Homestead-Miami Ford EcoBoost 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings
Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson is in a rare position in the Homestead-Miami Ford EcoBoost 400. It’s not often he rolls into the season finale without a chance to win the championship. That will allow him to go all out in pursuit of a bucket list win at Miami. In many other races in the past at Homestead he’s looked like a contender to win but has held back showing his hand to points race. In 2013 when Johnson won his 6th championship he was obviously points racing. He never drove his car hard and stayed away from the wall opting to run the low line. In the race last year Johnson started 7th, had a 7th place average running position, earned the 6th best driver rating and finished 9th. In the race Johnson performed better than his result. On the last straightaway alone he gave up 3 positions waving people by. Johnson’s race also wasn’t without a little adversity. During a restart with 74 laps to go Johnson fell from 8th back to 23rd. In 2012 Jimmie Johnson had to race hard for the championship. He had a great car and at one point in the race it looked like he was positioned to get the win. In the race he had top five potential but his afternoon wasn’t incident free. During a pit stop with 54 laps to go his team had a missing lug nut and it resulted in a pass through penalty that dropped him a lap down back to 25th. Then shortly after that with 41 laps to go he had a rear gear problem that sent him to the garage. In 2011 at Homestead he had carburetor problems and then later in the race he spun which resulted in a 32nd place finish. In 2010 he had to race hard to get the championship and in that event he finished 2nd. This season at 1.5 mile tracks Johnson has been one of the stronger drivers in the series. He’s won twice at 1.5 mile tracks and when he’s had an incident free race he’s been a lock for a good finish. Texas is the most recent track visited that’s the same length as Homestead and at that venue he raced the #48 car to victory lane. (Yahoo A Driver)
Martin Truex Jr. – Dark horse sleeper alert! Martin Truex Jr. could surprise people in the Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400. He’s a driver who thrives at venues where the high-line comes into play and that’s clearly the fastest way around this track. Also at Homestead a solid case could be made that it’s his best track. Since 2006 he has the 3rd best driver rating, a 6.4 average finish and an 8.1 average running position. Also in the 8 races since 2006 he’s finished in the top 11 every race. I’m pretty sure you can’t say that about him at any other track on the circuit. Last fall Truex Jr. had a strong showing and consistently ran in the top ten. In the race he finished 4th, had an 8th place average running position and earned the 7th best driver rating. In 2012 at Homestead no driver was better running the high-line than Martin Truex Jr. He had tremendous runs down the straightaway because of how fast his car was. The problem with his car in the race was that he was solely dedicated to running the high-line. When he had to switch lanes his car wasn’t nearly as good. In that race he finished 6th but his car was better than that. If the race didn’t come down to fuel mileage he likely would’ve finished 2nd to Kyle Busch. In the Chase at 1.5 mile tracks Martin Truex Jr. has a 12.8 average finish and a 14.3 average running position. (Yahoo B Driver)
Further Recommended Reading – Top Tier Elite Picks, Mid Pack Predictions, Who will win at Homestead?, Homestead Scouting Report
Ryan Newman – This season at 1.5 mile tracks Ryan Newman has performed well and has been Mr. Consistent. At these venues he has a 10.2 average finish, 11.8 average running position and has finished in the top sixteen every race. Also at tracks of this length he’s scored the 6th most points this season. It’s important to note however he really hasn’t been a serious threat to win any of these races and has finished in the top five just once. At Homestead Ryan Newman has done a good job avoiding trouble, but he really hasn’t been that strong. Since 2006 he’s only finished in the top ten twice and has an unskewed 15.5 average finish. Also over the last 8 races he has a 14.6 average running position and the 14th best driver rating. Last fall at Homestead Newman wasn’t a factor and was a mid-teens performer. In the race he started 15th, had a 15th place average running position, earned the 15th best driver rating and finished 17th. In 2012 at Homestead Newman had his best finish and crossed the finish line in 3rd. That finish is somewhat misleading because he had about a 10th place car. In the race he was aided by how the end played out when fuel mileage entered the equation. In the race he started in 19th, had a 10th place average running position and earned the 8th best driver rating. His next two most recent Homestead results were finishes of 12th and 7th. (Yahoo B Driver)
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