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NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	Denny Hamlin	18	10.23
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jimmie Johnson	37	10.69
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jimmie Johnson	37	14.15
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Jimmie Johnson	37	14.23
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	1	16.00
Eric McGuire	free agent	Jimmie Johnson	37	14.23
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Kyle Busch	3	8.08
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	18	14.38
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Jimmie Johnson	37	16.46
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	37	16.92
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Kurt Busch	1	11.46
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	37	18.77
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	37	15.69
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	3	13.00
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	3	10.23
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	3	10.46
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	Jimmie Johnson	37	15.46
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kyle Busch	3	11.46
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Kurt Busch	1	14.38

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Expert Darkhorse Picks: Coca Cola 600

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.

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Brad Keselowski	20	17.15
James Jones	On Pit Row	Ryan Newman	9	10.31
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	Casey Mears	29	21.23
Dennis Mickelson	RaceTalkRadio.com	Martin Truex Jr	23	12.31
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Tony Stewart	15	12.08
Jerry Lagger Eric McGuire	One and Done Game Winner Free agent	Joey Logano Juan Pablo Montoya	13 38	13.23 13.54
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	12	11.85
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Ryan Newman	9	8.62
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Kasey Kahne	12	11.08
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	A J Allmendinger	14	10.85
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	David Reutimann	5	11.92
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Tony Stewart	15	12.23
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Clint Bowyer	7	17.92
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	12	20.15
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Joey Logano	13	11.54
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Tony Stewart	15	13.69
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	David Reutimann	5	20.31
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Kasey Kahne	12	10.38

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte

Two races have already been held on 1.5-mile cookie-cutter tracks with 24 degrees of corner banking, similar to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The results from Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway should play an important role to making fantasy selections. The wear on each of these tracks will cause the speeds to vary, but the skills and setup required to succeed are similar.

Top 10 Drivers thus far on 1.5 mi x 24° tracks

	ATL	TX	AVG
Kurt Busch	1	4	2.5
Kasey Kahne	4	5	4.5
Jimmie Johnson	12	2	7
Kevin Harvick	9	7	8
Greg Biffle	8	10	9
A.J. Allmendinger	6	13	9.5
Denny Hamlin	21	1	11
Matt Kenseth	2	20	11
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	15	8	11.5

Chasing the pole at Charlotte

1. Jimmie Johnson… Started fifth in last year’s spring race at Charlotte, won the pole in the fall
2. Ryan Newman… Won the pole in last year’s spring race at Charlotte, started sixth in the fall.
3. Kasey Kahne… Started sixth and third last year at Charlotte. Started fourth at Atlanta, fifth at Texas.

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

1. Jimmie Johnson… Six-time winner (10/99, ‘05 sweep, ‘04 sweep, 5/03) at Charlotte. Average finish of 8.6 in 17 career starts at Charlotte, had led at least six laps in 16 straight. Y!-A1
2. Jeff Gordon… Five-time winner (10/07, 10/99, 5/98, 5/97, 5/94) at Charlotte. Average finish of 6.2 over the last five races at Charlotte, 183 laps led. Y!-A2
3. Kurt Busch… Won at Atlanta, fourth at Texas. Y!-A3
4. Kyle Busch… Has finished eighth or better in six of the last seven races at Charlotte. Y!-A4
5. Denny Hamlin… Average running position of 15th or better in six of the last eight races at Charlotte. ATL 21st, TX 1st.
6. Kevin Harvick… Finished ninth at Atlanta, seventh at Texas. Y!-B1
7. Matt Kenseth… Won 5/00 race at Charlotte, finished 10th and second last year. Y!-B2
8. Kasey Kahne… Three-time winner (5/08, ‘06 sweep) at Charlotte. Average finish of 5.8 since ‘06. ATL 4th, TX 5th. Y!-B3
9. Greg Biffle… Finished 20th and 16th last year at Charlotte, second and seventh in 2008. ATL eighth, TX 10th.
10. David Reutimann… Won 5/09 race at Charlotte, finished 15th in the fall. Y!-B4
11. Jeff Burton… Three-time winner (10/08, 5/01, 5/99) at Charlotte. Five Top 10 finishes in the last 10 races at Charlotte. Y!-B5
12. Ryan Newman… Finished second and 11th last year at Charlotte. ATL 17th, TX 11th. Y!-B6
13. Mark Martin… Four-time winner (5/02, 10/98, 10/95, 10/92) at Charlotte. Finished 17th in both races last year at Charlotte. Average running position of 15th or better in 10 straight.
14. Tony Stewart… Won 10/03 race at Charlotte. Average finish of 12.4 in the last seven races at Charlotte.
15. Carl Edwards… Has finished ninth and fourth in the last two spring races at Charlotte, 33rd and 39th in the fall.
16. Juan Pablo Montoya… Finished a career-best eighth in last year’s spring race at Charlotte, only Top 20 finish in six career starts.
17. Clint Bowyer… Average finish of 19.0 in eight career starts at Charlotte. Y!-B7
18. Joey Logano… Finished ninth and fifth last year at Charlotte. Y!-B8
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Average running position of 37th in both races last year at Charlotte. ATL 15th, TX 8th
20. AJ Allmendinger… Strong value play. Only one Top 15 finish in six career starts at Charlotte. ATL 6th, TX 13th. Y!-C1
21. Martin Truex Jr…. Average running position of 18th or better in six straight races at Charlotte.
22. Brad Keselowski… Started eighth, finished 12th in last year’s fall race at Charlotte.
23. Jamie McMurray… Won 10/02 race at Charlotte. Only two Top 10 finishes at Charlotte since ‘06. Average finish of 17.6 in 15 career starts.
24. Scott Speed… Finished 10th at Atlanta, 16th at Texas. Y!-C2
25. Marcos Ambrose… Average finish of 24.0 last at Charlotte. ATL 11th, TX 17th.
26. Sam Hornish Jr…. Has finished 13th and 16th in the last two spring races at Charlotte. Average finish of 22.8 in four career starts. Y!-C3
27. Paul Menard… Average finish of 26.5 in six career starts at Charlotte. Y!-C4
28. Bill Elliott… Long shot value play. Finished 15th, 29th last year at Charlotte. ATL 16th, TX 25th
29. Regan Smith… Average finish of 21.0 in ‘08 at Charlotte, no starts last year. ATL 14th, TX 21st
30. David Stremme… Average finish of 21.3 in seven career starts at Charlotte.
31. David Ragan… Average finish of 22.0 last year at Charlotte.
32. Bobby Labonte… Two-time winner at Charlotte. Finished 22nd at Atlanta, 23rd at Texas.
33. Casey Mears… Won 5/07 race at Charlotte, only one Top 10 since.
34. Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 25.6 in 23 career starts at Charlotte.
35. David Gilliland… Average finish of 26.0 last year at Charlotte.
36. Travis Kvapil… Finished 30th at Atlanta, 24th at Texas.
37. Kevin Conway… Finished 31st at Atlanta, 27th at Texas.
38. Robby Gordon… Average finish of 27.9 in 19 career starts at Charlotte.
39. Max Papis… Finished 34th at Atlanta, 22nd at Texas.
40. Tommy Baldwin Racing TBA entry (Johnny Sauter?)… Possible start and park.
41. J.J. Yeley… Likely start and park.
42. Reed Sorenson… Likely start and park.
43. Mike Bliss… Likely start and park.
44. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park.
45. Michael McDowell… Likely start and park.
46. Dave Blaney… Likely start and park.
47. Todd Bodine… Likely start and park.

Printable NASCAR TV Schedule for May 2010

NASCAR Fantasy Tool 2009 Average Finish at Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte [24 degree, 1.5 mile quad-ovals]

This table show the average finish of 35 drivers in the eight races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (Formerly Lowe’s Motor Speedway) during the 2009 season. All of these tracks are 1.5 mile long and feature 24 degree corner backing.

	ATL 1	TX 1	CHA 1	ATL 2	CHA 2	TX 2	AVERAGE
Jeff Gordon	2	1	14	8	4	13	7.0
Matt Kenseth	12	5	10	12	2	3	7.3
Tony Stewart	8	4	19	11	13	6	10.2
Kasey Kahne	7	19	7	1	3	33	11.7
Ryan Newman	22	15	2	9	11	12	11.8
Kyle Busch	18	18	6	13	8	11	12.3
David Reutimann	32	11	1	4	15	16	13.2
Mark Martin	31	6	17	5	17	4	13.3
Denny Hamlin	13	12	11	6	42	2	14.3
Greg Biffle	34	3	20	10	16	8	15.2
Kurt Busch	1	8	34	38	10	1	15.3
Brian Vickers	5	16	5	7	34	26	15.5
Kevin Harvick	4	27	41	2	18	5	16.2
Jimmie Johnson	9	2	13	36	1	38	16.5
Jeff Burton	14	9	25	34	14	9	17.5
Clint Bowyer	6	22	36	29	6	7	17.7
Martin Truex Jr.	10	25	23	26	9	14	17.8
Joey Logano	30	30	9	22	5	19	19.2
Juan Pablo Montoya	27	7	8	3	35	37	19.5
Casey Mears	16	21	33	25	7	21	20.5
Carl Edwards	3	10	4	37	39	39	22.0
AJ Allmendinger	17	34	32	20	23	10	22.7
Brad Keselowski		23			12	35	23.3
Paul Menard	28	13	29	15	27	29	23.5
Robby Gordon	26	39	3	16	30	27	23.5
Scott Speed	35		18	24	28	18	24.6
David Ragan	19	37	24	33	20	17	25.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	11	20	40	17	38	25	25.2
Elliot Sadler	20	32	31	21	26	22	25.3
Jamie McMurray	15	38	21	28	33	20	25.8
Bill Elliott	36	28	15	19	29	34	26.8
Marcos Ambrose	38	41	26	23	22	15	27.5
Bobby Labonte	40	40	12	18	31	31	28.7
Sam Hornish Jr.	37	17	16	35	40	40	30.8
Regan Smith		31				32	31.5

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

This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Below are 32 drivers of fantasy interest and their average finish at three similar tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Texas.

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	Lowe’s 2	AVERAGE
Jeff Gordon	2	1	14	8	4	5.8
Kasey Kahne	7	19	7	1	3	7.4
Matt Kenseth	12	5	10	12	2	8.2
Tony Stewart	8	4	19	11	13	11.0
Ryan Newman	22	15	2	9	11	11.8
Jimmie Johnson	9	2	13	36	1	12.2
David Reutimann	32	11	1	4	15	12.6
Kyle Busch	18	18	6	13	8	12.6
Brian Vickers	5	16	5	7	34	13.4
Mark Martin	31	6	17	5	17	15.2
Juan Pablo Montoya	27	7	8	3	35	16.0
Greg Biffle	34	3	20	10	16	16.6
Denny Hamlin	13	12	11	6	42	16.8
Brad Keselowski		23			12	17.5
Kurt Busch	1	8	34	38	10	18.2
David Stremme	23	14	22	14	19	18.4
Kevin Harvick	4	27	41	2	18	18.4
Carl Edwards	3	10	4	37	39	18.6
Martin Truex Jr.	10	25	23	26	9	18.6
Jeff Burton	14	9	25	34	14	19.2
Joey Logano	30	30	9	22	5	19.2
Clint Bowyer	6	22	36	29	6	19.8
Casey Mears	16	21	33	25	7	20.4
Paul Menard	28	13	29	15	27	22.4
Robby Gordon	26	39	3	16	30	22.8
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	11	20	40	17	38	25.2
AJ Allmendinger	17	34	32	20	23	25.2
Bill Elliott*	36	28	15	19	29	25.4
Jamie McMurray	15	38	21	28	33	27.0
Bobby Labonte	40	40	12	18	31	28.2
Sam Hornish Jr.	37	17	16	35	40	29.0
Marcos Ambrose	38	41	26	23	22	30.0

*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.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Edition Week 6

Charlotte

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 #2 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 #9 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.

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