Welcome back to another season of Fantasy Racing on NASCAR.COM.  Time to get geared up for the Great American Race.  If Saturday's Bud Shootout is any indication of what is to come, fans will be on the edge of their seat throughout the Daytona 500.  It will be wild and unpredictable, no doubt about it.

THE KEEPERS

Tony Stewart.  You can't go wrong going with the defending champ, can you?  It seems like momentum didn't leave Stewart in the offseason.  He won five of the 10 races to close out 2011 and was just a few inches shy of kicking 2012 off with a visit to Victory Lane.  Smoke knows a thing or two about restrictor plate races with a Cup Series win at Talladega (even though Regan Smith would argue otherwise) and three wins during the summer events at Daytona.  He has become this generation's Dale Earnhardt -- he has won pretty much everything at Daytona EXCEPT the 500.  He has multiple wins at Indy, multiple championships...the list goes on and on.  The only box the owner/driver needs to check off to "complete" his career is one that has a picture of a Harley J. Earl trophy next to it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Forever the "must have" in your lineup when it comes to plate racing, Junior is one of the best in the business -- especially when it comes to pack racing.  The "two-car tango" didn't really suit Junior's style, especially when he was often relegated to the role of pusher late in the race.  Multiple wins at Daytona, a slew of victories at Talladega.  A good run in the Shootout (before getting caught in a wreck) including a lot of time at the point.  A crew chief and driver combo that are optimistic they can put an end to the winless drought.  It all adds up to what should be a solid weekend.

Kyle Busch -or- Kurt Busch.  As of this blog entry, the salaries are not available for drivers in NASCAR.COM's Fantasy Live game.  Kyle Busch was typically one of the most expensive drivers in the league.  Kurt Busch was also up there, but after his "demotion" (errr, "mutual agreement" to leave), his cost may have been slashed dramatically.  Kurt is a great plate racer, posting one of the highest average finishes amongst all active drivers at Daytona.  He's finished in the top five in nearly half of his starts at Daytona and has been bridesmaid a few times.  If Kurt can be had much cheaper than his younger brother, grab him.  If there isn't much of a difference in price, grab Kyle.  Why?  Did you see the Shootout?

THE SLEEPER

Trevor Bayne. In very few instances can you call the defending race winner "a sleeper", but I don't think the 21-year old has gotten the respect that he deserves nor do people appreciate his ability as a plate racer.  I know qualifying doesn't mean a whole lot at a plate race and unless you qualify on the front row that time trials for the 500 are all but irrelevant, but Bayne locked himself into the 500 by turning the ninth-fastest lap on Sunday.  He's also packing an FR9 engine and the Fords were fast by themselves (posting four of the top five fastest speeds) and stay cooler longer which might make the difference in being able to make an extended push for the checkered flag.  If last year's salary is any indication, Bayne can be had on the cheap.  He should offer the best "bang for your buck" on Sunday.