Kevin Harvick 2011 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2010 Stats: Points Finish 3rd, 3 Wins, 16 Top Five, 26 Top Tens, Average Finish 8.7, Average Running Position 12.5, Laps Led 357, Driver Rating 98.0
Kevin Harvick re-emerged into the elite driver scene in 2010. At the end of the 2009 season I told you he would be good in 2010. In last years Expert Fantasy NASCAR Draft this is what I said about Harvick after I drafted him
“It’s true that Kevin Harvick was bad for most of last season and wants out of his contract but it’s not his first time being in this situation. The last time he was in a contract year and wanted out was the best year of his career. He went on to win five races and finished fourth in points. There are a lot of parallels between this situation and the one he was in 2006. Kevin Harvick was fast at the end of the season and would’ve won Atlanta if it wasn’t for a late caution. I’m extremely comfortable with drafting Kevin Harvick here and I think this might be the steal of the draft”.
Strengths – Harvick is strong at every track type the series visits. I really like him at short tracks, flat tracks, and restrictor plate tracks.
Weaknesses – Here’s Harvick’s points finishes going back to 2006:
4th, 10th, 4th, 19th, and 3rd. Could there be a pattern here?
Intermediate Track Grade– B+, Last season Kevin Harvick was Superman (OK maybe more like Spiderman) on intermediate tracks and won his first race on this track type in years. However in the Sprint Cup Series past success doesn’t always equal future success. In past years I’ve griped that intermediate tracks are where RCR losses points to their competitors. I think with the re-emergence of the Roush Racing there’s no way Harvick can repeat what he did in 2010 on this track type. Last season he scored the third most points at intermediate tracks.
Flat Track Grade- A, I’ll be happy to take Harvick at any flat track. Last season in the seven flat track races Harvick scored the most points in the series and only finished outside the top ten once.
Surprisingly Harvick was at his best on the big flat tracks. His worst finish on this sub group last year was fourth (both Pocono finishes). At Indy he finish 2nd to Jamie McMurray.
I really like Harvick on the small flat tracks. He’s won at both of them in his career. His average finish on these tracks was 7.25 last year.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- A, Harvick proved himself to be the premiere restrictor plate driver last season. There’s not a single plate race that he didn’t contend. He started 2010 with a bang by winning the Bud Shootout and finishing second to Jimmie Johnson in a Gatorade Duel race.
In points paying races he won at both Daytona and Talladega last year. In the two races he didn’t win he arguably had the best car.
Heading into 2011 Kevin Harvick is an excellent default pick at both tracks.
Short Track Grade- A, I like Harvick at all three short tracks. The track ranking in which I like him is Richmond, Bristol and Martinsville. He has been very successful at Martinsville in recent races but his overall history isn’t as good at this track.
Road Course Track Grade- A-, When it comes to road courses I would consider Harvick a high second tier driver. His one career road course win came at Watkins Glen when he out dueled Tony Stewart for the win. He certainly didn’t back his way into victory lane that day. Last season he finished 3rd at Infineon and 11th at Watkins Glen.
How to use Kevin Harvick from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2011? I would focus on using Harvick at plate tracks, short tracks, flat tracks, Chicagoland and Homestead.
