Fantasy Racing Not So Fast – Darlington Southern 500
Marcos Ambrose – Marcos Ambrose got familiar with Darlington last year because he earned his share of stripes. In the event he got into the wall a couple of times so it’s surprising he finished 9th. In 2011 he finished 13th. In his first two Darlington races he finished 25th and 33rd. In recent weeks the #9 team has shown improvement on the track, they just haven’t had finishes that reflect that. In the Bojangles Southern 500 I would try to avoid Ambrose because even when he performs well it seems that trouble finds him. (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Paul Menard – Paul Menard has driven well on intermediate tracks this season but Darlington isn’t a conventional intermediate track. I describe it as a skill intermediate track because the driver is a key component to having a good race. At Darlington Menard hasn’t been very successful. He had his best race last season and finished 13th but he only has one other top fifteen result to his name. Also upon closer examination of his 2012 race you’ll discover that he had a 19th place average running position and only ran in the top fifteen in 3.5% percent of the laps completed. (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Juan Pablo Montoya – Picking Juan Pablo Montoya carries significant fantasy risk. He’s struggled tremendously on the track this season and hasn’t looked competitive with the exception of Richmond. Darlington has proven to be a tricky track for Montoya. He finished 5th in 2010 but all five of his other finishes are between 20th and 24th. Last season in this race he started in 27th, had a 27th place average running position and finished 24th. (Yahoo B Driver)
Bobby Labonte – Bobby Labonte has been pretty consistent at the Lady In Black. Since 2005 he’s finished between 18th and 22nd 75% percent of the time. Last season in this race Labonte finished four laps down in 29th. He was extremely uncompetitive. He had a 28th place average running position and the 28th best driver rating. (Yahoo! B Driver)
David Ragan – Darlington has been a tough track for David Ragan. He has a 22.2 average finish and has had a result of 21st or worse 66% percent of the time. Last season he finished 28th and had a 34th place average running position. Don’t let his Talladega win change your perception of his fantasy value this week. (Yahoo! C Driver)
Danica Patrick – Last year Darlington was one of the tracks Tony Stewart picked for Patrick. He choose it because he viewed Darlington as one of the most difficult for her. It certainly appeared troublesome for her because she got lapped under green on lap #28. In the race she had a 32nd place average running position and finished 31st. In the Nationwide Race last season she finished 12th. I see no reason to flirt with the idea of having her on a fantasy roster in the Bojangles Southern 500. (Yahoo! C Driver)
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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > Not So Fast
