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

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

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway

by Eric McClung, Special To NASCAR news, fantasy racing advice and statistics On Pit Row

Follow @ericmcclung on Twitter for NASCAR, IndyCar, golf and various other fantasy sports picks.

September 23, 2009 8:56 am CDT 1 Comment

Dover International Speedway plays host to the second race in the Chase. The Monster Mile is a unique one-mile, concrete track with high banking. The track lends itself to aggressive driving. A lot drivers have an uneven history at Dover due accidents this is a great week throw a change up into your fantasy lineup.

You’ll notice that the list below has just 37 drivers. I’ll be on my honeymoon the week of the race so I have written this preview ahead of time. The results of the New Hampshire race were unknown at the time these picks were made.

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… Won the race in May race at Dover, led 298 of 400 laps. Average finish of 6.0 in ‘08 races, led laps in both. Four-time winner at Dover (6/09, ‘05, sweep in ‘02).Y!-A1
2. Mark Martin… Top-five finishes in 21 of 46 career starts at Dover, nine top-10s in the last 11. Four-time winner at Dover (’04, ‘99, ‘98, ‘97).Y!-A2
3. Tony Stewart… Risky play. Runner-up in May race at Dover, first top-five since ‘04. DNFs due to accident in half of his last six at Dover. Two-time winner at Dover (’00 sweep).Y!-B1
4. Greg Biffle… Won this race last year at Dover, third-place in May. Streak of 10 Dover races finishing 13th or better, laps led in eight. Two-time winner at Dover (last year, ‘05).Y!-A3
5. Jeff Gordon… Good qualifier. Started 42nd, finished 26th in May race at Dover. Average finish of 6.0 in ‘08 Dover races, won a pole. Four-time winner at Dover (’01, ‘96 sweep, ‘95).Y!-A4
6. Kyle Busch… Won spring Dover race last year, DNF in last year’s September race and 23rd-place finish this June but ran in 11th, on the average. Five top-10 finishes at Dover in 10 career starts.
7. Denny Hamlin… Risky play. Accident in May race at Dover, also had poor finishes in ‘08. Has finished 36th or worse in four straight Dover races.Y!-B2
8. Kurt Busch… Risky play. Finished fifth in May race at Dover, first top-10 since ‘04. Average finish of 20.5 in 18 career starts.Y!-B3
9. Kasey Kahne… Risky play. Finished sixth in May race at Dover, first top-10 since ‘06. Average finish of 28.5 in ‘08 Dover races.Y!-B4
10. Ryan Newman… Great qualifier. Three-time winner at Dover, all between ‘03 and ‘04. Average finish of 6.5 in ‘05 races but 14.7 in the seven races since. Finished eighth in May race. Has won four poles, none since ‘07 and an average finish of 16.3 in his last four attempts.Y!-B5
11. Brian Vickers… Average finish of 21.5 in 11 career Dover starts. Finished 25th in May, 22.0 average in ‘08 Dover races.Y!-B6
12. Carl Edwards… Has led at least 12 laps in seven straight Dover races. Finished seventh in May race; finished first, second or third in five races prior (’06-’08). Won at Dover in ‘07.
13. Matt Kenseth… Finished fourth in May race at Dover, average finish of 3.0 both last year’s races. Laps led in six of the last seven Dover races. Won at Dover in ‘06.
14. Clint Bowyer… Finished 11th in May race at Dover, eighth in last year’s race. Also finished eighth in two other times in five other Dover starts.
15. Juan Pablo Montoya… Started third, finished 30th in May race at Dover. Two top-12 finishes in five career starts.Y!-B7
16. David Reutimann… Won the pole in May race at Dover, finished 18th. Average finish of 16.0 in five career starts.Y!-B8
17. Jeff Burton… Last 15 Dover races: finished 16th or better 14 times, eight top-10s, won in ‘06.
18. Sam Hornish Jr…. Strong value play. Average finish of 24.3 in three career starts at Dover, jumps to 15.5 excluding last year’s DNF (accident).Y!-C1
19. Casey Mears… Strong value play. Five straight races at Dover finishing 17th or better, average finish of 12.0 in that span.
20. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Finished 15th in May race at Dover, 29.5 average finish last year. Won at Dover in ‘01, only four top-10 finishes since.
21. Kevin Harvick… Finished 17th in May race at Dover, sixth last year; first top-10 finish since ‘06.
22. Jamie McMurray… Weak value play. Finished 14th in May race at Dover. Average start of 7.0, finished 10th and 36th last year.
23. David Ragan… Weak value play. Finished 24th in May race at Dover, average finish of 16.5 in ‘08 races.
24. Joey Logano… Started 21st, finished 15th in May race, first career start at Dover.
25. Marcos Ambrose… Started and finished 20th in May race at Dover.Y!-C2
26. Martin Truex Jr…. Finished 21st in May race at Dover, sixth in the previous spring race. Finished 20th in this race last year. Won at Dover in ‘07.
27. Elliott Sadler… Has finished 27th in two straight Dover races, average finish of 21.4 in 21 career starts.
28. Reed Sorenson… Started fourth, finished 19th in May race at Dover. Last time he started in top-10 at Dover: a career-best 11th finish as a rookie in ‘06, no finishes better than 26th in between.Y!-C3
29. Michael Waltrip… Long shot value play. Average finish of 24.3 over the last three Dover races, 12.5 average finish in the last two September races.
30. Robby Gordon… Long shot value play. DNF in May race at Dover, average finish of 17.5 in ‘07 and ‘08 races.Y!-C4
31. Paul Menard… Long shot value play. Average finish of 19.2 in five career Dover starts.
32. AJ Allmendinger… Has never finished better than 16th at Dover, 31.6 average finish in five career starts.
33. Bobby Labonte… Average finish of 24.6 over the last three Dover races. Won from the pole at Dover in ‘99.
34. Scott Speed… DNF (engine) in May race, finished 37th in first career start at Dover.
35. David Stremme… DNFs in three of five career Dover starts, 33.0 average finish.
36. John Andretti… DNF (accident) in May race at Dover, finished 34th. First start at Dover since ‘07.
37. Joe Nemechek… Average finish of 35.6 over the last three Dover races.

Comments

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!