Marcos Ambrose 2010 Fantasy NASCAR Preview

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=marcos+ambrose&iid=6985302″ src=”6/e/2/3/Dickies_500_Practice_0cc1.jpg?adImageId=8720118&imageId=6985302″ width=”234″ height=”156″ /]Marcos Ambrose

2009 Stats: Points Finish 18th, 0 Wins, 4 Top Fives, 7 Top Tens, Average Finish 19.2, Average Position 20.3, Laps Led 15, Driver Rating 71.4

Heading into the 2009 season nobody really expected much out of Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose and the 47 team far exceeded the expectations that many people placed on them. Not only did Ambrose establish himself as the next first time winner in waiting, but he also gained a lot of respect in the garage area.

Strengths- Ambrose is  at his best on the road courses. He could very easily sweep Infineon and Watkins Glen in 2010. Ambrose is also pretty good at Bristol, and some of the 1.5 mile intermediate tracks.

Weaknesses- Ambrose and the 47 team looked lost at some of the big 2.0 mile intermediate tracks.

Intermediate Track Grade- B, Ambrose had some solid intermediate track races but when you examine the totality of his work its pretty hit and miss across the board. Towards the end of the season Ambros looked really good on these tracks. He had perhaps the best car at Texas by any driver that didn’t have the last name Busch and in his brief (cut tire early) Homestead race Ambrose was the leader when his car succumbed to problems. Look for Ambrose to really improve on these tracks in 2010 and expect him to turn his bad days into teen finishes instead of finishes in the 20’s and 30’s like he had in 2009.

Flat Track Grade- B-, Ambrose is OK on these tracks. I personally think that in 2010 these will be the tracks that Ambrose will improve the most on because they have some similar characteristics to road courses.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, In Ambrose’s relatively short career he has proven himself to be a survivor on these tracks. In 2009 Ambrose finished the season with two top tens in the four restrictor plate races.

Short Track Grade- B, Ambrose is a great short track driver. In 2010 expect to see him really improve on these tracks.  Ambrose was a serious challenger in the summer Bristol race and he swept the top ten there for the year also.

Road Course Track Grade- A+, Ever since Ambrose first stepped into a Cup car he’s been a serious challenger on these serpentine tracks. Ambrose will be a very popular pick at the road courses in 2010. Ambrose has also proven himself to be a driver who can start at the back on these tracks and still challenge for the victory.

How to use Marcos Ambrose from a fantasy racing perspective in 2010?

I would recommend picking Ambrose at the road courses and the short tracks. In 2010 I really think Ambrose will really blossom as a driver and most likely prove himself to be the best driver at Michael Waltrip Racing.

Click HERE for more Marcos Ambrose stats

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