OK guys, I am new to this website, but I hope to provide you with a different view than you normally get on fantasy racing. I am going to give a full analysis each week for the Yahoo! Fantasy Sports NASCAR game, because I believe that is what the majority of fantasy team owners use. If I get a lot of emails asking me to provide analysis for another system, I will gladly work that into the weekly article.
This weekend we are going to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of the most grueling tracks on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule. At Bristol, it is easy to get caught up in big wrecks while drivers are traveling around the two bullrings. So, really anyone will work at Bristol, because a good number of drivers will be knocked out of the race at random, because of other drivers’ mistakes.
Who’s On A Roll
Well, Carl Edwards is definitely moving, but we are going to Bristol, so I don’t believe he will be a factor. He just doesn’t have the experience for a place like Bristol, and experience will be the key for this year (without Happy Hour and everything). The rest of the Roush stable is real good at Bristol (i.e. Kurt Busch, Kenseth, and Martin) and Kurt Busch has won 4 out of the last 6 races at Bristol, so he is the favorite. Jimmie Johnson is still on a roll, and his Chevy Monte Carlo is one of the best at Bristol year in and year out. Jeff Gordon has a good record at Bristol also, so look for him to try to start near the front. I hear many people saying look for Newman, since he will probably be starting from the front – I think his team isn’t doing that well so far this season, so I don’t think this is the time to use him. Earnhardt Jr. is still questionable, because his team has done horrible everywhere except for Daytona. The thing is, Little E always comes out of a bad stretch with a huge win, so I am gonna keep him on my team until he wins. Tony Stewart and the Joe Gibbs teams are not doing so well, with Bobby Labonte out of the top 35 so far this season. Look for them to try and break out, but beware of choosing a team that is still on a losing streak. Rusty Wallace is always good at Bristol, and Kevin Harvick is on a roll as of late. I would look carefully at putting each of them on your team.
REMEMBER, it is almost completely random who will be involved in a wreck and knocked out, so try to intersperse your starters with people who start near the front. I am going to put some other guys in my lineup that haven’t started so far this year, just to decrease the usage of my good guys. Honestly, I would look this week at starting drivers that are carrying a good amount of luck into the race.
So, for the Yahoo teams (I would decide starters after qualifying, since starting position is such a big issue here) –
Group A:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Kurt Busch
Group B:
Rusty Wallace
Kevin Harvick
Dale Jarrett
Sterling Marlin
Group C:
Scott Riggs
Brian Vickers
I saw on the other fantasy preview that next week’s race preview might not get posted on time, so I wanted to let everyone know that I will post my preview on my blog. I know, it is a hopeless plug, but at least you will be able to read it before the lock it time on Yahoo. The URL is http://www.conservchris.blogspot.com
My email address is lindsey.chris@gmail.com and I would like to encourage everyone to email me with comments. If you would like me to incorporate another fantasy game scenario into my preview, I will try to do that for everyone. Good luck everybody!
-Chris Lindsey