Richmond Crown Royal 400 Scouting Report
How to make a good fantasy pick for Richmond
1) Look at past Richmond races. There’s plenty of Richmond stats for you to pour over. Don’t look back anymore then a few years. My absolute cut off line would be the first Richmond COT race.
2) It’s also important to look at recent results at similar tracks. Similar tracks to Richmond are New Hampshire and Phoenix. Bristol and Martinsville are also short tracks but there not similar Richmond.
3) Qualifying matters at Richmond. I’m not a race car mechanic but I do watch the races. I believe qualifying setups are not that much different than race setups. Richmond is also an impound race so it will matter even more.
4) I rank practice fourth in terms how you should go about making an informed fantasy pick this week. Both Richmond practices will be run during the middle of the day and both are before qualifying.
Ten Drivers to Watch:
1) Kyle Busch – In the last four Richmond races Kyle Busch has two wins, one second place finish and one fifth place finish
2) Denny Hamlin – My long standing Denny Hamlin rule of thumb is… “If it’s short or flat pick Hamlin”.
3) Kevin Harvick – Harvick’s finished in the top ten at Richmond in all but one race since 2005. Last spring Harvick finished 3rd to Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.
4) Jeff Gordon – Kyle’s main competitor last spring and he won at Phoenix just a few months ago.
5) Ryan Newman – He’s truly a natural Richmond racer. In his first two starts here he finished second. In sixteen races at Richmond Newman’s only finished outside the top 15 four times.
6) Clint Bowyer – When Dale Jr. and Kyle Busch parted in 2008 he visited victory lane. Last fall he won at New Hampshire (similar track).
7) Jimmie Johnson – Either a hero or a zero. Been racing like a hero lately.
8 ) Carl Edwards – He’s been good everywhere lately and last spring he finished fifth.
9 ) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – This is his best traditional short track. If he’s going to win a race soon now’s his best chance until July.
10) Tony Stewart – Smoke hasn’t been on fire lately at Richmond. In his last three starts he’s finished 16th, 17th and 23rd. Before that three race span he finished in the top four in four consecutive races.Tony Stewart was a contender at Phoenix in February.
TheSpread.com Odds to win:
Carl Edwards 6/1, Kyle Busch 6/1, Jimmie Johnson 6/1, Jeff Gordon 8/1, Denny Hamlin 8/1, Kevin Harvick 8/1, Tony Stewart 10/1, Clint Bowyer 15/1, Matt Kenseth 15/1, Kurt Busch 15/1
