Fantasy NASCAR Racing

Fantasy NASCAR practice recap: Good Sam Club 500

October 22, 2011 @ 12:06:01

Practice sessions at restrictor-plate tracks always need to be heavily scrutinized by fantasy owners. For starters, there is a good chance a multi-car wreck is going to level a good portion of the field. More importantly, drivers are focused mainly on getting a feel for the draft, finding a drafting partner they are comfortable with, and staying out of trouble, rather than fine tuning setups and watching the stopwatch. What other tracks outside of Daytona and Talladega do drivers opt to skip the practice sessions on regular basis?

That being said, Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards got practice at Talladega started with a bang Friday, topping the charts in the opening session. It was only a few years ago that the two were leading the Chase race at the track before triggering a wreck that ended both of their title hopes. That being said, the two drivers have run well at Talladega in recent years, and Biffle will likely do everything he can to keep Edwards on top of the standings.

After dominating at Talladega earlier this year, Hendrick Motorsports looked strong again in practice as Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon ranked third and fourth. Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top five, and his teammate A.J. Allmendinger ranked sixth. After placing four drivers in the top eight spots in the spring race, all four HMS drivers have to be considered by fantasy owners.

In terms of 10-lap average speeds, Regan Smith and Kurt Busch topped the charts. The two drivers have developed excellent chemistry at the plate tracks this season, and Smith is one of the top sleepers. Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton ranked third and fourth, while Tony Stewart rounded out the top five. Bowyer is the must-have option out of the group. He is the defending winner of this weekend’s race, and he finished second by a few inches at the track earlier this year.

Michael Waltrip Racing teammates David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. led the way in Happy Hour, and both drivers have had their best runs at the track in recent years. They don’t offer the consistency of some other big names, but the duo could make a nice addition to fantasy teams. The same can be said for Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. Logano actually owns the best average finish at Talladega among active drivers, and he and Busch have plenty of practice drafting together because of the time in the Nationwide races. However, Busch will be in backup car Sunday after cutting a tire and smashing the wall in final practice.

Fantasy owners should pay particular attention to Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. this weekend. The two drivers ranked fifth and sixth in the final session, and in the spring race, the two hooked up to make the winning pass on Bowyer on the final lap. Johnson won the race, and considering he is a five-time champ and Junior is a five-time Talladega winner, the duo could be part of a season sweep at the track for HMS.

Most teams cut the final session short in an attempt to save their cars, but Logano did top the charts in terms of 10-lap average speed. Juan Pablo Montoya, who has finished third in two of his last three starts at Talladega, ranked second. Busch ranked third before wrecking his car, and Jamie McMurray and Reutimann rounded out the top five. McMurray is the biggest boom or bust option in the field. He is a proven restrictor-plate winner, but when he doesn’t finish up front, he usually wrecks. Owners looking to make a late season run up the standings should definitely consider McMurray.

One name missing from the top of the charts was Kevin Harvick. However, the fact that he didn’t even take the track in Happy Hour should tell fantasy owners he is comfortable with his car. He has three straight top-five finishes at Talladega, including a win and a second-place finish last season.

Happy Hour Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed)

Rk indicates Best Lap standing

Rk	Car	Driver	Team	Best Lap	Best Time	Avg. Speed	Laps
7	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Energizer Chevrolet	196.025	48.851	189.431	17
8	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet	196.025	48.851	188.808	18
18	51	Landon Cassill	PhoenixConstruction/ThankATeacher Chevrolet	193.275	49.546	188.021	12
17	14	Tony Stewart	El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet	193.275	49.546	187.906	12
15	22	Kurt Busch	Shell Pennzoil Dodge	194.208	49.308	185.640	5
1	00	David Reutimann	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota	197.159	48.570	184.851	22
12	6	David Ragan	UPS My Choice Ford	195.122	49.077	184.775	7
2	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota	197.143	48.574	184.143	27
3	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota	196.350	48.770	184.105	32
5	48	Jimmie Johnson	mylowes Chevrolet	196.306	48.781	184.066	21
6	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DietMountainDewPaintthe88/Natl Guard Chevrolet	196.302	48.782	183.953	22
9	5	Mark Martin	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet	195.632	48.949	183.875	21
10	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet	195.624	48.951	181.396	29
19	4	Kasey Kahne	Red Bull Toyota	192.723	49.688	180.559	6
13	99	Carl Edwards	Subway Ford	194.567	49.217	179.483	15
4	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Halloween Toyota	196.346	48.771	178.180	40
14	16	Greg Biffle	3M Ford	194.551	49.221	176.771	23
11	17	Matt Kenseth	Jeremiah Weed Ford	195.122	49.077	172.006	8
24	43	A.J. Allmendinger	Best Buy Ford	178.857	53.540	171.467	9
22	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford	179.195	53.439	171.165	9
20	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford	180.857	52.948	171.138	16
27	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet	178.743	53.574	170.631	3
31	66	Michael McDowell	HP Racing, LLC Toyota	178.371	53.686	169.946	7
36	37	Josh Wise	Bradley University Ford	176.650	54.209	169.779	7
28	7	Robby Gordon	SPEED Energy/MAPEI Dodge	178.687	53.591	169.139	7
21	97	Kevin Conway	Extenze Toyota	179.480	53.354	169.134	7
32	71	Andy Lally	TRG Motorsports Ford	178.049	53.783	168.389	11
30	55	J.J. Yeley	Front Row Motorsports Ford	178.490	53.650	168.384	15
23	38	Travis Kvapil	Long John Silver's Ford	179.161	53.449	168.356	14
34	36	Dave Blaney	Golden Corral Chevrolet	177.133	54.061	167.933	8
33	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves	177.953	53.812	167.570	8
37	35	Geoff Bodine	Luke & Associates Inc. Chevrolet	176.046	54.395	167.396	11
26	15	Michael Waltrip	Aaron's/DarrellWaltripNASCARHallofFame	178.763	53.568	166.831	13
35	46	Scott Speed	Red Line Ford	176.862	54.144	166.165	15
29	32	Terry Labonte	C&J Energy Ford	178.553	53.631	166.056	3
25	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge	178.814	53.553	165.992	5
38	77	T.J. Bell	TRG Motorsports Ford	174.978	54.727	161.576	13
16	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet	194.208	49.308	155.986	8
39	34	David Gilliland	WorldHungerRelief/fromhungertohope.com Ford	155.404	61.620	155.404	1
x	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota	0	0	0	0
x	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Toyota	0	0	0	0
x	27	Paul Menard	Serta/Menards Chevrolet	0	0	0	0
x	29	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John's Chevrolet	0	0	0	0
x	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet 100 Years Chevrolet	0	0	0	0
x	39	Ryan Newman	U.S. ARMY Chevrolet	0	0	0	0
x	47	Bobby Labonte	Scott Products Toyota	0	0	0	0
x	83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull Toyota	0	0	0	0

10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)

Rk	Car	Driver	From Lap	To Lap	Avg. Speed
1	20	Joey Logano	2	11	193.707
2	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	2	11	193.703
3	18	Kyle Busch	2	11	193.664
4	1	Jamie McMurray	2	11	193.660
5	00	David Reutimann	3	12	193.205
6	56	Martin Truex Jr.	3	12	193.163
7	99	Carl Edwards	4	13	192.157
8	16	Greg Biffle	4	13	192.157
9	51	Landon Cassill	3	12	191.396
10	14	Tony Stewart	3	12	191.354
11	48	Jimmie Johnson	2	11	186.643
12	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2	11	186.629
13	24	Jeff Gordon	2	11	186.596
14	5	Mark Martin	2	11	186.532

First Practice Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed)

Rk indicates Best Lap standing

Rk	Car	Driver	Team	Best Lap	Best Time	Avg. Speed	Laps
3	5	Mark Martin	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet	198.545	48.230	190.917	21
4	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet	198.384	48.270	190.826	21
13	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet 100 Years Chevrolet	196.354	48.770	190.273	14
14	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet	196.350	48.770	189.935	15
11	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet	196.709	48.680	189.924	30
12	22	Kurt Busch	Shell Pennzoil Dodge	196.705	48.680	189.907	30
9	14	Tony Stewart	El Monterey/Office Depot Chevrolet	196.733	48.680	189.551	15
19	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge	196.113	48.830	189.260	24
7	4	Kasey Kahne	Red Bull Toyota	197.021	48.600	189.100	31
20	36	Dave Blaney	Golden Corral Chevrolet	196.109	48.830	189.020	24
8	83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull Toyota	197.017	48.600	188.977	31
2	99	Carl Edwards	Subway Ford	198.936	48.140	188.617	27
5	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford	197.061	48.590	188.213	25
6	43	A.J. Allmendinger	Best Buy Ford	197.053	48.600	187.752	25
24	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota	194.995	49.110	187.508	25
15	6	David Ragan	UPS My Choice Ford	196.294	48.780	187.502	23
10	47	Bobby Labonte	Scott Products Toyota	196.729	48.680	187.441	21
17	29	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John's Chevrolet	196.133	48.820	187.240	24
1	16	Greg Biffle	3M/O'Reilly's Auto Parts Ford	198.940	48.140	187.206	29
18	27	Paul Menard	Serta/Menards Chevrolet	196.129	48.820	187.167	24
23	39	Ryan Newman	U.S. ARMY Chevrolet	194.999	49.110	186.286	27
22	48	Jimmie Johnson	mylowes Chevrolet	195.261	49.040	185.259	27
27	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota	192.719	49.690	184.954	14
16	17	Matt Kenseth	Jeremiah Weed Ford	196.290	48.780	184.838	24
21	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DietMountainDew/Natl Guard Chevrolet	195.269	49.040	184.706	27
26	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Halloween Toyota	192.719	49.690	181.731	23
30	55	J.J. Yeley	Front Row Motorsports Ford	191.310	50.060	177.637	4
25	51	Landon Cassill	PhoenixConstruction/ThankATeacher Chevrolet	194.267	49.290	177.434	9
31	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota	191.306	50.060	173.580	7
29	00	David Reutimann	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota	191.313	50.050	172.702	6
28	34	David Gilliland	World Hunger Relief/fromhungertohope.com	191.321	50.050	172.199	7
37	71	Andy Lally	TRG Motorsports Ford	177.692	53.890	170.173	4
40	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Toyota	176.770	54.170	169.909	9
33	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Energizer Chevrolet	178.940	53.520	169.826	3
34	15	Michael Waltrip	Aaron's/DarrellWaltripNASCARHallofFame	178.677	53.590	169.559	3
36	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves	178.175	53.740	168.856	3
32	32	Terry Labonte	C&J Energy Ford	179.966	53.210	168.839	7
35	38	Travis Kvapil	Long John Silver's Ford	178.294	53.710	168.627	7
43	35	Geoff Bodine	Luke & Associates Inc. Chevrolet	174.968	54.730	166.961	3
41	37	Josh Wise	Bradley University Ford	175.636	54.520	165.387	3
38	7	Robby Gordon	SPEED Energy/MAPEI Dodge	177.567	53.930	165.359	3
39	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet	176.996	54.100	164.949	5
42	46	Scott Speed	Red Line Ford	175.237	54.650	163.594	2
44	97	Kevin Conway	Extenze Toyota	167.284	57.240	159.613	2
x	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft Ford	0	0	0	0
x	66	Michael McDowell	HP Racing Toyota	0	0	0	0
x	77	T.J. Bell	TRG Motorsports Ford	0	0	0	0

10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)

Rk	Car	Driver	From Lap	To Lap	Avg. Speed
1	78	Regan Smith	6	15	194.879
2	22	Kurt Busch	6	15	194.835
3	33	Clint Bowyer	4	13	194.234
4	31	Jeff Burton	4	13	194.190
4	14	Tony Stewart	3	12	193.990
6	47	Bobby Labonte	3	12	193.948
7	9	Marcos Ambrose	13	22	193.802
8	43	A.J. Allmendinger	13	22	193.759
9	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	14	23	193.746
10	5	Mark Martin	3	12	193.705
11	48	Jimmie Johnson	14	23	193.703
12	24	Jeff Gordon	10	19	193.683
13	4	Kasey Kahne	3	12	193.444
14	83	Brian Vickers	3	12	193.401
15	99	Carl Edwards	4	13	193.279
16	16	Greg Biffle	4	13	193.236
17	2	Brad Keselowski	15	24	193.020
18	36	Dave Blaney	15	24	193.019
19	17	Matt Kenseth	14	23	192.557
20	6	David Ragan	14	23	192.515
21	11	Denny Hamlin	16	25	192.236
22	39	Ryan Newman	16	25	192.194
23	27	Paul Menard	3	12	191.376
24	29	Kevin Harvick	3	12	191.372
25	18	Kyle Busch	11	20	188.256

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.