Subway Fresh Fit 500 Rankings and Bet Selections

The following are our Subway Fresh Fit 500 pre-race rankings for bettors and fantasy NASCAR gurus:

1. Tony Stewart
2. Greg Biffle
3. Kyle Busch
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Kasey Kahne
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Mark Martin
9. Denny Hamlin
10.Ryan Newman

*We have units on Stewart, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Johnson, and Kahne to win, as well as small plays on Truex Jr. and Newman. The wagers are ranked so that each play wins money with Stewart, Biffle, Busch, and Johnson getting the lion's share. As they say in NASCAR country, we have been "covered up" this week with work, and will have a significant write-up and detailed betting strategy for the next race.

Below are a few head-to-head match-ups we like:

Kyle Busch #18 -110*vs Carl Edwards #99
Martin Truex Jr #56 -105*vs Clint Bowyer #15
Jamie McMurray #1 +120*vs Joey Logano #20
Kurt Busch #51 +140*vs Clint Bowyer #15

The Comeback Begins For Five Times

If Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team thought 2011 was a poor year, they must feel like they have woken up in the middle of a nightmare the way February 2012 has gone.

Coming into this race after completing just one lap of the 500, and sitting last in the standings on -23 points after the penalties meted out by NASCAR this week, you just know the #48 team is hurting. But Chad Knaus has been here before and you also know he will be using this adversity as extra motivation at Phoenix, a track Jimmie has owned like no other in this field.

Johnson completed 111 circuits over the 2 practice sessions, working a series of long runs where his last laps were either faster than or close to the starting pace, which was excellent. Even before we saw him put the car on the second row for the start tomorrow.

I'm taking Jimmie Johnson +650 at 5Dimes