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Fantasy Nascar Update -
A:
1. Jimmie Johnson - Jimmie Johnson was a top of the speed charts in any of the practice sessions this weekend, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a great car. He posted good lap times in every session and honestly I don't think practice means that much at Martinsville. Lap times are extremely close to one another overall. I think track position will huge as passing will be difficult, so you could lead a lot of laps with the race lead on a restart. Johnson will start 3rd, so he will have a good shot at the race lead at the start. Overall, I didn't spend a lot of time watching Johnson in practice on Saturday. I watched a couple runs of his in each practice session and tracked his lap times. I thought he looked pretty good. Not the best, but still good enough for me to feel confident about him. And this is Martinsville after all. Common sense is a must-have skill in fantasy nascar. Anything we come to this track, Johnson is usually a no-brainer. I mean, really when was the last time that Johnson had a complete shit car at a track he won at 8 times? Yeah, it been a while.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch starts from 9th place, but he looked like one of the best cars in final practice on Saturday. I tracked his lap times with the likes of Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. Guess what? Kyle Busch was a bit stronger than all 4 of them. That's pretty damn good, if you have better times than those guys. All guys who are expected to contend for the win on Sunday afternoon. He didn't post the best lap time in final practice, but I don't know if there was a more consistent driver in that final practice session though. A lot of lap times in the 20.15s and better bracket on the long run he posted. Pretty good, since the competition would dip down into the 20.20s or 20.30s. Busch never did to my knowledge in the most relevant practice session. Also, Rowdy dominated this race earlier this season with leading 352 laps on his way to victory lane. The JGR cars has been extremely strong on the shorter tracks this season and to no surprise they are all looking pretty good once again this weekend. Headed into the race, I view Kyle Busch as one of the heavy favorites to win and should be definitely on your fantasy radar as well.
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Kevin Harvick - Harvick will start deep in the field from the 20th position shouldn't have many issues getting to the top 10 on Sunday afternoon. However, after that I think it will be challenging for him to get inside the top 5 and contend for the win. Big reason for that? Because pit selection and his lackluster pit crew this season. His crew been better of late though, especially in the chase. If won't be for the lack of speed though. He looked pretty good in both sessions on Saturday. Better in the second session than the first, for anyone wondering. He might need a bit more speed to win, but I think he is definitely there. He should be one of the stronger drivers on the long runs as well, that's huge in my opinion. Also he ranked inside the top 2 in performance stats over the past three races here. Meaning stats like Driver Rating (ranked 2nd), Average Running Position (ranked 1st) and Laps Completed inside the top 15 (Ranked 1st). I love that! Headed into the race, I would say he's about an top 5 driver or being boarderline top 5 in my opinion. I don't think it a question weather he get to the front, it when and if he can stay there without an mistake.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
4. Joey Logano - Logano could easily be a great play on Sunday, but at the same time I have my questions about him. He looked good on Saturday in both practice sessions from what I saw out of him. His lap times were pretty good overall and he posted the 4th-best ten lap average (8th-best single lap) in final practice. My concern as always is the 22 long run speed that something that has been lacking from him to year, especially on these short tracks it seems. This weekend, I think he will fine on the long runs but it hard to say since i didn't track an entire run on the #22 car. So I cannot say how good he is. But he's always been pretty good at Martinsville, so I am not worried about him that much. Logano in my opinion is one of the most underrated drivers here, always has performed well at this place since joining Penske. Hard to find a reason to not like him. He had a damage car earlier this year at Martinsville and still managed an solid 11th place. That's says it all to me. Also probably would have won this race last year, if Kenseth didn't wreck him. Headed into the race on Sunday, I view him near a top 5 driver with potential to win.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
5. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is the last driver in this tier to get a spot in my driver rankings. It's was a tough decision, but I decided to go with track history and starting position. Hamlin has that advantage over both Kenseth and Brad Keselowski. Hamlin looked pretty good overall this weekend. He looked a bit in the ten lap average chart in final practice, but I am not too worried. Remember what I said earlier about Martinsville practice, it doesn't always means everything. It has more to do with how well a driver can get around the track. Hamlin does that better than anyone in my opinion. Personally, I rather have a skilled driver than a fast car. Hamlin didn't really show top 5 speed on Saturday, but I find it difficult to imagine that the 11 team doesn't get Hamlin up front at some point in the lead. Hamlin should be on your short-list of winners this weekend. He certainly has a good enough track history to do it.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr suprised me this weekend with all of the speed he was showing, I personally wasn't very high on him headed into Friday's first practice session. But he has looked great all weekend, including he won the pole on Friday afternoon. Then, he back that up with a pair of strong practices. He probably had the best car in the morning session overall, had best ten-lap average and followed that up with another great session in final practice. He didn't have the best car, but I felt like he was there with the best cars though. In final practice, he posted the 5th-best ten lap average for the session. I track a couple of his runs in practice and they looked good. I compared him to Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. He was a bit better than Harvick on their first runs, just fell off a bit more than Busch's first run though. Especially towards the end. Ran about 30 laps in the opening run for the 78 team and was still running in the low to mid 20.20s after about 27 laps. I don't recall tracking any other long runs from the 78 team, but I am sure he remained pretty good. Since he was fast off the truck. Usually that's a great sign for things to come.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
2. Carl Edwards - Edwards much like his JGR teammates has looked good all weekend, I would say that organization are the favorites to put a car in victory lane this weekend. In the first session on Saturday, I would say that Edwards had about or close to top 5 speed. I didn't really track any of his lap times in either sessions. But I did glance at couple of his runs in the first session on Saturday though. His times were solid and his averages on the ten-lap average chart looked pretty good as well. Honestly there isn't a lot for me to say about Edwards. Plain and simple he wasn't on my fantasy radar this week, so I didn't pay much attention to him in practice. So it is hard for me to give him a description. But his teammates are all pretty fast, so I will give the benefit of the doubt. However, his cold streak in the second half of the year does worries me. Headed into Sunday's race, I view him as nothing more than a top 10 driver.
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Kyle Larson - Larson has once again looked good in practice this weekend. On Saturday, he looked great on the short runs. He probably had the best short-run car in final practice from what I saw overall. However, it is obvious that the 42 car falls off a bit more than the best cars though. Not as noticeable as it has been on the intermediate tracks though. Will it matter much in the race? Probably not. I would say he's still a solid top 10 driver with more than enough upside to grab a top 5 finish. So why am I down on him, if he has a fast car? His track history. He literally has turn into a good racer at Martinsville overnight. Doesn't happen often, but with Larson it has. He started his career like trash here, before impressive showing earlier this season here and then again this weekend. Overall, I would say that Larson is about 10th to 12th place guy in my rankings when factoring everything in.
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Jamie Mac - Chip Ganassi Racing swept the practices this weekend at Martinsville, the only thing they didn't top was qualifying. However, neither driver in that stable has the speed to win in my opinion. They are both very good on the short runs but fall of more on the long runs than other cars. I would say Jamie Mac was much more noticeable than Larson was. It was clear as day to me that the 1 car isn't nearly as good as the 42. His lap times were dropping off a bit more than his teammate was and probably nothing more than a low teen driver with potential to nab a top 10 finish. So while, I doubt he finishes inside the top 5 like last year here, I think it does benefit him that this is a great track for him. This is a bit of a driver track, it takes a special skill set to run well here. JMac seems to have that talent down here, he just needs some good luck on Sunday's afternoon.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Kasey Kahne - Kahne haven't really looked as good as I was expecting this weekend. He been alright but he has that ''blah'' factor to him. He haven't looked terrible either, I would say he has been an top 15 to top 20 driver based on speed this weekend. I guess, I was hoping for him to show me more, even though I am sure he will look better in the race than he did in practice though. The HMS cars haven't looked as good as I was expecting them to. I think the bigger question is now, are they saving something and not showing their hand? Or are they just not that good overall. None of them were garbage, but with the speed they are showing in the chase. I was hoping for a bit more oveall. Headed into Sunday's race, I view Kahne as a top 15 driver.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
C:
1. Jeff Gordon - Gordon has looked good this weekend, I would say he was about the 2nd-best HMS driver to only Jimmie Johnson. I honestly didn't pay much attention to him, I kept tabs on him but I didn't really focus in on him like I did with other drivers. However, once on what I already know I would say that Gordon will be a solid driver on Sunday's afternoon. Great drivers at Martinsville don't forget how to race here and I think that's the case with Gordon. He always runs at least top 10 here and I think it will happen once again as well. Gordon looked awesome a few weeks ago at Dover, so there no doubt that Gordon haven't forgot how to drive a Cup car. He's still that driver he was a few years ago. He's very capable. Headed into Sunday's race, he is considered an top 10 driver with enough upside to contend for a top 5 finish. However, he get a bump in my rankings like any other part-time drive does.
My Overall Ranking: 12th
2. Chase Elliott - I am not really that high on Chase Elliott this weekend, he has been alright overall I would say. Just not the Elliott we had seen in the past this season though. I kinda expected this overall, he struggled quite a bit earlier this season. On Saturday, it really wasn't no different. His lap times were good I guess, not anything special though. He was lackluster to me as a whole on Saturday. Headed into Sunday's race, I view him as top 20 driver with upside to finish somewhere inside the top 15. If that's good enough for you, then roll with him. If not, then you know what to do with him.
My Overall Ranking: 17th
3. Ryan Blaney - Blaney will round out my drivers rankings this week with Ryan Blaney. Much like other young drivers in the Cup series, Blaney has struggled to get a feel for Martinsville. He finished inside the top 20 earlier this season, but haven't exactly set the nascar community on fire this weekend. I would say, he looks like top 20 once again but I wouldn't say he a lock though. Honestly, I am not very high on him much like his rookie counterpart. I just not feeling him, if you could avoid him that would be great. However, if you need to then I am not against. At best, he might be able to steal a quality low teen finish. But to me that's his ceiling. If you are looking for a top 10 finish out of him, then you will have to wait for least another week or two.
My Overall Ranking: 19th
Overall Rankings by Tiers
A -
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5 Joey Logano
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Matt Kenseth
9. Brad Keselowski
11. Kurt Busch
B -
3. Martin Truex Jr
8. Carl Edwards
10. Kyle Larson
13. JMac
14. Kasey Kahne
15. Ryan Newman
16. Austin Dillon
18. AJ Dinger
20. Paul Menard
C -
12. Jeff Gordon
17. Chase Elliott
19. Ryan Blaney
21. David Ragan
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
Fantasy Nascar Update -
A:
1. Jimmie Johnson - Jimmie Johnson was a top of the speed charts in any of the practice sessions this weekend, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a great car. He posted good lap times in every session and honestly I don't think practice means that much at Martinsville. Lap times are extremely close to one another overall. I think track position will huge as passing will be difficult, so you could lead a lot of laps with the race lead on a restart. Johnson will start 3rd, so he will have a good shot at the race lead at the start. Overall, I didn't spend a lot of time watching Johnson in practice on Saturday. I watched a couple runs of his in each practice session and tracked his lap times. I thought he looked pretty good. Not the best, but still good enough for me to feel confident about him. And this is Martinsville after all. Common sense is a must-have skill in fantasy nascar. Anything we come to this track, Johnson is usually a no-brainer. I mean, really when was the last time that Johnson had a complete shit car at a track he won at 8 times? Yeah, it been a while.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch starts from 9th place, but he looked like one of the best cars in final practice on Saturday. I tracked his lap times with the likes of Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. Guess what? Kyle Busch was a bit stronger than all 4 of them. That's pretty damn good, if you have better times than those guys. All guys who are expected to contend for the win on Sunday afternoon. He didn't post the best lap time in final practice, but I don't know if there was a more consistent driver in that final practice session though. A lot of lap times in the 20.15s and better bracket on the long run he posted. Pretty good, since the competition would dip down into the 20.20s or 20.30s. Busch never did to my knowledge in the most relevant practice session. Also, Rowdy dominated this race earlier this season with leading 352 laps on his way to victory lane. The JGR cars has been extremely strong on the shorter tracks this season and to no surprise they are all looking pretty good once again this weekend. Headed into the race, I view Kyle Busch as one of the heavy favorites to win and should be definitely on your fantasy radar as well.
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Kevin Harvick - Harvick will start deep in the field from the 20th position shouldn't have many issues getting to the top 10 on Sunday afternoon. However, after that I think it will be challenging for him to get inside the top 5 and contend for the win. Big reason for that? Because pit selection and his lackluster pit crew this season. His crew been better of late though, especially in the chase. If won't be for the lack of speed though. He looked pretty good in both sessions on Saturday. Better in the second session than the first, for anyone wondering. He might need a bit more speed to win, but I think he is definitely there. He should be one of the stronger drivers on the long runs as well, that's huge in my opinion. Also he ranked inside the top 2 in performance stats over the past three races here. Meaning stats like Driver Rating (ranked 2nd), Average Running Position (ranked 1st) and Laps Completed inside the top 15 (Ranked 1st). I love that! Headed into the race, I would say he's about an top 5 driver or being boarderline top 5 in my opinion. I don't think it a question weather he get to the front, it when and if he can stay there without an mistake.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
4. Joey Logano - Logano could easily be a great play on Sunday, but at the same time I have my questions about him. He looked good on Saturday in both practice sessions from what I saw out of him. His lap times were pretty good overall and he posted the 4th-best ten lap average (8th-best single lap) in final practice. My concern as always is the 22 long run speed that something that has been lacking from him to year, especially on these short tracks it seems. This weekend, I think he will fine on the long runs but it hard to say since i didn't track an entire run on the #22 car. So I cannot say how good he is. But he's always been pretty good at Martinsville, so I am not worried about him that much. Logano in my opinion is one of the most underrated drivers here, always has performed well at this place since joining Penske. Hard to find a reason to not like him. He had a damage car earlier this year at Martinsville and still managed an solid 11th place. That's says it all to me. Also probably would have won this race last year, if Kenseth didn't wreck him. Headed into the race on Sunday, I view him near a top 5 driver with potential to win.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
5. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is the last driver in this tier to get a spot in my driver rankings. It's was a tough decision, but I decided to go with track history and starting position. Hamlin has that advantage over both Kenseth and Brad Keselowski. Hamlin looked pretty good overall this weekend. He looked a bit in the ten lap average chart in final practice, but I am not too worried. Remember what I said earlier about Martinsville practice, it doesn't always means everything. It has more to do with how well a driver can get around the track. Hamlin does that better than anyone in my opinion. Personally, I rather have a skilled driver than a fast car. Hamlin didn't really show top 5 speed on Saturday, but I find it difficult to imagine that the 11 team doesn't get Hamlin up front at some point in the lead. Hamlin should be on your short-list of winners this weekend. He certainly has a good enough track history to do it.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr suprised me this weekend with all of the speed he was showing, I personally wasn't very high on him headed into Friday's first practice session. But he has looked great all weekend, including he won the pole on Friday afternoon. Then, he back that up with a pair of strong practices. He probably had the best car in the morning session overall, had best ten-lap average and followed that up with another great session in final practice. He didn't have the best car, but I felt like he was there with the best cars though. In final practice, he posted the 5th-best ten lap average for the session. I track a couple of his runs in practice and they looked good. I compared him to Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. He was a bit better than Harvick on their first runs, just fell off a bit more than Busch's first run though. Especially towards the end. Ran about 30 laps in the opening run for the 78 team and was still running in the low to mid 20.20s after about 27 laps. I don't recall tracking any other long runs from the 78 team, but I am sure he remained pretty good. Since he was fast off the truck. Usually that's a great sign for things to come.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
2. Carl Edwards - Edwards much like his JGR teammates has looked good all weekend, I would say that organization are the favorites to put a car in victory lane this weekend. In the first session on Saturday, I would say that Edwards had about or close to top 5 speed. I didn't really track any of his lap times in either sessions. But I did glance at couple of his runs in the first session on Saturday though. His times were solid and his averages on the ten-lap average chart looked pretty good as well. Honestly there isn't a lot for me to say about Edwards. Plain and simple he wasn't on my fantasy radar this week, so I didn't pay much attention to him in practice. So it is hard for me to give him a description. But his teammates are all pretty fast, so I will give the benefit of the doubt. However, his cold streak in the second half of the year does worries me. Headed into Sunday's race, I view him as nothing more than a top 10 driver.
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Kyle Larson - Larson has once again looked good in practice this weekend. On Saturday, he looked great on the short runs. He probably had the best short-run car in final practice from what I saw overall. However, it is obvious that the 42 car falls off a bit more than the best cars though. Not as noticeable as it has been on the intermediate tracks though. Will it matter much in the race? Probably not. I would say he's still a solid top 10 driver with more than enough upside to grab a top 5 finish. So why am I down on him, if he has a fast car? His track history. He literally has turn into a good racer at Martinsville overnight. Doesn't happen often, but with Larson it has. He started his career like trash here, before impressive showing earlier this season here and then again this weekend. Overall, I would say that Larson is about 10th to 12th place guy in my rankings when factoring everything in.
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Jamie Mac - Chip Ganassi Racing swept the practices this weekend at Martinsville, the only thing they didn't top was qualifying. However, neither driver in that stable has the speed to win in my opinion. They are both very good on the short runs but fall of more on the long runs than other cars. I would say Jamie Mac was much more noticeable than Larson was. It was clear as day to me that the 1 car isn't nearly as good as the 42. His lap times were dropping off a bit more than his teammate was and probably nothing more than a low teen driver with potential to nab a top 10 finish. So while, I doubt he finishes inside the top 5 like last year here, I think it does benefit him that this is a great track for him. This is a bit of a driver track, it takes a special skill set to run well here. JMac seems to have that talent down here, he just needs some good luck on Sunday's afternoon.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Kasey Kahne - Kahne haven't really looked as good as I was expecting this weekend. He been alright but he has that ''blah'' factor to him. He haven't looked terrible either, I would say he has been an top 15 to top 20 driver based on speed this weekend. I guess, I was hoping for him to show me more, even though I am sure he will look better in the race than he did in practice though. The HMS cars haven't looked as good as I was expecting them to. I think the bigger question is now, are they saving something and not showing their hand? Or are they just not that good overall. None of them were garbage, but with the speed they are showing in the chase. I was hoping for a bit more oveall. Headed into Sunday's race, I view Kahne as a top 15 driver.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
C:
1. Jeff Gordon - Gordon has looked good this weekend, I would say he was about the 2nd-best HMS driver to only Jimmie Johnson. I honestly didn't pay much attention to him, I kept tabs on him but I didn't really focus in on him like I did with other drivers. However, once on what I already know I would say that Gordon will be a solid driver on Sunday's afternoon. Great drivers at Martinsville don't forget how to race here and I think that's the case with Gordon. He always runs at least top 10 here and I think it will happen once again as well. Gordon looked awesome a few weeks ago at Dover, so there no doubt that Gordon haven't forgot how to drive a Cup car. He's still that driver he was a few years ago. He's very capable. Headed into Sunday's race, he is considered an top 10 driver with enough upside to contend for a top 5 finish. However, he get a bump in my rankings like any other part-time drive does.
My Overall Ranking: 12th
2. Chase Elliott - I am not really that high on Chase Elliott this weekend, he has been alright overall I would say. Just not the Elliott we had seen in the past this season though. I kinda expected this overall, he struggled quite a bit earlier this season. On Saturday, it really wasn't no different. His lap times were good I guess, not anything special though. He was lackluster to me as a whole on Saturday. Headed into Sunday's race, I view him as top 20 driver with upside to finish somewhere inside the top 15. If that's good enough for you, then roll with him. If not, then you know what to do with him.
My Overall Ranking: 17th
3. Ryan Blaney - Blaney will round out my drivers rankings this week with Ryan Blaney. Much like other young drivers in the Cup series, Blaney has struggled to get a feel for Martinsville. He finished inside the top 20 earlier this season, but haven't exactly set the nascar community on fire this weekend. I would say, he looks like top 20 once again but I wouldn't say he a lock though. Honestly, I am not very high on him much like his rookie counterpart. I just not feeling him, if you could avoid him that would be great. However, if you need to then I am not against. At best, he might be able to steal a quality low teen finish. But to me that's his ceiling. If you are looking for a top 10 finish out of him, then you will have to wait for least another week or two.
My Overall Ranking: 19th
Overall Rankings by Tiers
A -
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5 Joey Logano
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Matt Kenseth
9. Brad Keselowski
11. Kurt Busch
B -
3. Martin Truex Jr
8. Carl Edwards
10. Kyle Larson
13. JMac
14. Kasey Kahne
15. Ryan Newman
16. Austin Dillon
18. AJ Dinger
20. Paul Menard
C -
12. Jeff Gordon
17. Chase Elliott
19. Ryan Blaney
21. David Ragan
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
