• Home
• The Show
• The Crew
• Bench Racing
• Fast Lap
• Fantasy Racing
• Contact Us

Subscribe

• NASCAR
• Sprint Cup
• Drivers
• Nationwide Series
• ARCA Remax Series
• NASCAR Headlines

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	35	8.22
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	30	8.53
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Greg Biffle	4	9.84
Gerritt Ritt	FOX Sports	Brian Vickers	13	10.25
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jeff Gordon	20	10.53
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Tony Stewart	35	10.63
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Kurt Busch	30	10.75
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Jeff Gordon	20	10.97
Eric Brewer		David Ragan	17	11.59
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Jeff Gordon	20	11.91
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jeff Gordon	20	12.06
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Carl Edwards	14	12.13
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	30	12.44
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kyle Busch	15	12.59
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Kyle Busch	15	13.16
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Tony Stewart	35	16.38
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Dale Earnhardt Jr	11	18.28

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

The racing at Talladega Superspeedway is often times unpredictable and your fantasy lineup should reflect that this week. I’ve assembled another Similar Track Tool showing the best average finishers at the three restrictor plate races held earlier this season, Daytona’s February and July events and the April race at Talladega in between. Click here to use the Talladega/Daytona similar track tool.

After reviewing the table several things jump out: Kurt Busch is the only driver to finish in the top-10 at all three plate races this season. David Ragan finished 12th or better in all three. Marcos Ambrose has an average finish of 9.0; Elliot Sadler had an average finish 11.3. Reed Sorenson finished ninth and 11th in the first two plate races, Brian Vickers finished eighth and seventh in the last two.

Plate racing and high speeds lead to damaged race cars, a fantasy lineup can account for this with some changeups in driver selection. Owners in allocation formats, such as Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing, can conserve remaining starts of top drivers by going with deeper picks for what always turns out to be a crapshoot of a race. For example, addition to having solid finishes in plate races David Ragan and teammate Matt Kenseth, winner of the this year’s Daytona 500, will be using Ford’s new FR9 engine. Either one is a good gamble this week.

For those hunting bonus points for top qualifiers I’ve added my top-three qualifiers to the weekly preview.
Chasing the pole at Talladega:

1. Martin Truex Jr…. Won the pole at the first Daytona race this year. Started third at Talladega in April and 10th at last year’s AMP Energy 500. Also won the pole at Atlanta and has started inside the top-five in two of the last three races.
2. Jeff Gordon… Started second and third for the Daytona races; 14th at Talladega. Has qualified inside the top-10 for eight straight races.
3. Tony Stewart… Won the pole at the second Daytona race, fifth in the first one but 23rd at April race Talladega. Has started fifth in two of the last four races.

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.
• 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.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Won at Talladega in ’06, runner-up in both ’07 races. Average finish of 11.0 last year. DNF (crash) in April race, average running position of 10th. Runner-up at Daytona in July. Y!-A1
2. Jeff Gordon… Six-time winner at Talladega (’07 sweep, ’05, ’04, ’00, ’96). Won both ’07 races, average finish of 31.3 in the three races since. Average finish 26.0 in plate races this season. Y!-A2
3. Kurt Busch… Twelve top-10 finishes at Talladega in 17 career starts, led at least one lap in 13. Streak of seven straight finishes of eighth or better from ’04-’07. Finished sixth in April race. Y!-B1
4. Tony Stewart… Won last year’s AMP Energy 500, eighth-place 10/07. Finished 23rd in April race at Talladega. Won at Daytona in July. Y!-B2
5. Denny Hamlin… DNF (crash) in last year’s AMP Energy 500, finished 22nd in April race at Talladega– had an average running position of 10th. Finished third (4/08), fourth (10/07) and has led laps in all seven career starts at ‘Dega. Finished third at Daytona in July. Y!-B3
6. Juan Pablo Montoya… Won the pole in the April race at Talladega, finished 20th. Runner-up 4/08. Led at least one lap in three straight Talladega races. Y!-B4
7. Ryan Newman… Minus last year’s DNF at Talladega, average finish of 6.3 since ’07. Finished third in April race, led 10 laps. Y!-B5
8. Mark Martin… Two-winner at Talladega (’97, ’95). Started seventh, DNF (crash) in April race. Bad luck in the last two plate races: 43th and 38th. Y!-A3
9. Kyle Busch… Won in ’08 at Talladega. Finished 15th in last year’s AMP Energy 500, led 20 laps. 25th in April race, led 42 laps. Y!-A4
10. Clint Bowyer… Started fifth, completed only eight laps in March race at Talladega, average finish of 8.3 in the three previous races at ‘Dega.
11. Kasey Kahne… Average finish of 14.0 in ’07 races at Talladega, 31.6 in the three races since. Y!-B6
12. Brian Vickers… Won in ’06 at Talladega, laps led in seven straight starts. Five finishes of eighth or better over the last seven races at ‘Dega. Y!-B7
13. Matt Kenseth… Average finish of 5.0 in ’06 races at Talladega, 24.8 in the five races since.
14. Carl Edwards… DNF (crash) in two straight races at Talladega. Finished fourth at Daytona in July.
15. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Five-winner at Talladega (’04, ’03, ’02 sweep, ’01). Won four straight, 10/01 through 4/03. Only one top-fives since, runner-up in April race. Four top-15s, four DNFs in the nine races since, laps led in eight. Y!-B8
16. Greg Biffle… DNFs in five of the last seven races at Talladega. Started second, finished seventh in April race, both career bests.
17. David Ragan… Average finish of 3.5 in ’08 races at Talladega. Started 10th, finished 12th in April race.
18. Joey Logano… Started 22nd, finished ninth and led four laps in April race, first career start at Talladega. Finished third in the April Nationwide race, second in last year’s ARCA race.
19. Marcos Ambrose… Started 34th, finished fourth in April race, first career start at Talladega. Y!-C1
20. Casey Mears… Average finish of 10.8 over the last four races at Talladega. Finished 16th in the April race.
21. Jeff Burton… Average finish of 8.6 over the last three races at Talladega, led laps in all three. Finished 10th in April race.
22. Elliott Sadler… Has led laps in 13 straight races at Talladega. Finished 10th in last year’s AMP Energy 500, 19th in April race.
23. Brad Keselowski… Won 4/09 race, first career start at Talladega. Started ninth, won the April race- only led on the final lap. Finished ninth in the April Nationwide race. Y!-C2
24. David Reutimann… Three DNFs in five career starts at Talladega, average finish of 23.0 in the two completed races.
25. Paul Menard… Finished 14th 4/08, runner-up in last year’s AMP Energy 500. Finished 13th in April race at Talladega, led laps in all three races.
26. Kevin Harvick… Has not finished better than 20th in the last four races at Talladega.
27. Regan Smith… Average finish of 19.5 in four career starts at Talladega. Has started fourth and sixth in his last two attempts. Finished 15th in April race. Y!-C3
28. Bobby Labonte… Won in ’98. DNF (crash) in April race at Talladega. Finished sixth in last year’s AMP Energy 500. Y!-C4
29. Michael Waltrip… Won in ’03. Has led at least one lap in three straight races at Talladega. Average finish of 22.3 over the last races at ‘Dega.
30. Martin Truex Jr…. Has crashed five times in nine career start at Talladega and in three straight.
31. AJ Allmendinger… DNF (crash) 4/08 race at Talladega. Started 38th, finished 35th in April race.
32. Jamie McMurray… DNFs (crash) in three of the last six races at Talladega.
33. Robby Gordon… Average finish of 9.5 in ’08 races at Talladega. DNF (crash) in April race.
34. Reed Sorenson… Started 41st, finished 11th in April race at Talladega. DNF (engine) and 23rd-place finish last year.
35. Scott Speed… Started eighth, finished fifth and led a lap in April race, first career start at Talladega. Finished seventh and 23rd in two career ARCA races at ‘Dega.
36. Sam Hornish Jr…. Started fourth, led three laps in April race at Talladega, DNF (crash).
37. Max Papis… Stared 42rd, finished 18th in April race, first career start at Talladega.
38. John Andretti… Started 40th, finished 27th in April race, first start at Talladega since ’07.
39. David Stremme… DNFs (crash) in three of his last five starts at Talladega.
40. Robert Richardson Jr…. No career Cup starts at Talladega. Average finish of 18.0 in three career Nationwide starts at ‘Dega.
41. Erik Darnell… No career Cup starts at Talladega. Started 24th, finished 13th in ’05 ARCA race at ‘Dega.
42. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park. Average start of 8.3, finish of 16.6 in last three starts at Talladega.
43. Dave Blaney… Likely start and park. DNF (engine) in last year’s AMP Energy 500.
44. Tony Raines… Likely start and park. DNF (crash) in last year’s AMP Energy 500.

NASCAR Fantasy Tool: 2009 Average Finish at Similar Tracks – Daytona and Talladega

This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the AMP Engery 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Below are 37 drivers of fantasy interest and their average finish at the two superspeedways: Daytona International Speedway and Talladega. Both tracks are also the only two to require use restrictor plates.

Also see my 2009 Average Finish at Chase Tracks Table which is very useful for planning your lineup for the rest of the season.

	Daytona 1	Talladega	Daytona 2	AVERAGE
Kurt Busch	10	6	5	7.0
Matt Kenseth	1	17	8	8.7
Marcos Ambrose	17	4	6	9.0
David Ragan	6	12	13	10.3
Tony Stewart	8	23	1	10.7
Elliot Sadler	5	19	10	11.3
Brad Keswlowski*		1	24	12.5
Juan Pablo Montoya	14	20	9	14.3
Greg Biffle	20	7	18	15.0
Carl Edwards	18	24	4	15.3
Regan Smith	21	15	12	16.0
Denny Hamlin	26	22	3	17.0
Reed Sorenson	9	11	33	17.7
Brian Vickers	39	8	7	18.0
Jeff Burton	28	10	16	18.0
AJ Allmendinger	3	35	17	18.3
Ryan Newman	36	3	20	19.7
Jimmie Johnson	31	30	2	21.0
Casey Mears	15	16	34	21.7
Michael Waltrip	7	21	37	21.7
Kevin Harvick	2	38	26	22.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	27	2	39	22.7
Martin Truex Jr.	11	33	25	23.0
Bobby Labonte	22	28	21	23.7
Joey Logano	43	9	19	23.7
Scott Speed	35	5	31	23.7
Clint Bowyer	4	39	29	24.0
David Reutimann	12	26	36	24.7
Paul Menard	38	13	23	24.7
Jeff Gordon	13	37	28	26.0
Kasey Kahne	29	36	15	26.7
Kyle Busch	41	25	14	26.7
Robby Gordon	34	29	22	28.3
Jamie McMurray	37	42	11	30.0
Mark Martin	16	43	38	32.3
Sam Hornish Jr.	32	34	32	32.7
David Stremme	33	31	35	33.0

NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Edition Week 7

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Ryan Newman: 10th to 8th	Biggest Drop This Week: Kasey Kahne: 7th to 9th
No new drivers this week.	No drivers dropped out this week.

Rank: 1st Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 1 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 6 Wins, 21 Top Tens Johnson will race so conservatively at Talladega that I personally wouldn't be surprised if he settles for a 15th place finish. Last year he drove the most conservative race that I ever seen out of the 48.

Rank: 2nd Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 2 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 23 Top Tens Gordon now sits 150 points out of the lead so he needs maximum points every race just to even put himself in a position to gain on the 48. I think Gordon will beat Johnson at two of the last four races, but that won't be enough.

Rank: 3rd Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Last Week: 4 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Juan Pablo Montoya - 7 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens Another week, another good finish. I'm amazed that they've had so many good races in the Chase and yet somehow they're 200 points back. If he didn't have problems at Lowes then he would be within 100 points .

Rank: 4th Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 3 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin - 5 Wins, 19 Top Tens According to Martin after Talladega is when we'll first be able to hear about how he views his Championship hopes. Mark has only raced here once since 2006, and that didn't turn out so good.

Rank: 5th Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 6 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart - 4 Wins, 22 Top Tens It's not mathematically official yet but in my opinion it's over for the 14. Stewart may be able to make up a considerable amount of points on the 48 at Talladega, but I think he'll lose them at Texas and Phoenix.

Rank: 6th Kurt Busch #22 Last Week: 5 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch - 1 Win, 18 Top Tens Statistically speaking Kurt Busch is the top driver in the series at Talladega. He's never won here, but he does have an knack for finishing races at Talladega.

Rank: 7th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 8 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin - 3 Wins, 17 Top Tens On Sunday Hamlin captured his second career win at Martinsville and his third of the season. Now the question in my mind is when will Hamlin win at a track that isn't either flat or short?

Rank: 8th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 10 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman - 5 Top Fives, 15 Top Tens Ryan Newman collected his second pole of the season at Martinsville and he also tied his Chase best finish of 7th. Newman is also currently 7th in points.

Rank: 9th Kasey Kahne #4 Last Week: 7 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne - 2 Wins, 13 Top Tens One of my Talladega rules of thumb is that if your in a bad streaking heading into Talladega don't expect to get spared from the big one. In 11 races at Talladega Kahne only has 1 top ten finish.

Rank: 10th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 9 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle - 9 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens Greg Biffle says that he doesn't like Martinsville and he went out there and proved it. I sure would love to hear thoughts on Talladega where in 13 races he only has 1 top ten and 5 DNF's.

Rank: 11th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 11 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards - 7 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens Carl Edwards had a little better day going for him then his final finish position shows. It wasn't to much better though. This team can't wait until the season is over. I expect them to be really good in 2010, but this year is a complete flop.

Rank: 12th Brian Vickers #83 Last Week: 12 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Brian Vickers - 1 Win, 13 Top Tens With his 11th place finish at Martinsville Vickers tied his 2008 last ten races best finish (also at Martinsville). History doesn't repeat itself though because the 83 team wasn't caught cheating this year.

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Tums Fast Relief 500 from Martinsville

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	2	7.35
James Jones	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	5	7.84
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	2	9.84
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jimmie Johnson	2	10.03
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	2	10.13
Gerritt Ritt	FOX Sports	Kurt Busch	17	10.16
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	2	10.23
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Jeff Gordon	5	10.68
Eric Brewer		Jeff Gordon	5	11.42
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Jimmie Johnson	2	11.65
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	2	11.81
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	5	11.87
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	2	12.06
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Gordon	5	12.52
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Jimmie Johnson	2	13.10
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jimmie Johnson	2	15.77
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	4	18.52

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Tums Fast Relief 500

The fantasy strategy at Martinsville is simple: start drivers who are great at Martinsville. Unlike a lot of other tracks, the numbers do not lie at Martinsville. The same guys tend to get to the front– and stay there. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin all have career average finishes of 8.0 or better. Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are all between 12.1 and 13.3.

There are other short tracks on the schedule but none are close to Martinsville’s unique paper clip shape. New Hampshire Motor Speedway is essentially a bigger version of Martinsville and braking is key at both venues. New Hampshire held its second race to open the Chase.

One interesting loop data statistic from the March race at Martinsville is the number of drivers who were in the top-15 during all 500 laps; there were a total of five (Hamlin, Stewart, Gordon, Bowyer and Kevin Harvick). In 2008, only three total drivers accomplished this in either of the two races: David Ragan in March; Johnson and Carl Edwards in October.

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.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Six-time winner at Martinsville. 11 top-fives, 14 top-10 finishes in 15 career starts. Lead an average of 173.7 laps per race and won five of the last seven Martinsville races. Won the March race. Y!-A1
2. Jeff Gordon… Strong qualifier at Martinsville, won three of the last four poles. Seven-time winner (’05 sweep, ’03 sweep, ’99, ’97, ’96. Finished fourth in the March race. Top-five finishes in nine straight Martinsville races, lead an average of 100.6 laps in each. Y!-A2
3. Tony Stewart… Two-time winner (’06, ’00). Better in March: ’08 fifth/26th -place finishes; ’07 seventh/13th-place finishes. Finished third in the March race. Y!-B1
4. Mark Martin… Two-time winner at Martinsville (’00, ’92) Finished seventh in the March race, first start since ’06. Y!-A3
5. Denny Hamlin… Won last year’s March race at Martinsville. Runner-up in this year’s March race, led 296 laps. Average finish of 3.2 over the last six Martinsville races. Y!-B2
6. Clint Bowyer… Good qualifier at Martinsville, started in the top-five two of the last three races. Average finish of 8.8 since 2007. Started third, finished fifth at Martinsville in March- both career-bests. Y!-A4
7. Juan Pablo Montoya… Average finish of 12.6 over five career starts at Martinsville. Finished 12th in the March race. Y!-B3
8. Kevin Harvick… Average finish of 10.0 over the last four races at Martinsville. Finished 11th in the March race.
9. Ryan Newman… Finished sixth in the March race at Martinsville, average running position of 16th. Average finish of 21.0 in ’08 races, 8.0 in ’07. Y!-B4
10. Kurt Busch… Won at Martinsville in ’02 but only two top-10 finishes since. Average finish of 24.0 since ’06. Finished 18th in the March race, average running position of ninth. Y!-B5
11. Matt Kenseth… Finished 23rd at March race at Martinsville. Finished 30th and eighth last year, 7.5 average in ’07.
12. Kyle Busch… Three top-five finishes in his first six career starts at Martinsville- average finish of 30.3 in the last three.
13. Kasey Kahne… Finished 19th in the March race at Martinsville. Last top-10 in ’06, average finish of 21.8 since. Y!-B6
14. Marcos Ambrose… Started 24th, finished 14th in the March race, first career start at Martinsville. Y!-C1
15. Jeff Burton… Won at Martinsville in ’97. Average finish of 10.6 since ’07. Finished 15th in the March race.
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Five finishes of eighth or better over the last seven races at Martinsville. Runner-up last year, finished eighth in the March race. Y!-B7
17. Casey Mears… Strong value play. Only two career top-10 finishes at Martinsville, two were in 2008. Finished 21st in the March race. Y!-B8
18. David Reutimann… Finished 20th in the March race at Martinsville but had an average running position of 11th; has never finished better than 17th.
19. Greg Biffle… Average finish of 20.0 over the last three Martinsville races. Finished 28th in the March race.
20. Carl Edwards… Good qualifier at Martinsville. Started fourth, finished third last year. Started fifth in March, finished 26th- average running position of 18th.
21. Brian Vickers… Finished 33rd at March race at Martinsville, average running position of 13th. Average finish of 17.0 in ’08 races, no starts in ‘07.
22. AJ Allmendinger… Strong value play. Finished 15th at last year’s Martinsville October race, ninth in the March race this season. Y!-C2
23. Joey Logano… Started 34th, finished 32nd in the March race, first career start at Martinsville.
24. Martin Truex Jr…. One top-10 in seven career starts at Martinsville, 23.3 average finish.
25. Jamie McMurray… Weak value play. Two top-10 finishes in his last three starts at Martinsville. Finished 10th in the March race.
26. Paul Menard… Average finish of 23.0 in four career starts at Martinsville.
27. David Ragan… Finished 11th and 13th at Martinsville last year, 27th in the March race.
28. Michael Waltrip… Long shot value play. Finished 13th in the March race at Martinsville, 18th in last two October races.
29. Reed Sorenson… Finished 36th and 35th at Martinsville last year, 17th in the March race. Y!-C3
30. David Stremme… Started and finished 22nd in the March race at Martinsville.
31. Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 39.6 in his last three October races at Martinsville. Finished 31st in the March race.
32. Bobby Labonte… Won in ’02. Finished 16th in the March race at Martinsville, 31.8 average finish in ’07, ’08 starts. Y!-C4
33. Scott Speed… Average finish of 34.5 in two career starts at Martinsville.
34. Sam Hornish Jr…. Has finished 34th in his last two starts at Martinsville.
35. Robby Gordon… Has finished 34th or worse in eight straight starts at Martinsville.
36. Travis Kvapil… Long shot value play. Average finish of 18.5 in ’08 races at Martinsville.
37. John Andretti… Won in ’99. Finished 35th in the March race at Martinsville, 33rd in ’07.
38. David Gilliland… Average finish of 30.7 in six career starts at Martinsville.
39. Michael McDowell… Started 34th, finished 26th in last year’s March Martinsville race- first ever Cup start.
40. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park. DNFs in two straight starts at Martinsville.
41. Sterling Marlin… Likely start and park. Failed to qualify in last year’s October Martinsville race.
42. Dave Blaney… DNFs in two of the last three races at Martinsville.
43. Mike Wallace… No starts at Martinsville since ’05.
44. Derrike Cope… No starts at Martinsville since ’05.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Edition Week 6

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Kasey Kahne: 10th to 7th	Biggest Drop This Week: Carl Edwards: 9th to 11th
No new drivers this week.	No drivers dropped out this week.

Rank: 1st Jimmie Johnson #48 Last Week: 1 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Jimmie Johnson- 6 Wins, 20 Top Tens All of Jimmie Johnson's biggest competitors fell wayside at Lowes and the 48 team capitalized on the situation with a win. The only team that can beat the 48 team right now is themselves.

Rank: 2nd Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 4 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 22 Top Tens Performance/ Schedule wise I believe that my pre-Chase championship pick is the only team that has anything for the 48 right now. He'll need a little bit of help to catch up, but when it he does the 48 will be in trouble.

Rank: 3rd Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 2 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin- 5 Wins, 18 Top Tens If your a Mark Martin fan then you knew the bubble would burst somehow. I'm not saying that he's out of it yet, but the remaining races in my opinion give the others drivers an edge over the 5 team.

Rank: 4th Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Last Week: 3 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Juan Pablo Montoya- 6 Top Fives, 16 Top Tens Juan Pablo Montoya arguably had the fastest car at Lowes until his COT tank didn't hold up very well to the damage. Montoya now sits 6th in the points 195 points out of the lead.

Rank: 5th Kurt Busch #22 Last Week: 5 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 18 Top Tens Lowes was a tough track on the Chase drivers and only 4 of them finished in the top ten. Kurt luckily was one of them, but don't expect Martinsville to be an easy task for this team.

Rank: 6th Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 6 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- 4 Wins, 21 Top Tens Martinsville and Talledega are "do or die" races for this team. If Stewart doesn't finish in the top 5 in both of these races and gain ground on Johnson then his Chase chances are effectively zero.

Rank: 7th Kasey Kahne #4 Last Week: 10 Change: +3 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne- 2 Wins, 13 Top Tens If Kasey Kahne didn't have problems on the race restarts then the 9 might very well have been the car in victory lane. I expect Kahne to move up to about 7th in the points this season before his points progression stops.

Rank: 8th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 7 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin- 2 Wins, 16 Top Tens Hamlin had another good run but now he's back to 11th in the point standings. If you take away Hamlin's rookie Chase appearance then I believe Hamlin almost has to fall into people's conversations of who's the biggest choke in the Chase.

Rank: 9th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 8 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- 9 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens Somehow Greg Biffle has managed to score the 8th most points in the series over the last 6 races. At Martinsville I expect this team to have a rough day. Roush cars usually always struggle at this track.

Rank: 10th Ryan Newman #39 Last Week: 11 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens If Newman's going to win a race this year then I believe it will have to happen either here at Martinsivlle or Talledega. These are both "skill tracks" which Newman has excelled at this year.

Rank: 11th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 9 Change: -2 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards- 7 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens It's shocking how uncompetitive Carl's been in the Chase. Last year Edwards was a challenger all the way until the end and this year they're not even close to being competitive.

Rank: 12th Brian Vickers #83 Last Week: 12 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Brian Vickers- 1 Win, 13 Top Tens Jimmie Johnson isn't the only driver who's on the verge of making history this year. Vickers is on pace to easily surpass Hamlin's 2007 Chase record of finishing 580 points behind the champion. Vickers currently is 485 points behind.

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: NASCAR Banking 500 from Lowes

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	1	7.53
James Jones	On Pit Row	Mark Martin	17	7.93
Gerritt Ritt	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	1	9.93
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	1	10.10
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Mark Martin	17	10.30
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Ryan Newman	11	10.40
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	1	10.50
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Kasey Kahne	3	10.87
Eric Brewer		Jimmie Johnson	1	11.63
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Kyle Busch	8	11.97
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	4	12.13
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Marl Martin	17	12.38
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	1	12.40
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jeff Gordon	4	12.77
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Jeff Gordon	4	13.47
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jimmie Johnson	1	16.23
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Carl Edwards	39	19.00

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Bank of America 500 from Lowes

With two points-paying races per year, the Showdown and the All-Star Race, there is no shortage of data to analyze for Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Plus its 1.5-mile quad-oval configuration is similar to that of Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. I have put together a table with the average finishes from the two Atlanta races plus the events held at Texas and Lowe’s earlier in the year. Check my NASCAR Fantasy Tool: 2009 Average Finish at Similar Tracks – Atlanta, Texas and Lowe’s here.

Four drivers averaged a finish better than 10.0 in those four races: Jeff Gordon (6.3), Brian Vickers (8.3), Kasey Kahne (8.5) and Matt Kenseth (9.8). Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart both averaged 10.5.
Keep in mind the May race at Lowe’s was called early due to rain. David Reutimann, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon finished in the top-three but had a combined average running position of 17.0. The race had only six caution laps, ending a streak nine races with at least 10 cautions.

Because the track is prone to mishaps, fantasy owners in allocation formats should consider saving their remaining starts of elite drivers for next week’s race at Martinsville Speedway, where the cream rises to the top. Talladega Superspeedway and Texas will follow; Dega is another race to save starts. The results of his week’s race will be important for setting the lineup for Texas.

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.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Strong qualifier at Lowe’s, three poles including last year. Five-time winner (’03, ’04 sweep, ’05 sweep). Runner-up in both ’06 races. 12.0 average finish in ’07 races. DNF (engine) and sixth-place finish in 08. Started fifth in May race, finished 13th but an average running position of fifth. Has led laps in 15 of 16 career starts at Lowe’s. Y!-A1
2. Jeff Gordon… Five-time winner at Lowe’s (’94, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’07) Seven poles (none since ’00) Average finish of 6.0 in ’08. Started third, finished 14th in May. Started fourth, finished eighth in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-A2
3. Mark Martin… Four-time winner at Lowe’s (’92, ’95, ’98, ’02) Two poles (’91). Since ’07: 9.6 average start, 13.6 average finish. Finished fifth in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-A3
4. Juan Pablo Montoya… Started ninth, finished eighth at May Lowe’s race, career bests. Finished third in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B1
5. Tony Stewart… Won at Lowe’s in ’03. Average finish of 6.5 in ’07. 14.5 last year, led an average of 32.5 laps. Started 28th, finished 19th in May. Finished 11th in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B2
6. Kasey Kahne… Three-time winner at Lowe’s (’06 sweep, ’08) Winner, runner-up in ’08 races. Started sixth, finished ninth at May race. Started second, won the Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B3
7. Carl Edwards… Average finish of 10.0 in nine career starts at Lowe’s- only one finish worse than 15th, 33rd at last year’s Chase race. Y!-A4
8. Greg Biffle… Average start 3.5, average finish 4.5 in ’08 races at Lowe’s. Started 16th, finished 20th in May. Finished 10th in Sep Atlanta race.
9. Denny Hamlin… Average finish of 20.0 in ’08 Lowe’s races. Finished 11th in May race at Lowe’s. Finished sixth in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B4
10. Kurt Busch… Finished 34th at Lowe’s in May but an average running position of 13th. Average finish of 9.5 in ’08. No finish better than 26th from ’06-’07. Y!-B5
11. Ryan Newman… Strong qualifier, eight poles at Lowe’s including the May race. Won both poles in ’07 (DNFs in both). Average start of 27.0 last year, finished 21st in both. Runner-up in May race but had an average running position of 16th. Finished third in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B6
12. Brian Vickers… Led an average of 58.5 laps over the last four Lowe’s starts. Finished fifth in only ’07 start at Lowe’s. DNF (crash) and 18th place finish in ’08. Started eighth, finished fifth at May Lowe’s race. Finished seventh in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B7
13. David Reutimann… Won the May race at Lowe’s but had an average running position of 12th. Finished 10th in last year’s May race, finished 32nd in last race’s Oct race but had an average running position of 19th. Finished fourth in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-B8
14. Kyle Busch… Led at least one lap in eight of the last nine Lowe’s races. Average finish of 4.0 over the last four races at Lowe’s. Started second, finished six and led 173 of 227 laps at May Lowe’s race- average running position of second. Finished 13th in Sep Atlanta race.
15. Matt Kenseth… Won at Lowe’s in ’00. Started 30th, finished 10th in May race. ’07-’08: two DNFs, seventh and 12th-place finishes. Finished 12th in Sep Atlanta race.
16. Clint Bowyer… Runner-up in 10/07 race at Lowe’s but average finish of 24.3 in the three races since. Finished 36th in May.
17. Kevin Harvick… Only three top-10 finishes in 17 career starts at Lowe’s, two came as a rookie ’01. Average finish of 13.5 in ’08 races. Started 22nd, finished 41st in May race. Runner-up in Sep Atlanta race.
18. Bobby Labonte… Strong value play. Two-time winner at Lowe’s (’95, ’00) Has not finished worse than 18th since ’98. Average finish of 13.0 since ’07. Finished 12th in May race, 18th in Sep Atlanta race. Y!-C1
19. Joey Logano… Started 14th, finished ninth in May race- first career Cup start at Lowe’s. Finished fifth in May Nationwide race at Lowe’s. Finished fifth in the Showdown, eighth in the All-Star Race.
20. Sam Hornish Jr…. Strong value play. Average finish of 17.0 at Lowe’s since ’08. Finished 35th in Sep Atlanta race. Won the Showdown. Y!-C2
21. Jeff Burton… Three-time winner at Lowe’s (’99, ’01, ’08) Started 40th, finished 25th in May race. Five finishes of sixth or better in the seven races since ’06.
22. Marcos Ambrose… Started 23rd, finished 26th in May race- first career Cup start at Lowe’s. Average finish of 14.5 in ’08 Nationwide races. Y!-C3
23. Casey Mears… Won at Lowe’s in ’07 but an average finish of 28.0 in the four races since.
24. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Finished fifth and led 76 laps in last year’s May race at Lowe’s, 36th in the Oct race. Finished 40th in May race.
25. David Stremme… Weak value play. Average finish of 13.0 in ’07 races at Lowe’s. Started 35th, finished 22nd in May race. Finished 14th in Sep Atlanta race. Finished third in the Showdown.
26. Martin Truex Jr…. Average finish of 23.6 at Lowe’s since ’08. Won the pole, finished 26th in Sep Atlanta race.
27. Bill Elliott… Long shot value play. Two-time winner at Lowe’s (’84, ’87) Started 10th, finished 15th at the May race. Y!-C4
28. AJ Allmendinger… Finished 20th, DNF (crash) in last year’s races at Lowe’s- 32nd in May race.
29. Brad Keselowski… No career Cup stars at Lowe’s. Average finish of 6.3 in ’08-’09 Nationwide races at Lowe’s.
30. Jamie McMurray… Won as a rookie in ’02 at Lowe’s. Finished fifth in last year’s Oct race, 21st in May race.
31. Robby Gordon… DNF, 30th in last year’s races at Lowe’s. Finished third in the May race but had an average running position of 16th in May race. Finished 16th in Sep Atlanta race.
32. David Ragan… Average finish of 11.0 in last year’s races at Lowe’s. Started 34th, finished 24th in May race.
33. Scott Speed… Started and finished 18th in May race, first career Cup start at Lowe’s. Started 14th, finished 11th in May Nationwide race at Lowe’s.
34. Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 19.6 at Lowe’s since ’08. Finished 21st in Sep Atlanta race.
35. Michael Waltrip… Average finish of 27.0 at Lowe’s since ’08. Finished 32nd in Sep Atlanta race.
36. Reed Sorenson… Average finish of 18.5 in last year’s races at Lowe’s. Started 42nd, finished 35th in May race.
37. Paul Menard… DNF (overheating) and 26th in last year’s races at Lowe’s. Finished 29th in the May race, 15th in Sep Atlanta race.
38. Travis Kvapil… Finished 26th, DNF (crash) in ’08. Only four Cup starts this season. Average finish of 10.8 in four Truck series starts (’03-’08) at Lowe’s.
39. John Andretti… No Cup starts at Lowe’s since ’07.
40. David Gilliland… Average finish of 30.6 at Lowe’s since ’08.
41. Dave Blaney… Average finish of 24.0 at Lowe’s since ’08.
42. Max Papis… Started 32nd, finished 42nd at the May race, first career Cup start at Lowe’s.
43. Terry Labonte… No Cup starts at Lowe’s since ’06.
44. Joe Nemechek… Finished 37th in May race at Lowe’s and last year’s Oct race.
45. Mike Bliss… Started seventh in the May race at Lowe’s, start and parked- first Cup start at Lowe’s since ’06.
46. Sterling Marlin… Likely start and park. Won in ’01. Only six Cup starts this season. Started 26th, finished 31st in last year’s May race.
47. Michael McDowell… No career Cup stars at Lowe’s. Started sixth, finished 20th in May Nationwide race at Lowe’s.
48. Mike Wallace… Likely start and park. Started 40th, finished 31st in last year’s Oct race at Lowe’s. DNQ for seven of nine Cup races this season.

NASCAR Fantasy Tool: 2009 Average Finish at Similar Tracks – Atlanta, Texas and Lowe’s

This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Below are 31 drivers of fantasy interest and their average finish at three similar tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Lowe’s. The table will be updated with this week’s results to be used for the upcoming Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 8th.

Also see my 2009 Average Finish at Chase Tracks Table which is very useful for planning your lineup for the rest of the season.

	Atlanta 1	Texas	Lowe’s	Atlanta 2	AVERAGE
Jeff Gordon	2	1	14	8	6.3
Brian Vickers	5	16	5	7	8.3
Kasey Kahne	7	19	7	1	8.5
Matt Kenseth	12	5	10	12	9.8
Denny Hamlin	13	12	11	6	10.5
Tony Stewart	8	4	19	11	10.5
Juan Pablo Montoya	27	7	8	3	11.3
David Reutimann	32	11	1	4	12.0
Ryan Newman	22	15	2	9	12.0
Carl Edwards	3	10	4	37	13.5
Kyle Busch	18	18	6	13	13.8
Mark Martin	31	6	17	5	14.8
Jimmie Johnson	9	2	13	36	15.0
Greg Biffle	34	3	20	10	16.8
David Stremme	23	14	22	14	18.3
Kevin Harvick	4	27	41	2	18.5
Kurt Busch	1	8	34	38	20.3
Jeff Burton	14	9	25	34	20.5
Martin Truex Jr.	10	25	23	26	21.0
Robby Gordon	26	39	3	16	21.0
Paul Menard	28	13	29	15	21.3
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	11	20	40	17	22.0
Joey Logano	30	30	9	22	22.8
Clint Bowyer	6	22	36	29	23.3
Casey Mears	16	21	33	25	23.8
Bill Elliott*	36	28	15	19	24.5
Jamie McMurray	15	38	21	28	25.5
AJ Allmendinger	17	34	32	20	25.8
Sam Hornish Jr.	37	17	16	35	26.3
Bobby Labonte	40	40	12	18	27.5
Marcos Ambrose	38	41	26	23	32.0

*David Gilliland drove the No. 21 Wood Brothers in the second race at Atlanta. Bill Elliott cracked three ribs during a dirt bike accident and was unable to race. Elliott finished 19th two weeks ago at Kansas Motor Speedway in his first race back.

Next Page »

Copyright © 2013 Bench Racing Productions, LLC. · All rights reserved.
Content may not be duplicated, or redistributed without express written permission.

OnPitRow.com | Bench Racing | Fast Lap | About Us | Contact Us
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertise with us!