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Ryan Newman didn't exactly have a great season in 2017, but it wasn't terrible. In last offseason's preview, I went on the record saying that Newman would have a bounce back season from 2016. Statistically, the 2016 was one of the worst seasons of his cup career. So in 2017, he did very much have a good year. He posted a win with 7 Top 5 finishes and 13 top 10 finishes. Not quite as consistent as those impressive 2014 and 2015 seasons. But still, he was definitely right in the ballpark. The most important part about his 2017 season? He scored RCR first win since the 2011 season. That's huge! Of course, it was on a strategy, but a win is a win though.
In 2018, 31 team need to stabilize some consistency. That how Newman usually get his fantasy value. He won't go out there and contend for wins on a weekly basis. He just not that guy or have that equipment. When he get on a run of consistent top 5 or top 10-like finishes, that is the best time to take advantage. Most of the time, he will finish in the low-teens or middle-teens. You want to find that window of opportunity, when he go on a little streak inside the top 10. Mark my words, he will go on that streak, too.
Intermediate tracks will be interesting for Newman. He will usually contend for finishes in the low to middle teens, but not exactly with a super high ceiling or upside though. He will from time to time finish in the top 10 though. Maybe a top 5 or two, as well. I wouldn't constantly expect it though. His top 3 intermediate tracks are Darlington, Michigan and Charlotte. I had always thought that Michigan was one of his best tracks and he loves Michigan. He always come to Michigan and perform very well. Before and after the repave, his numbers has remained very good. In 14 straight Michigan races, he has finished 18th or better. In 9 of those 14 races, he has finished 15th or better. Since joining RCR (last 8 races), he has finished 15th or better in the last 5 of 8 races. In 3 of his last 5 races overall, he has finished 11th or better at Michigan.
At Darlington and Charlotte, I would like to think these are very good example of tracks that Newman is well above average on. His numbers are very strong at both tracks. Consistently over the past couple seasons, he has finished in the top 10 on a regular basis. These are two tracks that you can possible target him at, where he will have a shot at finishing more toward the front. At Darlington, he is an elite driver. In 13 of his 19 career starts, he has finished in the top 10 with 11.7 career average finish. That's a large simple size overall. In his last 5 seasons at Darlington, he has finished 4 of those 5 races inside the top 10. Over the last two seasons, he has finished 7th and 8th. At Charlotte, he has been just as good, maybe even a little better. Since the 2013 season (10 races span), he has posted 7 Top 10 finishes. In his last three seasons (6 races - since 2014), he's posted 4 top 10 finishes in those races. In his last 6 races at Charlotte, he has finishes of 40th, 9th, 4th, 10th, 15th, 6th and 7th. Prior to his 40th place finish in his most recent race here, he had a really strong stench of finishes.
Martinsville and Bristol are both very good tracks for Ryan Newman. In fact, I would rank them both among his top 5 tracks. I would say that Martinsville is the better of the two racetracks. I love him at Martinsville. He always has ran well at this short track. In his last 5 races at Martinsville, he has posted 4 Top 14 finishes. In those 5 races, he has posted 3 top 10 finishes during that span as well. His finishes are as followed: 14th, 8th, 16th, 10th and 7th. Since joining RCR in 2014 (8 races), he has finished in the top 10 in 50% of his starts at Martinsville. One of his best top 10 percentage tracks since joining RCR. At Bristol, he's very solid overall. He has only one ''poor'' finish since joining RCR in 2014. That came when he finished 28th back in 2016. Over his last 6 races at Bristol, he has posted 4 Top 10 finishes during that span. In his last 8 races at Bristol, he has finished 7 of 8 in the top 16. In 6 of his last 7 races, Newman has finished 14th or better. You see the trend lately with Newman at both tracks? Very consistent. Us fantasy nascar players just love that. It make our jobs a lot easier!
Plate tracks are where Newman will get no respect, but he's usually have a habit of finishing in the top half of a field at both Talladega and Daytona. In his last 10 races at Daytona, he has finished 5 of 10 races inside the top 11. With 6 o those 10 races ending in the top 18 overall. In 3 of his last 5 races at Daytona, he has finished 11th or better. At Talladega, he is pretty consistent as well. In his last 7 races at Talladega, he has finished 12th or better at this track. Over his last 11 races at Talladega, he has finished 6 times in the top 12. Including 5 top 10 finishes during that span.
The shorter flats has been very good overall to him overall. At Richmond, he is solid. In his last 9 races at RIR, he has compiled 6 top 11 finishes. During that span, he has posted 5 top 10 finishes during those 9 races, too. Since the 2011 season, he has posted top 10 finishes in over half of his starts at Richmond. During that span, he also has finished in the top 15 over 75% of the time. He's just that damn good here! At Phoenix (now known as ISM - I think that is stupid, but whatever), he is a former two-time winner. And he has been consistent there for awhile, too. In his last 9 races at ISM, he has posted 7 Top 12 finishes. Before the repave, I thought he was even better. From 2010 to 2012, he posted 5 Top 5 finishes during a 6-race span. Then there is New Hampshire! Another track that is a former winner on. He is not the same driver he was early in his career though. At New Hampshire, he is kinda inconsistent for the most part. In his last 8 races at New Hampshire, he has finished 7 of 8 races in the top 20. During that span, he has posted 3 Top 10 finishes. Problem is? His last three races all has ended outside of the top 12. His last three finishes are 13th, 27th and 20th.
I think Pocono is one of Ryan's best tracks and I don't think enough people are aware of this! He had a pair of poor finishes in 2015, where he finished 23rd and 39th. In the June's race, he wrecked with AJ Dinger late in the event, while running competitively in the teens. He followed up with 23rd place finish. Outside of 2015? He haven't finished worse than 14th since June 2008. That's 17 races, if you are keeping track at home! In 7 of his last 11 races at Pocono, he has compiled finishes in the top 12. In half of his starts since the 2011 season, Newman has finished in the top 10.
At Indy, he was average at best for years. And then, he finished 7th in 2012. After that, he broke out in the 2013 season. He started on the pole in 2013 and dominated. He start along side the heavy favorite for the event in Jimmie Johnson. He shocked everyone when he won the pole. It was even more impressive that he stood in front for long as he did. He eventually got passed by Johnson. How he did he win the race though? Genius pit strategy launched into the lead and held off a charging Jimmie Johnson late. Over his last 6 races here, he has finished 11th or better in five of those races. In half of those races, Newman has finished in the top 7.
Road courses are good for Newman and sometimes he get overlooked for some reason. In his last 5 races at Sonoma, he has compiled 5 straight top 15 finishes. With 3 o those 5 races ending in the top 11. At start of his career at Sonoma, he was a top 10 machine. In middle of his career, he started to really struggle. And now lately, he is starting to return back to form. At Watkins Glenn, he doesn't offer a lot of upside overall. But he is consistent though. In 6 of his last 8 races at Watkins Glenn, he has posted finishes in the top 16. Over the last three seasons at Watkins Glenn, he has finishes of 25th, 16th and 15th. Obviously when looking at the numbers, he is showing a lot more promise at Sonoma than Watkins Glen. But don't be fooled though, he is still plenty good at Watkins Glen. Just not as appealing.
**All stats are from DriverAverages.com
Twitter -@JeffNathans18
Ryan Newman didn't exactly have a great season in 2017, but it wasn't terrible. In last offseason's preview, I went on the record saying that Newman would have a bounce back season from 2016. Statistically, the 2016 was one of the worst seasons of his cup career. So in 2017, he did very much have a good year. He posted a win with 7 Top 5 finishes and 13 top 10 finishes. Not quite as consistent as those impressive 2014 and 2015 seasons. But still, he was definitely right in the ballpark. The most important part about his 2017 season? He scored RCR first win since the 2011 season. That's huge! Of course, it was on a strategy, but a win is a win though.
In 2018, 31 team need to stabilize some consistency. That how Newman usually get his fantasy value. He won't go out there and contend for wins on a weekly basis. He just not that guy or have that equipment. When he get on a run of consistent top 5 or top 10-like finishes, that is the best time to take advantage. Most of the time, he will finish in the low-teens or middle-teens. You want to find that window of opportunity, when he go on a little streak inside the top 10. Mark my words, he will go on that streak, too.
Intermediate tracks will be interesting for Newman. He will usually contend for finishes in the low to middle teens, but not exactly with a super high ceiling or upside though. He will from time to time finish in the top 10 though. Maybe a top 5 or two, as well. I wouldn't constantly expect it though. His top 3 intermediate tracks are Darlington, Michigan and Charlotte. I had always thought that Michigan was one of his best tracks and he loves Michigan. He always come to Michigan and perform very well. Before and after the repave, his numbers has remained very good. In 14 straight Michigan races, he has finished 18th or better. In 9 of those 14 races, he has finished 15th or better. Since joining RCR (last 8 races), he has finished 15th or better in the last 5 of 8 races. In 3 of his last 5 races overall, he has finished 11th or better at Michigan.
At Darlington and Charlotte, I would like to think these are very good example of tracks that Newman is well above average on. His numbers are very strong at both tracks. Consistently over the past couple seasons, he has finished in the top 10 on a regular basis. These are two tracks that you can possible target him at, where he will have a shot at finishing more toward the front. At Darlington, he is an elite driver. In 13 of his 19 career starts, he has finished in the top 10 with 11.7 career average finish. That's a large simple size overall. In his last 5 seasons at Darlington, he has finished 4 of those 5 races inside the top 10. Over the last two seasons, he has finished 7th and 8th. At Charlotte, he has been just as good, maybe even a little better. Since the 2013 season (10 races span), he has posted 7 Top 10 finishes. In his last three seasons (6 races - since 2014), he's posted 4 top 10 finishes in those races. In his last 6 races at Charlotte, he has finishes of 40th, 9th, 4th, 10th, 15th, 6th and 7th. Prior to his 40th place finish in his most recent race here, he had a really strong stench of finishes.
Martinsville and Bristol are both very good tracks for Ryan Newman. In fact, I would rank them both among his top 5 tracks. I would say that Martinsville is the better of the two racetracks. I love him at Martinsville. He always has ran well at this short track. In his last 5 races at Martinsville, he has posted 4 Top 14 finishes. In those 5 races, he has posted 3 top 10 finishes during that span as well. His finishes are as followed: 14th, 8th, 16th, 10th and 7th. Since joining RCR in 2014 (8 races), he has finished in the top 10 in 50% of his starts at Martinsville. One of his best top 10 percentage tracks since joining RCR. At Bristol, he's very solid overall. He has only one ''poor'' finish since joining RCR in 2014. That came when he finished 28th back in 2016. Over his last 6 races at Bristol, he has posted 4 Top 10 finishes during that span. In his last 8 races at Bristol, he has finished 7 of 8 in the top 16. In 6 of his last 7 races, Newman has finished 14th or better. You see the trend lately with Newman at both tracks? Very consistent. Us fantasy nascar players just love that. It make our jobs a lot easier!
Plate tracks are where Newman will get no respect, but he's usually have a habit of finishing in the top half of a field at both Talladega and Daytona. In his last 10 races at Daytona, he has finished 5 of 10 races inside the top 11. With 6 o those 10 races ending in the top 18 overall. In 3 of his last 5 races at Daytona, he has finished 11th or better. At Talladega, he is pretty consistent as well. In his last 7 races at Talladega, he has finished 12th or better at this track. Over his last 11 races at Talladega, he has finished 6 times in the top 12. Including 5 top 10 finishes during that span.
The shorter flats has been very good overall to him overall. At Richmond, he is solid. In his last 9 races at RIR, he has compiled 6 top 11 finishes. During that span, he has posted 5 top 10 finishes during those 9 races, too. Since the 2011 season, he has posted top 10 finishes in over half of his starts at Richmond. During that span, he also has finished in the top 15 over 75% of the time. He's just that damn good here! At Phoenix (now known as ISM - I think that is stupid, but whatever), he is a former two-time winner. And he has been consistent there for awhile, too. In his last 9 races at ISM, he has posted 7 Top 12 finishes. Before the repave, I thought he was even better. From 2010 to 2012, he posted 5 Top 5 finishes during a 6-race span. Then there is New Hampshire! Another track that is a former winner on. He is not the same driver he was early in his career though. At New Hampshire, he is kinda inconsistent for the most part. In his last 8 races at New Hampshire, he has finished 7 of 8 races in the top 20. During that span, he has posted 3 Top 10 finishes. Problem is? His last three races all has ended outside of the top 12. His last three finishes are 13th, 27th and 20th.
I think Pocono is one of Ryan's best tracks and I don't think enough people are aware of this! He had a pair of poor finishes in 2015, where he finished 23rd and 39th. In the June's race, he wrecked with AJ Dinger late in the event, while running competitively in the teens. He followed up with 23rd place finish. Outside of 2015? He haven't finished worse than 14th since June 2008. That's 17 races, if you are keeping track at home! In 7 of his last 11 races at Pocono, he has compiled finishes in the top 12. In half of his starts since the 2011 season, Newman has finished in the top 10.
At Indy, he was average at best for years. And then, he finished 7th in 2012. After that, he broke out in the 2013 season. He started on the pole in 2013 and dominated. He start along side the heavy favorite for the event in Jimmie Johnson. He shocked everyone when he won the pole. It was even more impressive that he stood in front for long as he did. He eventually got passed by Johnson. How he did he win the race though? Genius pit strategy launched into the lead and held off a charging Jimmie Johnson late. Over his last 6 races here, he has finished 11th or better in five of those races. In half of those races, Newman has finished in the top 7.
Road courses are good for Newman and sometimes he get overlooked for some reason. In his last 5 races at Sonoma, he has compiled 5 straight top 15 finishes. With 3 o those 5 races ending in the top 11. At start of his career at Sonoma, he was a top 10 machine. In middle of his career, he started to really struggle. And now lately, he is starting to return back to form. At Watkins Glenn, he doesn't offer a lot of upside overall. But he is consistent though. In 6 of his last 8 races at Watkins Glenn, he has posted finishes in the top 16. Over the last three seasons at Watkins Glenn, he has finishes of 25th, 16th and 15th. Obviously when looking at the numbers, he is showing a lot more promise at Sonoma than Watkins Glen. But don't be fooled though, he is still plenty good at Watkins Glen. Just not as appealing.
**All stats are from DriverAverages.com
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