Jimmie Johnson one the first Loudon race this year after starting tenth, with Stewart and Kurt Busch filling the top three.The results from the June race can be found here. There was a surprise Friday with Brad Keselowski winning the pole. The starting order can be found here.
My Final Roster:
Jimmie Johnson $24.00
Tony Stewart 18.60
Clint Bowyer 17.50
Juan Montoya 15.40
Brad Keselowski 12.50
A.J. Allmendinger 12.00
$99.60
Jordan's Top Fifteen for the Sylvania 300:
Driver - Fantasy Price - Car - Starting Position
1. Clint Bowyer - $17.50 - #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet - Starts 2nd
The pressure is off of Clint to make the Chase and he can now focus on going for the championship. Bowyer has won twice in his career and one of them was here in Loudon and I see no reason why he couldn't win again. He starts on the front row, which is pretty important here, and has the fastest car this weekend in terms of average speed. Clint finished seventh earlier this year at Loudon and has been great on similar tracks this season. With his pretty low price, Bowyer is pretty much a must on any roster this week.
2. Tony Stewart - $18.20 - #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet - Starts 3rd
One of the hottest drivers on the circuit doesn't look like he's slowing down any time soon. Smoke has won here twice and has whenever he finishes in the top ten at Loudon, it is usually a top five (12 of 14). He didn't blow the field away in practice (12th in average speed) but he usually doesn't show his hand on Saturdays. Tony finished 2nd here in June after starting 25th; now he starts 3rd. He will be fighting for the lead with Bowyer all day.
3. Jimmie Johnson - $24.00 - #48 Lowe's Chevrolet - Starts 25th
The only reason I don't like JJ as much as Bowyer and Stewart is because he starts so far back. I'm not sure what was up with his poor qualifying run, but the 48 crew definitely has the Lowe's Impala hooked up: Johnson was 2nd in average speed and was 3rd in 10-lap average. The most recent winner here has a good shot to get another win, but he certainly isn't a lock. Jimmie has an average finish of 9.0 here and has won here three times. Oh, and one more thing, he has finished in the top nine in the last seven races here.
4. Denny Hamlin - $23.90 - #11 FedEx Toyota - Starts 22nd
Another surprise in qualifying was Hamlin. But, like Johnson, expect Denny to be up front by the end of the race. He was 8th in average speed and has never finished out of the top 15 here in his career (average finish of 8.2). Look for the points leader to have a great race even though his last two races here haven't been great. The number 11 doesn't look fast enough to dominate the race, but a top five is certainly possible.
5. Jeff Gordon - $22.90 - #24 National Guard Facebook/DuPont Chevrolet - Starts 17th
Jeff has had a pretty quiet week (and season) but Hendrick looks very quick this week, and although Gordon wasn't fast in average speed (23rd), his teammates were fast and Jeff had the best 10-lap average speed. The Rainbow Warrior has an average finish of 5.0 over the four similarly configured tracks this year, and I don't see him messing that up too much. He has won here three times and has a career average finish of 11.2. Jeff finished 4th here in June.
6. Jamie McMurray - $16.40 - #1 McDonald's Chevrolet - Starts 4th
Yes, Jamie McMurray. Just when you don't hear much from Jamie Mac, he surprises you with a solid top five. He might not be in the Chase, but he can still go for wins. Historically, he hasn't done well here (average finish of 23.5) but he has had a very fast car all weekend (6th in average speed, 2nd best ten-lap average), and when he starts up front in Loudon, he usually finishes there. This may just be a hunch pick by me, but I think McMurray is well worth his pretty cheap price tag.
7. Juan Montoya - $15.40 - #42 Energizer Chevrolet - Starts 5th
Montoya had a car to win here back in June, but we all know how that ended. I put a word of caution onto Juan every week simply because, throughout his career, he has been hit or miss. He has a fast car (4th in average speed) and starts up front. If he can stay out of trouble, Montoya has the car and the team to challenge for a top five (but does he have the calmness?).
8. Kyle Busch - $26.20 - #18 M&M's Toyota - Starts 9th
Schrub was 18th in average speed but starts ninth and the best driver in NASCAR (in my opinion) can make anything fast. He was unstoppable a couple of years ago here, and seems to be hit or miss. Kyle's average finish at Loudon is 15.2 and of his five top tens, four of them were top fives--including a win in 2006. He finished 11th here in June and I see him running right around there this week.
9. Kevin Harvick - $27.00 - #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet - Starts 27th
Harvick saw his points lead vanish after last week, but he has been the most consistent driver on the circuit this year. He collected a top five in June at Loudon after starting 24th and had a pretty good car in terms of average speed (11th). His teammates seem to have found some speed so don't be surprised when Kevin drives through the pack. His career average finish here is 14.3
10. A.J. Allmendinger - $12.00 - #43 Insignia HD/Best Buy Ford - Starts 6th
These flat tracks are the kind that The Dinger typically excels at: he has an average finish of 12.5 in the four races this year. He collected his first top ten here earlier this year and I see no reason why he couldn't get his second. At only $12.00, Allmendinger is going to be a lock for my roster. He was 9th in average speed and starts toward the front. He won't challenge for the win, but a top ten isn't out of the question.
11. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - $17.10 - #88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet - Starts 32nd
This might be the second time all year I have a good feeling about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. away from the restrictor plate tracks. Hendrick looks wicked fast and Dale ended up 5th in average speed. You may second guess yourself because he starts so far back, but earlier this year he finished 8th in Loudon after starting 31st. With as fast as Hendrick has been all weekend, it would not surprise me one bit if Jr. gets his tenth top ten at this track. His average career finish here is 17.4.
12. Jeff Burton - $21.80 - #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet - Starts 13th
While I am never very high on Burton, I like him this week for a top fifteen, but he is not worth the price this week. RCR doesn't look blazing fast but they will be by the end of the race, as usual. Burton had the 8th best 10-lap average in practice but was only 24th in average speed. I think he will finish right around where he starts, just like he did in June: 12th after starting 17th. He has won here before--four times to be exact--so he knows how to get around.
13. Mark Martin - $20.10 - #5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet - Starts 26th
Mark may have not made the Chase, but Hendrick looks incredible this week and I can easily see all four of them in the top 15. He starts kind of far back, but has an average career finish of 11.1 at Loudon and has won here before. Martin ended up 10th in average speed and if he fits in your roster, go ahead and pull the trigger (and hope for the best).
14. Kurt Busch - $21.50 - #2 Miller Lite Dodge - Starts 12th
The Blue Deuce hasn't been stellar in practice, but his teammate won the pole, so there is some speed there. Kurt has won here three times and has a career average finish of 13.7. He clocked in at 16th in average speed and finished third here in June. I don't think he's worth the price this week.
15. Kasey Kahne - $14.30 - #9 Budweiser Ford - Starts 21st
Kasey isn't great here (average career finish of 19.2) but he has a pretty fast car, as he was 3rd in average speed. In June Kahne was on his way to a win when he blew up. I don't think he has the car to challenge for the win this week, but a top 15 wouldn't be surprising.
On The Outside Looking In:
Sam Hornish Jr. Hornish has had a terrible season all year, so I don't recommend putting him on your roster. However, if he fits, he could be a surprising top 15. He likes tracks like this and was 15th in average speed. He starts 15th, so I expect him to get a top 20.
Joey Logano Sliced Bread finished 9th here in June and was decent in average speed (13th). He starts 31st but had the 10th-best 10-lap average in practice. The Gibbs cars don't look stellar this week, but Logano could steal a top 15. His lone win came here (albeit rain shortened). He also has the 8th-best average finish in similar tracks this year (9.75).
Carl Edwards The Roush stable doesn't look very good this weekend at all. Cousin Carl qualified well (10th) but had an average speed of 22nd. He has done well in similar tracks this year, but I prefer a lot of other drivers over him this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment