Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Fantasy NASCAR Preview And Picks

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A = Really, Really Good Pick

Jimmie Johnson – This track isn’t called Lowes anymore but to win this race Jimmie Johnson will be the driver to beat. He won here last fall and was very impressive in the All-Star race. (Yahoo A – List Driver)

Kyle Busch – If the Coca Cola 600 was run to completion last year Kyle Busch unquestionably would’ve been the driver to beat. Over the last five Charlotte races his average finish is 4.8. Kyle Busch is the hottest driver in NASCAR now and he’ll definitely be a contender in the longest race of the season. (Yahoo A – List Driver)

Matt Kenseth– Last fall Matt Kenseth finished second at Charlotte. He finished second at Atlanta earlier this year and ran strong at Texas until he had problems late in the race. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Jeff Burton – Jeff Burton is a veteran driver who can manage his equipment for 600 miles. To me this is an extremely important element of this race. Burton’s also been a top 5 car every week for the past month.  (Yahoo B – List Driver)

A- = Really Good Pick

Kasey Kahne – Kahne is the best driver in the COT era at Charlotte with his 3.2 average finish. Both of Kasey Kahne’s top fives this season have come on similar tracks to Charlotte (Atlanta and Texas). (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Kurt Busch – Kurt won the All-Star race but I think the cross over data from that race is limited. Kurt won at Atlanta earlier this year and also ran strong at Texas. (Yahoo A – List Driver)

Jeff Gordon – Gordon was strong at Texas and Las Vegas earlier this year so he’s been really strong on the intermediates in 2010. Last fall Gordon was a top 5 car for the majority of the race but was eventually out dueled by Jimmie Johnson. In the 4 COT races at Charlotte Gordon has 3 top tens. (Yahoo A – List Driver)

B+ = Good Pick

Mark Martin – What I said about Jeff Burton being a veteran driver applies to Martin. The difference is that Burton’s been better week in and week out on the track. (Yahoo A – List Driver)

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin won at Texas but his last top ten at Charlotte was back in 2007. He’s never finished better than eighth here. (Yahoo A – List Driver).

Juan Pablo Montoya – If Montoya can avoid problems I think he could be a definite contender in the Coca Cola 600. He  arguably had the best car at Atlanta and ran good at Texas before he was collected in the big one. (Yahoo A -List Driver)

Kevin Harvick – His stats here are really awful, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets his first top ten here since 2003 this weekend. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Tony Stewart – Stewart nearly won this race in 2008 but a cut tire at the end snatched victory from him. (Yahoo A -List Driver)

Joey Logano – Joey has been extremely strong at Charlotte in his short career. His Charlotte average start is 9.5 and his average finish is 7.5. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Martin Treux Jr. – Treux raced his way into the All-Star race (while there was still daylight), and ran strong at the end (night-time). Being good in both day and night is important in the Coca Cola 600. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

B = Just A Tier Below The Good Picks

Carl Edwards – Check out my Contender or Pretender post. (Yahoo A -List Driver)

Greg Biffle – In the COT Greg Biffle’s average finish is 11.2 but my concern  is that over the last five races his average finish is 16.5. (Yahoo A -List Driver)

Jamie McMurray – McMurray’s had some real good runs at Charlotte in his career. His average finish in his first 5 Charlotte races is 9th but his average over his last 5 Charlotte races is 21.2. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

David Reutimann – Reutimann’s starting to heat up and over the last 4 races his average finish is 11.25. Also lets not forget that because of rain he’s the defending champion of the race.

Clint Bowyer – No driver in NASCAR right now needs to get their season back on track more then Clint Bowyer. Last fall he finished sixth here.

Ryan Newman – If this turns into a survival race like many races at Charlotte have been then I like Newman, Humpy Wheeler isn’t here anymore to create the on track excitement so I’ll pass. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

B- = You Can Pencil Them In For Around 20th

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – I don’t think his high line approach will last for 600 miles.  He finished 5th here in the 2007 Coca Cola 600 but hasn’t cracked the top 35 since. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski finished 12th in this race last year and ran strong at Atlanta until he went flying in the air. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Marcos Ambrose – Last year Ambrose finished 26th and 22nd. Infineon is coming up so cheer up Ambrose fans. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

C+ = Got Some Question Marks Here

Casey Mears – Casey Mears won this race in 2007 but in my book wins don’t count if JJ Yeley finishes second, Kyle Petty finishes third and Reed Sorenson finishes fourth. (Yahoo C – List Driver)

AJ Allmendinger – Allmendinger’s Charlotte numbers are horrendous. In six races his average finish is 27.3. His average running position is even worse (29.5). (Yahoo C – List Driver)

Paul Menard – Menard appeared to be the Cinderella story of the season but his last top 20 was back in Martinsville. One notable thing about Menard  is that he finished 5th at Atlanta. (Yahoo C – List Driver)

David Ragan – I have a feeling this is his last Coca Cola 600 in the 6 car. His average finish in this particular race is 24.3. If you want a ray of hope and are considering Ragan, he did run in the top 8 at Atlanta this year until trouble found him about 35 laps into the race. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

C = I’m Not Picking Them

Elliott Sadler – His 5 year average finish at Charlotte is 26.8. I think that speaks for itself. I don’t see any reason for optimistism here. (Yahoo B – List Driver)

Sam Hornish Jr. – Hornish won’t find trouble at Charlotte, it will find him. If you’re considering him here’s a Hornish fact, his average finish in the Coca Cola 600 is 14.5. (Yahoo C – List Driver)

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Charlotte Fantasy NASCAR Picks

My Pick : Kyle Busch

Top Onpitrow.com Expert Pick : Jimmie Johnson

Top Onpitrow.com Darkhorse Pick : Kasey Kahne

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