Title dreams are gone, but Kahne, Hamlin good at LMS

Now that we're four races into the Chase, the championship picture is getting clearer. So too are the drivers that need to be used in fantasy racing lineups.

Follow the Chase with news and analysis from the track by NASCAR.COM's insiders.

• Full coverage

Jimmie Johnson's two victories, Mark Martin's rock-solid consistency and Juan Montoya's steady diet of top-fives since the Chase began have elevated these three drivers to the top of the list of championship contenders. Race No. 5 of the Chase brings us to the midway point in the quest for this season's title. It also brings us to the intermediate oval in Charlotte, N.C.

This race will give us a good picture of what to expect in the final five races of the season. Lowe's Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Banking 500 and it will be the second intermediate oval in the 10 races of the Chase.

The drivers in the running for the championship aren't the only ones to focus on this weekend. We have an array of drivers in the Chase that are realistically out of the running, but they hold tremendous fantasy racing value at LMS. There are also a group of drivers outside the Chase field to keep an eye on. The following is our weekly power ranking for the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Charlotte

1. Jimmie Johnson
The No. 48 team is finally heating up. After wins at Dover and Fontana, Johnson rides a tidal wave of momentum to one of his favorite tracks. The defending Cup champion owns five victories at LMS, although it's been since 2005 that he last visited Victory Lane. Johnson's 50 percent rate of cracking the top five at Charlotte and his hot streak entering this event make him a big contender.

• Purchase your race tickets

2. Mark Martin
With the Cup trophy within his reach, Martin will race to the edge of the envelope and beyond this weekend. He knows how tough Jimmie Johnson is during the Chase and he'll try to overcome that disadvantage at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Martin owns four career wins at LMS and he's been very competitive on 1.5-mile ovals this season. The No. 5 team cracked the top five at Atlanta recently, so there's that type of potential for the Hendrick Motorsports veteran at Charlotte.

3. Kasey Kahne
While Kahne has cooled in the last couple races, the No. 9 team has to been seen as a serious contender at Lowe's Motor Speedway and any of the intermediate ovals for that matter. The Richard Petty Motorsports star has won three of the last seven races at the North Carolina oval, and he's fresh off a big win at Atlanta Motor Speedway a few weeks ago. Despite his crash and DNF at Fontana this past weekend, all indicators point to a big rebound in the NASCAR Banking 500.

4. Juan Montoya
The championship was thought to be out of Montoya's reach when the Chase started back at New Hampshire. Four races in and four top-fives later the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver is looking like a legitimate contender for the championship. Montoya sits third and trails Jimmie Johnson by just 58 points entering this event. He posted his first career top-10 finish at LMS back in May. We expect the No. 42 team to stay on fire this weekend.

Fantasy Report

Mike Bell thinks a former Lowe's Motor Speedway winner will make the track his house once again.

• Watch video

5. Jeff Gordon
Gordon has been deceptively good since the Chase began. He has a pair of runner-up finishes and a sixth-place effort in the four races thus far. Despite having only one victory in 2009, the Hendrick Motorsports star has flirted with Victory Lane many times on these 1.5-mile ovals. Gordon has one win and three top-10s in his last four races at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

6. Tony Stewart
Once the Chase started, the No. 14 team slowly came back to life. Smoke has piloted the team's Chevrolet to one win and three top-10's in the four races. Charlotte holds a lot of opportunity for Stewart to climb back within reach of the championship. Currently fourth overall at 84 points behind Johnson, Stewart can get back into the race with some good racing and good fortune. His recent win at Kansas is demonstrative of what he can accomplish on these style tracks.

7. Greg Biffle
The No. 16 team is trying to reverse their poor fortune at Fontana from this past week. Biffle just never had the dominant car that we're used to seeing him drive at Auto Club Speedway. Charlotte can be a good venue for the Roush Fenway Racing star. Biffle's never won at LMS, but he has top-10s in two of his past three visits to the intermediate oval. He cracked the top 10 at Atlanta and top five at Kansas recently, so a good finish should be in the offing.

Fantasy Games

• Fantasy Cap Challenge
• Draft & Play
• Streak to the Finish

8. Denny Hamlin
The championship has faded from view as far as the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team is concerned. That's a shame considering how well Hamlin raced entering the Chase. He has an opportunity to redeem himself at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Intermediate ovals have been good recently to Hamlin, with top-10s at both Kansas and Atlanta. The No. 11 Toyota was wicked-fast before the late wreck at Fontana last week, and we expect the team to unload another fast car at Charlotte.

9. Brian Vickers
Vickers has limped since furiously racing his way into the Chase a few weeks ago. He's yet to post a top-10 in any of the four Chase races. We believe he's a big rebound candidate at LMS on Saturday. Vickers loves to race at the 1.5-mile oval and the stats show it. He's led laps in each of the past four races at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Vickers has collected a pair of top-fives and three top-10s in his past five races at the track.

10. David Reutimann
The winner of the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 comes in at 10 on our power ranking this week. While Mother Nature may have helped the No. 00 team to Victory Lane the last time they visited Lowe's Motor Speedway, it was no accident that Reutimann was running up front. That was his second top-10 finish in the past three Charlotte races. Reutimann kept that intermediate oval vibe going with top-10's at both Kansas and Atlanta, so he makes a strong fantasy racing play in this event as well.