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Fantasy Forecast Look for Martin to score his second win of 2000
Posted: Tuesday May 23, 2000 05:43 PM
By Tony Cordero, CNNSI.com It is time for the longest event on the Winston Cup circuit -- the Coca-Cola 600. It will be 600 of miles of intense racing. Where just when you think you have the field covered, bad luck strikes. Favorites: Mark Martin: In the the last few weeks, I've given some favorites. But here is the winner -- Mark Martin -- end of discussion.. The last two years at The Winston have been bad news for Mark. In the early stages in '99, Mark was involved in a seven-car wreck that ruined his night. He came back the next week and finished third at the 600. Last week, Mark was running near the front when Tony Stewart hit Martin in the rear and sent him flying into the wall. How fitting it will be when Mark edges Tony for the win this week? In the last nine races here at Charlotte, Martin has not finished worse than seventh. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Start getting ready to print this name on the Winston Cup points trophy in the very near future. In his rookie season, Little E is not only the champion of The Winston here at Charlotte, but he is also the only driver with multiple visits to victory lane this year. No rookie in the Cup history has done what he has done in his first few races, and this Sunday his second-place finish will help cement his future stardom in the sport. Jeff Gordon: Never count out the wonder kid when it comes to Charlotte. Three times in the 90's Gordon has waltzed into victory lane as winner of the 600. It has taken some time, but Gordon and crew chief Robbie Loomis seem to have gotten on the same page. Gordon has a win this season and in the last four races has shown signs of regaining the form that made him a three-time Winston Cup champion. Sleepers: Bill Elliott: In the spring of 1990, Bill Elliott finished second at the 600. That was the best finish of the decade at Charlotte for Awesome Bill, but now he may be ready to make some more noise. Elliott who hasn't been to victory lane in a points race since 1994, and he would love get a win here. Elliott won both 30-lap segments of The Winston, showing he has the car. He is getting help from Ray Evernham, and it was Evernham who helped Jeff Gordon to 47 wins. Petty Enterprises: This is a choice of the heart not the head. It would be an amazing story should either John Andretti or Steve Grissom get one of the Petty cars to the checkered flag. Neither Andretti or Grissom has a track record that would make anyone think they can have a chance here, but then again, nobody ever gave the USA hockey team a shot in 1980. Left at the gate: Rick Mast: The last time Rick Mast cracked the top-five was at Martinsville in the fall of 1996, 109 races ago, and that drought surely will extend to 110 this weekend. Mast made 19 starts at Charlotte in the 90's and never cracked the top 10 once. Rick has to hope for one thing -- that owner A.J.Foyt has one of his drivers win the Indy 500 earlier that day, so that things go bad for the Conseco team, Foyt will be in to good of a mood to care. Robby Gordon: Gordon is trying to do what Tony Stewart did last year. Gordon starts fourth at the brickyard Sunday, and since he showed last year he can get to the front at Indy (he ran out of gas on the last lap, while leading) Gordon is one of the drivers to bear Sunday. That is the good news for Robby, but the bad news is that he is not good in a stock car at Charlotte, when you have two starts at a track and have only and 38th and 41st finish to show for it. Let’s just say don't bet the farm on Gordon Sunday, unless of course you always wanted to try another career anyway.
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