Marcos Ambrose 2011 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2010 Stats: Points Finish 26th, 0 Wins, 2 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens, Average Finish 22.6, Average Running Position 21.5, Laps Led 84, Driver Rating 68.9
In 2011 Marcos Ambrose will be moving from the 47 car to the RPM 9. The 9 car will be a nice change of scenery for the Australian. The main problem with the #9 car is uncertainty. At the end of the 2010 season there was speculation as to whether they would finish the season or not. Even with Richard Petty and his partnership buying RPM I’m still not sure if the cloud of uncertainty has passed yet.
Strengths – Road courses are his primary strength but he also can get the job done on short tracks and flat tracks.
Weaknesses – He really doesn’t have any major weakness at any particular track type but rather his weakness is dependability. It’s very hard to count on him fantasy wise at anything that isn’t a road course. Another major concern about Ambrose is that when he gets into a bad streak things go really bad.
Intermediate Track Grade- B-, Statistically his numbers on intermediate tracks are bad across the board, but he may surprise people in 2011. In 2010 Ambrose finished in the top twenty eight times.
The 2011 game changer for Ambrose on these tracks is that the #9 car (Roush equipment) has always been good at these venues. At Homestead part timer Aric Almirola finished 4th followed by AJ Allmendinger. Ambrose has run really good at this track type in the past but problems have almost always denied him a good finish.
Flat Track Grade- B-, The first time the series visited the flat short track venues in 2011 Ambrose had his best flat track results of the year (11th and 13th). The second time around he finished in the low twenties. His results at the big ones (Indy and Pocono) weren’t very good at all. His big flat track average finish (30th) is nearly twice as high as his short track average finish (16.5) in 2010.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- C+, Do you think a 36th place average finish for the season is bad? In 2009 Ambrose had two top six finishes at these tracks.
Short Track Grade- B, Ambrose is very competitive on short tracks. In 2010 Ambrose finished in the top eleven three times including a top five at Richmond.
Road Course Track Grade- A+, Ambrose is now the guy to beat at road courses even though he’s never won one. If he didn’t turn off his car going up hill then he would’ve won Infineon. At Watkins Glen he finished 3rd.
How to use Marcos Ambrose from a fantasy NASCAR perspective in 2011? Ambrose is a must at road courses but don’t be afraid to use him at short tracks and short flat tracks.
Marcos Ambrose Stats/Loop Data
