Can you believe the dominance of Jimmie Johnson? The guy is incredible, winning 3 of the 5 chase races and finishing 4th and 9th in the other two. It’d be tough to bet against him winning the championship. This weekend the boys go to the Martinsville Speedway for the Tums Fast Relief 500. There are a couple of chasers that have dominated here and some non-chasers that would be good to have on your team.

This week’s recommendations:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
You can’t bet against Jimmie right now. He is red hot, and he’s awesome at Martinsville too! In 15 career races he’s finished in the top ten 14 times with 6 wins for an average finish of 5.3. Those are ridiculous numbers. Add to that the fact that since the chase has started, he’s won 3 races and has an average finish of 3.2. He’s just sick.

Alternate Chaser: Jeff Gordon
If you want to pick someone besides Jimmie, his Hendrick teammate, Gordon, has to be your choice. He’s the 2nd hottest driver right now, and has also dominated at Martinsville. In 33 career races here he’s collected 27 top tens and 7 wins, most among active drivers. His average finish of 6.8 is only second to Jimmie. Since the chase started Jeff has done pretty well also. He’s averaging a 5.8 place finish in the chaser also.

Clint Bowyer
Believe it or not, Clint has done really well in Martinsville, averaging a 12.7 place finish and is averaging a 12.2 place finish since the chase started. He hasn’t been very hot all year, but he is heating up now with 4 top tens in the last 6 races. He should be a good choice for your team and get you some points, as he has 4 consecutive top ten finishes at Martinsville.

Casey Mears
Casey hasn’t done particularly well at Martinsville, but has managed 2 top tens in the last 3 here, which is an improvement for him. The main reason for recommending him is that since the chase started he’s averaging a 12.6 place finish (9th best) and he’s coming off a 7th place finish last weekend. His confidence should be up and feeling good from that, which will hopefully carry into this weekend.

Darkhorse: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Pathetic is one word you could use to describe Jr’s year. He’s been downright bad, and since the chase stated he’s gotten worse, averaging a 30.8 place finish. (Only 2 drivers are worse.) So, why would you want him on your team? He actually races hard and had a good record at Martinsville. In 19 career races he has 10 top tens and averages a 13.3 place finish, which is 8th best among active drivers. He could be worth a gamble to put on your team.