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2009 Average Finish at Flat Tracks - Martinsville, Phoenix, Richmond, New Hampshire

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 Fantasy Experts Picks: Chevy Rock n Roll 400 at Richmond

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	17	7.72
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	1	7.80
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Mark Martin	4	10.68
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	11	10.92
Gerritt Ritt	RaceTalkRadio.com	Denny Hamlin	1	10.96
Dennis Michelson	RaceTalkRadio.com	Tony Stewart	17	11.24
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jimmie Johnson	11	11.96
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Jimmie Johnson	11	12.00
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	11	12.44
Eric Brewer		Denny Hamlin	1	13.12
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	5	13.20
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Tony Stewart	17	13.24
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	5	13.88
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kyle Busch	5	14.68
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Denny Hamlin	1	15.48
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Brian Vickers	7	17.12
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	David Ragan	33	18.76

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Chevy Rock n Roll 400 from Richmond

Greetings On Pit Row readers.

The popular Richmond International Raceway is a flat, 3/4-mile D-shaped track. Its configuration is most similar New Hampshire, Martinsville and Phoenix. For fantasy purposes, the most recent races at these flat tracks were several months so do not take much stock on those results. However, all three of these tracks will hold Chase events; be mindful of the outcome of this week’s race as you look ahead to setting your fantasy lineups over the coming weeks.

As I mentioned on this week’s On Pit Row, I fully expect a strong performance from Kyle Busch. His Chase birth will come at the expense of the man of the bubble, Matt Kenseth. Ky le Busch dominates at Richmond, Kenseth was mediocre in the May race, much like he has been over the past several races.

The wild card is Brian Vickers, who has scored the most points over the last six races. But Vickers has never finished better than 24th in Richmond races in which he has not started from the pole.
Good luck this week and please leave your comments below.

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… Strong qualifier. Last five Richmond races: three wins (started in fourth or better in each), 30th or worse in the other two (started 12th and 15th). Three-time winner (’07 sweep, won last year’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400) Y!-A1
2. Tony Stewart… Runner-up in May and in three of the last four Richmond races. Enters with a streak of 11 straight top-20 finishes at Richmond, average finish of 6.7 in that span. Three-time winnner (’99, ‘01, ‘02) Y!-B1
3. Kyle Busch… Average finish of 6.1 in nine career starts at Richmond, seven top-five finishes. Won in May, runner-up on three occasions. Y!-A2
4. Mark Martin… Average finish of 4.3 in the last three Richmond races. Won in ‘90. Y!-A3
5. Denny Hamlin… Strong qualifier. Seven career Richmond races: 4.9 average start, 9.6 average finish, led laps in all seven. Only one finish worse than 15th. Y!-B2
6. Jeff Gordon… Good qualifier. Enters with a streak of five top-10 finishes at Richmond, average finish of 6.6 in that span. Led laps in four of those five races. As started in the top-three in four of the last six Richmond races. Two-time winner (’96, ‘00) Y!-A4
7. Kasey Kahne… Started 18th, finished 19th in May. Average finish of 14.5 last year at Richmond. Won from the pole in ‘05. Y!-B3
8. Ryan Newman… Won 9/03 but average finish of 19.2 in the last five September races at Richmond– but average finish of 6.0 in six May races. Y!-B4
9. Kurt Busch… Started 17th, finished 12th in May. Finished 19th last year, DNF 5/08. Average finish of 7.0 in ‘07 at Richmond. Won in ‘05. Y!-B5
10. Brian Vickers… Won the pole in May, finished 15th. Won the pole as a rookie in ‘04, finished eighth– zero finishes better than 24th in eight races in between. Y!-B6
11. Greg Biffle… Finished 17th in May, 14th in both ‘08 races.
12. Juan Pablo Montoya… Finished a career best 10th in May. Average finish of 32.3 in four other career starts at Richmond. Y!-B7
13. Matt Kenseth… Finished 13th in May, 38th and 39th last year. Average finish of 12.0 in ‘07 races. Won in ‘02.
14. Clint Bowyer… Finished 18th in May. Won last May, finished 12th last September. Average finish of 10.6 in seven career starts.
15. Kevin Harvick… Strong value play. Finished 34th in May, snapping a streak of nine finishes of 12th or better. Average finish of 6.6 in that span. Won in ‘06.
16. Carl Edwards… Risky play. Started 37th, finished 26th in May. Average finish of 10.0 last year at Richmond.
17. David Reutimann… Finished a career-best ninth last year, led 104 laps. Started ninth, finished 28th in May. Y!-B8
18. Marcos Ambrose… Started 21st, finished 11th in May, first career start at Richmond. Finished 13th in last year’s September Nationwide race at Richmond. Y!-C1
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Started 25th, finished 27th in May. Average finish of 9.6 last year at Richmond, led laps in each. Won in ‘06.
20. Joey Logano… Started 13th, finished 19th in May, first career start at Richmond. Average start of 2.5, finish of 6.5 in two Nationwide races at Richmond last year.
21. Sam Hornish Jr…. Weak play value. Finished a career-best sixth at Richmond in May. Average finish of 30.5 in ‘08 races. Seven IndyCar starts: two wins, 7.7 average finish. Y!-C2
22. Brad Keselowski… No career Cup starts at Richmond. Average finish of 24.5 in six Nationwide races, career-best fourth in May race. Y!-C3
23. Jeff Burton… Finished third in May. Average finish of 6.6 in last three Richmond races, started fifth in two straight. Career average finish of 14.6 in 30 career starts. Won in ‘98.
24. Casey Mears… Started 41st, finished a career best ninth in May. Last seven Richmond races: average finish of 13.8, excluding an accident last year.
25. Martin Truex Jr…. Started fourth, finished 22nd in May. Average finish of 10.5 last year at Richmond.
26. Jamie McMurray… Finished a career best seventh in May, 29th last year at Richmond. Did not finish on the lead lap in six races prior.
27. Bobby Labonte… Average finish of 19.2 over last five races at Richmond. Y!-C4
28. Reed Sorenson… Average finish of 21.1 in seven career starts at Richmond.
29. Regan Smith… Did not start May race. Average finish of 22.0 last year, first two career starts at Richmond.
30. David Ragan… Finished third at Richmond as a rookie (9/07), average finish of 24.0 in the three races since.
31. Patrick Carpentier… Did not start May race. DNF (accident) and 25-place finish last year, first two career starts at Richmond. Started fourth, finished third in ‘05 IndyCar race.
32. Max Papis… No career Cup starts at Richmond. Finished ninth (out of 12) in ‘05 IROC race.
33. AJ Allmendinger… Five career starts at Richmond: 31.6 average finish, zero top-20 finishes.
34. Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 27.2 in the last five Richmond races.
35. Robby Gordon… 19 career starts at Richmond: 29.7 average finish, only two finishes on the lead lap.
36. David Stremme… Started 11th, DNF in May. Average finish of 28.0 in seven career starts at Richmond.
37. Michael Waltrip… Average finish of 30.2 over last five races at Richmond.
38. Paul Menard… Average finish of 31.6 over last three races at Richmond.
39. John Andretti… Finished 32nd in May, first Richmond start since ‘07.
40. Scott Speed… Started eighth, finished 33rd in May, first career start at Richmond. Finished 27th in the Nationwide race.
41. Joe Nemechek… Average finish of 36.3 over last three races at Richmond.
42. Mike Bliss… Started sixth, finished 37th in May.
43. Tony Raines… Started 43rd, finished 41st in May.
44. Dave Blaney… DNF (accident) after eight laps in May.

NASCAR Power Rankings: Richmond 2

Atlanta

Who's Up	Who's Down
Biggest Gain This Week: Denny Hamlin: 9th to 7th	Biggest Drop This Week: Carl Edwards: 7th to 10th
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- Locked in the Chase This is the best team in NASCAR (loyal readers are probably getting tired of hearing this), but loyal readers also probably remember my earlier rants about how the 48 keeps shooting themselves in the foot. They certainly can't do this in the Chase.

Rank: 2nd Mark Martin #5 Last Week: 2 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Mark Martin- 69 Points ahead of 13th Power Rankings are about how well a team is performing not where they are in the point standings. Martin's team is strong but unfortunately for them they're a bubble team that will (most likely) either be 1st in the points at New Hampshire or 13th.

Rank: 3rd Jeff Gordon #24 Last Week: 4 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Jeff Gordon- Locked in the Chase Part of me is saying that the "Drive for 5" might just be alive. With the 48 having problems so frequently the door for the Championship will be open for someone. Will Gordon open it?

Rank: 4th Tony Stewart #14 Last Week: 3 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Tony Stewart- Locked in the Chase This team has really been off their game since Pocono (when you take Watkins Glen out) despite what their finishes indicate. They have been squeaking by but that won't cut it in the Chase.

Rank: 5th Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Last Week: 6 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Juan Pablo Montoya- 88 Points ahead of 13th This is probably the best team in NASCAR history that only has two top fives. The 42 has been strong everywhere for months and if things go right for this team in the Chase then I wouldn't be surprised if Montoya finishes in the top 5.

Rank: 6th Kurt Busch #2 Last Week: 5 Change: -1 Driver Page | Articles

Kurt Busch- 95 Points ahead of 13th This team is a championship contender, but man where they bad at Atlanta. They dominated the spring race at Atlanta but were junk Sunday.This team has been strong at recent similar tracks so I don't expect any problems for them at Richmond.

Rank: 7th Denny Hamlin #11 Last Week: 9 Change: +2 Driver Page | Articles

Denny Hamlin- Locked in the Chase With a 6th place finish Denny Hamlin became just the 4th driver to lock himself into the Chase. Richmond is a track that fits Hamlin's strengths perfectly so he might just enter the Chase with 20 bonus points.

Rank: 8th Brian Vickers #83 Last Week: 8 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Brian Vickers- 21 Points out of the Chase Brian Vickers really needed to score more points at Atlanta. If you're a Vickers fan and you look at his Richmond stats you'll feel sick to your stomach. His average finish is 29.1 and he spends 18.4% of his laps in the top 15.

Rank: 9th Kasey Kahne #9 Last Week: 10 Change: +1 Driver Page | Articles

Kasey Kahne- 96 Points ahead of 13th Kahne did everything he could possibly do at Atlanta to assure himself a Chase appearance but the job isn't done yet. Kahne needs to finish 21st or better to clinch a Chase spot. With his win Kahne moved up 5 positions in the points.

Rank: 10th Carl Edwards #99 Last Week: 7 Change: -3 Driver Page | Articles

Carl Edwards- 105 Points ahead of 13th Some teams will enter the Chase running good and others will enter the Chase limping. To my amazement Edwards could competitively drive a car with a broken foot. I expect his right foot to get more of a test at Richmond then it did at Atlanta.

Rank: 11th Greg Biffle #16 Last Week: 11 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Greg Biffle- 68 Points ahead of 13th Biffle built up his points buffer zone at Atlanta, but not by much. In order for Biffle to make the Chase all that he needs to do is finish 11th. It certainly sounds easy enough but my gut tells me Biffle might be in trouble.

Rank: 12th Kyle Busch #18 Last Week: 12 Change: 0 Driver Page | Articles

Kyle Busch- 37 Points out of the Chase There are hypothetical scenarios where Kyle Busch will race his way into the Chase but I'll make it real easy for you. He won't. The only way Kyle will make the Chase is if some driver between 5th through 12th has problems.

NASCAR Fantasy Experts Picks: Crown Royal Russ Friedman 400 at RIR

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
James Jones	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	– 2	7.7
Mike Harmon	FOX Sports	Kyle Busch	– 1	8.3
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Denny Hamlin	–14	10.1
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	–14	10.6
Darren Fauth	Fantasy NASCAR Names	Tony Stewart	– 2	11.1
Yahoo Users	Yahoo! Sports	Jeff Gordon	– 8	11.9
Cheryl Lauer	Speed Couch	Denny Hamlin	–14	12
Eric Brewer		Denny Hamlin	–18	12.7
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Dale Earnhardt Jr	–27	12.8
Gerrit Ritt	FOX Sports	Clint Bowyer	–18	13
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Denny Hamlin	–14	13.2
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Tony Stewart	– 2	15.3
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	– 1	16.4
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Denny Hamlin	–14	16.4
Mike Maruska	NASCAR Ranting and Raving		–44	16.7
Eric McGuire	FFToolbox	Jimmie Johnson	–36	17.6
Roger Rotter	FOX Sports	Jimmie Johnson	–36	18.1
Jeff Gutowski			–44	19.6
Eric McClung	KFFL Fantasy NASCAR Blog	Jimmie Johnson	–36	21.2
Lori Munro	RaceTalkRadio.com		–44	23

American Hero Gets His Own NASCAR Race

One of our favorite NASCAR promotions, the Crown Royal^® Presents the “Your Name Here” 400 declared it’s grand prize winner for the first 2009 Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway, during Speedweeks at Daytona.

Last year, we had 2008 winner Dan Lowry of “Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400″ fame as guest ON PIT ROW. We’re hoping to have Russell Friedman, a two-time Purple Heart recipient and this year’s contest winner as a guest this time. It’s just the coolest prize a NASCAR fan could win.

 

CROWN ROYAL^® AWARDS PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT NAMING RIGHTS TO

 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

 

Grand Prize Winner Dedicates Race to All Who Serve Our Country 

DAYTONA, FL, February 13, 2009 – An elaborate ceremony today at Daytona International Speedway^® revealed Russell Friedman, a two-time Purple Heart recipient, as the grand-prize winner of the third annual Crown Royal^® Presents the “Your Name Here” 400 contest.   When Friedman accepted the prize – naming rights to the May 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway – he spoke of how his efforts could not be recognized alone and that it was important to honor all the individuals who serve our country.

 

 

 

 

 

Friedman lives in Huntington Station, NY, and was chosen from a group of seven finalists from around the country based on a submission that detailed his experience serving in Iraq.  The race at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2009 will now be titled “Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Winning the Crown Royal ‘Your Name Here’ 400 contest is absolutely amazing and truly an overwhelming experience,” said Friedman.  “Not only do I get to live out one of my dreams, but I get a chance to help recognize all the American soldiers who defend our freedoms on a day-to-day basis and definitely deserve a toast with Crown Royal.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the contest, finalists submitted online or video entries describing an honorable act or achievement worthy of toasting with Crown Royal Canadian whisky.  Nearly 5,000 entries were received, detailing a myriad of achievements from the heroics of firefighters to dedicated fathers going the extra mile.

 

 

“Crown Royal is excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our consumers and race fans by honoring them with a sports experience fit for a king,” said Ami-Lynn Bakshi, vice president, Crown Royal.  “We’re looking forward to helping Russell share his moment in the spotlight with all the individuals who selflessly serve this country.  The Russell Friedman 400 will be an event for all to remember.”

 

 

The ceremony to unveil Friedman as the winner included a 20-foot replica Crown Royal bottle featuring his name as part of the Richmond race logo and was draped with an oversized iconic purple bag for two days leading up to the announcement.  A countdown clock ticked away while seven finalists waited with great anticipation as NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray and representatives from Crown Royal and Richmond International Raceway pulled down the bag to reveal the grand-prize winner’s name. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Russell Friedman 400 will be incorporated into all official race logos, used for thousands of pieces of merchandise and recognized by NASCAR’s broadcast and media partners as the race’s official title.  In addition, Friedman will take part in pre-race festivities at Richmond International Raceway, and participate in the trophy presentation to the race winner in Gatorade Victory Lane.  During the race weekend he will receive VIP accommodations for himself and a guest.

Leading up to the big day in Richmond, Crown Royal will continue to remind fans to “Be A Champion.  Drink Responsibly.” through Safe Rides Home designated driver initiatives and other programming designed to reinforce the importance of drinking responsibly.

“On behalf of Richmond International Raceway, congratulations to Russell and a sincere thank you to him and all the members of our nation’s armed forces to whom this race is dedicated,” said Richmond International Raceway President Doug Fritz. “The partnership with Crown Royal and the ‘Your Name Here’ contest has been a huge success, and Russell is sure to be another great winner. We look forward to continuing this great tradition by having Russell join us for an exciting weekend at America’s Premier Short Track.”

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc

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