Medien Diskussion » d This is a guaranteed slugfest,

In my weekend post-qualifying preview for New Hampshire last week, I laid out a pretty compelling argument for why Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing were outperforming all other teams.Then I went and made Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick my top high-value picks.They all drive for other teams, and while they all had pleasant days and avoided poor finishes, they didnt put up the huge points that I crave.Instead, the top three -- which I shouldve seen coming -- were Matt Kenseth (100.5), Kyle Busch (89.75) and Martin Truex Jr. (66.75), all of whom drive for JGR or FRR.But I hope you did follow my advice when it came to mid-value and low-cost drivers.My mid-value picks of Ryan Newman (finished seventh for 55 points) and Jamie McMurray (finished sixth for 51 points) both were the best in that salary class. Ditto Greg Biffle, who put up 62 points, fourth best in the entire field, and easily the best among drivers costing under $7,000.Lets now look forward to the future, a once-a-year visit to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. If you thought passing was tough at New Hampshire, expect it to be even more so at Indianapolis, a flat 2.5-mile track laid out for open-wheel cars. The corners are tight and its hard to pull alongside another car.Horsepower will rule the day, so keep an eye on those practice times to see whos running the high speeds early.If youre looking for a track comparison, theres no track on the circuit that looks much like Indianapolis. But one of the three turns at Pocono is modeled after Indy, and like the Brickyard, its about turning those high speeds down the straightaways and being able to accelerate off the corners. So Ill look at a bit at results from Pocono, too.Who am I looking at for Indianapolis? Here are my early picks, but check back after Saturday qualifying to get my final picks and fades for the week.Plus, keep an eye on the situation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. If he cant go, Jeff Gordon will drive the No. 88 this week. No word on his DraftKings availability.Im starting my team withKyle Busch doesnt have the gaudy laps led numbers here, but consistently finds himself up front at Indianapolis, culminating with a win last year for 76.75 DraftKings points. It was the third time in the past four years he finished in the top two in the race, and a sixth straight top-10 finish.That gives Busch the best four- and six-year scoring average at the track. Plus, hes coming off a strong run last week at New Hampshire. While New Hampshire doesnt have the high speeds of Indianapolis, it is another flat track with tight cornering and tough passing, which bodes well for Busch.Keep an eye on these fourMatt Kenseth: Brad Keselowski just won back-to-back races, so why couldnt Kenseth? Kenseth has only three top-five finishes this season (two of them are wins), but that doesnt mean hes not running well. And Indy seems like another opportunity for him. In his first three Indianapolis races since joining Joe Gibbs Racing, hes finished seventh or better, despite not starting better than 13th in any race (50.8 fantasy points per race).Chase Elliott: Elliott is running his second Brickyard 400. Last year, he finished 18th, but it was a 10-spot improvement from his starting position. What Im more interested in is what he did at Pocono last month. He led 51 laps (most of any driver in the field) and had 17 fastest laps, just five off leading the field, for 70.25 points, which also led the field.Ryan Newman: Newman was a solid points earner at New Hampshire, and hes on an eight-year streak of finishing 17th or better at Indianapolis, including a 2013 win and a 2015 race that saw him finish 11th after starting 43rd. While he has only three laps led and 19 fastest laps all season, Newman has been putting up consistent finishes -- nine in a row of 18th or better, with three in the top eight in the past four races.Ryan Blaney: Blaney ran at Indianapolis last year in a warm-up to his rookie season. He started 30th and finished 12th for 50 points. Earlier this season at Pocono, he finished in the top 10 for 38.5 points. Blaney had a great recovery at New Hampshire following a pit road penalty, and his Penske-powered car gives him essentially the same equipment as Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Ronald Guzman Rangers Jersey . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Asdrubal Cabrera Rangers Jersey . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. http://www.texasrangersshop.com/rangers-russell-wilson-jersey/ . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Drew Smyly Jersey . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Shelby Miller Jersey . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Junior welterweight Antonio Relentless Orozco, the No. 1 contender for unified world champion Terence Crawford, will risk his status when he takes on Fidel Maldonado Jr. on Dec. 16, Golden Boy Promotions announced Monday.The fight will serve as the co-feature on an HBO Latino-televised tripleheader at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.Orozco (25-0, 16 KOs), 29, of San Diego, was in the running to face Crawford on Dec. 10, but his side opted to wait for the title shot. Crawford will instead face John Molina, and Orozco will get at least one more bout under his belt before eyeing the title shot in 2017.My dream of becoming a world champion is getting closer and closer, and I am confident I will keep my undefeated streak alive against Fidel Maldonado Jr., Orozco said. Fidel doesnt know how to take a step backwards, and anyone who knows my style knows that I dont either. Fans should expect fireworks.Maldonado (22-3-1, 19 KOs), 25, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is on a four-fight unbeaten streak (3-0-1) since he suffered a fifth-round knockout to then-undefeated rising contender Amir Imam.One guy is nicknamed Relentless, and the other has knocked out almost all of his opponents.dddddddddddd This is a guaranteed slugfest, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya said. Whoever comes out on top in this fight will likely be looking at a world title shot in 2017, so they will both leave it all in the ring.The other two televised bouts, also scheduled for 10 rounds, were previously announced: light heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Slava Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KOs), a Ukraine native living in Los Angeles, against Miami-based Cuban defector Sullivan Barrera (17-1, 12 KOs) in the main event and welterweight prospects Eddie Gomez (19-1, 11 KOs), of New York, and Rashidi Ellis (16-0, 11 KOs), of Lynn, Massachusetts, squaring off in the opener. Featherweight contender Ronny Rios (26-1, 11 KOs), of Santa Ana, California, will be on the untelevised portion of the card. He will take on Roy Pitbull Tapia (12-1-2, 6 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder.Among the prospects appearing on the card will be heavy hitting junior welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) and lightweight Ryan Blue Chip Martin (15-0, 9 KOs). ' ' '