Carl Edwards 2010 Fantasy NASCAR Preview

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=carl+edwards&iid=7811479″ src=”2/c/1/f/NASCAR_05_February_da7e.jpg?adImageId=9955265&imageId=7811479″ width=”234″ height=”156″ /]Carl Edwards

2009 Stats: Points Finish 11th, 0 Wins, 7 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens, Average Finish 15.3, Average Position 15.5, Laps Led 164, Driver Rating 87.3

2008 was a wonderful year for Carl Edwards when he won 9 races and had 27 top tens. 2009 was almost a complete reversal for this team. Carl’s top tens were cut nearly in half and even more notable is that he never won a race. The whole Roush Fenway organization had a down year in 2009, but as I mentioned in the Matt Kenseth preview they will have a new chassis in 2010 and its  highly competitive. Also lets not forget that by Daytona his broken foot will be healed. In 2010 the new Ford engine will also come into play.

Strengths– Carl is king of the cookie cutters. He’s at his best on the intermediate tracks. In 2008 he won 7 intermediate track races.

Weaknesses– Some notable tracks where I would avoid Edwards are New Hampshire, Richmond, and Martinsville. I also feel that Carl Edwards dedication towards the Nationwide series hurts his cup efforts at times.

Intermediate Track Grade- A-, I know he wasn’t an A- last year but 2010 is a brand new year. Roush Fenway will be back on their feet this year. Matt Kenseth proved this by the way he ran at Lowes and Texas in the 2010 Roush chassis. If things get back to normal for Edwards then I think he could easily be an A at these tracks in 2010.

Flat Track Grade- B, The best flat tracks for Carl Edwards are the big ones ( Indy and Pocono). Carl struggles at the smaller flat tracks just like the rest of the members of Roush Fenway usually do. Carl is notably better at Phoenix then he is at New Hampshire.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, Carl Edwards typically performs better the second time the series visits each restrictor plate track. For example he usually finishes better in the July Daytona race, and he usually finishes better in the fall Talladega race. He nearly won the spring Talladega race until his car clipped Brad Keselowski’s.

Short Track Grade- B-, The only short track that I would put any money on Carl Edwards at is Bristol. Up until last year he won the night race two years in a row. He ran good in the spring race at Martinsville running nearly 98% of the laps in the top 15 until he had problems late in the race.

Road Course Track Grade- A-, People don’t typically think of Carl Edwards as a road course driver but I think he’s proven his ability on these tracks. In 2008 he had perhaps the fastest car at Infineon, and at Watkins Glen in 2009 he finished 3rd. When you take away his first career start at Infineon his average finish there is 11.8. When you take away his first career start at Watkins Glen his average finish there is 6.25.

How to use Carl Edwards from a fantasy racing perspective in 2010?

Focus on using Carl Edwards at the intermediate tracks. They are his bread and butter. My other recommendations are to pick him at big flat tracks, pick him the second time the series visits a restrictor plate track, and don’t be afraid to pick him at a road course.

Click HERE for more Carl Edwards stats

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