Jeff Gordon 2011 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2010 Stats: Points Finish 9th, 0 Wins, 11 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens, Average Running Position 10.8, Average Finish 13.4, Laps Led 919, Driver Rating 98.5
In 2011 things will be changing for Jeff Gordon. He’ll have a new sponsor and a new crew chief. A sponsor change is no big deal to fantasy racers, but a crew chief change certainly is. In 2011 he’ll be joined by Alan Gustafson. Gustafson is a bright crew chief who had successful seasons with both Kyle Busch and Mark Martin. I view this crew chief change as a positive for Jeff Gordon.
Even though Jeff Gordon has been around for about twenty years his performances on the track are still strong. He’s a versatile driver but for whatever reason he can’t find victory lane. His last win was back in 2009 at Texas. Since then he’s come close on numerous occasions but gets denied the victory right at the end.
Strengths- Jeff Gordon can do it all at any given track. There’s really no particular track type where you can find significant fault in Jeff Gordon.
Weaknesses- The number one problem with many drivers is consistency, and its his main problem as well. One major weakness of Gordon’s is that he’s not a good closer in races. When he’s in position to win competitors out race him (Las Vegas) or he makes mistakes (Martinsville).
Intermediate Track Grade- A-, Jeff Gordon’s last win was on an intermediate track and I expect his next win to be on one also. In 2010 these tracks were either feast or famine for him. Many of his best results were on these tracks, and some of his worst were also. Gordon’s strong on every sub group of intermediate tracks including the the 2.0 milers, 1.5 milers, and the concrete ones.
Flat Track Grade- A, Gordon’s non-trouble cherry picking flat track average finish for 2010 was 5.8. His highlight from last year was his second place finish at Phoenix. From an allocation league standpoint I like him more on the small flats. Last year on the small flats Gordon finished in the top eleven in all four races and had an average finish of 5.75. Last year on the big flats he was involved in the Pocono “Big One” and he had problems at Indy.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, Gordon had two top tens at plate tracks last season, but I have my concerns about him on this track type. His two finishes that weren’t in the top ten were in the twenties. In 2009 Gordon didn’t finish in the top ten a single race. His 2009 average finish was 24th. From an allocation league standpoint there’s not a single reason to pick him at either of the plate tracks.
Short Track Grade- B+, Gordon’s a good short track driver but his performances in 2010 slipped compared to 2009. In 2009 he finished in the top eight in all but one race. Last season he only finished in the top ten twice. Gordon’s average finish last season was 10.3. The downside of his average finish is that it’s not skewed because half of his finishes were between 11th and 14th which isn’t really what fantasy racers want.
Road Course Track Grade- A-, The old king of the road showed up last year and finished in the top ten in both races. At Infineon he looked more like a bumper car driver then a race car driver but you can’t argue with his 5th place result. My main concern about Gordon is that he’s been surpassed on the road courses by Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose.
How to use Jeff Gordon from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2011? Use Jeff Gordon at intermediate tracks, small flat tracks, Martinsville, and at road courses when he looks good.
