Indiana native, 1997 Indy Racing League champ and Brickyard favorite Tony Stewart kissed the bricks for the second time in three years in 2007. Stewart led 65 laps on his way to defeating series rookie Juan Pablo Montoya and four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon.

Now in his second season, the former open wheeler Montoya has to be considered a threat to win at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After winning the 2000 Indy 500 in the IRL in his very first attempt, Montoya nearly repeated the feat in his first try at the famed 2.5-mile speedway in a stock car.

Gordon was born in California but moved to Indiana, where he has taken the checkers in 2004, 2001, 1998 and at the inaugural run in 1994.

Matt Kenseth has four top-5 finishes and a 10th in his last six races, including runner-up finishes to Jimmie Johnson in ’06 and Kevin Harvick in ’03. Despite his impressive finishes, Kenseth has only led 28 laps during that stretch.

Rookie imports Dario Franchitti (’07 Indy 500 winner) and Jacques Villeneuve (1995 Indy 500 winner) are both interesting darkhorse candidates, based on Montoya’s showing alone.

It may take some time, but don’t be surprised to see Franchitti’s wife, actress Ashley Judd, jumping up and down in Victory Lane following a longshot win at Indy. Villeneuve’s victory, while more likely, would not be nearly as fun to watch.

FANTASY STALL

Looking at Checkers
Are you willing to bet against Gordon or Stewart?
Pretty Solid Pick
Matt Kenseth
Good Sleeper Pick
Dave Blaney
Runs on Seven Cylinders
Jimmie Johnson won in ’06 but hasn’t done much otherwise.

Insider Tip
This is arguably the biggest race on the schedule, and the teams pull out all the stops.

KEEP AN EYE ON...
Kyle Busch Busch, in three career starts, has bested his previous season’s run each year. What makes this notable is that in his first start he finished 10th and followed that up with seventh- and fourth-place showings.

Kevin Harvick The 2003 brick-kisser, Harvick boasts seventh- and third-place runs in his last two Brickyard outings. Assuming the Childress CoTs perform well on the flat tracks, Harvick — and his band of big-money racers — could become the third team to pick up a second win at Indianapolis.

Hendrick Motorsports It’s hard to imagine someone within the outfit not stepping up at an event as big as this. Jeff Gordon’s performances speak for themselves, while Johnson won this race in ’06 on his way to a championship. As for the “other” teammates: The surnames ‘Earnhardt’ and ‘Mears’ have both adorned Indianapolis trophies in the past; would it be much of a stretch to see history repeat itself with either of these two?