Football
Christopher Harris, Fantasy 17y

Driver Pick 'Em preview: Hail To The Victors

Here are my picks -- and the logic behind them -- for the 10 Driver Pick 'Em matchups for the Citizens Bank 400 from Brooklyn, Mich., which will begin around 2:15 p.m. ET on June 17.

Matt Kenseth vs. Jimmie Johnson
Both of these drivers are terrific on this track style; between the 2-milers in Michigan and Fontana, they've both got wins, tons of top-5s and lots and lots of laps led. Still, Michigan hasn't ever worked out all that well for JJ. Strangely, while he's always a contender in California, you're more apt to find him in the 10 to 20 range in the Irish Hills. Meanwhile Kenseth has won here twice and has eight top-10 finishes in his last 10 Michigan tries. Pick: Kenseth.

Jeff Gordon vs. Carl Edwards
Roush Racing loves this place. Jack Roush's headquarters are nearby, and his cars have won five of the last 10 Michigan events. Gordon has won here twice (which for his career actually kind of stinks), most recently in 2001, while Edwards has never won here, but has four top-10s in five tries. The only things that make me hesitate are: (A) Gordon finished second at Fontana this spring; and (B) Gordon is hotter than Jennifer Connelly doing the lambada on the surface of the sun. But I'm going out on a limb with Roush. Pick: Edwards.

Denny Hamlin vs. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Junior was excellent on the 2-milers last year, posting a 5.5 average finish with none worse than 11th. He also came in third and sixth in the two Michigan races. Meanwhile, Hamlin was 12th and ninth. I say it every week, but Hamlin impresses you in that he makes absolutely zero on-track mistakes, and just putters around until the end of a race and takes his top-10. Little E is getting better patiencewise, though, and he had a contending car here last fall. Pick: Earnhardt Jr.

Greg Biffle vs. Mark Martin
These former teammates like this track a lot. Martin has won at MIS four times, and has 27 top-10s at this joint. Biffle won back-to-back events here in the fall of '04 and spring of '05, and has three top-10s here since. I know I keep raving about Roush, but Martin finished fifth at Fontana a few months ago, while The Biff finished 15th. That's stuck in my head. Pick: Martin.

Tony Stewart vs. Kurt Busch
Maybe we could skip the racing, and just have these two engage in a prerace fistfight for Jerk of the Year superiority? Stewart would probably win, if only because Busch the Elder would cut his papery fists on Smoke's rugged beard hairs. Anyway, each guy has won a race at MIS, and Busch finished seventh at Fontana while Stewart finished eighth. I'll take the rugged beard hairs. Pick: Stewart.

Kasey Kahne vs. Ryan Newman
Kahne won this event last year thanks to some Father's Day raindrops; otherwise I think Carl Edwards had too much car for him. Anyway, that was part of Kahne's incredible run on the cookie cutters, but it also seems a very long time ago. Flyin' Ryan is hot, having proved he can run very well even outside the Car of Tomorrow last week at Pocono. I say he keeps it up. Pick: Newman

Martin Truex Jr. vs. Kyle Busch
Truex Jr. has a win and a third in his last two events, making him nearly as scalding as Mr. Gordon. Getting matched against a Hendrick car is obviously tough, because they're golden on the cookie cutters. Can Truex follow Junior's step to a matchup win here? I don't think so … as much as I think Truex may have arrived as a Chase contender, Busch the Younger will have better equipment, and he's never missed the top 10 at MIS's sister track at Fontana (though he has wrecked in two of four MIS races). Pick: Busch.

Kevin Harvick vs. Jamie McMurray
Harvick hasn't been good at the high-banked speedways this year, with one exception: Fontana, where he made a valiant late charge at Kenseth before running out of fuel late and finishing 17th. Those memories, and that car setup, will be with Happy this week in the Irish Hills. McMurray's hair hasn't gotten any less crispy, but his results have taken a downturn of late. Pick: Harvick

Reed Sorenson vs. Juan Pablo Montoya
If you knew that Sorenson had the fifth-best finishing average of any car at Michigan last season, raise your hand. It's true: He finished fifth and eighth in those two events, his first two Cup stops at MIS, which makes him an intriguing bet this week. And am I taking him? No. I liked the way Montoya ran at both Atlanta and Texas, which aren't direct parallels to Michigan, but at least this place is nice and big and wide and sweeping, so it's unlikely Montoya will run into anything on the first lap. Pick: Montoya.

David Ragan vs. Jeff Green
Obviously there's not a ton to love between this rookie who's never driven MIS in anger and this veteran who's got a finishing average here of 24.7. The tiebreaking factor? Ragan = Roush. Pick: Ragan.

Christopher Harris is a fantasy baseball, football and racing analyst for ESPN.com You can e-mail him here.

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