Richmond Heath Calhoun 400 Fantasy NASCAR Preview and Picks
Come check out my Fantasy Preview for the Air Guard 400
A =Really, Really Good Pick
Kevin Harvick – Over the last 5 years at Richmond Harvick has spent more laps racing in the top 15 than any other driver in the series. Drivers don’t spend the most laps in the top 15 and not be competitive. Harvick has also finished in the top 10 at Richmond in 9 out of the last 10 races.
Denny Hamlin – Ever since Hamlin was a rookie he’s been a natural at Richmond. Hamlin won here last fall and had the car to beat in the spring race.
Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch is the defending champion of this race. He’s finished in the top 5 an astounding 8 times in 10 starts.
A- = Really Good Pick
Tony Stewart – Stewart finished second here in three out of the last five Richmond races. Stewart has finishes in the top ten 68% of the time at Richmond.
Mark Martin – Martin’s had 4 consecutive top five finishes at Richmond. Last year he also had success at Phoenix and New Hampshire. The bottom line here is that Martin’s very good on this style of track right now.
Clint Bowyer – This track is the site of Clint Bowyer’s second career victory. He was a contender at Phoenix and he’ll definitely be a contender at Richmond.
Jeff Gordon – He’s been good at Richmond for the last three years but beyond that his record here is pretty bad. His average finish over the last three years is sixth.
Kurt Busch – Kurt has finished in the top twelve in five out of the last six Richmond races. Last fall he finished 2nd.
B+ = Good Pick
Jimmie Johnson – He’s won 3 out of the last 6 races at Richmond, but that’s not really telling the full story. Besides those three wins Jimmie Johnson only has one other top ten finish at Richmond. Four top tens in sixteen races is enough to scare me away. If you’re a loop data fan then his 19.9 mid race average, 18.0 average finish, and 17.6 average running position should scare you off.
Jeff Burton – Burton has been a weekly contender for almost the last month until he runs into problems late in a race. I think this is the race where his bad luck stops. Last year Burton finished 3rd.
Juan Pablo Montoya – The stats for Montoya aren’t there, but remember how good he was at Phoenix? His performance there will translate into a good Richmond run.
Ryan Newman – Newman won at Phoenix and Richmond has always been one of his best tracks. He’s finished in the top ten in ten of his sixteen starts at Richmond.
B = Just A Tier Below The Good Picks
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – I know he’s won here three times and nearly won here two years ago but when you look at the big picture picking him isn’t nearly as appealing.
Carl Edwards – Despite his 7th place finish at Phoenix I’m not going to be buying any stock in Carl Edwards at Richmond. The Ford camp was so bad at this style of track last year it would be irresponsible to push him to fellow fantasy racers.
Joey Logano – If we go by what Joey Logano did last year when he was a teen driver (in every sense) I wouldn’t rate him here. I think he’ll be much more improved this time around. His 10th place finish at Phoenix should help give you more confidence.
Matt Kenseth – Remember how he looked last year in the Richmond Chase cutoff race? If you’re a Kenseth fan then I’m pretty sure you remember how rough it was.
Kasey Kahne – Richmond is the site of his first career win but since then his success his been up and down. Since his first win he’s finished in the top twelve in five of the last nine races.
Greg Biffle – Check out what I said about him in my Richmond Contender Or Pretender post.
Sam Hornish Jr. – If you need a sleeper this week Sam Hornish Jr is your guy. This style of track (Richmond, New Hampshire, and Phoenix) are his strength.
Marcos Ambrose – I think he’ll be a great sleeper pick if you need one this weekend. He finished 11th here last spring and he also finished 11th earlier this season at Phoenix.
B – = You Can Pencil Them In For Around 20th
AJ Allmendinger – He won the pole at Phoenix and was competitive there earlier this year. The downside here is that he’s never finished better than 21st.
Martin Truex Jr. – He has a good track history at Phoenix but when we talk strictly Richmond PASS on him. He should be better here but he’s not.
Brad Keselowski – Four out of the last five races Brad Keselowski’s finished in the teens. At Phoenix earlier this year he finished 16th. The question here is will he bring the excitement?
Brian Vickers – Forget his top ten last fall, it was a fluke. In fact that was the first time Brian finished in the top ten since the first time he raced at Richmond. His average finish other than his two top tens is 30th.
Paul Menard – With no career top fifteens at Richmond and a growing slump it looks like this years (season to date) Cinderella might be getting his slipper smashed this weekend.
C+ = Got Some Question Marks Here
David Reutimann – The certainty here is that I’m not certain how his day will end early at Richmond. If he wasn’t so unlucky recently I would rate him higher. I would say Richmond is the site of Reutimann’s best career race (fall 2008).
Jamie McMurray – He finished 7th here last spring but his numbers have been awful at Richmond for the last couple of years.
David Ragan – In his second career start at Richmond Ragan finished 3rd. In all of his other starts he’s finished 17th or worse.
C = I’m Not Picking Them
Elliott Sadler – When you talk about Elliott Sadler this might sound crazy but I think I finally found his worst track!!!! One top ten in twenty two starts in unbelievable for a man who gets paid millions of dollars and is called a professional.
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Who are people picking
My Weekly Pick = Kevin Harvick
Top Onpitrow.com Expert Pick = Denny Hamlin
Top Onpitrow.com Dark Horse Pick = Tony Stewart
If you’re looking for even more Richmond Fantasy NASCAR Info check out my Fantasy NASCAR From Around The Net Post.
