Jimmie Johnson who raced in clean air nearly the entire race to record his first Cup road racing victory.

If those bad feelings carry over to New Hampshire this week, fantasy owners are in for another wild card race because there is no place to hide on this 1-mile oval. While it is not technically a short track, the flat corners at Loudon ensure traffic is always a factor and it is easy to make a mistake in the minimally banked corners that could even the score from Sonoma. If not for residual hard feelings, these two tracks would be well positioned back-to-back on the schedule. Many of the same skills needed to go fast on road courses translate to the short, flat tracks and the momentum built last week would carry forward.

Fantasy owners have to forget about possible retribution, however, and set their rosters by the numbers this week because the short, flat tracks are prone to streaks. So far in 2010, 10 drivers have finished 18th or better in the three races held at Martinsville, Phoenix, and Richmond and they will make up this week's list of favorites, dark horses, and underdogs. (Continued)