Las Vegas Kobalt Tools 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings
Jeff Gordon – Last year at Las Vegas the Generation Six car made it’s debut at a high-speed intermediate track. Jeff Gordon’s performance certainly wasn’t anything to get excited about. He started the race in 10th and faded back to a 25th place finish. Because of the circumstance with the new car I’m willing to ignore how he performed last season. In 2012 at Vegas Jeff Gordon had a good car but an early pit stop bad adjustment hampered him for much of the race. In that event he finished 12th. In 2011 he was involved in an accident. In 2010 he finished 3rd and led 219 laps. Between 2010 and 2005 Gordon had five top six results at Sin City. Last year on intermediate tracks Jeff Gordon was a strong performer. On 1.5 mile tracks since Kentucky excluding Texas (got into the wall) he had a 6.8 average finish (3rd best), 9.0 average running position, and the third best driver rating. The only drivers with a better driver rating over that stretch of races is Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Clint Bowyer – Last year at Las Vegas qualifying was rained out and as a result Clint Bowyer started second. Typically starting near the front is an advantage but it didn’t do Bowyer any favors. As soon as the green flag waved he dropped back in the running order like a rock. His car was downright terrible. In the race he finished 27th, had a 28th place average running position and earned the 29th best driver rating. I’m going to give him a tremendous amount of leeway for that performance because it was the first race for the Generation 6 car on an intermediate track. In the four Las Vegas prior to last season Clint Bowyer performed well. Between 2012 and 2009 his 7.8 average finish ranked as the best in the series. Last season on high-speed intermediate tracks Bowyer scored the 10th most points, finished in the top ten 57% percent of the time and had a 13.8 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver)
Recommended Reading: Las Vegas Top Tier Elite, Las Vegas Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Who will win the Las Vegas Kobalt Tools 400
Denny Hamlin – Last year at Las Vegas Denny Hamlin finished 15th. That’s a result that deserves an asterisk mark. In the race it appeared Denny Hamlin had a car that had top five potential early but he was the victim of getting a speeding penalty during a round of green flag pit stops. That was a major set back for him. Once he got back on the lead lap he didn’t make much progress marching towards the front of the pack. His performance in 2012 was pretty forgettable. In that race he finished 20th, got lapped under green and earned the 25th best driver rating. Overall at Las Vegas it’s fair to assume Denny Hamlin is in a slump. In four out of the last five Vegas races he’s had a result of 15th or worse. In his career at Vegas he’s finished in the top ten 50% percent of the time and has a 13.1 average finish. Last season Denny Hamlin closed out the year strong on this track type. He won the season finale at Homestead and his next two most recent results on high-speed intermediate tracks were 7th and 9th. Don’t overlook Denny Hamlin for the Las Vegas Kobalt Tools 400. (Yahoo B Driver)
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