Martin Truex Jr. 2011 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2010 Stats: Points Finish 22nd, Wins 0, Top Fives 1, Top Tens 7, Average Finish 18.8, Average Running Position 16.6, Laps Led 88, Driver Rating 82.2
Two words come to mind when I think about Martin Truex Jr. The first word is “potential”. He’s clearly a talented driver. He looks good on a variety of tracks and has proven himself by winning two Nationwide series titles and making a 2007 Chase appearance.
The other word that comes to mind when I think about Martin Truex Jr. is “Again”, as in he had problems again? For whatever reason Truex Jr. has a knack for having bad things happen to him.
Strengths – Intermediate tracks where the high line around the track comes into play and short flat tracks.
Weaknesses – Consistency, consistency, and consistency. His lack of consistency stems from engine problems, mechanical problems, and of course his ability to find problems on the track. Another weakness is that he doesn’t finish in the top five very often. His number of top fives in 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2006 is the same total that he had in 2007 (7 top fives).
Intermediate Track Grade- B-, If he could avoid problems on these tracks then I would give him a B without hesitation. I think its important to remain conservative evaluating him because many times he runs good but something bad happens. If you need an example of what I’m talking about just think back to the Dover Chase race (Race Rewind Youtube.com video, watch 6:30 to 7:20 )
Flat Track Grade- B, Truex’s flat track specialty are the shorter ones (New Hampshire and Phoenix). However he took a step backwards on them in 2010 and had a best finish of 15th. On the big flat tracks he finished in the top ten once and finished 25th and 26th in the other races.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, In 2010 he performed uncharacteristically good on these wild card tracks. He finished 6th twice, 12th and 35th. If you look in his past you won’t find similar results.
Short Track Grade- B-, In his first trip to each short track he performed very good (8th place average finish), but in his second visit to each short track he returned to the same driver I remember (22.6 average finish).
Road Course Track Grade- B-, In 2010 Truex definitely wasn’t a master of turning both left and right. However he has had some good Watkins Glen results in the past.
How to use Martin Truex Jr. from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2011? Focus on using Truex at short flat tracks and select intermediate tracks. When it comes to using him at intermediate tracks make sure you study happy hour.
Martin Treux Jr. Stats/Loop Data
