TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
AMP ENERGY 500
BY DAN BEAVER
Overview
wrench into NASCAR's wellformed scenario.
This is what NASCAR has hoped for since the advent of the playoff-style Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2004. Only six markers separate points' leader Jimmie Johnson from second-place Denny Hamlin, which is a virtual tie with four races remaining. Kevin Harvick is only 62 points back after closing the distance marginally last week at Martinsville Speedway.
Several wildcards get played during the running of a race at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. Some of these are the same intangibles that
With three drivers battling for the Championship, excitement is at a fever pitch-and then comes Talladega SuperSpeedway. A restrictor-plate superspeedway race has the potential to thrill fans with three- and four-wide racing, but it might also throw a monkey
Previous Active Winners Jeff Gordon Dale Earnhardt Jr Bill Elliott Mark Martin Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick Jimmie Johnson Brad Keselowski Bobby Labonte Jamie McMurray Tony Stewart Michael Waltrip
6 5 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Top-Fives Jeff Gordon Mark Martin Bill Elliott Tony Stewart Dale Earnhardt Jr Michael Waltrip Kurt Busch Bobby Labonte Jamie McMurray Jeff Burton Kevin Harvick Jimmie Johnson Ryan Newman Denny Hamlin Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne Juan Montoya David Ragan Marcos Ambrose Greg Biffle Dave Blaney Clint Bowyer Kyle Busch Carl Edwards David Gilliland Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Paul Menard Joe Nemechek Elliott Sadler Scott Speed Martin Truex Jr
13 11 10 9 8 7 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
drivers face every week, such as mistakes in the pits and blown engines, but on the plate tracks they also have to worry about the fickle nature of the draft and the ever-present dan-
Top-10s Mark Martin Bill Elliott Jeff Gordon Michael Waltrip Jeff Burton Kurt Busch Bobby Labonte Tony Stewart Dale Earnhardt Jr Kevin Harvick Jimmie Johnson Ryan Newman Matt Kenseth Jamie McMurray Joe Nemechek Casey Mears Elliott Sadler Clint Bowyer Carl Edwards Denny Hamlin David Ragan Greg Biffle Kyle Busch Kasey Kahne Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Juan Montoya Martin Truex Jr Marcos Ambrose Dave Blaney David Gilliland Travis Kvapil Paul Menard Scott Speed
23 22 16 14 13 13 13 12 11 8 7 7 6 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
2010 FANTASY AUTO RACING:PREVIEW
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 ger of a "Big One" crash that could eliminate up to half the field. The "Big One" is the most dramatic of the two new factors and it can occur anywhere in the field at anytime during the race. We've seen drivers make contact and spin while racing for the lead, and while trying equally hard not to get shuffled out of the top 15. No one is immune top the carnage as virtually all of the drivers entered this week have sustained some damage in a multi-car crash on the plate tracks during the last three years. While the "Big One" crash is the more spectacular intangible, the erratic nature of the draft is perhaps the more meaningful. The boxy shape of the Car of Tomorrow (COT), engine rules designed to create parity, and fairly equal skills among the top drivers have combined to make for a lot of passing. Normally that would be a good thing, but its unpredictability will plague fantasy owners from the drop of the green flag until the checkers wave. A race at Talladega is like a Wheel of Fortune. Eventually it will stop and someone will come out on top, but there is prac-
tically no way to predict who that will be.
Points Per Race
Driver Rating - Talladega Rank Driver
Best
Avg.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46.
125.0 119.0 121.5 107.6 117.2 101.0 135.5 91.2 107.3 110.5 117.2 102.9 98.9 120.1 105.0 112.7 111.3 101.9 91.9 86.1 91.4 105.3 91.9 70.9 90.6 89.7 103.4 100.7 98.7 85.1 115.4 76.7 81.4 85.0 85.5 90.7 79.1 77.3 81.1 84.0 91.8 85.2 98.4 94.4 73.5 78.8
95.9 93.3 92.5 89.6 89.0 87.1 86.0 85.3 85.0 84.4 83.6 82.5 81.8 81.7 80.1 79.7 76.6 75.3 74.5 74.3 73.6 73.4 71.5 70.9 70.1 68.9 67.4 66.7 66.3 66.2 65.9 65.9 65.1 64.8 64.7 64.3 63.7 63.4 62.9 62.7 61.4 60.9 60.7 60.6 59.0 58.7
Denny Hamlin Dale Earnhardt Jr. David Ragan Brian Vickers Tony Stewart Jeff Burton Jeff Gordon Joey Logano Kurt Busch Jamie McMurray Jimmie Johnson Juan Montoya Brad Keselowski Matt Kenseth Elliott Sadler Kyle Busch Ryan Newman Kevin Harvick Martin Truex Jr. Jeff Green Casey Mears Aric Almirola Travis Kvapil Michael McDowell Scott Riggs Greg Biffle Carl Edwards Michael Waltrip Kasey Kahne David Reutimann Paul Menard Mike Wallace Marcos Ambrose David Stremme Mark Martin Clint Bowyer Regan Smith Scott Speed Bobby Labonte J.J. Yeley Reed Sorenson Joe Nemechek Robby Gordon David Gilliland Sam Hornish Jr. Johnny Sauter
Jimmie Johnson (leader) Denny Hamlin - 1.5 Kevin Harvick - 15.5 Kyle Busch - 43.0 * Jeff Gordon - 50.8 Carl Edwards - 53.3 * Tony Stewart - 59.0 * Jeff Burton - 61.5 * Kurt Busch - 69.3 * Matt Kenseth - 73.3 * Greg Biffle - 79.0 * Clint Bowyer - 101.5 ^ * more than one full race out of first. ^ more than two full races out of first.
Spread the Wealth Because this race is impossible to predict, your options this week are wide open. The best strategy to employ on the plate tracks is to spread the wealth among marquee and dark horse racers alike, but with Group A almost completely comprised of marquee drivers, you have to change that up a little for the Yahoo! game. The best advice here is not to use a final allocation for any driver that will be more predictable later in the season. Johnson may well stay out of trouble and win the Amp Energy Juice 500-Hendrick Motorsports has a great record on the plate
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 tracks-but he'll be one of the strongest drivers in the field at Phoenix International Raceway later in the season and he will be able to control his Fate in that race. Use the same logic in Groups B and C. Don't use your last allocation on a driver that could come in handy during the final three races, but at these levels, you also have the additional task of identifying dark horses that you might not consider on any other track type. David Ragan in Group B or Michael Waltrip in Group C are just as likely to avoid trouble as Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick-and if they keep their nose clean, they could find themselves in the lead pack with a chance to win in the closing laps. Because the plate tracks are different than any other courses, the method of handicapping them also needs to change. Instead of looking at raw results that are often skewed by the luck of the draw in missing a "Big One" crash, look at the Driver Rating that is supplied by NASCAR Statistical Services. That chart can be found on page two of this preview. You should also give a lot of weight to the average running position (page five) and the amount of time a driver has spent inside the top 10 (page 6). The last two statistics are important because simple mathematics suggests that the further forward a driver is in the pack, the fewer cars there are ahead of him to create a road block in the event of a "Big One" crash.
After setting your roster, sit back and enjoy the race. You never have any control over what the drivers do in the first place, and that is even more pronounced on the plate tracks. Just hope you make it through the Amp Energy Juice 500 largely unscathed and remember that there are three races remaining after that.
We'll guarantee you that is what Johnson, Hamlin, and Harvick are doing this week.
Group A This week, the formula used to determine favorites is different than on any other track. We were tempted to take out a coin and start flipping it, but decided
top-Fives and top-10s by car owner, Last Three Years Owner
Attempts
Joe Gibbs Earnhardt - Ganassi Tad Geschickter Richard Childress James Finch Red Bull Racing Chip Ganassi Jack Roush Tony Stewart DEI Rick Hendrick George Gillett Racers Group Gene Haas Petty Enterprises Roger Penske Robby Gordon Doug Yates Ray Evernham Michael Waltrip Front Row Motorsports Barney Visser MSRP Motorsports Germain Bros Joe Nemechek Tommy Baldwin Bill Davis Troy Aikman Wood Bros Yates / Hall of Fame Bill Jenkins Jeremy Mayfield Larry McClure
15 6 3 18 5 10 5 24 6 8 20 12 3 4 4 15 5 6 6 12 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Top-5s
Top-10s
5 2 1 4 1 2 1 4 1 1 2 1
7 2 1 7 3 3 1 6 1 1 6 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1
33% 33% 33% 22% 20% 20% 20% 17% 17% 13% 10% 8%
47% 33% 33% 39% 60% 30% 20% 25% 17% 13% 30% 17% 33% 25% 25% 20% 20% 17% 17% 8%
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 someone was likely to complain; instead, we looked at three key factors: NASCAR Statistical Service's Driver Rating, average Talladega finish since 2004, and laps spent in the top 10. Without making a lot of adjustments for instinct (and if you've Rank been watching this 1. writer's fantasy team in 2. recent weeks, the reason 3. for that will be immedi4. ately apparent), here is 5. how they get ranked: 6. 1. Denny Hamlin Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/9 Top-fives: 3 Top-10s: 3 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 21.20 First 2010 Race+: second (94)
This is actually a great opportunity for Hamlin to make up some points on Johnson, and in fact, we would be willing to place a modest wager that he will leave Alabama with the points' lead. He's as prone to danger on the plate tracks as anyone else, but before getting bashed about or dropped out of the draft, he's run with the leaders enough during the last few years to earn NASCAR's No. 1 Driver Rating. That's good enough for us to rank him first in the fantasy game as well. 2. Tony Stewart Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/23 Top-fives: 9 Top-10s: 12 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 22.60
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43.
First 2010 Race+: sixth (70) ^
bridesmaid every time NASCAR rolled into Talladega. He finished For a while, it appeared that third in three consecutive races Stewart was destined to be the in 2005 and 2006. Perhaps he was a little discouraged by that and tried a little too hard in the next four events, during which he earned only one top-10 Driver Avg. Attempts and had an average reKurt Busch 13.50 12 sult of 24th, but he fiClint Bowyer 14.17 12 nally won the 2008 Amp Kevin Harvick 15.50 12 Energy 500 amidst conCarl Edwards 15.83 12 troversy. He hasn't Dale Earnhardt Jr 16.08 12 cracked the top 15 on David Ragan 16.33 12 this track since, but that Tony Stewart 16.67 12 means he's due. Greg Biffle 17.25 12
3 Year Avg. Finish on Plate Tracks
Juan Montoya Kyle Busch Jeff Burton Denny Hamlin Kasey Kahne Elliott Sadler Matt Kenseth Jimmie Johnson Bobby Labonte Scott Speed David Reutimann Paul Menard Kevin Conway Joey Logano Jeff Gordon Casey Mears Jamie McMurray Michael Waltrip Mark Martin Ryan Newman Marcos Ambrose Robert Richardson Johnny Sauter Brad Keselowski Martin Truex Jr Regan Smith Travis Kvapil A J Allmendinger Aric Almirola Bill Elliott Michael McDowell Sam Hornish Jr Joe Nemechek David Gilliland Dave Blaney
17.83 17.92 18.00 18.58 18.67 19.17 19.42 20.00 20.00 20.29 20.67 21.92 22.00 22.71 23.00 23.00 23.08 23.27 23.44 23.58 24.43 24.50 25.33 25.43 25.83 27.09 27.13 30.45 31.00 31.67 32.00 32.50 32.92 34.50 34.60
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 7 12 12 2 7 12 10 12 11 9 12 7 4 3 7 12 11 8 11 6 3 5 12 12 8 10
^ tied for sixth-most points with Carl Edwards. 3. Kurt Busch Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/19 Top-fives: 6 Top-10s: 13 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 20.80 First 2010 Race+: fourth (86)
Like Stewart, Busch continuously comes close on the plate tracks. He's finished third at Talladega three times and either second or third at Daytona and Talladega nine times in 39 attempts. With 24 top-10s, when he avoids trouble, he's much more likely to finish with the leaders on this track than he is to be buried deep in the pack. On the other hand, he's not immune to trouble. Of the 10 times he's finished 30th or worse on the plate
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 tracks, seven of these poor results were caused by crash damage.
As erratic and unpredictable as Montoya can be on other tracks, he actually holds a steady wheel in the draft. Perhaps he's learned how dramatic the consequences of overaggression are on this track type and he's dialed himself back accordingly, but whatever the reason, he was good enough to become the highest points' earner this spring in the Aaron's 499 with a third-place finish. With a NASCAR Driver Rating of 12th, he's liable to run mid-pack for much of the race, but he should find his way toward the front at the end of the day. 5. Jimmie Johnson Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/17 Top-fives: 4 Top-10s: 7 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 17.80 First 2010 Race+: 10th (40)
For the most part, Johnson has entered Talladega during the last four years either with a sizable points' lead or in the role of Chaser and he's been able to ap-
point cushion in front of Hamlin, he could leave with a large deficit if he has the same bad luck that plagued him in the spring race on Place this track. In fact, two of Johnson's last three 13.8 Talladega tries have 13.9 ended in the 30s and 14.0 that has to give him 14.1 some sleepless nights. 14.6 He will take consolation 15.2 in the fact that both of 15.4 those poor results came 16.0 in the spring, however, 16.2 16.8 and he enters the week17.0 end with a three-race 17.1 streak of top-10s dur17.4 ing the fall.
Average Running Position at Talladega (L 4Yr)
4. Juan Montoya Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/7 Top-fives: 2 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 13.80 First 2010 Race+: first (96)
proach this event differently than he will in 2010. With only a six-
Rank Driver
Avg. Fin
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47.
19.3 16.0 20.0 16.4 16.1 13.3 17.6 20.4 12.6 15.4 18.2 19.6 25.3 20.6 14.3 23.2 16.5 17.7 25.0 26.9 20.7 17.3 15.5 22.6 20.4 20.9 26.0 25.0 21.9 24.8 25.3 20.8 22.2 25.8 24.1 21.8 20.7 26.4 20.8 20.7 17.0 26.4 15.7 21.9 33.3 27.6 31.0
Denny Hamlin Joey Logano Dale Earnhardt Jr. Juan Montoya Tony Stewart David Ragan Brian Vickers Elliott Sadler Kurt Busch Jimmie Johnson Matt Kenseth Jeff Burton David Reutimann Jeff Gordon Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick Jamie McMurray Marcos Ambrose Martin Truex Jr. Ryan Newman Travis Kvapil Jeff Green Mike Wallace Kasey Kahne Casey Mears Michael McDowell David Stremme Greg Biffle Johnny Sauter Aric Almirola Bobby Labonte Michael Waltrip Regan Smith Reed Sorenson J.J. Yeley Carl Edwards Paul Menard Scott Riggs Tony Raines Terry Labonte Joe Nemechek Scott Speed Robby Gordon Sam Hornish Jr. Mark Martin Boris Said
17.4 17.7 18.7 19.0 19.2 19.6 19.7 19.9 20.0 20.3 21.3 21.6 21.7 21.9 22.1 22.5 22.6 22.9 23.2 23.3 23.7 24.1 24.1 24.3 24.3 24.4 24.6 24.8 24.9 24.9 25.4 25.7 26.1 27.2
6. Jeff Gordon Wins at Track/Attempts: 6/35 Top-fives: 13 Top-10s: 16 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 27.20 First 2010 Race+: ninth (58)
Gordon learned a difficult lesson last week and it was the same example set earlier in the year by Kyle Busch and David Reutimann. You have to know who you are racing and don't rough up drivers who are A) frustrated by recent poor performances and B) have nothing to lose. In a much faster car, he nudged Kurt Busch out of his way while racing with the leaders at Martinsville and the No. 2 retaliated by intentionally spinning the No. 24 hard into the frontstretch wall. Now Gordon is in the same
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 position as Busch-he has nothing to lose and his fans can start thinking about his Championship hopes for 2011.
both of those came on this track in fall 2004 and spring 2007 and the lion's share of his accidents have occurred in Alabama as well. Even while he's running,
7. Kyle Busch Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/11 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 13.00 First 2010 Race+: fifth (86)
The younger Busch is an enigma on the plate tracks. His brash nature can occasionally make him a risky proposition, but when he's able to temper his aggression, he's capable of winning. In fact, he's won once each at Daytona and Talladega for a pair of plate victories, but he's much more likely to finish the day on the hook. In 23 previous plate races, he's been stopped or dramatically slowed by crash damage nine times and finished outside the top 30. 8. Carl Edwards Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/12 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 3 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 23.60 First 2010 Race+: sixth (70) ^
Edwards has finished outside the top 20 10 times in 24 plate races and most of his misfortune has occurred at Talladega. Two of his poor results could be blamed on engine failure;
he's not overly impressive with a Driver Rating that is only 27th best. ^ tied for sixth-most points with Tony Stewart.
Laps in Top-10 at Talladega (L 3Yrs) Rank Driver
Laps
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.
661 527 509 507 459 373 353 213 242 299 299 297 116 290 168 276 272 270 255 136 224 198 117 190 188 100 155 155 146 103 80 96 92 92 69 11 31 30 4 2 1 0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kyle Busch David Ragan Denny Hamlin Juan Montoya Jeff Burton Elliott Sadler Joey Logano Casey Mears Matt Kenseth Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Aric Almirola Tony Stewart Travis Kvapil Martin Truex Jr. David Reutimann Paul Menard Kevin Harvick Brad Keselowski Kurt Busch Jamie McMurray Marcos Ambrose Greg Biffle Ryan Newman Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Kasey Kahne Clint Bowyer Carl Edwards Sam Hornish Jr. Bobby Labonte Joe Nemechek Regan Smith A.J. Allmendinger Michael McDowell David Gilliland Scott Speed Dave Blaney Robert Richardson Johnny Sauter Kevin Conway
9. Greg Biffle % 69% 55% 53% 53% 48% 39% 37% 37% 32% 31% 31% 31% 31% 30% 29% 29% 28% 28% 27% 23% 23% 21% 20% 20% 20% 17% 16% 16% 15% 11% 10% 10% 10% 10% 9% 6% 5% 5% 1% 1% 1% 0%
Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/15 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 14.00 First 2010 Race+: eighth (68)
With a career average finish of 22nd, Talladega is Biffle's fourth worst active track. One of the courses on which he's had less success is Daytona-the other restrictor-plate superspeedway-and that is enough to make most fantasy owners park him for the week. He does deserve some recognition, however: both of his career Talladega top-10s came last year, and while he couldn't quite back that up with another this spring, he finished respectably in 17th. 10. Mark Martin Wins at Track/Attempts: 2/45 Top-fives: 11 Top-10s: 23 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 25.33 First 2010 Race+: third (92)
While running a part time schedule, Talladega was one of the tracks Martin avoided-and that speaks volumes about his opinion of this joint. He hates plate racing with more than a
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 little justification as he's been involved in some of the most spectacular accidents in Talladega history. Leave him in the garage this week and if you are a fan, cheer for him from the sidelines.
Group B 1. David Ragan Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/7 Top-fives: 2 Top-10s: 3 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 8.40 First 2010 Race+: third (90)
At first glance, Ragan might seem out of place at the top of the Group B rankings considering how he's struggled all year, but the plate tracks have been traditionally kind to the Young Gun. His first Cup race on this track type came in the 2007 Daytona 500 where he finished fifth, and he hasn't slowed down much since then with six results of sixth or better in 15 plate races. During his career, he's finished on the lead lap every time that he hasn't been sidelined because of an accident and in those races, he's recorded finishes of 17th or better. 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins at Track/Attempts: 5/21 Top-fives: 8 Top-10s: 11 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 12.80 First 2010 Race+: fifth (76)
Junior hasn't won a Cup race at Talladega since 2004 when he capped an incredible run of seven consecutive races with either a victory or second-place finish. Since then, he's earned only one more top-five when he weaved
Avg. Start at Talladega (L 3Yrs) Rank Driver
Avg.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41.
6.33 14.33 14.50 15.17 15.33 15.50 15.83 16.33 16.33 16.50 16.50 17.00 18.00 18.17 18.17 20.00 20.20 20.33 21.33 21.83 22.00 22.17 22.17 22.50 22.60 23.00 23.33 23.33 24.00 24.25 25.83 26.17 26.33 26.50 26.67 26.67 28.25 28.33 33.50 38.00 39.00
Mark Martin Greg Biffle Jimmie Johnson Juan Montoya Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tony Stewart Carl Edwards Travis Kvapil Matt Kenseth Denny Hamlin Martin Truex Jr. Jeff Gordon Joey Logano Joe Nemechek Ryan Newman Kyle Busch Casey Mears Jeff Burton David Ragan Paul Menard Scott Speed Clint Bowyer David Reutimann A.J. Allmendinger Regan Smith Aric Almirola Brad Keselowski Kurt Busch Michael McDowell Sam Hornish Jr. Bobby Labonte Kasey Kahne Marcos Ambrose Kevin Harvick Elliott Sadler Michael Waltrip Dave Blaney Jamie McMurray David Gilliland Robert Richardson Johnny Sauter
his way through last spring's last-lap carnage and finished second, but he hasn't lost any of his mystique. During the last three years, he has spent nearly 70 percent of the laps inside the top 10, which is the best among all drivers-and it means that he is still the Pied Piper.
Attempts 3 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 3 6 6 5 5 4 3 6 2 6 6 6 3 6 6 6 5 6 4 2 2
3. Jeff Burton Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/33 Top-fives: 4 Top-10s: 13 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 12.60 First 2010 Race+: ninth (48)
Consistency is worth its weight in fantasy gold on every type of track, but given the intangibles that face players on the plate tracks, that is even more so at Talladega. This spring, Burton was unable to avoid an accident that caused him to limp home 32nd, but before that misfortune, he accumulated four consecutive Talladega results of 12th or better. Better still, his last two fall attempts during the Chase when the big money has been on the line, both ended in top-fives. 4. Joey Logano Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/3 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 16.00 First 2010 Race+: 15th (30)
Conventional wisdom once held that rookies
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 Season to Date Grid (sorted by avg. fin) Driver
Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s Avg Fin Start
Laps
Kevin Harvick Carl Edwards Jeff Gordon Kyle Busch Jimmie Johnson Jeff Burton Matt Kenseth Denny Hamlin Tony Stewart Kurt Busch Clint Bowyer Jamie McMurray Ryan Newman Mark Martin Greg Biffle Joey Logano Dale Earnhardt Jr Juan Montoya David Reutimann A J Allmendinger Martin Truex Jr Kasey Kahne Brian Vickers Paul Menard David Ragan Brad Keselowski Marcos Ambrose Scott Speed Elliott Sadler Sam Hornish Jr Regan Smith Bill Elliott Reed Sorenson Robert Richardson Patrick Carpentier Travis Kvapil David Gilliland Robby Gordon David Stremme Boris Said Casey Mears Bobby Labonte Andy Lally Mike Bliss Michael Waltrip Kevin Conway Jeff Green Tony Raines Max Papis Terry Cook
32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 11 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 11 16 3 5 31 28 24 11 6 17 32 5 14 3 27 3 8 18 3
9,544 9,474 9,656 9,533 9,317 9,666 9,669 9,429 9,637 9,440 9,034 9,507 9,421 9,545 9,309 9,564 9,635 9,153 8,871 9,096 9,372 9,210 3,510 9,570 9,442 9,565 8,742 9,377 9,265 9,162 9,108 2,908 3,562 559 1,095 9,130 8,635 5,703 3,176 917 4,442 7,304 761 2,146 338 6,633 981 2,365 2,219 744
3
3 6
7 2 2 1 3 1 2
1 1
14 7 11 10 15 6 5 13 9 9 6 9 3 6 7 4 3 5 5 1 1 7 1
2
22 17 16 18 19 15 12 16 16 16 16 11 12 9 16 13 8 13 8 7 6 9 3 5 2 1 5 2 1 1
1
1
1 1
2
9.22 12.06 12.16 12.56 12.97 13.00 13.31 13.44 13.50 14.72 14.97 15.84 16.00 16.03 16.09 17.28 17.59 17.66 17.81 17.88 18.91 18.97 20.00 20.03 21.63 22.09 22.50 24.69 24.97 25.19 25.28 25.82 26.38 26.67 28.40 28.81 29.00 29.13 29.64 30.17 30.18 30.94 32.40 32.64 32.67 32.70 33.67 34.38 36.61 36.67
20.56 16.19 11.78 14.63 8.59 16.34 19.50 16.16 12.09 11.63 15.56 13.66 11.47 14.38 15.84 15.91 18.88 10.56 15.97 16.41 16.94 13.16 21.64 19.34 23.59 22.91 21.34 23.34 25.69 20.97 25.66 31.00 28.44 35.33 29.60 37.03 35.86 33.25 36.36 32.17 27.53 32.09 39.00 33.43 41.67 40.19 30.00 40.63 32.44 41.33
Poles DNFs DNQs
2 1 2 2
2 2 2 4 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3
1
1 2 2 2 4
2 1 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 7 3 2 2 4 2 2 2 4 8 2 4 4 4 1 5 1 1 3 1 8 2 3 7 10 3 10 2 9 1 3 11 4
2 1 1 2 1 5 8
10 2 1 2 5 7
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 were a sucker's bet on plate tracks. They were prone to make mistakes in heavy traffic, and as a result, veterans didn't want to draft with them. Last year, Logano disproved that theory at Talladega when he swept the top 10 in their two races. He hasn't been nearly as strong in 2010, but a recent surge in results suggests that his sophomore slump is due to end.
on the frontstretch during the final run to the checkers. He watched the previous year when Regan Smith cut Tony Stewart some slack in similar circumstances and knew that NASCAR might very well penalize him if he gave ground, so he hooked the No. 99 and sent the Ford flying. He came back in the fall to finish in the top 10 once more and that makes him a driver to watch closely all afternoon.
5. Matt Kenseth 7. Jamie McMurray Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/22 Top-fives: 3 Top-10s: 6 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 27.20 First 2010 Race+: 10th (46)
No one will ever accuse Kenseth of being a particularly exciting driver, but the last thing fantasy owners want on the plate tracks is a barnstormer. The only driver who could consistently get away with spinning others on this track type without sustaining damage himself was Dale Earnhardt Sr., so you would prefer to have someone that not only knows the length of his bumper, but is willing to comfortably ride in the draft without turning the car in front. 6. Brad Keselowski Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/3 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 14.33 First 2010 Race+: 13th (34)
Last year in the spring Talladega race, Keselowski proved how big his heart was when he refused to allow Carl Edwards to push him beneath the yellow line
Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/16 Top-fives: 5 Top-10s: 6 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 18.80 First 2010 Race+: second (98)
running well on the plate tracks and Sadler more than carried his own weight. In four races at Talladega and Daytona, he earned one top-five, two more top-10s, and a 19th. In 2008, he finished sixth in the Daytona 500 and was 10th in the Amp Energy 500, but this year has not been nearly as kind. In three plate races in 2010, his best result was a 22nd in the Coke Zero 400. He could very well improve on that result Sunday, but with so many accidents already this season, it's hard to start him with any level of confidence. 9. Kevin Harvick
With back-to-back plate wins in this race last year plus the 2010 Daytona 500, fans will make a strong case that McMurray should be ranked higher than this, but we are going strictly by the numbers this week. His average Talladega Driver Rating is 10th best and that would place him ahead of racers like Kenseth and Keselowski, but he has spent only 198 laps inside the top 10 during the last three years (20.6 percent) and that suggests he will spend most of Sunday afternoon in heavy traffic where danger lurks. 8. Elliott Sadler Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/23 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 4 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 20.00 First 2010 Race+: 12th (36)
Last year, Richard Petty Motorsports showed a knack for
Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/19 Top-fives: 4 Top-10s: 8 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 20.80 First 2010 Race+: first (100)
We were tempted to make Harvick the single exception to doing Talladega by the numbers, because he's defied the odds all year. Last week, the statistics said he should not have finished in the top five at Martinsville, but he had one of the best cars all afternoon. The plate tracks are different, however. Any little mistake on this course type has major implications and last year, three of his four efforts ended outside the top 20. To be fair, he enters the weekend with back-to-back victories at Talladega this spring and Daytona in the summer, so he's going to be highly valued among your competition and no one will be surprised if he finishes well. If his luck has run out, however,
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 Last Six Races (sorted by avg. fin) Driver Denny Hamlin Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Jamie McMurray Jeff Gordon Carl Edwards Kyle Busch Mark Martin Joey Logano Jeff Burton A J Allmendinger Tony Stewart Ryan Newman Kurt Busch Clint Bowyer Matt Kenseth Dale Earnhardt Jr Paul Menard Juan Montoya Ken Schrader Greg Biffle David Ragan David Reutimann Aric Almirola Brad Keselowski Regan Smith Elliott Sadler Kasey Kahne Martin Truex Jr Reed Sorenson Scott Speed Hermie Sadler Sam Hornish Jr Marcos Ambrose David Gilliland Bill Elliott Robby Gordon Travis Kvapil Casey Mears Dave Blaney Tony Raines Bobby Labonte Andy Lally Patrick Carpentier Kevin Conway Michael McDowell Landon Cassill Joe Nemechek J J Yeley Mike Bliss
Starts
Wins
Top-5s
Top-10s
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 1 6 6 6 1 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 1 6 6 6 2 4 6 6 6 4 6 3 3 5 6 6 6 5 5
1 1
3 5 3 2 1 1 2 1 1 1
5 5 5 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 2 2 4 1 2 2 2 2
1
1
1
2 1 1 2 1
1
2
2 1 3
DNFs
1 1
1
1 1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1 2 2 2 4 2 1 2 5 6 4 5 2
Avg. Fin
Start
Top 10 laps
6.00 6.50 6.83 9.33 12.33 12.67 12.83 12.83 13.17 14.50 14.67 15.83 16.00 16.17 16.33 16.50 16.83 17.00 17.17 18.00 19.33 20.17 20.50 21.00 21.00 21.17 22.17 22.50 22.67 23.60 25.50 26.00 27.00 27.83 30.00 30.00 31.50 32.00 33.50 33.67 34.00 35.00 35.67 36.33 38.50 40.67 41.17 41.17 41.60 43.20
16.00 14.00 27.50 11.67 10.67 13.33 14.50 22.00 16.33 19.00 14.33 16.50 12.00 18.50 17.17 17.83 21.50 10.00 10.00 38.00 9.50 17.33 14.50 35.00 23.17 19.17 16.33 16.83 13.17 23.40 24.17 42.00 22.33 20.00 36.50 24.00 36.33 36.50 22.60 37.33 41.00 31.67 40.67 35.50 40.75 34.20 33.67 33.75 37.80 37.00
886 1,106 665 705 1,035 827 1,010 501 608 662 409 666 620 665 570 650 168 535 414
2010 FANTASY AUTO RACING:PREVIEW
620 26 372 164 29 74 191 532 44 10 28 5 34 11 11 5 8 1 10 3 26 13 2 2 1 2
10
FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 our prediction is going to allow you to leapfrog the bandwagon. 10. Ryan Newman Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/17 Top-fives: 4 Top-10s: 7 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 25.00 First 2010 Race+: 14th (32)
Newman has made the superspeedway highlight reels for all the wrong reasons in recent years. It seems that every time there is a spin on the track, he finds a way to get involved and that has caused him to earn only one top-15 and two top20s in his last nine plate races. Everything else has been outside the top 25, which has contributed to an average finish of 29.9. 11. Martin Truex Jr. Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/11 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 30.80 First 2010 Race+: seventh (68)
Racing for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex should be one of the best plate racers in the field, but it really hasn't played out that way. In 22 combined starts at Talladega and Daytona, he's earned only three top-10s and you'll get only slightly worse odds in the lottery-which is precisely what these races are. Mostly, his poor performance has been
Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 24.60 First 2010 Race+: sixth (74)
caused by bad luck and 10 accidents. He also has a pair of blown engines, so Fate has not smiled on him on the big tracks.
In seven Talladega starts, Reutimann has gotten progres12. David Reutimann sively stronger and if that trend continues, he could earn a caWins at Track/Attempts: 0/7 reer-first top-10 after finishing Top-fives: 0 14th there in the fall. For a Top-10s: 0 driver with a career average finish of 25.3 in seven attempts and two results outside the top 30, that is a big "if," however. This Rank Driver Standings Rating week, watch the No. 00, take notes, and if he 1. Jimmie Johnson 1 108.6 runs strong, you might 2. Jeff Gordon 5 102.1 want to make him a dark 3. Kyle Busch 4 99.2 horse in 2011.
Driver Rating - Season to Date (75% of Races)
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37.
Jeff Burton Kevin Harvick Denny Hamlin Tony Stewart Juan Montoya Kurt Busch Clint Bowyer Carl Edwards Jamie McMurray Greg Biffle Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne David Reutimann Ryan Newman Mark Martin Martin Truex Jr. A.J. Allmendinger Joey Logano Dale Earnhardt Jr. Paul Menard Marcos Ambrose David Ragan Brad Keselowski Sam Hornish Jr. Elliott Sadler Scott Speed Regan Smith Robby Gordon Bobby Labonte David Gilliland Travis Kvapil Dave Blaney Joe Nemechek Kevin Conway
8 3 2 7 16 9 12 6 13 11 10 21 18 15 14 22 20 17 19 23 26 24 25 29 28 27 30 34 32 33 31 38 39 35
98.1 96.8 95.8 93.0 92.6 92.6 91.6 89.7 87.6 86.9 84.4 83.6 82.9 82.1 81.7 80.9 79.5 79.1 76.7 70.8 68.9 65.9 65.8 61.6 57.7 57.2 56.8 47.0 45.2 42.9 42.6 34.5 33.1 32.5
13. Kasey Kahne Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/13 Top-fives: 2 Top-10s: 2 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 23.60 First 2010 Race+: eighth
Just how difficult is it to handicap a plate race? Kahne finished second in this race last year and he also has a runner-up result in fall 2006; those are his only top-10s and two of only four top-15s in 13 attempts. Those strong runs are offset by an equal number of results in the 30s, which makes him an all or nothing driver on a track where "nothing" means bent sheet metal and blown rubber. It's going to take at least one more week before his fans get a chance to see how well kahne will meld with Red Bull Racing.
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 14. Clint Bowyer Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/9 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 3 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 14.40 First 2010 Race+: fourth (78)
he'll turn his fortune around, avoid him like the interstate at rush hour.
Group C
only to lose their rides and find themselves in less well-funded rides, so at this level we will concentrate on the strength of the team in addition to the ability of individual drivers.
It is impossible to strictly handi- 1. Michael Waltrip Bowyer is the only Chase con- cap Group C by the numbers. tender more with a more than Too many drivers have accumu- Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/49 two-race deficit to the leaders lated records with strong teams Top-fives: 7 Top-10s: 14 and that could make him Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 22.60 a driver with something First 2010 Race+: 13th (24) to prove this weekend. That might be a good Rk. Driver Starts Avg. thing on other types of So, as soon as we say tracks, but desperation on we are going to handicap 1. Jimmie Johnson 32 9.2 the superspeedways can 2. Jeff Gordon 32 9.4 this Group by the 3. Jeff Burton 32 11.0 be a recipe for disaster. If strength of the team, we 4. Kyle Busch 32 11.6 we had to go out on a rank a start and park car 5. Tony Stewart 32 12.3 limb, we would predict first. Are we being incon6. Kevin Harvick 32 12.8 that he is the most likely sistent? Not really, be7. Juan Montoya 32 13.0 candidate to trigger the cause we suspect that 8. Carl Edwards 32 13.66 "Big One" crash out of evthis will actually be a 9. Kurt Busch 32 13.67 eryone in Group B. Michael Waltrip Racing 10. Denny Hamlin 32 14.0 backup car that gets 11. Clint Bowyer 32 14.5 15. Marcos Ambrose pressed into service at 12. Greg Biffle 32 15.1 13. Jamie McMurray 32 15.17 Prism Motorsports. Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/3 14. Matt Kenseth 32 15.21 Waltrip knows how to 15. Ryan Newman 32 16.0 Top-fives: 1 handle himself in the draft 16. Mark Martin 32 16.1 Top-10s: 1 and that will be the big 17. Kasey Kahne 32 16.4 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 25.00 equalizer this week. His 18. Martin Truex Jr. 32 16.8 First 2010 Race+: 16th (18) greatest value, however, 19. David Reutimann 32 17.1 will be that he allows you 20. Joey Logano 32 17.2 Ambrose's career on to rest the usual Group 21. A.J. Allmendinger 32 17.7 plate tracks defies reaC marquee drivers. 22. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 32 18.5 son. With his background 23. Paul Menard 32 19.5 in Australian V8 2. Aric Almirola 24. Marcos Ambrose 32 21.6 25. Brad Keselowski 32 21.8 Supercars, this was the 26. David Ragan 32 22.1 Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/4 most unfamiliar of all track 27. Sam Hornish Jr. 32 24.5 Top-fives: 0 types, but his first three 28. Elliott Sadler 32 25.6 Top-10s: 0 Cup attempts ended in a 29. Scott Speed 32 25.8 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 23.00 17th-, fourth-, and sixth30. Regan Smith 32 26.2 First 2010 Race+: DNQ place finish. Then, just as 31. Robby Gordon 24 31.2 quickly as he drove to the 32. Travis Kvapil 31 31.38 Almirola is a godsend to front, he dropped to the 33. David Gilliland 28 31.42 a lot of fantasy players back with four consecu34. Bobby Labonte 32 31.7 who were waiting for a 35. Kevin Conway 27 36.0 tive results of 34th or 36. Dave Blaney 25 38.2 miracle. He's a great worse. Unless you have 37. Joe Nemechek 28 39.5 driver with a great team a crystal ball that predicts
Avg. Running Position - Season to Date (75% of Races)
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 even if they are somewhat embroiled in financial controversy for the moment. While Mark Martin was taking Talladega vacations, Almirola was behind the wheel of the No. 8 during the 2008 season and on one of those occasions, he took that car to a top-15 finish. The same thing could (actually, make that should) happen this week. 3. Scott Speed Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/3 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 1 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 15.67 First 2010 Race+: fourth (62) ^
Speed has had enough difficult races this year to make his fans anxious, but if you feel that Waltrip and Almirola are too much of an unknown entity, he could be your top pick. Last year, he was one of the most pleasant surprises at Talladega with a fifth-place finish in the spring. This year, he's been consistent if not quite as strong with one top-10, two top-15s, and three top-20s in three starts. In Group C, that makes him extremely attractive. ^ tied for fourth-most points with Robby Gordon. 4. Paul Menard Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/8 Top-fives: 1 Top-10s: 1
Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 19.20 First 2010 Race+: seventh (52)
6. Casey Mears
Fantasy owners won't soon forget that Menard finished second in the fall 2008 Talladega race. That was his third consecutive top-15 on this track type and it made him a great dark horse choice all of last year. He hasn't been quite as strong since, however, with only two top-15s and three top-20s in his last seven attempts on plate tracks. Unless you have four allocations remaining for the driver of the No. 98, you should park Menard and save him for Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix, and/or Homestead-Miami International where he will be imminently more predictable.
Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/14 Top-fives: 0 Top-10s: 4 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 15.50 First 2010 Race+: NA
If we were going strictly by the numbers, Mears would be the number one pick this week, but his average finish and Drivers Rating are based on his record with much stronger teams during the last few years. Like Waltrip in the No. 55, however, the driver can make up for a lot in the draft and the Germain Racing No. 13 is strong enough to hang with the second pack. If he avoids the "Big One" crash, he should finish in the front half of the field.
5. A.J. Allmendinger 7. Bobby Labonte Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/6 Top-fives: 0 Top-10s: 0 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 29.25 First 2010 Race+: third (64)
Wins at Track/Attempts: 1/35 Top-fives: 6 Top-10s: 13 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 20.20 First 2010 Race+: eighth (46)
Allmendinger has been the go to guy often enough this year that you are probably not sweating this week's pick. That is because, you probably don't have enough allocations remaining for the driver of the No. 43 to make him a real temptation, but just in case you are thinking about giving him the final start of the year, consider this: four of his last six plate races have ended in results in the 30s.
With the right driver, success can be found on any type of track, which is something Labonte proved two weeks ago at Charlotte in the Bank of America 500 when he held onto a 22nd-place finish in an underfunded car. Unfortunately, we are not 100 percent sure that the No. 09 won't start and park this week like they did at Martinsville. It is more likely
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PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500
FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
that this group of drivers will since 2003 when he drove for 13th on the lead lap after look for a safe place to ride and Ray Evernham; he finished starting in the top 10 that afmake laps, which could ternoon. In fact, he finplay into their hands if a ished 13th in both "Big One" crash occurs Talladega races that Points while they are half a lap Week Race year, but since running behind the leaders. a limited schedule with 6 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 110 the Wood Bros., this is 14 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 110 8. Regan Smith one of the tracks they 15 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 110 always skip. It will be 26 Air Guard 400 110 Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/6 fun to see him back on 32 Tums Fast Relief 500 110 Top-fives: 0 course at a place he 8 Samsung Mobile 500 100 Top-10s: 0 dominated in the 11 Showtime Southern 500 100 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 26.40 23 Carfax 400 98 1980s and 1990s, but First 2010 Race+: 12th (26) 21 Pennsylvania 500 95 that does not make him a good value for Year's Avg. 72.4 When Smith was penalyour fantasy team. Last 10 Races 76.9 ized to the end of the lead lap by NASCAR in 10. Sam Hornish Jr. the 2009 Amp Energy Points Wins at Track/Attempts: 0/6 500, it seems to have Week Race Top-fives: 0 broken his spirit. He 18 Coke Zero 400 110 Top-10s: 0 crossed the finish line first 23 Carfax 400 100 Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: 35.40 that afternoon only to be 9 Aaron's 499 100 First 2010 Race+: sixth (54) credited with 12th after 20 Brickyard 400 98 he dipped under the yel- 3 Shelby American 98 low line. If he had not 2 Like Menard and Auto Club 500 98 done so, Smith would 1 Allmendinger, this is a Daytona 500 98 have spun Tony Stewart 32 good week to rest a Tums Fast Relief 500 96 Price Chopper 400 96 and caused a massive 29 driver who will be a Crown Royal 400 96 crash. If he had been 10 much greater value in more aggressive, he the final three races of Year's Avg. 78.6 might not only have won the season. Hornish can Last 10 Races 76.4 the race, but also develbe crash prone in the oped some momentum; best of circumstances instead, he's struggled and he won't face very Week Race Points through his last four plate many good situations races with finishes in the on Sunday. 4 Kobalt Tools 500 92 30s. 29 Price Chopper 400 91 Other Group C drivers 28 AAA 400 78 9. Bill Elliott 13 Coca-Cola 600 76 11. David Gilliland 19 LifeLock.com 400 72 Wins at Track/Attempts: 2/54 12. Robert Richardson 32 Tums Fast Relief 500 66 Top-fives: 10 13. Travis Kvapil 21 Pennsylvania 500 66 Top-10s: 22 1 Daytona 500 66 14. Johnny Sauter Avg. Fin, last 3 Yrs: NA 20 Brickyard 400 64 15. Michael McDowell 6 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 64 First 2010 Race+: NA 16. Joe Nemechek 17. Kevin Conway Year's Avg. 53.3 This will be the first 18. Dave Blaney Last 10 Races 50.7 Talladega race for Elliott 19. Landon Cassill
Denny Hamlin’s Nine Best Races
Kevin Harvick’s Nine Best Races
Regan Smith’s Nine Best’ Races
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 + The points ranking in the "spring" race on this track in the Yahoo! game. Actual number of points is in parentheses. * outside the top-35 in owner points and must race their way into the show.
Driver Performance Here are the top performances by driver each week from earlier in the year. The full list can be found each week by clicking on the "Driver Performance" link in the "Research" section of your team roster: Group A: (7) Denny Hamlin: Martinsville 1 (week 6), Texas 1 (week 8), Pocono 1 (week 14), Michigan 1 (week 15), Michigan 2 (week 23), New Hampshire 2 (week 26), Martinsville 2 (week 32) (5) Jimmie Johnson: Auto Club 1 (week 2), Phoenix 1 (week 7), Infineon (week 16), New Hampshire 1 (week 17), Dover 2 (week 28) (4) Jeff Gordon: Las Vegas (week 3), Darlington (week 11), Daytona 2 (week 18), New Hampshire 2 (week 27) (4) Tony Stewart: Pocono 1 (week 21), At-
Best Career Average Finishes Driver
Track
Avg.
Strt
Marcos Ambrose Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Kyle Busch Tony Stewart Juan Montoya Denny Hamlin Carl Edwards Carl Edwards Denny Hamlin Kevin Harvick Jeff Gordon Denny Hamlin Carl Edwards Jeff Gordon Denny Hamlin Greg Biffle Denny Hamlin Carl Edwards Mark Martin Tony Stewart Jeff Gordon Joey Logano Jeff Gordon Mark Martin Jeff Gordon Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart Kyle Busch Jimmie Johnson A.J. Allmendinger Bill Elliott Jeff Gordon Tony Stewart Joey Logano Brad Keselowski Jimmie Johnson Denny Hamlin Jimmie Johnson Matt Kenseth Jimmie Johnson Clint Bowyer Jimmie Johnson Matt Kenseth Jeff Burton Kevin Harvick Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson
Watkins Glen 2.7 Phoenix 4.9 Martinsville 5.3 Auto Club 5.3 Richmond 5.3 Watkins Glen 5.4 Infineon 5.8 Martinsville 6.1 Michigan 6.3 Homestead 6.5 Darlington 6.6 Homestead 7.0 Martinsville 7.1 New Hampshire 7.6 Dover 7.7 Homestead 7.9 Richmond 8.0 Kansas 8.1 Pocono 8.2 Watkins Glen 8.2 Watkins Glen 8.3 Indy 8.3 Kansas 8.5 Charlotte 8.5 Chicagoland 8.6 Phoenix 8.7 Infineon 9.1 Auto Club 9.2 Kansas 9.2 Infineon 9.3 Bristol 9.3 Darlington 9.3 Watkins Glen 9.3 Darlington 9.4 Indy 9.5 Chicagoland 9.5 Las Vegas 9.5 Darlington 9.5 Pocono 9.6 Texas 9.6 Dover 9.7 Michigan 9.8 Charlotte 9.8 Richmond 9.8 New Hampshire 9.9 Texas 9.9 Las Vegas 9.9 Indy 9.9 Chicagoland 10.0 Texas 10.1
3 14 18 16 12 12 4 11 13 6 5 7 36 10 13 7 10 9 10 6 21 12 10 4 10 27 18 13 9 12 12 12 3 52 17 10 2 2 18 10 18 23 19 10 18 16 13 10 9 14
lanta 2 (week 25), Kansas (week 29). Auto Club 2 (week 30 - tied with Mark Martin) (4) Kyle Busch: Richmond 1 (week 10), Dover 1 (week 12), Bristol 2 (week 24), Charlotte 2 (week 31) (3) Kurt Busch: Atlanta 1 (week 4), Bristol 1 (week 5), Charlotte 1 (week 13) (2) Greg Biffle: Daytona 1 (week 1), Indy (week 20) (2) Juan Montoya: Talladega 1 (week 9), Watkins Glen (week 22) (1) Carl Edwards: Chicagoland (week 19) (1) Mark Martin: Auto Club 2 (week 30 - tied with Tony Stewart) Group B: Top two each week. ( 1 4 ) Ke v i n H a r v i c k : Daytona 1 (week 1 tied for second with D a l e E a r n h a r d t J r. ) , Auto Club 1 (week 2), Las Vegas (week 3), Ta l l a d e g a ( w e e k 9 ) , Richmond 1 (week 10), Darlington (week 11), Pocono 1 (week 14), New Hampshire 1 (week 17), Daytona 2 (week 18), Indy (week 20), Pocono 1 (week 14), Michigan 2 (week
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 23), Kansas (week 29), Martinsville 2 (week 32) (10) Jamie McMurray: Daytona 1 (week 1), Ta l l a d e g a ( w e e k 9 ) , Darlington (week 11), Charlotte 1 (week 13), Chicagoland (week 19), Indy (week 20), Watkins Glen (week 22), Bristol 2 (week 24), New Hampshire 2 (week 27), Charlotte 2 (week 31) (9) Jeff Burton: Auto Club 1 (week 2), Bristol 1 (week 5 - tied for first w i t h M a t t Ke n s e t h ) , Richmond 1 (week 10), Dover 1 (week 12), Daytona 2 (week 18), Pocono 1 (week 14), Atlanta 2 (week 25), Dover 2 (week 28), Martinsville 2 (week 32) (7) Matt Kenseth: Las Vegas (week 3), Atlanta 1 (week 4), Bristol 1 (week 5 - tied for first with Jeff Burton), Phoenix 1 (week 7), Dover 1 (week 12), Kansas (week 29), Charlotte 2 (week 31) (5) Ryan Newman: Martinsville 1 (week 6), Phoenix 1 (week 7), Charlotte 1 (week 13), New Hampshire 1 (week 17), Atlanta 2 (week 25) (4) Kasey Kahne: Atlanta 1 (week 4), Michigan 1 (week 15), Infineon (week 16), Auto Club 2 (week 30)
(4) Clint Bowyer: Pocono 1 (week 14), New Hampshire 2
(week 26), New Hampshire 2 (week 27), Auto Club 2 (week 30)
Consecutive Races: running at end / on Lead Lap (LL) Rank Driver
Running
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 11. 13. 14. 15. 15. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 21. 23. 24. 24. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 31. 31. 34. 34. 34. 34. 34. 39. 39. 39. 39. 39. 39. 39. 39.
39 39 38 24 24 24 21 18 16 14 14 14 14 14 12 12 11 10 9 8 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Matt Kenseth Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Burton Carl Edwards David Reutimann Tony Stewart A.J. Allmendinger Jeff Gordon Martin Truex Jr. Jamie McMurray Jimmie Johnson Mark Martin Brad Keselowski Ryan Newman David Gilliland Juan Montoya Marcos Ambrose Regan Smith Kurt Busch Reed Sorenson Denny Hamlin Kevin Harvick Paul Menard Elliott Sadler Scott Speed Joey Logano Bill Elliott Kasey Kahne Robby Gordon Kyle Busch Greg Biffle David Ragan Robert Richardson Aric Almirola Sam Hornish Jr. Andy Lally Hermie Sadler Ken Schrader Clint Bowyer Travis Kvapil Dennis Setzer Dave Blaney Bobby Labonte Mike Bliss Patrick Carpentier Landon Cassill
LL 4 1 8 2 0 0 1 0 0 6 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 7 1 0 0 5 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
(3) Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Daytona 1 (week 1 tied for second with Kevin Harvick), Talladega 1 (week 8), Michigan 1 (week 15) (3) Joey Logano: Martinsville 1 (week 6), New Hampshire 2 (week 26), Dover 2 (week 28) (2) Marcos Ambrose: Infineon (week 16), Watkins Glen (week 22) (2) David Reutimann: Chicagoland (week 19), Bristol 2 (week 24) (1) Martin Truex Jr.: Michigan 2 (week 23) Group C: (12) A.J. Allmendinger: Bristol 1 (week 5), Phoenix 1 (week 7), Talladega 1 (week 8), Richmond 1 (week 10), Dover 1 (week 12), Michigan 1 (week 15), New Hampshire 1 ( w e e k 1 7 ) , Wa t k i n s Glen (week 22), Michigan 2 (week 23), New Hampshire 2 (week 26), Dover 2 (week 28), Martinsville 2 (week 32) (7) Paul Menard: Daytona 1 (week 1), Las Vegas (week 3 tied with Scott Speed), Atlanta 1 (week 4),
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FANTASY AUTO RACING 2010
PREVIEW: AMP ENERGY JUICE 500 Charlotte 1 (week 13), Chicagoland (week 19), Indy (week 20), Kansas (week 29) (4) Sam Hornish J r. : Martinsville 1 (week 6), Pocono 1 (week 14), Pocono 1 (week 14), New Hampshire 2 (week 27) (3) Reed Sorenson: Bristol 2 (week 24), Atlanta 2 (week 25), Charlotte 2 (week 31, tied with Regan Smith)
Group C: A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Casey Mears, Dave Blaney, David Gilliland, and Regan Smith. Any Last minute questions? Follow Dan Beaver on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ FantasyRace and chat during the weekend.
(3) Regan Smith: Darlington (week 11), Auto Club 2 (week 30), Charlotte 2 (week 31, tied with Reed Sorenson) (2) Scott Speed: Auto Club 1 (week 2), Las Vegas (week 3 - tied with Paul Menard) (2) Robby Gordon: Infineon (week 16), Daytona 2 (week 18) (1) Mike Bliss: Talladega 1 (week 9)
Trending Upwards The following drivers have a better average finish during the last 10 races than during the entire season: Group A: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Kyle Busch, and Tony Stewart. Group B: Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, and Ryan Newman.
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