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Fantasy NASCAR RacingFantasy NASCAR practice recap: Samsung Mobile 500
With this weekend's race at Texas being held Saturday night, both Cup Series practices were held prior to qualifying. As a result, fantasy owners have to pay attention to a number of factors when viewing the practice times. Teams mix in qualifying runs throughout both sessions, and the number of laps each team decided to run in each practice varied as well. While average speeds play an important role at a downforce track like Texas, owners need to take into account the number of laps a driver ran before making any roster decisions.
In the opening session Thursday, David Ragan topped the charts. He has been becoming somewhat of a practice stud in 2011, but owners should know by now that the results never seem to translate to race day. Tony Stewart ranked second on the charts, and he is a much more inviting fantasy option. He is a former winner at Texas, and he led the most laps at the first 1.5-mile track event in 2011. Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray ranked third and fourth, but both have had their issues at Texas. Montoya has never cracked the top-five at the track, and McMurray has finished outside the top-15 in four straight starts. If fantasy owners are going to roll the dice on one of the EGR drivers, Montoya is the way to go given his strong performance in 2011. Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five, and he should have already been on the radar of fantasy owners. The former winner at Texas has five straight top-10 finishes at the track, including three top-five efforts. He dominated the fall event last season, but the wrong pit strategy at the end cost him a shot at a win. The man that won the first 1.5-mile track race this year was Carl Edwards, and he posted the top 10-lap average speed during the opening session. However, it is worth noting that only seven drivers ran 10 consecutive laps. Stewart posted the second-best 10-lap average speed, followed by Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. In Happy Hour Friday, Kasey Kahne jumped to the top of the time charts. The former Texas winner finished fifth in this weekend's race one year ago, and Saturday night could be Kahne's chance to shine for his new team. Fantasy owners may want to consider him as a second level option this weekend. He was followed by Menard and Edwards, and both drivers should be rostered at Texas. Edwards is a three-time winner at the track, and Menard is a top sleeper option at the 1.5-mile tracks. His 10th-place run at Texas last fall was one of five top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks in 2010. Former Texas winner Kurt Busch ranked fourth, and Regan Smith rounded out the top-five. Busch is the interesting option out of the two. He has been solid at Texas in his last four starts, but he was miserable at the track in the fall. Couple that with his mediocre performances the last two races, and owners are looking at hit or miss option at best. Unlike the opening session, several teams chose to make long runs in Happy Hour. Of the 24 drivers that ran 10 consecutive laps, Matt Kenseth was the quickest. He is a former winner at the track himself, and he has four second-place finishes as well. He has been good but not great in 2011, but Kenseth could be an elite option Saturday. Menard continued his strong showing by posting the second-best average speed, and last week's runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. ranked third. Junior has struggled at Texas lately, but he did win his first ever Cup race at the track back in 2000. I don ‘t fully endorse him as a reliable option just yet, but for Junior fans out there, he is worth a flyer this weekend. Clint Bowyer and Marcos Ambrose completed the top-five. Ambrose has been boom or bust in 2011, but he could be a decent sleeper this weekend. When the series visited Vegas earlier this year, Ambrose finished fourth. Texas has a similar layout, but it remains to be seen if the success continues. Two names missing from the top of the leaderboard were Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. Both drivers posted top-10 times in one of the sessions, but overall, neither was overly impressive. However, Hamlin swept both races at the track last season, and Johnson is a former winner as well. Fantasy owners shouldn't write either driver off completely, but for owners playing in leagues that limit the number of starts each driver can have, sitting Johnson and Hamlin may be the smart decision. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were two other big names that struggled on the time sheets. That being said, Harvick has won the last two races in 2011, and Busch is the current point leader. Both drivers have had a lot of success at Texas in the past as well. Owners can lump Harvick and Kyle in the group with Hamlin and Johnson. I wouldn't sit them in most fantasy formats, but I would consider saving them for a later race in a limited start format. Happy Hour Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed) Rk indicates Best Lap standing
10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)
First Practice Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed) Rk indicates Best Lap standing
10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)
Combined Average Speeds (weighted by # of laps run in each session)
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Author Bio
Brian Polking Racing has been part of Brian's life ever since he can remember, and he spent his childhood at dirt tracks throughout Ohio and Kentucky watching his father race. NASCAR naturally became his favorite sport, and he has been following the Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series for most of his life. Brian majored in journalism and economics at Ohio State University and becoming a sports writer has always been his dream. Although he has covered everything from minor league baseball to the NCAA tournament, his passion has always been NASCAR. Brian has served as a NASCAR writer for a variety of sites, eventually becoming head editor of the NASCAR section for Fanball.com. His knowledge of NASCAR comes from his life-long love of racing, and he tries to add a personal touch to every article he writes. Brian is always up for talking NASCAR with anyone that wants to. Brian joined KFFL's team in 2011. Featured LinksTalk Sports 24/7! Recent articles: |
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