Fantasy NASCAR Contender or Pretender: Indianapolis
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Jeff Gordon (Contender) – In the last nine races at Indianapolis Jeff Gordon has only finished outside the top ten once, and that was a sixteenth place finish. Jeff Gordon’s been in every NASCAR Indy race ever held so if you pick him you shouldn’t lack confidence because he has four wins and thirteen top tens in sixteen races. His last win at his so-called “home track” (seems like he has a couple) was in 2004. Jeff Gordon has the fifth best driver rating over the last five years (96.2).
Ryan Newman (Pretender) – Ryan Newman is an Indiana local but he’s never had the home field advantage. In nine races at Indy Ryan Newman has only finished inside the top ten once. His only top ten at Indy was in his rookie year so you certainly can’t say he’s improved here. Qualifying is extremely important at Indy and Newman can qualify good (7.4 avg start), but his 22.6 average running position should scare you off. Over the last five years Ryan Newman has the worst pass differential in the series at Indy (-115).
Jimmie Johnson (Contender) – Jimmie Johnson struggled at Indianapolis early in his career but since he started winning he basically hasn’t stopped. Johnson has kissed the bricks three out of the last four years. Last year Johnson started sixteenth and drove up to the front of the field quickly. If you like to pick drivers who led laps than Johnson is your guy at Indy. He’s led the most laps at Indianapolis over the last five years (128).
Mark Martin (Pretender) – Last year Mark Martin finished second at Indy and he has the best five year average finish (6.2). What Martin doesn’t have is momentum. Indianapolis is the one track on the circuit that most accurately reflects a teams true strength for the year and I don’t think the 5 team has it. Martin hasn’t finished inside the top ten for nearly two months.
Tony Stewart (Contender) – Unlike his teammate Tony Stewart passes cars at Indy. Stewart has the best pass differential in the series over the last five years (+136). Stewart doesn’t just pass cars at Indy, he’s also always near the front of the pack (8.4 avg. running position, best in the series). Johnson’s won a lot of races at Indy lately but Tony Stewart’s scored the most points over the last five years (158.2 points per race).
Sam Hornish Jr. (Pretender) – Hornish Jr. is a former Indianapolis 500 winner but that won’t translate into anything this upcoming weekend. His IRL championships haven’t meant anything in the Cup series yet. He ran strong at Pocono earlier this year and if you’re in a tiered fantasy league use him, but comparing performances across vastly different series’s is the wrong thing to do.
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