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Short-trackin' It In Martinsville!

What:What: Goody's Body Pain 500 (best name of any race)
Where:Martinsville, Virginia
When:Sunday, April 18; 1pm (ESPN)

(Don't want to read my insightful and witty comments? Click here to go straight to making your picks.)

This Sunday we're at another short track, this one located in Martinsville, Virginia. It's a half-mile loop, just like Bristol, but this track has minimal wall banking. What does that mean? I don't know, except it sounds like a great reason for Ernie "You mean we're NOT supposed to crash?" Irvan to slide into the wall eight or nine times.

If you want some suggestions for who to pick this week, just go check out the top ten from last week's race. There's going to be just as much bumpin' and rubbin' and wreckin' in Martinsville as there was in Bristol, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Wallace up front at the end of the race. The only question is who will be eliminated by wrecks and engine trouble? Will Gordon return to the top? Will Bobby get a break and not have some bonehead crash into him? I keep pushing Tony Stewart, and he keeps disappointing me. He told the good people at nascar.com that he's dreading Martinsville. That can't be good. I may have to finally give up on him. What about y'all?

Before you make the same droning, dreary, and dismal picks you made last week, let me throw out a name you might or might not know: Bobby Hamilton. He won this race last year. In fact, he dominated this race last year, and he gave all the credit to the car he was driving. Guess what? He's driving the same car this week.

And here's another name for you: Ted Musgrave. Yes, you're more used to hearing Ned Jarrett yelling his name, as in "Ted Musgrave has hit the wall hard again!" You'll also remember his name from the list of drivers who consistently miss qualifying. He was in second place last year. He didn't know what to give credit for. He probably thought he was a few laps down or something.

What does all this mean? It means that you can't just bet on the usual suspects this week. Short tracks get everyone in trouble, not just the Nemechecks and Lepages of the world. John Andretti got fourth place last week, but is he really a short-track driver? I know the answer, do you? Can you really go with Dale Jarrett again, after seeing how often he nearly wrecked last week? Dick Trickle had an unusually decent run last week (until he got collected by Ricky Rudd). If he stays out of trouble, is he a threat?

Bottom line: anyone who stays out of trouble is a treat. Last year there were only six cars on the lead lap when the checkered fell. Six. Just think about that when you make your picks. Think about who is likely to be bumpin', who's likely to hang back and try to avoid trouble, who's likely to lose it when trouble does come. Most of all, think who's going to have to start near Nemechek and Irvan. Now let's get to pickin'!!

Instructions

First of all, choose your name from the pull-down list. Then pick the names of the drivers that you think will finish in the top five. After that, you get to make your surprise pick, where you'll name a guy who isn't high in the points, but you think has a shot to get into this week's top five. It doesn't have to be one of the names you've already put in your top five. Now that the season is in full swing, let's use the current Winston Cup Points standings. Click here to check out the nicely done standings page at nascar.com. Remember, your surprise pick can't be any of the names listed in the TOP TEN of the points standings.

And hey, don't forget to pick a DNF. That's the guy you think will get a big fat Did Not Finish.

Click on the upside-down triangle at the right margin of each blank to see a list of drivers, then select a name. No typing necessary. Don't forget to tell me your name!

What's your name?

Name of First Place Driver:

Name of Second Place Driver:

Name of Third Place Driver:

Name of Fourth Place Driver:

Name of Fifth Place Driver:

Name of your surprise pick:

Choose your "DNF of the Week"

Any comments for this week? What do you think of my theories regarding the two kinds of drivers?