Saturday, December 19, 2015

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Kurt Busch

Welcome to TimersSports

Driver Name: Kurt Busch

Car #: 41

Make: Chevy

Debut: 2001

# of Career Races: 540

# of Career Poles: 19

# of Career Wins: 27

# of Career Top 5s: 116

# of Career Top 10s: 222

# of Career DNFs: 58

# of Career Laps led: 8,620

# of 2015 Wins: 2

# of 2015 Top 5s: 10

# of 2015 Top 10s: 21

# of 2015 Poles: 3

# of 2015 DNFs: 0

# of 2015 Laps led: 778

2015 Fantasy Recap: Kurt Busch had a very good season in 2015 and I wasn't shocked one bit either. I had very high hopes for him last offseason and said that Kurt would have a huge season with crew chief Tony Gibson. He put together 2 wins, 3 poles, 11 Top 5s and 21 Top 10s in 34 races. Kurt wasn't as strong as teammate Kevin Harvick, but I do think he was as competitive at certain races. He didn't dominate races, but he did often have a top 5 car. That's all you can ask for from a fantasy vantage point. I think 2015 season have re-energized Kurt's career. In seasons past, he been good but not great. It was refreshing to see him return to victory lane multiple times and see the 41 race back up front. Overall a very good season by Kurt, despite his off the track struggles early in the season.

Strong Tracks: Cali, Chicago, Sonoma and Phoenix

Weak Tracks: Kansas and Michigan

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: A-list Grouping Tier

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I expect big things from Kurt Busch and the 41 team. In fact, I expect Kurt Busch to have a better season than teammate Kevin Harvick (yes, I know bold). I think Kurt can lead the 41 team to a championship, if they play their cards right. SHR proved how strong can could be with two top 5 drivers and I don't think that will change in 2016. The Kevin Harvick-Kurt Busch one two punch is a devastating combo. They make each other better by being teammates. I think Kurt will win multiple times in 2016 and be a top 5 threat on a weekly basis. He will have his bad days, but they won't be that often. He will be at his strongest on the short tracks and intermediate racetracks. Especially the 1.5 high-speed intermediate racetracks. I feel like that is a major strength for these SHR cars. He will also have good runs on the plates and road courses. He will probably be hit or miss on the flats. He been alright on them, but I don't think he is automatic though.

Twitter - @JeffNathans