Fantasy NASCAR: Rookie driver outlook

February 11, 2010 @ 00:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

This year's rookie pool features only two drivers - yes, the economy continues to hit NASCAR hard. Both of the drivers have experience in NASCAR just at different levels. Neither figures to make much of an impact for fantasy owners. Read on to find out why....

Terry Cook | No. 46 Dodge | Whitney Motorsports - no primary sponsor

A veteran of the Craftsman Truck Series, Cook, 41, plans to run a full slate in the Sprint Cup for the first time in his career. He hasn't had a ton of success in the Truck Series; he has just one win and 14 top-fives in 174 races since 2003. Any fears about making the job can be quelled (slightly) by the fact Whitney Motorsports purchased several race-ready Dodge Chargers from Richard Petty Motorsports last year. These should give him a car that is at least capable of racing with the big boys. It's always a tough transition, but Cook has been a consistent, though unspectacular, driver in the Truck Series. He likely won't have much of a fantasy impact, though. He doesn't specialize in any tracks and could have trouble qualifying, at least in the early going, as he breaks in a new ride and new team. View him as no better than a midrange No. 5 driver.

Kevin Conway | No. 37 Ford | Front Row Motorsports - no primary sponsor

Conway, 31, will be moving up from the Nationwide Series - he ran 12 races there last season - and will be one of two full-time rides for Front Row this year. By adding a pair of full-time rides, it should give them more opportunities to test out their cars. They'll need that as Front Row is switching from Chevrolet to Ford engines, which were purchased from Roush Fenway Racing and Yates Racing. They'll need to get their Ford's driving in top form, because Conway hasn't done much on the track during his Nationwide career. He has made 25 starts since 2003 and has yet to finish in the top 10. His best finish last year was 15th in the Meijer 300. Last year's driver of the No. 37, Tony Raines, finished 45th in the points standings, so Conway will have to earn his way on to the track for the first five weekends. Consider Conway a midrange No. 5 driver.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

Fantasy NASCAR race preview: Coca-Cola 600 (05/23)
Fantasy NASCAR rankings: Coca Cola 600 (05/22)
Fantasy NASCAR: Coming on strong in the second half (05/21)