Ryan Newman 2011 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2010 Stats: Points Finish 15th, 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens, Average Running Position 16.0, Average Finish 15.7, Laps Led 63, Driver Rating 82.2
When Ryan Newman started racing in NASCAR he was the next big thing. In fact I would argue he was the “sure thing”. Through the first few years of his career he was an elite driver in the Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart mold. In 2002 he even beat Jimmie Johnson for the rookie of the year title.
In 2010 things were so-so for Ryan Newman. He competed for Chase contention but failed to make the Chase. Perhaps the most notable thing about Ryan Newman in 2010 was that he only led 63 laps. That’s the least amount of laps led by him ever in a full season.
Strengths – Ryan Newman is a “Skill driver”. When I say “Skill driver” I mean look for his best performances to come on tracks where he makes the difference, not aero dynamics. Expect his best races to come on flat tracks, short tracks, and a few select intermediate tracks.
Weaknesses – Despite his success on intermediate tracks in 2010 I’m still going to stay away from him on this track type with the exception of Darlington and Dover.
Intermediate Track Grade- B, On intermediate tracks my rule of thumb for Ryan Newman is “the bigger they are, the more you should stay away from him”. His two best intermediate tracks are Darlington and Dover which by no chance happen to be the two smallest short tracks. At the two biggest intermediate tracks (Michigan and Auto Club) avoid him. His average finish at both of those venues is below 19th. At the cookie cutter intermediate tracks things seem to be hit or miss for Newman. Hit or miss circumstances are how you lose fantasy leagues.
Flat Track Grade- A-, On the short flat tracks in 2010 Ryan Newman’s average finish was 4.25. On the big flat tracks he was a mid teens driver. Phoenix was a bad track for Newman for quite some time but last year he finished 1st and 2nd. The track where I would put money on Newman is New Hampshire where he won his first career race. Newman has won at every flat track except Indianapolis.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- C+, His best restrictor plate track result in 2010 was 23rd at Talladega. Newman has past success at plate tracks but things haven’t been good for him on this track type recently. Since 2009 he’s only finished in the top fifteen once (3rd at Talladega when the big Edwards / Keselowski crash ensued).
Short Track Grade- A-, Newman finished in the top sixteen in every short track race except the second Martinsville race where he led 32 laps which is more then half his season total. When you take away that result his average finish for the year on this track type was 9th.
Road Course Track Grade- B, Newman is a very skilled road course driver. In his first Watkins Glen race he finished second to Tony Stewart without power steering. His last top ten at a road course was back in 2008 at Infineon. He’s a good road course driver but his results have been lacking recently.
How to use Ryan Newman from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2011? Focus on using Newman on short tracks and small flat tracks. Also don’t be afraid to use him at Darlington and Dover.
