Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 Stats: Points Finish 3rd, 9 Wins, 4 Top Fives, 19 Top Tens, Average Running Position 13.2, Average Finish 11.5, Laps Led 403, Driver Rating 92.2

Strengths- Kevin Harvick is an elite driver who can excel on all five different track types. In addition to his talent he’s also an extremely consistent driver. His DNF totals every year are among the lowest in the series.

In the closing laps of races Harvick knows how to get up on the wheel and take the #29 car to victory lane. Sometimes wins fall into his lap (Charlotte) and other times he wills the car to victory lane over the best in the series (Auto Club Speedway).

Also another strength I mentioned in Jeff Burton’s and Paul Menard’s Fantasy Previews is that I think the downsizing of RCR will only help the remaining teams. RCR always performs better when their a three car team.

Weaknesses- On occasion the #29 team misses the setup. Most frequently this happens at intermediate tracks.

Intermediate Track Grade- A-, Despite only leading 73 laps last season Harvick still managed to score the 4th most points on this track type. The only drivers who scored more points then him on this track type were Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. Last season half his wins were at these venues (Auto Club Speedway & Charlotte).

On intermediate tracks when you see Kevin Harvick running the high line expect good things to happen. He’s an elite driver at that discipline and it’s typically the fastest way around the track.

Flat Track Grade- A-, Harvick is  good at both the big and small flat tracks. 2011 wasn’t his best season on the small flats but don’t let that deter you. He’s good enough to win on both of them.

Harvick has been really good at the big flat tracks. In the last two years he’s scored the most points per race (38), has the best average finish (6.7), and he’s finished in the top five more than any other driver.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- A, When people look to make a default pick on the plate tracks Harvick is the first driver who comes to many peoples mind. He had problems on this track type last season but they weren’t his fault (Daytona 500 – engine, Fall Talladega – wreck). In the two races he didn’t have problems he finished 5th and 7th.

In 2010 Harvick scored the most points in the series at these venues.

Short Track Grade- A+, Last season Harvick scored the most points in the series on short tracks. He won at two of the three venues and had the best average finish (7.7) in the series. My ranking of him on the different short tracks would be 1)Richmond 2)Martinsville 3)Bristol

Harvick’s early season win at Martinsville in 2011 made him a winner at all three short tracks. Only a handful of current drivers have accomplished that feat.

Road Course Track Grade- A-, When it comes to road courses I would consider Harvick a high second tier driver. His one road course victory 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 9th at Infineon and 6th at Watkins Glen. In the last two seasons at road courses only Marcos Ambrose averages more points then him.

How to use Kevin Harvick from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? Harvick can be used at all of the different track types. From an allocation stanadpoint I would focus on using Harvick at plate tracks, short tracks, flat tracks, Chicagoland and Homestead.

FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Kevin Harvick Page

Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 Stats: Points Finish 4th, 3 Wins, 12 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens, Average Running Position 12.0, Average Finish 12.2, Laps Led 875, Driver Rating 98.9

Strengths- Kenseth is an elite driver at intermediate tracks. He’s a “winning robot” who’s capable of winning at any those venues.

Kenseth is also an extremely consistent driver. The Chase is a creation of his steady driving in 2003.

Weaknesses- Road courses and some short tracks have more than often proven to be troublesome for the #17 Roush Fenway Ford Fusion.

Intermediate Track Grade- A+, Year in and year out Kenseth always ranks among the top drivers on intermediate tracks. In 2012 I don’t see any reason for that to change.

Last season Kenseth scored the second most points on this track type (644 points) and had the highest driver rating (113.32). Him and Edwards both had an 8th place average running position and were also the only two drivers to have a single digit average finish. All three of his 2011 wins were at intermediate track venues (Texas, Dover and Charlotte).

Flat Track Grade- B+, At New Hampshire he finished sixth in the Chase race. That was his first top ten at Loudon since 2007. In the mid 2000′s Kenseth was a top ten machine here.

At Phoenix he finished 12th and 34th. His 34th place finish was the result of Brian Vickers exacting more revenge from their Martinsville mayhem. Before he was wrecked he led 49 laps on the new track layout. In 2010 Kenseth finished in the top ten in both races at Phoenix.

Indy is the flat track I like Kenseth the most on. He’s a consistent sleeper for the win and if you throw out the 2008 tire decable he has an average finish of 7.5 since 2002. His name hardly ever gets mentioned here but he’s definitely worth a look.

Pocono is also a good track for Kenseth. He’s had some mixed results as of late but he’s a consistent top fifteen driver. Last June he finished 8th. His overall average finish is 14.2.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B+, Last season Kenseth finished second in the summer Daytona race but beyond that things didn’t go smoothly for him at plate races. All of his other finishes were 18th or worse. However ifantsayrace.com grading isn’t based on just one year so he’s not graded on just 2011. I like Kenseth at plate races. He has a knack for them and is quite capable of getting the job done.

It is notable that I say I like him much more at Daytona. At Daytona he’s finished in the top ten in nearly half his races (46%). At Talladega he’s only finished in the top fifteen once since 2007 (14th place finish in spring 2007 race).

Short Track Grade- B, In terms of fantasy viability I’ll buy stock in Kenseth at Bristol no questions asked but at the other two short tracks I would steer clear of him.

Kenseth has two wins at Bristol. At “Thunder Valley” he’s finished in the top ten in seven of the last eight races. No other driver has accomplished this feat, not even Kyle Busch. His overall Bristol average finish is 12.0.

Richmond hasn’t been the  best track for Kenseth. His last top ten there was in the spring 2007 race. I know personally that when I think of Kenseth at Richmond his 2009 Chase missing performance is engrained in my mind. Last season he finished 23rd and 21st but I think he was better than his finishes suggest.

Last year he had success on NASCAR’s oldest track (Martinsville). He finished sixth in the spring race and he ran quite well in the fall before him and Brian Vickers played bumper cars. Avoiding Roush Fenway cars at Martinsville is a fantasy racing rule of thumb of mine but it does seem like they’ve improved in recent years.

Road Course Track Grade- B, Kenseth isn’t as bad as many would speculate at road courses. In fact Mr. Consistent has largely lived up to his name at one of these venues. In the last five years all of his finishes at Watkins Glen have been between 12th and 14th. Don’t look for lap leading bonus points out of him here because he’s only led 1 lap at Watkins Glen and it was a decade ago. His average finish is a respectable 15.6

He hasn’t been as consistent at Infineon. His last four races have been somewhat across the board (8th [only top ten finish ever], 18th, 30th and 14th). If he avoids trouble though I think a mid to high teens finish should be expected.

How to use Matt Kenseth from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? The K.I.S.S principal comes into play in Fantasy NASCAR with Matt Kenseth. Use him at intermediate tracks and don’t get creative. You won’t regret it if you have him in your lineup at those venues.

FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Matt Kenseth Page

Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Feb. 26: Daytona 5
May 12: Darlington
May 27: Charlotte
Aug. 25: Bristol
Sept. 2: Atlanta
Sept. 16: Chicagoland
Sept. 30: Dover
Nov. 4: Texas
Nov. 11: Phoenix

*** One more race will be added but it will depend on how her development is coming along.

Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 Stats: Points Finish 5th, 5 Wins, 10 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens, Average Running Position 14.8, Average Finish 14.8, Laps Led 298, Driver Rating 87.1

Strengths- Last year when Keselowski had momentum he was good everywhere. He was a force of competitive nature from his ankle injury through almost the rest of the season. Keselowski is the real deal but I would like to see more (thus why I graded him lower on some track types).

Last year in the final sixteen races he had the third best average finish and the second highest top five finish percentage (50%). Him and Tony Stewart were the only drivers to win multiple races in this portion of the season.

One notable strength of Keselowski’s is that he’s a consistent driver. When he beat Carl Edwards for the Nationwide title in 2010 it was because of his ability to avoid problems and come home with good finishes. I think he’s capable of doing the same thing in the Sprint Cup Series.

Weaknesses- The main question many have about Brad is can he do it again? In 2012 that question will be answered. One weakness that was present at times in 2012 was that Penske cars were clearly off their game at some races last season.

Intermediate Track Grade- A-, Last season in the “Blue Deuce” Brad Keselowski scored the 8th most points on this track type. What’s remarkable about this is that they weren’t that good on this track type at the start of the season and at many venues they could’ve easily scored more points (example: Coca Cola 600).

In the middle of the season Brad Keselowski was as good as anyone on this track type. From the early summer Kansas race to the fall Kansas race he had the best average finish in the series (7.1) and was one of only four drivers to finish in the top ten in all but one race (other drivers: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards).

What I really like about Brad Keselowski and the #2 team on this track type is that their willing to take risks. Their not content to just play it safe. Last season many of the races on this track type turned into fuel mileage races and Keselowski is an ace at conserving his E15 fuel.

Flat Track Grade- B+,  On the small flat tracks last season Keselowski ranked as the 18th best driver. In the Chase New Hampshire race he finished second and once again proved his prowess at conserving fuel. In the summer race he finished 35th but that’s quite deceptive. In that race he had a cut tire that ruined his day. Before his tire went flat he was running in the top three (Yahoo race chart).

Keselowski hasn’t had the best results at Phoenix. Three of his five finishes are in the high teens. Last season he finished 18th and 15th. In the fall race he had the 8th best average running position (10.5).

Last season on the big flats Brad had top tens at both venues. His big win on this track type came at Pocono in his first race after breaking his ankle. Just a week prior to his injury he finished 9th at Indy and led 17 laps.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B+, In 2009 Brad Keselowski won his first race at Talladega in his pre rookie year. In his six races at NASCAR’s biggest track he  has four top tens. I like those odds. In these six races he has the sixth best average finish (15.0).

Daytona however hasn’t been as friendly to him. In the summer night race he finished 15th but all four of his prior finishes were 24th or worse. I think he’ll have better results this year.

Short Track Grade- B+, Last season Keselowski ranked as the 15th best driver on this track type. None of his results were that good in his first visit to any of the short tracks in 2011. In his second visit to these venues his performances were much better. In his second trip to Bristol last year he led 88 laps and visited victory lane. In his second go around to Richmond he finished a respectable 12th. In the second race at Martinsville he finished 17th but he was much better than that. He would’ve easily had a top ten finish but he was spun late (Yahoo race chart).

Road Course Track Grade- A-, His success on this track type was a big surprise last season. In 2011 he finished tenth at Infineon and and second at Watkins Glen with a broken ankle. At Infineon he was actually better than his 10th place finish (Yahoo race chart). Both Penske cars were superb at the serpentine tracks last year so there’s no reason to not expect strong showings again.

How to use Brad Keselowski from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? The key to using Brad Keselowski last year was to stick by him no matter what when he was hot. This year I would focus on using him at intermediate tracks, short tracks, big flat tracks, road courses and Talladega.

FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Brad Keselowski page

1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Carl Edwards
3) Tony Stewart
4) Kevin Harvick
6) Kyle Busch
7) Kasey Kahne
8) Matt Kenseth
9) Denny Hamlin
10) Jeff Gordon
11) Brad Keselowski
12) Ryan Newman
13) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
14) A.J. Allmendinger
15) Greg Biffle
16) Clint Bowyer
17) Paul Menard
18) Martin Truex Jr.
19) Kurt Busch
20) Jeff Burton
21) Joey Logano
22) Jamie McMurray
23) J.P. Montoya
24) Marcus Ambrose
25) Regan Smith

Mock Draft 4.0 is composed by Chad Robb. Follow him on Twitter at @Huskermagic and check out his NASCAR content at BleacherReport.com

Check out prior Mock Drafts

Fantasy NASCAR Mock Draft 4.0

Fantasy NASCAR Mock Draft 3.0

Fantasy NASCAR Mock Draft 2.0

Fantasy NASCAR Mock Draft 1.0

Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 Stats: Points Finish 6th, 2 Wins, 14 Top Fives, 21 Top Tens, Average Running Position 12.1, Average Finish 11.9, Laps Led 1,115, Driver Rating 99.1

2011 was Jimmie Johnson’s worst year in the series by many respects. Last season he only had two wins and he finished sixth in the points standings. Both of those marks were career worsts. 2011 is over and good things are in store for Jimmie Johnson this year.

In 2012 ifantasyrace.com mock drafts Jimmie Johnson is the top pick in two of the four drafts (mock draft 4.0 and mock draft 2.0). I believe come Chase time Jimmie Johnson will be the consensus favorite to win the 2012 championships.

Strengths- Jimmie Johnson is the complete driver who can win on any track type. What takes him to the next level is his intangibles. He may very well be the best clutch performer in NASCAR history. When he needs to get up on the wheel and get the job done, he gets it done.

When you talk about strengths for Jimmie Johnson you can’t overlook his crew chief Chad Knaus. Is there any debate he’s not the best crew chief in the series? These two have been together since 2002 and it’s worked out pretty good. This year I think Chad Knaus will be more motivated than ever and that’s bad news for the competition.

Another strength of his is the Hendrick organization. Their the Yankees of NASCAR. They have the biggest budget and always compete for the championship. Hendrick is the only four car organization in NASCAR and his teammates (Dale Earnhardt Jr. , Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne) will all help make him that much better.

Weaknesses- One weakness of the 48 team is that when momentum isn’t on their side their results can be quite stagnant. If their in a cold streak it’s best not to pick him until it passes.

Like many drivers restrictor plate tracks are often cruel to Jimmie Johnson.

Intermediate Track Grade- A, Last season Jimmie Johnson scored the 5th most points on this track type. Year in and year out he’s always among the top scorers on this track type. These races comprise 17 of the 36 races and his strength on this track type is why he’s a five time champion.

Johnson is strong on all of the sub groups on this track type. He’s fast on the skill intermediates, the cookie cutters and the big 2.0 mile tracks. He’s the only driver who doesn’t drive a Ford who is continually a top tier elite driver at these venues.

Flat Track Grade- A, Johnson is an elite driver at both the big and the short flat tracks. He has five wins on the big’s (3 at Indy and 2 at Pocono) and seven wins on the shorts (4 at Phoenix & 3 at New Hampshire).

Indy has historically been a “hit or miss track” for him. He either wins (3 of 4 top tens were wins) or he has really bad days. The average finish of his non top ten days was 28.6. The contrast between his good days and bad days is pretty alarming to me.

Pocono is a great track for JJ and he takes full advantage of his Hendrick horsepower. Last year he finished 4th in both races. In the last nine races he’s finished in the top ten seven times and his worst finish in this span is 13th.

Typically Johnson clinches his championships at Phoenix. I think the new track layout is a disadvantage for him because he was so dominant on the old one. Prior to the Phoenix face lift he had twelve straight top seven finishes (including four wins). Last fall on the new track layout he finished 14th.

Johnson is always near the front of the pack at New Hampshire. He’s a three-time winner and his 10.1 average finish is second to only Denny Hamlin.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, Last season Jimmie Johnson won the spring Talladega race. That win was rather surprising because he typically has problems in that race. From a fantasy NASCAR perspective I only like Johnson in the fall Talladega race because his non racing strategy works out good for him (didn’t work out good for him last year because he was racing).

Since his 2006 Daytona 500 win he’s only finished in the top ten once and his average finish since then is 25.2. His last four finishes have all been 20th or worse.

Short Track Grade- A, Jimmie Johnson is solid at all three short tracks. On occasion he’s had dominant performances at all three.

At Martinsville his success in the 2000′s is unrivaled. In that decade he only finished outside the top ten once and that was in his first start at NASCAR’s oldest track. Johnson has six career wins here and last fall he could’ve made it 7 but he chose not to race Tony Stewart hard at the end.

Bristol hasn’t always been a good track for Jimmie Johnson but since 2009 he’s been as good as anyone. In these last six races he’s won one race, finished in the top ten five times and led +75 laps each race. That’s pretty good in my book.

Jimmie Johnson has also been really good at Richmond as of late. When you look at his recent stats remember to overlook his fall 2011 race because Kurt Busch went out of his way to make sure the 48 team had a bad day. In the four prior races he finished 8th, 3rd, 10th and 11th. Johnson has three wins at Richmond.

Road Course Track Grade- A-, In past years people thought the Chase could be “Jimmie Proofed” if a road course was placed in the playoffs. Johnson killed that argument with a regular season win at Infineon in 2010. Last season on road courses he finished 7th at Infineon and 10th at Watkins Glen.

How to use Jimmie Johnson from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? Johnson is such a good driver he can be used on any given weekend. Since he’s so good I think it’s best to list the tracks I would recommend you don’t use him on: Daytona, Charlotte (equal rate of good / bad finishes lately), Indy (risk/reward level to high), and the spring Talladega race.

FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Jimmie Johnson Page

Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 Stats: Points Finish 7th, 0 Wins, 4 Top Fives, 12 Top Tens, Average Running Position 16.1, Average Finish 14.5, Laps Led 52, Driver Rating 83.3

Strengths- Last season consistency was the key for his 7th place points finish. In 2011 he only finished 30th or worse twice.

Among track types he’s at his best on short tracks and plate tracks.

Weaknesses- Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t near the front of the pack very much last season. He only led 52 laps and only twice did he lead more than 10 laps in a race. In the spring Martinsville race he lead 19 laps which was nearly 37% of his total laps led.

Intermediate Track Grade- B+, In 2011 Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored the 8th most points on this track type. He didn’t score the eighth most points by dominating races, he accumulated the eighth most points by being consistent and avoiding really bad finishes. I think his 13.3 average finish should prove to be a pretty accurate indicator of what you should expect.

In the seventeen races on this track type last season Earnhardt Jr. had two top fives, six top tens and only led 5 laps. His consistency was found in his 11th through 20th place finishes (8 finishes in this range).

Look for his best intermediate track performances to come at Michigan, Atlanta and Texas.

Flat Track Grade- B, Last season Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the 10th best average finish on this track type (13.9). His best runs came at Pocono where he finished 6th and 9th. He had one other top ten at these venues last season and it was in the spring Phoenix race.

I like Junior at all of the flat tracks with the exception of Indy. In twelve races at the Brickyard he’s only finished in the top ten twice. Since his last top ten in 2006 his average finish is 25th.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B+, How can you not like Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the plate tracks? Liking him on these tracks is as American as apple pie. There’s lots of uncertainty on these tracks but one thing was certain last year and that was Dale Earnhardt Jr. would start near the front. Last season he had the second best average starting position (4.3). Only Jeff Gordon had a better average starting position (3.0). When you evaluate all of the plate races since 2008 he has the second best driver rating (93.6) and he’s tied for scoring the second most points per race (29 points per race).

Look for strong performances out of him at Daytona and Talladega this year. His last win on this track type was in 2004.

Short Track Grade- B+, It’s hard not to like Junior on short tracks. Currently his best short track is Martinsville. In his last three starts at NASCAR’s oldest track he’s finished 7th, 2nd and 7th. Martinsville is the one short track that he’s failed to finish first but he’s a consistent top ten threat.

In recent years his performances at Richmond haven’t been up to par with how he traditionally performs at “the action track”. He has three wins at Richmond but in the last six races he’s finished outside the top twenty every race.

Bristol has always been a good track for Earnhardt Jr. Among all the tracks on the circuit his best average finish is here (11.7). Since Bristol was reconfigured he’s been about a low teens to mid teens driver. Before the reconfiguration he was almost always a top ten driver.

Road Course Track Grade- B-, Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t been as bad as many would think at road courses. Typically people think he’s downright awful at road courses. At both tracks he’s finished in the top twenty in 50% of his races.

He doesn’t have a single top ten finish at Infienon but in the last nine years he’s finished 13th or better five times. That’s better than 50%. At Infineon he’s led a total of 9 laps in f his career. Last season he was parked early with overheating problems (finished 41st).

Watkins Glen has been tougher on him. In the last six races his average finish is 27th. Unlike Infineon he’s finished in the top ten here (3) and he’s led four times for a combined 46 laps.

How to use Dale Earnhardt Jr. from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? In 2012 I would focus on using Dale Earnhardt Jr. at short tracks and plate tracks. I would also consider using him short flat tracks, Michigan, Atlanta, Texas, Kansas, Pocono and Chicagoland.

FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Dale Earnhardt Jr. Page

Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

2011 Stats: Points Finish 8th, 3 Win, 13 Top Fives, 18 Top Tens, Average Running Position 12.9, Average Finish 13.0, Laps Led 992, Driver Rating 96.5

Strengths- Jeff Gordon is at his best on short tracks, flat tracks, intermediate tracks and Infineon.

Weaknesses- Despite having  success on plate tracks last season overall they haven’t been that friendly to him in recent years.

Intermediate Track Grade- A-, Last season the 24 team got off to a rough start on intermediate tracks, but in the early summer they found their form. In the second half of the season if they didn’t have problems they were consistently a fifth through tenth place team.

From Kentucky onward through the rest of the season they had a 13.1 average finish, 98.3 driver rating (7th best) and more importantly they were always near the front (11.1 average running position, 7th best)

Looking for a great tool to derive stats from such as you see above? Join FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com and dominate your fantasy competition.

Flat Track Grade- A, Jeff Gordon is an elite flat track driver and he’s capable of winning at any of the four flat tracks. He’s equally strong at both the short and the big flat tracks.

In 2011 on the short flat tracks Gordon won at Phoenix and finished 4th and 11th at New Hampshire.  On this flat track subgroup Gordon led 275 laps, scored the 5th most points, and had the 4th best driver rating (110.4). In 2012 Jeff Gordon will once again be a serious contender at these venues.

On the big flat tracks last year Jeff Gordon was “The Man”. Between Pocono and Indy last season he had a 3rd place average finish. He won the June Pocono race and at Indy he clearly had the best car not running on fumes. He also sported the best driver rating in the series (136.0) on the big flats.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B+, As with any driver at these wild card venues he had his good days and his bad days. Last year Jeff Gordon didn’t do badly on these tracks. He had one top ten finish at each of these tracks. Paul Menard scored the most points last year but I would happily take Gordon’s 2011 29 points per race average and run.

On Jeff Gordon’s plate resume he has 6 wins at both Daytona and Talladega. His top ten finish percentage is nearly 50% at both tracks (Daytona 50% — Talladega 47%).

Short Track Grade- A+, Jeff Gordon didn’t win any short track races last year but I could argue he was cheated out of two wins (Bristol #2 and Richmond #2). Last year on the second trip to each short track Jeff Gordon finished third.

When you take away his 39th place accident in the spring Richmond race his numbers look really impressive. When you take that race away he averaged 39 points per race on this track type last season (tied for most in series) and had the best driver rating (111.9).

Road Course Track Grade- B+, Jeff Gordon isn’t quite the road warrior he once was. He’s still extremely strong at Infineon (six straight top tens, finished 2nd last year) but at Watkins Glen he’s fallen into mediocrity. His last win at “The Glen” was in 2001 and since then his average finish is 20.1. In that ten race span his best finish is 9th.

How to use Jeff Gordon from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? Jeff Gordon is a versatile driver and if you’re in a league where you keep the driver on your team for the year he’s almost a must have driver. From an allocation stand point I would use Jeff Gordon at flat tracks, short tracks, and intermediate tracks.

FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Jeff Gordon Page