#55 Team (Mark Martin, Brian Vickers and Michael Waltrip) 2013 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
In 2013 the #55 team driver lineup will once again consist of a trio of drivers. The primary driver on most weekends will be Mark Martin. Brian Vickers will drive at road courses, short tracks (Bristol & Martinsville), Kentucky and New Hampshire. Michael Waltrip will drive in three of the four restrictor plate races (excluding the Daytona 500 in the #55).
Last season Michael Waltrip Racing emerged as a competitive organization. This team had two drivers make the Chase and teammate Clint Bowyer finished 2nd in the standings. If this team had either Mark Martin or Brian Vickers driving full-time they would compete for a Chase spot. Last year in the owner standings they finished 15th, that’s one spot better than the #99 team. Between the trio of drivers they accumulated 7 top fives and 16 top tens.
Strengths– This team is good across a broad spectrum of track types. Their capable of being an effective fantasy option most weekends. Just take note of the weakness posted below.
Weaknesses– The drivers on this team aren’t good at closing the deal in races and finds problems all to often. It can be said that they lack the “clutch gene”. In many races last year they were poised to have a good day but something went downhill for them.
One concern I have about their primary driver Mark Martin is that since he left Roush Fenway Racing one pattern has emerged. His first year with teams has been great, but every year after that it seems like his number of good performances have declined.
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Intermediate Track Grade- B, In 2013 Mark Martin will drive the #55 in all of the intermediate track races with the exception of Kentucky. Last year Michael Waltrip drove at that venue but this season its penciled in that Brian Vickers will compete in that race.
This team typically has A- performances but all to often comes home with disappointing results at intermediate tracks. Mark Martin has had many fantasy “let downs” on these tracks that were a knife to the heart of fantasy racers. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll look good in races but the question is if he’ll close the deal. A couple of examples from last season about what I mean:
Michigan (August) – Good car but had a freak accident while leading
Michigan (June) – Had about a 7th place car but had problems with about 5 laps to go (Yahoo! Race Chart)
Kansas (spring) – Ran around 5th until he blew up late (Yaho0! Race Chart)
Kansas (fall) – Had a good car but had engine problems late (Yahoo! Race Chart)
Charlotte (spring) – Had a 10th place car but had problems with about 60 laps to go (Yahoo! Race Chart)
Flat Track Grade– B+ , In 2013 Mark Martin will drive the #55 in all of the flat track races with the exception of the events at New Hampshire. He was very successful in his flat track races last season. His highlight was his second place finish in June at Pocono. For the season on this track type he had an average finish of 8.8 and a worst finish of 12th.
In 2012 Brian Vickers had respectable performances at New Hampshire. He came home with finishes of 9th and 15th.
Short Track Grade- B+, The game plan for the #55 on short tracks is that Mark Martin will drive at Richmond and Vickers will compete at Bristol and Martinsville.
Last season Vickers was very competitive at short tracks. He had finishes of 4th (Bristol), 5th (Bristol), 8th (Martinsville) and 18th (Martinsville). Also in three of these four races he led laps. Perhaps his most impressive performance was at Bristol in August. In that race he had a legitimate shot to win. From a historical perspective I don’t like Vickers at either of these tracks. His career average finish at these respecitve venues is 22.1 (Bristol) and 19.5 (Martinsville).
Mark Martin had good results at Richmond last year. He had top tens in both races and had results of 3rd and 8th. He also didn’t qualify to poorly either. He won the pole in the spring race and started 6th in September. From a historical perspective Mark Martin has been very good here. At Richmond he has 30 top tens and an average finish of 11.9.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, In 2013 the plan for this team is that Mark Martin will run the Daytona 500 and Michael Waltrip will run the rest of the races for this team on this track type. I like Mark Martin in the Daytona 500 as a part-time driver. His best 500 finish here was in 2007 when he wasn’t racing full-time. Last season he finished 10th.
Michael Waltrip will be a solid sleeper fantasy option at these venues in the #55. Last season he had a top ten in one of his races (Daytona summer race) and in the fall Talladega race he was in the mix for the win before the “big one” ensued.
If I were the owner of this team I would put Brian Vickers in the #55 in all of these races. He’s a good plate racer and at Talladega he’s proven he can win with a third place car.
Road Course Track Grade- B+, Brian Vickers will drive at both road courses in 2013. Last season he had results that were at the end of both extremes. At Infineon he finished 4th and at Watkins Glen he didn’t even complete a lap (43rd, engine problems). From a historical perspective it’s hard to like Vickers at these venues. His 4th place finish in June at Infineon was his best finish there by 10 positions. His average finish there is 20th. Watkins Glen has been a tough track for Vickers. At that venue he only has one top ten (2005) and an average finish of 23.1.
How to use from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2013?
From an allocation stand point I would focus on using this collective of drivers at short tracks, road courses and intermediate tracks. This team has tremendous fantasy value that can really help you especially if you’re in an allocation league. Just note the risk involved.
[button link=”http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/drivers/mark-martin/78″ style=”tick”]Mark Martin FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Page[/button]
[button link=”http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/drivers/brian-vickers/17″ style=”tick”]Brian Vickers FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Page[/button]
[button link=”http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/drivers/michael-waltrip/83″ style=”tick”]Michael Waltrip FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Page[/button]
