Comments: NASCAR Picks for Texas

With just three races remaining in the 2012 Sprint Cup season, the championship battle has become a two-horse race between Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne still have a shot if both Johnson and Keselowski have trouble, but the odds of that happening for either driver at this point seem increasingly slim. That being said, nothing is a sure thing, especially with the series heading to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. The 1.5-mile oval is always among the fastest tracks on the schedule, and drivers routinely top 200 mph on the straightaways. One little bobble at those speeds can lead to big trouble, and as we have seen in past years, a slip up by one driver can mean a nightmare for many more.

Last year, Tony Stewart followed up his win at Martinsville with a win at Texas, while eventual runner-up Carl Edwards salvaged one of his better days at Martinsville and then finished second at Texas. Whether or not history repeats itself remains to be seen, but Johnson is coming off a win at Martinsville, and Keselowski managed a career-best sixth-place finish at the track. The more important trend for fantasy owners to note is that the top championship contenders tend to run very well in the final races. Sure, there are always a few exceptions, but for the most part, the drivers that have separated themselves from the pack through the first seven races aren't going to slow down now.

1. Matt Kenseth, Husky/Dollar General
2. Jimmie Johnson, Lowe's/Kobalt Tools
3. Greg Biffle, 3M/Bondo
4. Kasey Kahne, Farmers Insurance/Quaker State
5. Jeff Gordon, Drive to End Hunger/Axalta
6. Clint Bowyer, 5-Hour Energy
7. Brad Keselowski, Miller Lite
8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew
9. Denny Hamlin, FedEx
10. Carl Edwards, Fastenal/Aflac/UPS/Subway
11. Martin Truex, Jr., NAPA Auto Parts
12. Kyle Busch, Mars Brands/Interstate Batteries
13. Kevin Harvick, Budweiser/Rheem
14. Tony Stewart, Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1
15. Mark Martin, Aaron's Dream Machine
16. Paul Menard, Menards
17. Joey Logano, Shell-Pennzoil
18. Ryan Newman, Quicken Loans/Haas Automation
19. Aric Almirola, Smithfield Foods
20. Marcos Ambrose, Stanley/Dewalt Power Tools
21. Sam Hornish, Jr., SKF/AAA
22. Juan Montoya, Target
23. Kurt Busch, Furniture Row
24. Jamie McMurray, McDonald's/Cessna
25. Jeff Burton, Caterpillar/Cheerios
26. A.J. Allmendinger, Phoenix Racing
27. Trevor Bayne, Motorcraft/Quick Lane
28. Casey Mears, GEICO
29. David Ragan, CSX Transportation/Peanut Patch
30. Danica Patrick, GoDaddy.com