NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
June 23, 2010
| Expert | Website | Pick to Win | Finish | Experts Avg | |
| Josh Lobdell | FFToolbox | No Pick | 44 | 15.06 | |
| Jerry Lagger | One and Done Game Winner | Mark Martin | 21 | 10.76 | |
| Dennis Michelsen | RaceTalkRadio.com | Jeff Gordon | 4 | 12.12 | |
| Tall Glass of Milk | Answerthis.com | Jeff Burton | 12 | 13.00 | |
| Eric McClung | On Pit Row | Jeff Gordon | 4 | 14.00 | |
| Eric McGuire | free agent | Denny Hamlin | 14 | 12.41 | |
| Dan Beaver | Fantasy Racing Games | Denny Hamlin | 14 | 8.35 | |
| Matt Mercer | On Pit Row | Denny Hamlin | 14 | 14.71 | |
| Adam Ansell | Roto Experts | Tony Stewart | 2 | 13.47 | |
| Chris Leone | On Pit Row | Jeff Gordon | 4 | 14.06 | |
| Bob Ellis | NASCAR Ranting and Raving | Jimmie Johnson | 1 | 9.41 | |
| CharlieTurner | On Pit Row | Jeff Burton | 12 | 16.41 | |
| Lou Lauer | USAR Fans | Greg Biffle | 16 | 13.35 | |
| Jon Rodgers | Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner | Kyle Busch | 11 | 13.50 | |
| James Jones | On Pit Row | Kurt Busch | 3 | 10.88 | |
| Ryan Rantz | On Pit Row | Kevin Harvick | 5 | 11.24 | |
| Darren Fauth | Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet | Denny Hamlin | 14 | 13.35 | |
| P J Walsh | FantasyNASCARPreview.com | Denny Hamlin | 14 | 10.53 | |
| Charles Rantz | ifantasyrace.com | Jeff Gordon | 4 | 15.06 |
NASCAR Fantasy Racing Expert Darkhorse Picks:New Hampshire Motor Speedway
June 23, 2010
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 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 34 | 16.82 | |
| James Jones | On Pit Row | Clint Bowyer | 7 | 11.06 | |
| Josh Lobdell | FFToolbox | No Pick | 44 | 22.47 | |
| Dennis Mickelson | RaceTalkRadio.com | Ryan Newman | 6 | 11.71 | |
| Jon Rodgers | Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner | Joey Logano | 9 | 13.06 | |
| Jerry Lagger
Eric McGuire |
One and Done Game Winner | Joey Logano
Dale Earnhardt Jr |
9
8 |
13.06
12.47 |
|
| Charlie Turner | On Pit Row | Juan Pablo Montoya | 34 | 12.12 | |
| Tall Glass of Milk | Answerthis.com | Ryan Newman | 6 | 8.29 | |
| Adam Ansell | Roto Experts | Joey Logano | 9 | 11.18 | |
| Charles Rantz | ifantasyrace.com | Ryan Newman | 6 | 12.35 | |
| Darren Fauth | Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet | Juan Pablo Montoya | 34 | 13.24 | |
| Lou Lauer | USAR Fans | Clint Bowyer | 7 | 12.65 | |
| Ryan Rantz | On Pit Row | Ryan Newman | 6 | 15.24 | |
| Eric McClung | On Pit Row | Juan Pablo Montoya | 34 | 19.24 | |
| P J Walsh | FantasyNASCARPreview.com | Ryan Newman | 6 | 10.65 | |
| Bob Ellis | NASCAR Ranting and Raving | Juan Pablo Montoya | 34 | 14.53 | |
| Chris Leone | On Pit Row | Martin Truex Jr | 22 | 20.59 | |
| Dan Beaver | Fantasy Racing Games | Marcos Ambrose | 13 | 10.71 |
NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 from Loudon
June 23, 2010
It’s been a while since the Sprint Cup series drivers have battled on a flat track. The braking skills needed to succeed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway also apply to the other flat tracks: Martinsville Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Richmond International Raceway. To refresh fantasy owners on the best finishers from those tracks, I’ve built another NASCAR Fantasy Tool for flat tracks.
Chasing the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Note: Qualifying was rained out for last year’s summer race and the ‘08 fall race.
- Kurt Busch… Started third in last year’s fall race at Loudon. Has started in the first two rows in four straight races this season.
- Martin Truex, Jr…. Started seventh 4/09 at Loudon, eighth 6/08.
- Jimmie Johnson… Has started third and second in the last two weeks, fifth or better in seven of the last nine.
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.
- Jimmie Johnson… Two-time winner (’03 sweep) at Loudon, average finish of 5.8 since ‘07 with average running position no worse than eighth, average of 35.8 laps led. Y!-A1
- Denny Hamlin… Won 7/07 race at Loudon, runner-up in last year’s fall race. Average finish of 7.5 in eight career starts, six Top 10s– has never finished worse than 15th. Held an average running position of ninth or better six times. Y!-A2
- Kurt Busch… Three-time winner (6/08, ‘04 sweep) at Loudon- average finish of 4.0 since ‘08, average of 17.8 laps led. Y!-A4
- Jeff Gordon… Three-time winner (8/98, 9/97, 7/95) at Loudon. Average finish of 7.6 since ‘07– runner-up three times, has finished no worse than 15th. Has never held an average running position worse than 13th. Y!-A3
- Kyle Busch… Won 7/06 race at Loudon, finished seventh and fifth last year- average running positions of seventh and 17th.
- Kevin Harvick… Won 9/06 race at Loudon- average finish of 12.0 in ‘08, 33.0 last year. Y!-B1
- Tony Stewart… Two-time winner (7/05, 7/00) at Loudon. Since ‘05: average finish of 9.7 in 10 starts. Finished fifth and 14th last year, average of 46.0 laps led- held average running positions of sixth and eighth.
- Jeff Burton… Four-time winner (9/00, 7/99, 7/98, 7/97) at Loudon- finished 12th and fourth in ‘08, 31st and 16th last year. Y!-B2
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Started and finished 12th in last year’s summer race, led six laps. Won the pole, finished third in the fall, led 105 laps.
- Clint Bowyer… Won 9/07 race at Loudon, held average running positions of eighth and 10th in ‘08, 15th and 14th last year. Y!-B3
- Kasey Kahne… Last three races at Loudon: 11th, 10th, DNF (engine). Y!-B4
- Ryan Newman… Two-time winner (9/05, 9/02) at Loudon, average running positions of 17th and 10th last year. Y!-B5
- Mark Martin… Won last year’s fall race at Loudon, average running position of eighth. Finished 14th in the summer, average running position of ninth.
- Greg Biffle… Won 9/08 race at Loudon, average running position of 16th and 17th last year- finished 18th and ninth.
- Matt Kenseth… Average finish of 22.5 last year at Loudon, no Top 10s since ‘07. Y!-B6
- Carl Edwards… Only two Top 10s in 11 career starts at Loudon, 13.8 average finish.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Has held an average running position of 13th or better in seventh straight at Loudon, 11th in both races last year. Y!-B7
- David Reutimann… Held average running positions of 12th and 13th last year at Loudon, finished fourth and 12th. Y!-B8
- Martin Truex Jr…. Strong value play. Average finish of 4.8 from ‘07-’08 at Loudon– DNF (crash) and 19th-place finish last year.
- Marcos Ambrose… Strong value play. Average finish of 21.5 last year at Loudon.
- Joey Logano… Won 6/09 race at Loudon, 21st in the fall. Started first, finished second in last year’s Nationwide race.
- Brad Keselowski… Finished sixth in last year’s summer race at Loudon, average running position of 23rd. Average finish of 6.5 in two career Nationwide starts.
- Jamie McMurray… No Top 10s since ‘04 at Loudon, finished 33rd and 18th last year.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Finished a career-best eighth in last year’s summer race at Loudon, DNF (engine) in the fall. Y!-C1
- A.J. Allmendinger… Average start of 29.4, average finish of 34.2 in five career starts at Loudon– finished a career-best 25th in last year’s fall race. Y!-C2
- Elliott Sadler… Two Top 10s in the last four races at Loudon, average running position no better than 20th.
- David Stremme… Finished 28th in both races last year at Loudon. Y!-C3
- David Ragan… Average finish of 28.8 in six career starts at Loudon, two DNFs due to crash.
- Paul Menard… Average finish of 29.5 in six career starts at Loudon. Y!-C4
- Scott Speed… Average finish of 33.5 in two career starts at Loudon.
- Reed Sorenson… Finished 17th and 36th last year Loudon.
- Regan Smith… Average finish of 29.0 in five career starts at Loudon.
- Travis Kvapil… Average finish of 30.3 in six career starts in Loudon, no starts last year.
- David Gilliland… Average finish of 35.3 in six career starts at Loudon.
- Max Papis… First career Cup start at Loudon. Finished 22nd in last year’s Truck race.
- Kevin Conway… First career Cup start at Loudon. Finished 21st in ’07 Nationwide race.
- Casey Mears… Possible start and park. Average finish of 12.0 last year at Loudon.
- Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park. Won 9/99 race at Loudon.
- Andy Lally… Likely start and park.
- P.J. Jones… Likely start and park.
- Mike Bliss… Likely start and park.
- Dave Blaney… Likely start and park.
- Michael McDowell… Likely start and park.
- J.J. Yeley… Likely start and park. Average finish of 14.8 in six career starts at Loudon.
- Todd Bodine… Likely start and park.
NASCAR Fantasy Tool 2010 - Average Finish on Flat Tracks [Martinsville, Phoenix, Richmond]
June 22, 2010
This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Below are 33 drivers of interest and their average finish this season in the three races held on flat tracks.
| MVIL | PHX | RICH | AVG | |
| Jeff Gordon | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.3 |
| Ryan Newman | 4 | 1 | 8 | 4.3 |
| Carl Edwards | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6.7 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 9 | 3 | 10 | 7.3 |
| Clint Bowyer | 7 | 9 | 12 | 9.3 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 10 | 16 | 9.3 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 5 | 17 | 7 | 9.7 |
| Kyle Busch | 22 | 8 | 1 | 10.3 |
| Marcos Ambrose | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10.3 |
| Matt Kenseth | 18 | 6 | 13 | 12.3 |
| Brad Keselowski | 12 | 16 | 14 | 14.0 |
| Denny Hamlin | 1 | 30 | 11 | 14.0 |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | 36 | 5 | 6 | 15.7 |
| Jeff Burton | 20 | 25 | 4 | 16.3 |
| Mark Martin | 21 | 4 | 25 | 16.7 |
| Kevin Harvick | 35 | 13 | 3 | 17.0 |
| Greg Biffle | 10 | 22 | 22 | 18.0 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 15 | 12 | 32 | 19.7 |
| David Ragan | 16 | 19 | 24 | 19.7 |
| David Reutimann | 28 | 20 | 15 | 21.0 |
| Sam Hornish, Jr. | 13 | 18 | 36 | 22.3 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 38 | 15 | 17 | 23.3 |
| Paul Menard | 14 | 29 | 27 | 23.3 |
| Tony Stewart | 26 | 23 | 23 | 24.0 |
| Jamie McMurray | 30 | 24 | 19 | 24.3 |
| Kurt Busch | 23 | 35 | 18 | 25.3 |
| Robby Gordon | 34 | 14 | 28 | 25.3 |
| Kasey Kahne | 17 | 39 | 21 | 25.7 |
| Regan Smith | 32 | 26 | 30 | 29.3 |
| Scott Speed | 33 | 21 | 35 | 29.7 |
| Elliott Sadler | 24 | 31 | 38 | 31.0 |
| Travis Kvapil | 27 | 36 | 34 | 32.3 |
| Kevin Conway | 31 | 33 | 37 | 33.7 |
Contender or Pretender: New Hampshire
June 22, 2010
Jimmie Johnson (Contender) - After Infineon do you really think NASCAR can Jimmie proof the Chase? At New Hampshire this week it will be hard to keep Jimmie Johnson down. Only once in Jimmie Johnson’s career has he finished outside the top fifteen and that wasn’t because of a competitive issue. Johnson’s average New Hampshire finish since 2007 is 5.83. Earlier this year at Phoenix which is similar to New Hampshire Jimmie Johnson led a race high 113 laps (tied with Kyle Busch for the most) and finished 3rd.
Joey Logano (Pretender) - Joey Logano won last year at New Hampshire in the rain. Does a rain shortened win mean anything in fantasy racing? Of course it doesn’t, at least not under the circumstances in how Joey Logano won. I think it would be hard for Joey Logano to be any less competitive than he was last year. Joey Logano was a 20th place driver at best last year in this race. He started 24th, he was in 24th at the midpoint of the race and his average running position was 21.4. Joey Logano was only in the top fifteen 13.9 percent of the race.
Kurt Busch (Contender) - Kurt Busch is always a contender every time the series visits New Hampshire. His average finish over the last four races at New Hampshire is 4th. In eighteen starts at the Magic Mile Kurt Busch has three wins and nine top tens. Last year Kurt Busch outscored all drivers in terms of cumulative points scored at New Hampshire.
Mark Martin (Pretender) - Mark Martin was second to Kurt Busch in cumulative points in 2009 at New Hampshire but what numbers of his from last year would you say are truly representative of him in 2010? I would say that for the most part he’s been marginally less competitive basically across the board. The last race Martin led a lap at was Talladega, but who can’t led a lap there?
Kyle Busch (Contender) - Early in his stint at Joe Gibbs Racing Kyle Busch was a flop at New Hampshire. Now he very easily should be considered the favorite this weekend. Earlier this year Kyle Busch won at Richmond and if a late caution didn’t come out at Phoenix Busch would’ve won that race.
Denny Hamlin (Pretender) - A Pretender isn’t a driver who’s going to finish in 43rd place. A Pretender is somebody who I think is overrated heading into the weekend. Even though Denny Hamlin has never finished worse than 15th at New Hampshire in his career I feel that he’s overrated this weekend. Right after his surgery he was nowhere near competitive at Phoenix. A week later he went on to victory at Texas. I can easily give him leeway for Phoenix but at Richmond after his Texas victory he was nowhere near competitive.
Printable NASCAR TV Schedule for June 2010
June 15, 2010
Click the link below to download your NASCAR TV schedule for June 2010 in PDF format. June includes Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway, Michigan InternationalSpeedway, Infineon Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Nationwide Series trips to Kentucky Speedway and Road America.
2010 NASCAR TV Schedule in PDF
2009 Average Finish at Flat Tracks - Martinsville, Phoenix, Richmond, New Hampshire
November 11, 2009
This table is a companion for my NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Below are 24 drivers of fantasy interest and their average finish this season at four flat tracks: Martinsville Speedway, Phoenix, Richmond International Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The four flat tracks vary in length but do feature similar banking. Over the last nine races this season, three have been on flat tracks: Richmond is a little shorter (0.75 miles) and banked 14 degrees; New Hampshire is a little longer (1.06 miles) and most recently, Martinsville which is much shorter (0.53 miles) both are banked 12 degrees. Phoenix is 1.00 miles and banked 11 degrees and held its first race in April, the eighth race of the season.
| MVILLE 1 | PHX | Rich 1 | NH 1 | RICH 2 | NH 2 | MVILLE2 | AVG | |
| Mark Martin | 7 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 5.7 |
| Denny Hamlin | 2 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5.9 |
| Tony Stewart | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 7.4 |
| Kurt Busch | 18 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 8.7 |
| Jeff Gordon | 4 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 8.9 |
| Kyle Busch | 24 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 1 | 4 | 36 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 9.6 |
| Ryan Newman | 6 | 16 | 4 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 11.3 |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | 12 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 11.9 |
| Clint Bowyer | 5 | 26 | 18 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 14.9 |
| David Reutimann | 20 | 8 | 28 | 4 | 20 | 12 | 16 | 15.4 |
| Jamie McMurray | 10 | 11 | 7 | 33 | 27 | 18 | 6 | 16.0 |
| Jeff Burton | 15 | 15 | 3 | 31 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16.1 |
| Greg Biffle | 28 | 5 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 25 | 16.4 |
| Joey Lagano | 32 | 21 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 21 | 12 | 17.1 |
| Casey Mears | 21 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 30 | 13 | 18 | 17.4 |
| Brian Vickers | 33 | 19 | 15 | 35 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 18.7 |
| Marcos Ambrose | 14 | 14 | 11 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 27 | 18.7 |
| Carl Edwards | 26 | 10 | 26 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 19.0 |
| Sam Hornish, Jr. | 34 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 36 | 19.7 |
| Matt Kenseth | 23 | 27 | 13 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 14 | 21.0 |
| Kasey Kahne | 19 | 13 | 29 | 10 | 12 | 38 | 32 | 21.9 |
| Kevin Harvick | 11 | 30 | 34 | 34 | 9 | 32 | 10 | 22.9 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 8 | 31 | 27 | 13 | 21 | 35 | 29 | 23.4 |
NASCAR Power Rankings Chase Edition: Week 2
September 22, 2009
Not only did Mark Martin get his first career win at Loudon but he also extended his contract last week. Will this be his year? Someone will win it. Did you know that Martin first announced his "Salute to you tour" in 2004. Johnson dominated the Dover race earlier this year but there are no guarantee's in NASCAR. It will be difficult for the 48 team to duplicate their previous dominate performance. I don't really know what happened to this team Sunday. They were the fastest team on the track at the start of the race then all of a sudden they were junk. As a result of his bad day Gordon now sits 10th in the point standings. This team will try their hardest having their crew chief Pat Tryson there part time but I don't really think this is a sustainable strategy. I expect this problem to grow over the course of the remaining 9 races. Hamlin was definitely the most aggressive driver on the track at New Hampshire. He was running into other cars frequently and he even ran over a guy on pit road. If his high aggression level continues trouble will certainly find him on the track. There have been a lot of people saying this team is testing but I'm going to hold my ground on this one and say they're simply making mistakes. In order for Stewart to win the championship he really needed to score more points here. The 42 is truly a top team in the series. The main thing people hold against him is his lackluster history. This year is vastly different from years in the past. If you haven't thrown out the history book on him yet, do it now. Not too many teams made a mistake at Loudon but this team did. I honestly don't trust this pit crew at all. Fun Fact: Did you know that Brian Vickers best finish in the last 10 races in 2008 was 11th and his team was caught cheating after that race. Biffle is the only Roush car that is showing a heart beat now but in order to win the championship teams need to do a lot more then that. Anything less then a top 5 for Biffle at Dover will be considered a failure. Can you stick a fork in this team yet? I say hold off for now but their championship chances are greatly reduced. At least he won't have to worry about the R6 motor next year. I bet you didn't know this but Newman now has 4 consecutive top tens in a row. Ryan Newman once owned Dover and even won here without power steering. A good day for this team is crucial for their championship aspirations. One race into the Chase and this team is already 113 points behind Mark Martin. If there performance is flat at Dover then it will be time to stick a fork in them for the year. Loudon
Who's Up
Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week:
Mark Martin: 3rd to 1st
Biggest Drop This Week:
Kasey Kahne: 7th to 10th
No new drivers this week.
No drivers dropped out this week.
Rank: 1st
Change: +2
Mark Martin- 5 Wins, 15 Top Tens
Rank: 2nd
Change: 0
Jimmie Johnson- 3 Wins, 16 Top Tens
Rank: 3rd
Change: -2
Jeff Gordon- 1 Win, 18 Top Tens
Rank: 4th
Change: 0
Kurt Busch- 1 Win, 15 Top Tens
Rank: 5th
Change: +1
Denny Hamlin- 2 Wins, 15 Top Tens
Rank: 6th
Change: -1
Tony Stewart- 3 Wins, 18 Top Tens
Rank: 7th
Change: +2
Juan Pablo Montoya- 3 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens
Rank: 8th
Change: 0
Brian Vickers- 1 Win, 13 Top Tens
Rank: 9th
Change: +2
Greg Biffle- 8 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens
Rank: 10th
Change: -3
Kasey Kahne- 2 Wins, 10 Top Tens
Rank: 11th
Change: +1
Ryan Newman- 5 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens
Rank: 12th
Change: -2
Carl Edwards- 7 Top Fives, 11 Top Tens
NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire
September 17, 2009
| Expert | Website | Pick to Win | Finish | Experts Avg | |
| James Jones | On Pit Row | Jeff Gordon | 15 | 8.0 | |
| Ryan Rantz | On Pit Row | Jeff Gordon | 15 | 8.08 | |
| Roger Rotter | FOX Sports | Mark Martin | 1 | 10.31 | |
| Gerritt Ritt | FOX Sports | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 10.62 | |
| Mike Harmon | FOX Sports | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 10.65 | |
| Dennis Michelson | RaceTalkRadio.com | Mark Martin | 1 | 10.85 | |
| Yahoo Users | Yahoo! Sports | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 11.65 | |
| Cheryl Lauer | Speed Couch | Kurt Busch | 6 | 11.77 | |
| Lou Lauer | USAR Fans | Tony Stewart | 14 | 12.5 | |
| Eric Brewer | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 12.77 | ||
| Charlie Turner | On Pit Row | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 12.77 | |
| Darren Fauth | Fantasy NASCAR Names | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 12.88 | |
| Eric McClung | On Pit Row | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 13.42 | |
| P J Walsh | FantasyNASCARPreview.com | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 14.19 | |
| Eric McGuire | FFToolbox | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 15.04 | |
| Bob Ellis | NASCAR Ranting and Raving | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 16.62 | |
| Jon Rodgers | Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner | Carl Edwards | 17 | 18.69 | |
NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire
September 16, 2009
Welcome to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It is now crunch time for the 12 drivers who made the cut as well as fantasy owners looking to capture their own victory.
Of the 10 tracks that make up the Chase schedule, eight of them have hosted races earlier in the season. I have compiled a table with the results of those eight events and ranked the top-26 drivers by their average finish. Check out my 2009 Average Finish at Chase Tracks Table here.
One thing you will notice right away is how many of the top drivers fared poorly at Talladega Superspeedway. We know anything can happen there. Things also got a little messy at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. For owners in allocation formats, like Yahoo!, these are two races where you can converse your remaining starts for the top drivers.
Starting position is huge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. There have been a total of 29 Sprint Cup races runs held here, the winner has started 15th or better 21 times. Over the last three years (seven races), five winners have started 11th or better. The other two winners, Kurt Busch in June of last year and Joey Logano in this year’s June race, came from the middle of the pack but picked up their wins when the race was called early due to rain.
New Hampshire is essentially a bigger version of Martinsville Speedway, but the most recent race held there was back in March. Richmond International Raceway is also a flat race track so last week’s results are far more relevant. Fantasy owners should set their lineups simply based on who’s hot entering the Chase.
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.
- Jimmie Johnson… Good qualifier. Average finish of 6.3 over the last five Loudon races, all top-10 finishes. Started third or fourth in three of his last four attempts at NH, led over 90 laps in the last two. Average running position of 5.0 in June. Two-time winner (’03 sweep). Y!-A1
- Tony Stewart… Last nine races at Loudon: only one finish worse than 13th, laps led in seven. Finished fifth in June. Average finish of 3.8 over the last four September races at NH. Two-time winner (’00, ‘05). Y!-B1
- Denny Hamlin… Good qualifier. Seven career starts at Loudon: average finish of 8.3, has never finished worse than 15th, which he did in June. Average finish of 8.5 in ‘08 NH races. Has never started worse than 14th. Won in ‘07. Y!-B2
- Mark Martin… Started 11th, finished 14th in June race at Loudon, average running position: 9.0- first start at NH since ‘06. Y!-A2
- Kurt Busch… Started fourth, finished third in June. Average finish of 3.5 last year at Loudon, including a win. Three-time winner (’04 sweep, 06/08) Y!-B3
- Jeff Gordon… Started and finished second in June, led 62 laps. Average finish of 12.5 in ‘08 Loudon races. Runner-up in both ‘07 races. Owns 11 finishes of first, second or third in 29 career starts. Three-time winner (’97, ‘98). Y!-A3
- Kyle Busch… Finished seventh in June race at Loudon. Average finish of 29.5 in ‘08 NH races, 7.5 in ‘07- led laps in both. Won in ‘06. Y!-A4
- Kasey Kahne… Started 13th, finished 10th in June. Started 13th, finished 11th in last year’s Sylvania 300. Y!-B4
- Greg Biffle… Finished 18th in June race at Loudon. Won last year’s Sylvania 300. Average finish of 4.5 in the last four September NH races.
- Brian Vickers… Risky play. Finished 35th in June (accident) and in last year’s Sylvania 300. 11 career starts: 21.0 average finish. Y!-B5
- Juan Pablo Montoya… Finished a career-best 12th in June race at Loudon. Y!-B6
- Ryan Newman… Average running position of 17th in June race at Loudon, finished 29th and led 17 laps. DNF and 15th-place finish last year. Average finish of 9.5 in ‘07 races, led laps in both. Two-time winner (’02, ‘05). Y!-B7
- Kevin Harvick… Finished a career-worst 34th in June race at Loudon. Average finish of 12.0 in ‘08 NH races. Won from the pole in ‘06.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Good qualifier. Finished 13th in June race at Loudon, fifth in last year’s Sylvania 300- led 79 laps. Led laps in both ‘07 and ‘08 NH races- average finish of 12.3 in those four races. Started fourth and fifth last year. Y!-B8
- David Reutimann… Strong value play. Has improved career-best finish at Loudon in each of his five starts. Finished a career-best fourth in June.
- Carl Edwards… Risky play. Finished 19th in June race at Loudon, third in last year’s Sylvania 300. Average finish of 12.5 in ‘07 NH races.
- Jeff Burton… Finished 31st in June race at Loudon, worst finish since a blown engine in ‘03. Average finish of 10.5 in the 10 races in between. Four-time winner (’97-’00).
- Matt Kenseth… Finished 22nd in June race at Loudon. DNF (accident) and 18th-place finish last year. Ten top-10 finishes in the prior 11 races (’02-’07).
- Joey Logano… Won in rain-shortened June race at Loudon but an average running position of 21st. Started 40th, finished 32nd in last year’s Sylvania 300. Won the pole, finished second in June Nationwide race. Won both ‘07 Camping World East Series races.
- Sam Hornish Jr…. Strong value play. Started 26th, finished a career-best eighth in June race at Loudon- average running position of 13th. Average finish of 34.5 in ‘08 NH races. Y!-C1
- Martin Truex Jr…. Strong value play. DNF in June race at Loudon, snapping a streak of four straight top-10 finishes- average finish of 4.75 in that span.
- Marcos Ambrose… Finished 23rd in June race, first career start at Loudon. Finished 14th in last year’s Nationwide race. Y!-C2
- Clint Bowyer… Seven career starts at Loudon: one top-10 finish, a win from the pole in ‘07. Average finish of 23.6 in the six other NH races.
- Casey Mears… Weak value play. Finished 11th in June race at Loudon, average running position of 20th.
- Bobby Labonte… Weak value play. Finished 21st in June race at Loudon. Average finish of 11.5 in ‘08 NH races, 20.0 in ‘07. Y!-C3
- Reed Sorenson… Weak value play. Seven career starts at Loudon: 18.0 average finish. Finished 17th in June race, 22nd in last year’s Sylvania 300. Y!-C4
- Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 25.2 over the last five starts at Loudon.
- AJ Allmendinger… Finished 32nd in June race at Loudon, two DNFs in ‘08. Finished 33rd in lone ‘07 NH start.
- Jamie McMurray… Three straight finishes of 33rd or worse at Loudon, average finish of 13.5 in ‘07 NH races.
- David Ragan… DNFs (accidents) in two of his last three starts at Loudon. Average finish of 17.0 in ‘07 NH races. Finished sixth in last year’s Nationwide race.
- Michael Waltrip… Finished 24th in June race at Loudon, 25th in last year’s Sylvania 300.
- Robby Gordon… Won in ‘01. Finished 25th in June race at Loudon, 26th in both ‘07 NH races.
- John Andretti… Finished 16th in June race at Loudon, average running position of 30th.
- Erik Darnell… Finished sixth in June Nationwide race at Loudon, average finish of 5.0 in three Truck series races (’06-’08).
- Aric Almirola… Average finish of 20.5 in ‘08 races at Loudon.
- Paul Menard… Finished 30th in June race at Loudon. Average finish of 28.6 in five career NH starts.
- David Stremme… Finished 28th in June race at Loudon. Average finish of 34.5 in ‘07 NH races.
- Scott Speed… Finished 36th (DNF, accident) in June race, first career start at Loudon. Started fourth, finished eighth in June Nationwide race.
- Joe Nemechek… DNFs in four of his last seven starts at Loudon. Won in ‘99.
- Patrick Carpentier… DNF (accident) in June race at Loudon.
- Dave Blaney… Start and parked in June race at Loudon.
- David Gilliland… Start and parked in June race at Loudon.
- Tony Raines… Start and parked in June race at Loudon.
- Dexter Bean… No career starts at Loudon.
- Mike Wallace… No Cup starts at Loudon since ‘05, average finish of 17.6 in eight Nationwide starts.
- Derrike Cope… No Cup starts at Loudon since ‘03. DNF in June Nationwide race at Loudon.



