Browse >
Home / Archive: August 2009
Who's Up
|
Who's Down
|
Biggest Gain This Week:
Mark Martin: 4th to 2nd
|
Biggest Drop This Week:
Kasey Kahne: 8th to 10th
|
New This Week:
|
Dropped Out This Week:
|
|
Rank: 1st
|
Jimmie Johnson- 3 Wins, 15 Top TensI say it every week but this is simply the best team in NASCAR. Johnson even collected five invaluable bonus points from his teammate (as if he needed them) and its official he will be in the 2009 Chase. |
|
Rank: 2nd
|
Mark Martin- 4 Wins, 12 Top TensIf Martin wasn't such a nice guy then he would have 10 more bonus points for the Chase right now and Kyle Busch would be all but eliminated from the playoffs for 2009. |
|
Rank: 3rd
|
Tony Stewart- 3 Wins, 18 Top TensDuring the course of a 36 race season teams go through up and down cycles in terms of how they perform at the track. The 14 appears to be heading into a downward cycle at exactly the wrong time. |
|
Rank: 4th
|
Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 16 Top TensThe 24 started in the back and finished there. It definitely wasn't a race that you would expect to see from a championship contender at this point in the season. |
|
Rank: 5th
|
Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 13 Top TensThe 2 car is a team that is able to rally and overcome problems at the track. This is the trait of a championship contender and I expect the 2 car to be in the championship mix at seasons end. |
|
Rank: 6th
|
Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Top Five, 11 Top TensAnother cut tire, another bad result. Nevertheless the 42 has been running good everywhere lately. |
|
Rank: 7th
|
Carl Edwards- 7 Top Fives, 11 Top TensThe 99 Team under performs at almost every track where they were successful in 2008 (Recent Examples:Indy, Pocono, Bristol). Tell me why they should even be considered a front runner at Atlanta? |
|
Rank: 8th
|
Brian Vickers- 1 Win, 11 Top TensBrian's performance at Bristol kept him in Chase contention with Kyle. If the 83 doesn't get a top 5 at Atlanta then I personally think its over for them. There's no factual reason to believe he could race his way into the Chase at Richmond. |
|
Rank: 9th
|
Denny Hamlin- 1 Win, 12 Top TensWhy does Hamlin have so few career wins? If you watched Bristol then you know why. This team doesn't make winnable races easy on themselves. If your a Hamlin fan then their last timely pit stop is something you've seen before. |
|
Rank: 10th
|
Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 9 Top TensIf any bad thing happens to this team at Atlanta then Kahne will have to race at Richmond like he did in 2006. Atlanta traditionally is a very good track for the 9, so hopefully Kahne will capitalize there. |
|
Rank: 11th
|
Greg Biffle- 8 Top Fives, 11 Top TensThe 16 has had a top 5 performance every other race for the last 6 races. Unfortunately if this trend continues the 16 team could be in trouble at Atlanta. |
|
Rank: 12th
|
Kyle Busch- 4 Wins, 8 Top TensAtlanta will be a do-or-die race for the 18 team. Recent Intermediate track races haven't been kind to this team lately. If they have a repeat Michigan or Chicago performance at Atlanta then they are doomed. |
Greetings On Pit Row readers.
As a fan, the night race at Bristol is at the top of my list. For fantasy purposes there are two big things I’m looking at for setting my lineup this week. First, the results of the first Bristol race in late March. But since that was 19 races ago, the second thing is taking the temperature of the drivers as the competition is heating up for the Chase.
Clint Bowyer has four top-10 finishes in the last five races and has run well at Bristol over his career. He’s a great play in all formats right now.
Dale Earnhardt Jr is cheap in salary cap formats- he’s been very good at Bristol and coming off his best race of the season.
Aric Almirola is my super long shot. He finished eighth and 13th at Bristol last year. He’s in different equipment now but his price tag couldn’t be any lower.
How about Bill Elliott last week? I’ll take a 16th-place finish from a C-list driver any day! Good luck this week and please leave your comments below.
Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings. Download a printer-friendly version here.
- Y! A/B/C – The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
- Strong qualifier – History of winning poles or qualifying inside the top-five.
- Good qualifier – History of qualifying inside the top-10.
- Value play - Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.
- Risky play – Good overall history at this week’s track but poor recent finishes.
- Tony Stewart… Smoke likes the lights. Last two August races: ’08- eighth, ’07- fourth. Last two March races: ’09- 17th, ’08- 14th (267 laps led). Has led 245 or more laps in three of the last seven Bristol races. Won in ’01. Y!-B1
- Jeff Gordon… Strong qualifier. Average start of 6.8 over the last three years (five races). Average finish of 8.4 in that span, three top-five finishes. Five-time winner at Bristol: most recently in ’02. Y!-A1
- Carl Edwards… Last three August races at Bristol: first, first, seventh. Last three March races: 15th, 16th, 12th. Won the pole last August. Y!-A2
- Kyle Busch… Won in March, led 387 laps. Average finish of 5.7 at Bristol over the last four years (seven races). Runner-up last year, led 415 laps. Had led laps in four other races. Also won 3/07. Y!-A3
- Denny Hamlin… Last three Bristol races: second, third, sixth. Y!-B2
- Jimmie Johnson… Risky play. Good qualifier. Started and finished third in March; only his second top-10 finish in that last eight Bristol races. Won the pole 3/08. Y!-A4
- Kurt Busch… Risky play. Won four times at Bristol from ’02-’04 but only three top-10 finishes since, including another win (’06). Average finish of 12.6 in last three Bristol races. Y!-B3
- Kasey Kahne… Average finish of 8.25 over the last three years at Bristol, not counting a DNF. Y!-B4
- Greg Biffle… DNF (engine) in March, average finish of 8.5 in the previous eight races at Bristol: three top-five finishes, six top-10 finishes.
- Matt Kenseth… Started and finished 33rd in March. Previous seven years at Bristol (14 years): two wins, seven top-five finishes, 11 top-10 finishes.
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Career best ninth-place finish at Bristol in March. Finished 19th and 15th last year. Y!-B5
- Clint Bowyer… Hot streak: four top-10 finishes over the last five races this season. Started 31st, finished 13th in March. Snapped a streak of four straight top-10 finishes at Bristol- average finish of 5.3 in that span.
- Mark Martin… Risky play. Won the pole in March, finished sixth. Also finished sixth 3/08, his only top-10 finishes at Bristol since ’01. Won ’98, ’93.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Strong value play. Finished 14th in March, 18th last year- previous 13 races: 12 top-11 finishes. Won in ’04. Y!-B6
- Ryan Newman… Top-10 finishes in five of the last seven races at Bristol. Average finish of 15.6 in that span. Y!-B7
- Kevin Harvick… Strong value play. Started and finished 30th in March. Average finish of 3.0 last year. Won in ’05.
- Jeff Burton… Risky play. Won 3/08, DNF (accident) 8/08. Finished eighth in March. Last 11 starts at Bristol: seven finishes in the top 12, four finishes of 34th or worse.
- Brian Vickers… Risky play. 10 career starts at Bristol: 26.0 average finish, zero top 10s. Y!-B8
- Marcos Ambrose… Started 13th, finished 10th in March, first career start at Bristol. Y!-C1
- David Reutimann… Finished a career-best 12th in June, average finish of 22.5 in ’08.
- Joey Logano… Started 23rd, finished 38th (engine) in March, first career start at Bristol. Average finish of 12.5 in two Nationwide races.
- Casey Mears… Weak value play. Started 37th, finished 24th in March. Average finish of 41.5 in ’08. Average finish of 18.5 from ’06-’07.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Average finish of 32.3 in three career starts at Bristol. Zero finishes in the top 25. Y!-C2
- AJ Allmendinger… Finished a career-best 16th in March. Y!-C3
- David Ragan… Average finish of 19.3 in the last three Bristol races.
- Elliott Sadler… Won in ’01 but only two top-10 finishes since. Average finish of 23.6 in the last three Bristol races.
- Jamie McMurray… Since ’05: one top-10 finish, only two finishes of 12th or better. Average finish of 26.7 in that span (nine races).
- Martin Truex Jr…. Zero top-10 finishes in seven career starts, 25.4 career average finish.
- Aric Almirola… Long shot value play. Finished 35th in March. Average finish of 10.5 in ’08. Finished 10th in ’07 Nationwide race. Y!-C4
- Regan Smith… Long shot value play. Started fourth, finished 14th last year. Average finish of 21.7 in three career starts.
- David Stremme… Finished 19th in March. Average finish of 13.5 in ’07.
- Scott Speed… Started 11th, finished 28th in March, first career start at Bristol. Finished eighth in March Nationwide series.
- Max Papis… No career starts at Bristol.
- David Gilliland… Average finish of 22.3 in the last three Bristol races.
- Paul Menard… Average finish of 24.3 in the last three Bristol races.
- Bobby Labonte… Average finish of 27.6 in the last three Bristol races.
- Robby Gordon… Average finish of 28.0 in the last three Bristol races.
- Michael Waltrip… Average finish of 28.3 in the last three Bristol races, led laps in two.
- Reed Sorenson… Average finish of 30.0 in the last three Bristol races.
- John Andretti… Average finish of 35.0 in the last three Bristol races.
- Joe Nemechek… Average finish of 35.0 in the last three Bristol races. Zero top-10 finishes in 27 career starts.
- Dave Blaney… Average finish of 38.3 in the last three Bristol races.
- Tony Raines… Average finish of 23.0 in the last three Bristol races (’07-’08).
- Mike Skinner… Average finish of 34.0 in ’08 Bristol races.
- Terry Labonte… No starts at Bristol since ’06. Won in ’95, ’84.
- Mike Wallace… No starts at Bristol since ’05.
- Dexter Bean… No career starts at Bristol.
- Scott Wimmer… No starts at Bristol since ’06.
Who's Up
|
Who's Down
|
Biggest Gain This Week:
Jeff Gordon: 5th to 3rd
|
Biggest Drop This Week:
Tony Stewart: 1st to 2nd
|
New This Week:
|
Dropped Out This Week:
|
|
|
Rank: 1st
|
Jimmie Johnson- 3 Wins, 14 Top TensPower Rankings aren't point standings and as I've said many times before the 48 is simply the best team right now. Bristol has been a historical weak spot for the 48 team but they finished third in the spring race earlier this year. |
|
|
Rank: 2nd
|
Tony Stewart- 3 Wins, 18 Top TensThe 2009 Championship will be won at the Intermediate tracks in the Chase. California which is new to the Chase for 2009 is Michigan's sister track so there should be some concern in the 14 camp after their recent performance. |
|
|
Rank: 3rd
|
Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 16 Top TensWith a second place finish at Michigan Jeff Gordon moved up to second in the point standings. Will Gordon go for win #6 at Bristol or will he play it safe because of his back issues? I think he'll go for the win. Playing it safe here never works. |
|
|
Rank: 4th
|
Mark Martin- 4 Wins, 11 Top TensThe 5 team made a huge fuel mileage mistake at Michigan and now the Chase chances for the veteran have been reduced. Martin is a very capable driver but you have to remember he's also very unlucky. |
|
|
Rank: 5th
|
Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 12 Top TensNot to many drivers had a bad day at Michigan but unfortunately Kurt Busch was not one of them. Bristol is a good track for Kurt but remember many things have changed since his glory days there (Track & Car). |
|
|
Rank: 6th
|
Carl Edwards- 7 Top Fives, 11 Top TensCarl Edwards finished 4th at Michigan but once again the Roush Fords have proven to be uncompetitive for the most part against their opposition. |
|
|
Rank: 7th
|
Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Top Five, 11 Top TensMontoya ran in the top 13 for nearly 70 percent of the race at Michigan until the 42 had a cut tire. The 42 lost some points to drivers outside the Chase but I think they are a pretty safe bet to make the Chase. |
|
|
Rank: 8th
|
Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 9 Top TensThe 9 car really underperformed at Michigan. I thought Kahne would be a contender for the win but instead he started in the back and finished 11th. They really needed a top 5 points day. |
|
|
Rank: 9th
|
Brian Vickers- 1 Win, 11 Top TensAs I said last week the 83 needed to capitalize at Michigan. The Chase scenario for Vickers is basically don't lose to may points at Bristol, get a good finish at Atlanta, and then race like Mayfield did at Richmond in 2004. |
|
|
Rank: 10th
|
Denny Hamlin- 1 Win, 11 Top TensOver the last six races Hamlin has accumulated the 3rd most points. Building momentum at this point in the season is vital for any drivers championship aspirations. |
|
Rank: 11th
|
Clint Bowyer- 4 Top Fives, 10 Top TensRCR's only hope is looking better and better all the time. Out of the drivers currently outside the Chase now I'm starting to lean towards Bowyer having the best shot of making the playoffs. |
|
Rank: 12th
|
Matt Kenseth- 2 Wins, 8 Top TensThe 17 had a good day at Michigan but they dropped off late and lost several positions in the closing laps. Matt really needs a good weekend at Bristol if he hopes to make the Chase. |
Greetings On Pit Row readers.
Seven races have passed since the Sprint Cup series drivers have visited Michigan International Speedway. There has been one other cookie-cutterish track in that stretch, Chicagoland Speedway. But in terms of the most similar track on the schedule, and for the purposes of this week’s preview, we’ll be looking at the results from April’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Historically, Roush-Fenway have done very well at MIS. As I mentioned on this week’s On Pit Row, I have Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle top-four fantasy options despite their inconsistencies– I’ll even give David Ragan a shot this week.
Don’t sleep on Bill Elliott, who I like as a long shot in salary cap formats. Back in June he started 15th and finished 16th at MIS, where he owns seven career wins. Elliott has qualified 15th or better in his last four attempts; his average finish is 21.5 in those races– not bad for the major lineup flexibility his budget price tag opens up.
Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.
- Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
- Strong qualifier – History of winning poles or qualifying inside the top-five.
- Good qualifier - History of qualifying inside the top-10.
- Value play - Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.
- Risky play - Good overall history at this week’s track but poor recent finishes.
Good luck this week and please leave your comments below! Download a printer-friendly version here.
- Tony Stewart… Has finished 12th or better in six consecutive races at Michigan. Also finished 12th or better in 12 of the last 14 races, including seven top-five finishes in that span. Won in ’00. Finished seventh in June, fourth at Texas. Y!-B1
- Jimmie Johnson… Strong qualifier. Average start of 4.6 over the last seven races. Has led laps in five straight races, average finish of 13.4 in that span. Dominated in June, leading 146 of 200 laps but finished 22nd after running out of fuel on the final lap. Runner-up at Texas. Y!-A1
- Carl Edwards… Nine top-10 finishes in 10 career starts, laps led in seven. Finished fourth in June. Won last year, ’07. Finished 10th at Texas. Y!-A2
- Greg Biffle… Wins in ’04, ’05. Led 42 laps, finished fifth in June after running out of fuel while leading the last lap. Finished fourth last year. Finished third at Texas. Y!-A3
- Jeff Gordon… Four top-10 finishes over the last seven races. Runner-up in June. Won in ’01, ’98. Won at Texas, started second. Y!-A4
- Mark Martin… Won in June after Johnson and Biffle ran out of fuel on the last lap, his first Michigan win since ’98 and fifth overall. Finished sixth last year, snapping a streak of three finishes outside the top-20. Finished sixth at Texas.
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Career-best starting position (seventh) and finishing result (sixth) in June, had never finished better than 25th. Finished seventh at Texas. Y!-B2
- Denny Hamlin… Average finish of 9.5, not counting last year’s DNF. Finished a career-best third in June, 12th at Texas. Y!-B3
- Brian Vickers… Strong qualifier. Has won the pole in two straight. Last four races: four top-10 finishes, led laps in three, average finish of 7.0. Finished ninth in June, 16th at Texas. Y!-B4
- Kurt Busch… Only two top-10 finishes over the last six races: eighth-place finish in June, ’07 win. Also won in ’03. Finished eighth at Texas. Y!-B5
- Matt Kenseth… Owns six top-five finishes over the last nine races, one win (’06). Also won in ’02. Finished 20th in June, snapping a streak of three consecutive top-five finishes. Started third, finished fifth at Texas.
- Kyle Busch… Strong qualifier. Average start of 4.4 over the last five races, average finish of 9.4 in that span- finished 13th or better in each. Has led laps in three straight. Finished 13th in June, 18th at Texas.
- Kasey Kahne… Risky play. Has five top-five finishes in 11 career starts but average finish of 28.5 in the other six races. Won from the pole in ’06. Finished 21st in June, 19th at Texas. Y!-B6
- Ryan Newman… Risky play. Win in ’03, ’04 but average finish of 22.0 in the 10 races since, no top-10 finishes. Finished 23rd in June, 15th at Texas. Y!-B7
- Jeff Burton… Last 13 races: nine top-15 finishes, zero top-10s. Finished ninth at Texas.
- David Reutimann… Last two races: 5.5 average start, 16.5 average finish. Won the pole at Texas, led 40 laps, finished 11th. Y!-B8
- Clint Bowyer… Career-best 10th-place finish in June. Average finish of 25.2 in six other career finishes. Finished 22nd at Texas.
- Kevin Harvick… Strong value play. Finished 18th in June, snapping a streak of six straight top-15 finishes. Average finish of 11.6 over last seven races.
- David Ragan… Strong value play. Five career starts: 13.0 career average, gained track position in each. Finished 15th in June. Started fourth, DNF at Texas (engine).
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Finished 14th in June but snapped a streak of seven races with at least one lap led. Finished 23rd and won in ’08.
- Joey Logano… Started 24th, finished 25th in June, first career start at Michigan. Started sixth, finished seventh in last year’s Nationwide race. Started 10th, finished 30th at Texas.
- Jamie McMurray… Weak value play. Last five races: four top-11 finishes- 10th or 11th in three straight.
- Elliott Sadler… Weak value play. Has finished 12th or better in three straight. Average finish of 10.0 in that span. Odd stat over the last five years: average qualifying position of 4.8 in August races, 28.2 in June.
- Casey Mears… Started 37th, finished 24 in June. Average finish of 24.0 over the last three.
- Marcos Ambrose… DNF last August, finished 31st in June. Started 11th, DNF at Texas (engine). Average finish of 15.5 in two Nationwide races. Y!-C1
- Paul Menard… Long shot value play. Average finish of 20.0 in seven career starts, three top-20s. Started fifth, finished 13th at Texas.
- Brad Keselowski… Long shot value play. Average finish of 12.0 in two Nationwide races. Started 40th, finished 23rd at Texas. Y!-C2
- Bill Elliott… Long shot value play. Started 15th, finished 16th in June. Seven-time winner, finished 11th in ’07 and ’05. Started 37th, finished 28th at Texas. Y!-C3
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Career average finish of 24.3. Finished 29th in June, 22nd in both ’08 races. Y!-C4
- Martin Truex Jr…. Going the wrong way. ’07- runner-up twice, ’08- finished 16th and 17th. ’09- finished 36th in June.
- AJ Allmendinger… Started sixth, but finished a career-worst 39th in June due to equipment issues. Average finish of 26.0 in three other career starts.
- Bobby Labonte… Started 17th, finished 28th in June. Average finish of 28.7 over the last three races. Three-time winner: ’99, ’95 sweep.
- Robby Gordon…. Average finish of 38.5 last year, 16.75 the previous two years (’06-’07). Started 13th, finished 17th in June.
- Michael Waltrip… Started 36th, finished 30th in June. Average finish of 21.0 last year.
- Reed Sorenson… Two top-10 finishes as a rookie in ’06 but average finish of 31.0 in the five races since.
- David Stremme… Average finish of 29.2 in five career starts, one top-20.
- David Gilliland… Started 35th, finished 32nd in June. Average finish of 26.5 last year.
- John Andretti… Started 10th, finished 33rd in June. Average finish of 32.0 last year.
- Joe Nemechek… DNF in June. Average finish of 31.0 last year. Failed to qualify at Texas.
- Scott Speed… Started 21st, finished 37th in June, first career start at Michigan. Failed to qualify at Texas.
- Mike Skinner… Started 22nd, finished 35th in June.
- Dave Blaney… Has not finished on the led laps in three straight (two DNFs).
- Tony Raines… DNF in June. Started 30th, finished 31st last year.
- Mike Bliss… No starts at Michigan since ’05.
- Mike Wallace… No starts at Michigan since ’05.
Who's Up
|
Who's Down
|
Biggest Gain This Week:
Kurt Busch: 6th to 4th
|
Biggest Drop This Week:
Kasey Kahne: 5th to 7th
|
New This Week:
|
Dropped Out This Week:
|
|
|
Rank: 1st
|
Tony Stewart- 3 Wins, 18 Top TensIn only 22 races this season Tony Stewart already has 18 top tens. With his 3rd win of the season Stewart now leads Jimmie Johnson by 260 points. |
|
|
Rank: 2nd
|
Jimmie Johnson- 3 Wins, 14 Top TensMichigan is one of the few remaining tracks on the schedule where Johnson hasn't won, but over the last 4 years Johnson has led 17.1 percent of the laps run at Michigan. |
|
|
Rank: 3rd
|
Mark Martin- 4 Wins, 11 Top TensThe last time Martin raced at Watkins Glen was 3 years ago but that excuse doesn't doesn't cut it for me. Martin also avoided Bristol and Martinsville for years and those tracks are where Martin collected his first two top tens of the season. |
|
|
Rank: 4th
|
Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 12 Top TensKurt potentially had a winning car but due to their questionable pit stop strategy (Bad Dodge Fuel Mileage again) Kurt was shuffled back into the pack and raced his way up to 7th. |
|
|
Rank: 5th
|
Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 15 Top TensAfter a hard wreck at Watkins Glen Jeff Gordon said that his back would hurt for weeks. With the upcoming schedule (Bristol & Richmond) Gordon might just drive his car to the back and play it safe. |
|
|
Rank: 6th
|
Juan Pablo Montoya- 1 Top 5, 11 Top TensIn the last 6 races only Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson have outscored Juan Pablo Montoya. It sounds really good but Stewart has outscored Montoya by 155 points over that time span. This team is doing what they need to do though. |
|
|
Rank: 7th
|
Kasey Kahne- 1 Win, 9 Top TensKahne finished where he ran two thirds of the race. The first third of the race Kahne was a top ten car. It's the typical story of Dodges getting inferior fuel mileage. |
|
|
Rank: 8th
|
Carl Edwards- 6 Top Fives, 10 Top TensAt Watkins Glen Carl Edwards finished in the top ten for the 4th time in 5 starts. At Michigan Edwards has a 5.9 Average finish and he NEEDS a win this weekend. |
|
|
Rank: 9th
|
Denny Hamlin- 1 Win, 10 Top TensTrack position is everything at Road Courses and Denny Hamlin was caught speeding on pit road which penalized him and sent him to the back of the pack. Before the penalty Hamlin was 2nd, but after he served the penalty his day was never the same. |
|
|
Rank: 10th
|
Brian Vickers- 3 Top Fives, 10 Top TensBrian Vickers had a good day at Watkins Glen. He certainly isn't a road racer and an 11th place finish was good for this team there. Now Vickers needs capitalize on this Teams Intermediate strength at Michigan. |
|
|
Rank: 11th
|
Clint Bowyer- 4 Top Fives, 9 Top TensClint is now officially RCR's only driver who has a chance of making the Chase. The key for a third consecutive Chase appearance for Bowyer is to have strong runs at Bristol & Richmond and hope a driver currently in the Chase has bad luck. |
|
|
Rank: 12th
|
Kyle Busch- 3 Wins, 7 Top TensKyle's 4th place finish at Watkins Glen was his first top 5 since Richmond. Kyle is now only 58 points out of the Chase but in order to remain in contention Kyle will need to be fast at Michigan and run with the Roush Fords to avoid losing points. |
Greetings On Pit Row readers.
Six races have passed since the Sprint Cup series drivers have needed to make a right-hand turn on the race track. For fantasy owners, the results from the June race at Infineon Raceway is good starting point for making evaluations. Watkins Glen International features longer straightaways allowing for more speed while Infineon is a more technical course.
At the first glance, the rankings might be a bit eye-opening since this is perhaps the only type of race neither Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon are locks in the top-three.
In their place I’ve got two foreigners: Juan Pablo Montoya, already a threat to win on any road course, is on fire. JPM should have won at Indianapolis and was the runner-up last week at Pocono. He is basically a lock to make The Chase and ought to find the bonus points from a victory to be very tempting.
Macros Ambrose can simply do no wrong on a road course. After starting from the rear at The Glen one year ago and at Infineon in June, Ambrose ended both races in the third position. Assuming pre-race equipment problems don’t send him to the rear again, Ambrose will only gain by better starting track position.
Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.
- Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.
- Strong qualifier – History of winning poles or qualifying inside the top-five.
- Good qualifier – History of qualifying inside the top-10.
- Value play – Good recent history at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternative options in allocation formats.
- Risky play – Good overall history at this week’s track but poor recent finishes.
Good luck this week and please leave your comments below! Download a printer-friendly version here.
- Tony Stewart… Strong qualifier. Best average start (5.5) and average finish (5.7) among all drivers at The Glen. Has won four times in the last seven races, runner-up twice. Finished second, led 11 laps at Infineon. Y!-B1
- Juan Pablo Montoya… DNF as a rookie. Started 25th, finished fourth last year. Finished sixth at Infineon. Y!-B2
- Marcos Ambrose… Started 43rd, finished third in his first career start at The Glen last year. Started from the near, finished third at Infineon. Won last year’s Nationwide race at The Glen Y!-C1
- Kyle Busch… Won from the pole last year. Average finish of 5.6 in the last three races. Qualified second, finished 22nd, led 10 laps at Infineon. Finished second in last year’s Nationwide race at The Glen Y!-A1
- Jimmie Johnson… Strong qualifier. Average start of 3.8 over the last five races. Seven career starts: finished seventh or better four times. Finished fourth at Infineon. Y!-A2
- Denny Hamlin… Has finished where he’s started in three career starts: ’08- 8th/10th, ’07- 2nd/2nd, ’06- 10th/10th. Finished fifth, led 33 laps at Infineon. Y!-B3
- Jeff Gordon… Good qualifier. Has four victories but none since ’01, average finish of 20.1 in the seven races since despite an average start of 7.3 Finished ninth at Infineon. Y!-A3
- Mark Martin… Risky play. No starts since ’06. All three career wins have come from the pole (’93-’95). Nineteen career starts: 12 top-fives, 16 top-10s. Y!-A4
- Carl Edwards… Streak of three top-10 finishes at The Glen. Finished 13th at Infineon.
- Kasey Kahne… Risky play. Tied a career-best finishing 14th last year. Won at Infineon. Y!-B4
- Robby Gordon… Strong value play. 10 career starts: seven top-five finishes. Won in ’03, finished 27th last year. Finished 36th at Infineon. Y!-C2
- AJ Allmendinger… Strong value play. Started 37th, finished 11th in his first career start at The Glen last year. Finished seventh at Infineon. Y!-C3
- Elliott Sadler… Strong value play. Last six races: average finish of 13.5. Finished 10th at Infineon. Y!-B5
- Brian Vickers… Last four starts: one DNF, average finish of 14.0 in the three other races. Won the pole, finished 16th at Infineon. Y!-B6
- Kevin Harvick… Eight career starts: won in ’06, four other top-10 finishes. Finished worse than 15th only once.
- Kurt Busch… Eight career starts: two DNFs, average finish of 15.2 in the six other races. Y!-B7
- Ron Fellows… Finished 13th last year, fourth in ’07. Runner-up in ’99 and ’04. Average finish of 36.7, four DNFs in seven other career starts. Finished 27th at Infineon. Y!-C4
- Martin Truex Jr…. Weak value play. Great runs the last two years: ’08- started 18th, finished fifth. ’07- Started 12th, finished sixth. Y!-B8
- Joey Logano… Finished 19th at Infineon. Finished seventh in last year’s Nationwide race at The Glen
- Patrick Carpentier… Long shot value play. Two career starts at The Glen: ’08- 20th, ’07- 22nd. Finished 11th at Infineon.
- Ryan Newman… Hit or miss in seven career starts. Three top-10s, average finish of 23.8 in the other four races.
- Jeff Burton… Last four starts: two DNFs, finished 17th and 11th in the other two.
- Matt Kenseth… Last top-10 came in ’04, average finish of 15.8 in the four races since.
- Clint Bowyer… Finished 23rd last year, career average finish of 17.7
- Bobby Labonte… Last three races: two DNFS, 24th, 24th.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Started second, finished 22nd last year.
- Max Papis… Started 42nd, finished 43rd (DNF) in his first career start at The Glen last year. Finished 12th at Infineon.
- Jamie McMurray… Owns a single top-10 finish, average finish of 19.6 in five other career starts.
- Casey Mears… Owns a single top-10 finish, average finish of 24.8 in five other career starts.
- Greg Biffle… Only one top-10 in six career starts, average finish of 32.4 in the other five races despite some good qualifying runs.
- David Ragan… Lost track position in two career starts: average start 18.0, average finish 31.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Started 34th, finished 32nd in his first career start at The Glen last year.
- David Reutimann… Started 28th, finished 33rd in his first career start at The Glen last year.
- P.J. Jones… Finished 37th last year, fourth in ’02, eighth in ’93 and 29.4 in five other career starts. DNF at Infineon.
- Reed Sorenson… Going backwards in three career starts: 31st, 28th, 12th.
- David Stremme… Started 25th, finished 21st in his only career start at The Glen in ’07.
- Scott Speed… Finished 37th at Infineon.
- Andy Lally… ’07- Finished 10th in the Nationwide race at The Glen, 08- won the pole, finished fourth at ARCA series road course. No career Cup starts.
- Paul Menard… Five career starts: one top-20 finish.
- David Gilliland… DNF last year, finished 33rd in his only first start at The Glen in ’07.
- John Andretti… No starts at The Glen since ’03.
- Joe Nemechek… DNF his last two races at The Glen (’08, ’06)
- Dave Blaney… Last four races at The Glen: DNF, 35th, DNF, 34th.
- Terry Labonte… Last started at The Glen in ’07: started 38th, finished 30th.
- Tony Raines… Started 42nd, finished 41st in his only career start at The Glen in ’03.
- Brian Simo… DNF in ’01 and ’06.
Who's Up
|
Who's Down
|
Biggest Gain This Week:
Jimmie Johnson: 2nd to 1st
|
Biggest Drop This Week:
Carl Edwards: 7th to 9th
|
New This Week:
|
Dropped Out This Week:
|
|
|
Rank: 1st
|
Jimmie Johnson- Driver Rating-110.7If you would of seen the race Monday then you would know why this is the best team in NASCAR. The 48 team was able to overcome serious motor problems and they still finished 13th. |
|
|
Rank: 2nd
|
Tony Stewart- Driver Rating 105.0If you didn't see the race and all your heard was that Tony Stewart got a top 10 finish, then you would of never believed it. The 14 got off to a bad start for the weekend and they were never competitive. It was a very deceptive top 10. |
|
|
Rank: 3rd
|
Mark Martin- Driver Rating 97.4Did you know Mark Martin's been passed the least amount of times in the series. What makes that even more amazing is that Martin is a good qualifier who always starts up near the front. |
|
|
Rank: 4th
|
Jeff Gordon- Driver Rating 101.6The main thing I see wrong with the 24 is that recently they have only been a top 10 team. That may seem good for some, but the Championship is won by teams who win and get top 5's. |
|
|
Rank: 5th
|
Kasey Kahne- Driver Rating 90.1During the ESPN telecast they mentioned the difference between how the 9 performs in even & odd years. I've been saying that for a long time. This year is an outlier season for Kahne going by that reasoning. ESPN and I need to make up new theori |
|
|
Rank: 6th
|
Kurt Busch- Driver Rating 99.3Did you know that Kurt Busch has passed more cars then anybody this season. I really think that if the stars align correctly for Busch in the Chase then he might very easily be Johnson's biggest threat. |
|
|
Rank: 7th
|
Juan Pablo Montoya- Driver Rating 87.3At Pocono Montoya captured his first top 5 of the season. PARTY!! Also you may of noticed I changed my individual driver headers to provide different info every week, but yes he would be credited with a top 5 this week if everything remained the same |
|
|
Rank: 8th
|
Denny Hamlin- Driver Rating 98.9At Pocono Denny Hamlin snapped his 50 race winless streak. Denny Hamlin Insider Fantasy Tip: Hamlin is a "skill track" driver that always performs his best when driver skill is a big factor in the race outcome. |
|
|
Rank: 9th
|
Carl Edwards- Driver Rating 93.7The 99 looked like a contender at the start of summer but right now the 99 isn't even competitive. In the last 6 races Edwards only has one top ten and that occurred at Daytona a track that doesn't necessarily reflect how good a team is performing. |
|
|
Rank: 10th
|
Brian Vickers- Driver Rating 85.7In my opinion I think Brian Vickers is the driver currently outside the Chase who has the best chance of making the playoffs. In the last 6 races Vickers has outscored Kyle Busch by 183 points. |
|
Rank: 11th
|
Ryan Newman- Driver Rating 82.4Among Chase contenders Newman is the worst team in Avg Running Position, Avg Mid Race, # of fastest laps, he has been passed the second most times but to show his cumulative problems he also has the lowest driver rating. Defense at rest. |
|
|
Rank: 12th
|
Clint Bowyer- Driver Rating 79.9RCR is starting to look like an organization that has life in it once again, and luckily for Clint Bowyer he still has an outside shot of making the Chase. The schedule is also semi favorable for Clint and the 33 car. |
