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

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

Fantasy Racing Darkhorse Picks: Kobalt Tools 400 from Vegas

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: 2011 Kobalt Tools 400

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Las Vegas - Kobalt Tools 400

Last week, Phoenix International Raceway lived up to it’s expectations in the past few years and ended yet another long winless streak, with Jeff Gordon edging out Kyle Busch in the final laps to score his first victory since 2009. This week, the Sprint Cup drivers head over to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 400. This 1.5-mile “cookie cutter” track has been kind to last week’s winner as of late, with Gordon leading over 40-percent of the laps in the past two races in Vegas.

During The Last Race At Las Vegas…Jeff Gordon led a race-high 219 laps (out of 267) after starting 2nd, but it was Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson who ended the day in victory lane. Kevin Harvick finished runner-up that day, while Gordon, Mark Martin, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five. Click here for the complete results of last year’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

My Recommendation To Fantasy Racers…You probably either had an average points day at Phoenix last week, or dug your hole a little bit deeper, but now we’re getting into the bulk of the season, with three of the next five races being on 1.5-mile tracks. Make sure you pay attention to who qualifies well here, as two of the previous three winners at this track have started on the front row. There will be a practice held after qualifying this week, so be sure to look at the average speeds during Happy Hour to help form your rosters.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The Kobalt Tools 400:

1. Jeff Gordon - At the beginning of each NASCAR season, momentum seems to help drivers for the first few races. After a rocky start at Daytona, Gordon went and won in the desert last week, and will ride that momentum into one of his better tracks (especially lately). Jeff led the most laps in last year’s Vegas race, but didn’t get the win, and has finished outside of the top six just once here since 2005. With one win already at this 1.5-mile track, Gordon could easily make that two this week.

2. Kyle Busch - He didn’t get the sweep last week at Phoenix, but “Rowdy” left with the points lead and he and his brother are the only two drivers on the circuit with top tens in the first two races of the season. Kyle has two poles in his preview three starts at Vegas, and hasn’t finished outside of the top fifteen here since his rookie year. Busch’s average finish of 11.7 at this track is fourth-best in the series.

3. Jimmie Johnson - “The Champ” has made nine career starts at Las Vegas, and has led at least one lap in all but one of them. He’s still outside of the top twelve in points, but don’t expect that to be the case after Sunday. Johnson’s last six races here have netted him four wins, and while the other two were 24th and 29th-place finishes, those have been the only times Johnson has ended up outside of the top twenty in his career.

4. Jeff Burton - Richard Childress Racing needs to turn their season around quick, and Vegas could easily be the track for that to happen. Three of the four Childress Chevrolets are outside of the top twenty in points, and Burton finds himself mired in 32nd, with finishes of 36th and 26th to start the season. At Las Vegas, though, Jeff has just one finish outside of the top twenty in 13 career races, and two of his last three starts have ended with top fives. He has won here twice before, so don’t be surprised to find the 31 car up front on Sunday.

5. Greg Biffle - These “cookie cutter” tracks are where the Roush-Fenway Racing drivers are usually at their best, and Biffle is no exception. He had engine problems during his first start here in 2004 (giving him a 40th-place finish), but since then he hasn’t finished worse than 16th and has come away with five top tens. The Biff’s driver rating has been over 100 in five of his last six starts here.

6. Matt Kenseth - Another “Roushkateer” who should finish up front is Kenseth. Aside from his 43rd-place effort in 2009 (engine problem), the #17 Ford hasn’t finished outside of the top seventeen in eleven career starts. He has won here twice, and Matt has single-digit finishes in six of his previous eight races at Vegas. Look for Kenseth to get his first top ten of the season on Sunday, and possibly even a top five.

7. Kevin Harvick - “Happy” was downright pissed at his pit crew last week in Phoenix, but the 29 team still battled back for a solid 4th-place finish even after being caught up in “The Big One”. Harvick hasn’t been stellar at Las Vegas, but in the past three races here his driver rating has averaged 106.4 and he has two top fives. His average finish of 12.8 here is ninth-best in the series.

8. Carl Edwards - Cousin Carl really loved his car last week, and was very disappointed after wrecking it. He thought he had a car that could win last week, so hopefully Edwards brings that confidence into Vegas. He hasn’t finished worse than 26th here, but in six career starts he has only two top tens. He won here in 2008, though, and these are the kind of tracks he likes.

9. Mark Martin - Like Phoenix, Martin has been consistently good at Vegas. He won here in his first start and has ten top 10s in thirteen races here. His three races that didn’t end in top tens were 30th, 40th, and 43rd-place efforts, but two of those were due to engine problems. Mark finished 4th here in 2010 and has a career average finish of 12.8, which is 8th-best in the series at Las Vegas.

10. Denny Hamlin - In Denny’s first start at Las Vegas he came away with a 10th-place finish and went on to record three straight top tens here. In 2009, though, he ended that streak with a 22nd-place effort, and last year he finished 19th. He has never been stellar here, but Hamlin has completed all but one lap in his five starts at Vegas and will be looking for his first top ten of the season on Sunday. His career average finish here is 12.6, good enough for 6th-best in the series.

11. Joey Logano - Logano needs a good run pretty bad–as he finds himself 29th in points–and Las Vegas is an excellent track for him to get back on track. Engine woes ruined his race at Phoenix (and got him pretty angry), but he looked pretty good before that. Joey has made only two starts at Las Vegas, and has finishes of 6th and 13th to show for it. A good run will definitely turn his season around, and if he shows some speed in practice, a top ten isn’t out of the question for “Sliced Bread”.

12. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Phoenix definitely isn’t Junior’s best track, but he managed to overcome a loose wheel problem last week and score his first top ten of the season. The crew chief swap at Hendrick seems to be helping Little E thus far, and a good run at Las Vegas will help him and crew chief Steve Letarte gel even more. Dale Jr. hasn’t finished outside of the top sixteen in his last four starts here and he finished runner-up to Edwards in 2008.

13. Tony Stewart - “Smoke” has been a little hit or miss at Vegas lately, but he’s coming off a solid top ten at Phoenix and is third in points behind the Busch brothers. Since 2005, Stewart has three top tens, but three finishes outside of the top 20 as well. He did accumulate four top fives in his first six starts at Las Vegas though, so he knows how to get around the track. Tony finished 7th in this race last year.

14. Kasey Kahne - Red Bull Racing seems to run well at the “cookie cutter” races, and these tracks are a strength of Kahne. He backed up his solid qualifying effort and fast practice times with a 6th-place effort in Phoenix, and I think that will boost his confidence this week. He’s made seven starts at this track and has came away with four top ten finishes. Be careful, though: Kasey is on a “streak” here. Through his whole career, Kahne has posted single-digit finishes during even-numbered years (9th, 6th, 4th, 2nd). In odd-numbered years, though, all of his finishes have been in the double digits (11th, 35th, 38th).

15. Clint Bowyer - You will look at Clint’s last two finishes here (8th and 2nd) and wonder why I have him ranked so low, but he hasn’t impressed me. His other three starts ended with 28th, 36th, and 15th-place finishes, though, and his driver rating hasn’t been over 90 in five races here (his best was 89.4 last year when he finished 8th).

Underdogs Entering The Kobalt Tools 400:

David Reutimann - You always have to watch out for Reutty on these “cookie cutter” tracks–he’s at his best on them. He got off to a rough start at Vegas with a 37th-place finish in 2008, but ended up 4th in 2009 and came home 13th last year. He’s mired back in points at 31st and needs a good run to get his season back on track.

Paul Menard - Some questioned how his move to Richard Childress Racing would fare, but Menard has had good runs since switching over. He’s 11th in points and was running near the top ten in Phoenix before going down a lap and finishing 17th. Menard had strong runs at “cookie cutter” tracks last year and finished a career-best 17th at Vegas while driving for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2010.

Bill Elliott - He won’t challenge for a top ten, but a 20th-place (or better) effort wouldn’t be surprising out of Elliott. He’s 18th in points and has finished outside of the top twenty only once in seven career starts at Vegas. He could be a nice pick in allocation leagues.

Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose was one of my underdogs last week and ended up 16th once it was all said and done. In two career starts at Las Vegas, Marcos has finishes of 14th and 20th. Kasey Kahne drove this car last year to a 9th-place effort at this track.

Those To Avoid Entering The Kobalt Tools 400:

Juan Montoya - Chances are he will look real fast in practice, and then disappoint on Sunday. In four career starts here, Montoya hasn’t finished better than 19th and over the last two years he has finishes of 37th and 31st.

Kurt Busch - Busch is off to a great start this season, but I expect him to take a hit in the points this week. He finished 3rd here in 2005, but since then he has posted finishes of: 16th, 26th, 38, 23rd, and 35th. He will look like a good pick on Friday (his average start here is 5.2), but don’t say I didn’t warn you when he disappoints you on Sunday.

David Ragan - Roush is always a good way to go with picks at “cookie cutter” tracks, but stay away from Ragan this week. He had a top ten here in 2008 but his other three starts at Vegas have ended in finishes of 23rd or worse.

A.J. Allmendinger - The ‘Dinger is 4th in points, but don’t expect him to stay that high after this weekend. In two career starts at Las Vegas, A.J. has finishes of 25th and 33rd. His average finish on similar tracks is 18.8.

After this race, the boys will have an off-weekend until they hit Bristol the following week. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, and make sure to check out NASCAR Nation. I’m a member, why aren’t you?

Las Vegas Kobalt Tools 400 Scouting Report

Ten Drivers to watch at Las Vegas

Jimmie Johnson - 4 career wins at Las Vegas.
Carl Edwards - Last time the series visited an intermediate track he won.
Kyle Busch - 2009 winner.
Jeff Gordon - Led 219 laps last year.
Matt Kenseth - When his engine functions properly he hasn’t finished lower than eighth since 2003.
Mark Martin - Four top tens in the last five years.
Kevin Harvick - Finished second last year.
Greg Biffle - Five top tens in the last six races.
Clint Bowyer - Finished 8th and 2nd the last two years.
Jeff Burton - Bad lucks going to end soon and this is a good team.

Current Odds from the Spread.com: Jimmie Johnson 9/2, Kyle Busch 6/1, Jeff Gordon 7/1, Carl Edwards 8/1, Denny Hamlin 10/1

Last Years Race: Jeff Gordon absolutely dominated the race and led 82% of the laps. During the last caution Jeff Gordon took two tires and Jimmie Johnson took four. Johnson then made his move and took his fourth checkered flag at Las Vegas.

What’s important at Las Vegas: Practice, practice, practice. At Las Vegas if you pick a driver who struggled in practice then you’re in trouble. In last years race there was only seven cautions for 29 laps. One of them was for Sam Hornish Jr. and another was for a caution light malfunction. Don’t look for those elements to come into play. Since the race will be dictated by long runs it’s crucial you pick drivers who perform good in practice. It may not matter to the Pistons but it will matter in this race.

How important is qualifying at Las Vegas? Not that important, only five of thirteen races have been won by drivers who start in the top ten. Last years winner Jimmie Johnson started 20th, second place finisher Kevin Harvick started 34th and Jeff Gordon started second. This helps to further highlight that practice is what really counts at Vegas.

Las Vegas Fun Fact: In 2004 Kasey Kahne won his first pole and Kyle Busch made his first career start.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Expert Darkhorse Picks: Shelby American 400

The On Pit Row fantasy racing experts opinions of the best Sprint Cup driver currently outside the top 12 in Sprint Cup Series points, for this weekends race.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: Shelby American 400 at Las Vegas

Fantasy NASCAR Racing Preview: Shelby American 400 at Las Vegas

As the first of 10 races at 1.5 mile intermediate tracks, the results from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will preview what is to come next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway and perhaps beyond. Directv offers a pay package that includes the latter so there’s no reason to miss this race. After this stretch of races are three races on short and/or flat tracks before heading to Texas Motor Speedway for another intermediate course.

In all, there are seven 1.5 mile tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule. Three feature 24 degree banking in the corners (Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte Motor Speedway) and each hold two races a piece. Las Vegas, Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway all fall into the “other” grouping of 1.5 tracks. Each holds one race each which are spread out on the schedule. At 20 degrees in the corners, LVMS features the most banking among them which was part of the redesign for the 2007 season.

• NASCAR Fantasy Tool 2009 Average Finish at Las Vegas, Chicagoland, Kansas and Homestead-Miami [Low-banked 1.5 mile tracks]

Chasing the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

1. Kyle Busch… Has won two straight poles at LVMS.
2. Kurt Busch… Started second at LVMS last year, 5.7 career average start. Only driver to start inside the Top Five at Fontana, Las Vegas and Atlanta early last year.
3. Mark Martin… Average start of 8.3 since LVMS was redesigned.

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 - Sneaky plays at this week’s track. Drivers to consider as low-rent salary cap options or alternatives in allocation formats.

1. Kyle Busch… Won last year’s race at LVMS, average finish of 5.2 over the last five. Y!-A1
2. Jimmie Johnson… Won three straight races (’05-’07) at LVMS. Finished 24th last year, Average Running Position of sixth. Y!-A2
3. Jeff Burton… Two-time winner at LVMS (’99-’00). Top Fives in two straight races at LVMS, eight Top 10s in 12 career starts. Y!-B1
4. Kevin Harvick… Finished a career-best fourth at LVMS in ‘08, 12th last year. Y!-B2
5. Jeff Gordon… Won at LVMS in ‘01. Finishes of sixth or better in four of the last five races at LVMS. Y!-A3
6. Mark Martin… Won inaugural race in ‘98. DNF (engine) last year, average finish of 7.0 from ‘06-’08. Y!-A4
7. Clint Bowyer… Finished a career-best second last year at LVMS. Y!-B3
8. Greg Biffle… Finishes of eighth or better in four of the last five races at LVMS.
9. Carl Edwards… Won at LVMS in ‘08, 17th last year.
10. Matt Kenseth… Two-time winner at LVMS (’03-’04). DNF (engine) last year, finished 20th in ‘08- Average Running Position of fifth. Average finish of 3.2 from ‘03-’07. Y!-B4
11. Denny Hamlin… Average finish of 11.0 in four career starts at LVMS, finished 22nd last year.
12. Tony Stewart… Finished 26th last year at LVMS, Average Running Position of 13th. DNF (crash) in ‘08, seventh in ‘07.
13. Kasey Kahne… Two DNFs due to crash in six career starts at LVMS. Finished 11th last year, average finish of 5.8 in non-DNFs. Y!-B5
14. Brian Vickers… Finished a career-best eighth at LVMS in ‘09. Y!-B6
15. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Three straight finishes of 11th or better at LVMS, runner-up in ‘08. Y!-B7
16. Jamie McMurray… Top 10s in two of the last three races at LVMS. Y!-B8
17. Kurt Busch… Average start of 5.7 in nine career starts at LVMS, average finish of 25.8 over the last four years.
18. Juan Pablo Montoya… Average finish of 24.0 in three career starts at LVMS.
19. Martin Truex Jr…. Finished 32nd last year, average finish of 13.5 from ‘07-’08.
20. Joey Logano… Started 20th, finished 13th in first career Cup start at LVMS.
21. David Reutimann… Started and finished fourth last year at LVMS.
22. Ryan Newman… Average finish of 15.6 since ‘07 at LVMS.
23. Sam Hornish Jr…. Strong value play. Career-best 16th place finish last year at LVMS. Y!-C1
24. Paul Menard… Strong value play. Average Running Position of 19th last year, finished 35th (crash). Y!-C2
25. Scott Speed… Strong value play. Started 42nd, finished 21st in first career Cup start at LVMS. Y!-C3
26. David Ragan… DNF (engine) last year at LVMS, finished a career-best seventh in ‘08, 37th in ‘07.
27. Elliott Sadler… Finished 29th last year at LVMS, 14th or better from ‘06-’08.
28. Marcos Ambrose… Started fifth, finished 20th in first career Cup start at LVMS.
29. A.J. Allmendinger… Weak value play. Started 19th, finished 33rd in first career Cup start at LVMS. Y!-C4
30. Bobby Labonte… Weak value play. Finished fifth last year at LVMS– average running position of 10th.
31. Brad Keselowski… Started 13th, finished 38rd in first career Cup start at LVMS.
32. Robby Gordon… DNF (crash) in ‘08, average finish in 14.6 (’09,’07,’06)
33. Regan Smith… Long shot value play. Started 18th, finished a career-best 19th last year.
34. David Gilliland… Long shot value play. Average finish of 19.3 in three career starts at LVMS.
35. Travis Kvapil… Long shot value play. Finished a career-best eighth in ‘08, did not start at LVMS last year.
36. Max Papis… Started 26th, finished 36th last year at LVMS.
37. Kevin Conway… No career Cup starts at LVMS.
38. Casey Mears… Average finish of 17.3 in seven career starts at LVMS. Two DNQs this season.
39. Mike Bliss… No Cup starts at LVMS since ‘05.
40. Johnny Sauter… No Cup starts at LVMS since ‘07.
41. Dave Blaney… Likely start and park.
42. Boris Said… Likely start and park. No career Cup starts at LVMS.
43. Michael McDowell… Likely start and park. No career Cup starts at LVMS.
44. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park.
45. Aric Almirola… Likely start and park. DNFs due to crash in two career starts at LVMS (’09, ‘07).
46. Terry Cook… No career Cup starts. Two DNQs this season.

NASCAR Fantasy Tool 2009 Average Finish at Las Vegas, Chicagoland, Kansas and Homestead-Miami [Low-banked 1.5 mile tracks]

This table show the average finish of 38 drivers in the four races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway during the 2009 season. All of these tracks are 1.5 mile tracks that feature corner backing ranging from 15 to 20 degrees.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing: One and Done from Atlanta

race 4: hotlanta My favorite NASCAR track. Of course, I’ll say that when we get to Richmond too. And maybe Bristol. Michigan? Probably. Ten  players had race winner Kyle Busch picked last week. Nice job. You must all be very astute observers of the sport. You could have gone for Matt Kenseth to win three in a row. Right Steve? One and Done tends to even the field though, since those of us - cough cough - who picked the Shrub last race, can’t use him at Atlanta, where he’s the defending race winner. You can view all the results for One and Done week three here. prizes for your picks Here is the prize list for the One and Done Spring Thing The player who finishes with the most points, and survives any tie-breakers will receive a Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure package, good at several NASCAR tracks, including Talladega Superspeedway. You can read the experience of one of our past winners at that track right here. That’s a great prize, for any game. And second through tenth ain’t too shabby neither. 2nd - Autographed Jamie McMurray Crown Royal team hat and embroidered Crown Royal team golf shirt (size mens medium) 3rd - Denny Hamlin Limited Edition Memorial Day USMC 1/24th Scale Diecast from Fed Ex 4th - Michael Waltrip No. 55 Hat and autographed Picture Card 5th - “50 Years of ARCA” Coffee Table Book and ARCA Hat 6th - Gillette Young Guns Hat and Golf Shirt (mens size large) 7th - Geico Racing Max Papis No 13 Hat and T-Shirt (mens size x large) 8th - Denny Hamlin “First Win T-shirt” (mens size large) from Fed Ex 9th - Crown Royal Dan Lowery 400 Roush Racing Hat 10th - Kevin Harvick Bobblehead from Shell Gasolines On Friday or Saturday I’ll announce the first three weekly winners, chosen randomly from One and Dunners who make a pick for that week’s race.  Weekly winners will be determined by  the ONPitRow.com  random drawing method.

e

experts Every week we’ll ask a few folks from around the NASCAR internet community to share who they think would be a good pick for the next race. Dustin Long NASCAR beat writer for the  Landmark Newspapers told us ON PIT ROW last night that he thought Kyle Busch was the choice. Then he kind of switched up and started talking up Tony Stewart. I’m still not sure who he really thinks will win. Church of the Great Oval’s Clance’ McClannahan thinks that stars are alligned for Matt Kenseth. “Matt’s aspects are all quite good, and his Sun is in the 10th House, which is the House of Profession and Standing. Matt has had this aspect in his chart in every race he has ever won.” Monday Morning Crew Chief’s Mindy Monday thinks ” Dale Earnhardt Jr is going to win, ’cause he’s hot and wears Wranglers and Cowboy boots.” I can just see Steve and the DieCast Dude rumaging for their old boots and blue jeans now.

One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing News: Shelby 427

Copyright © 2012 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!