Ryan Newman 2012 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2011 Stats: Points Finish 10th, 1 Win, 9 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens, Average Running Position 14.0, Average Finish 14.0, Laps Led 403, Driver Rating 93.7
Strengths- Newman’s #1 strength is his ability to avoid disastrous days on the track. Last season he only finished 30th or worse twice.
He’s also especially strong on flat tracks and short tracks.
Weaknesses- Plate tracks are the last place you should pick Newman. He hates them and his finishes indicate they share the same sentiment.
Intermediate Track Grade- B+, Newman was a much improved driver on intermediate tracks last year compared to past seasons. In 2011 he accumulated the 6th most points despite only running 51.5% of the laps in the top fifteen. His strength on this track type was avoiding “really bad finishes”. He only finished outside the top twenty five once last year on this track type. In 2012 I expect Newman to accumulate somewhere between the 10th through 15th most points at these venues because I think some of the drivers behind him will outscore him and it will be hard to duplicate his consistency.
Flat Track Grade- A-, I’ve always liked Ryan Newman on the short flat tracks. Last year he backed up my liking and won at New Hampshire. On the small flat tracks last year Newman scored the third most points and had the second best driver rating (111.68). Last season Newman finished 5th at both Phoenix races.
On the big flat tracks last season Newman scored the 5th most points. In this sub group of flat tracks I really like Newman at Pocono. Last season he finished 5th and 9th at the tricky triangle.
Despite being his home track Indy has provided anything but a home field advantage for him. He only has one top ten there and it was in his rookie year. He’s a great qualifier (7.6) but his finishes are less than to be desired for fantasy racers (20.2 average finish).
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- C, Since winning the 2008 Daytona 500 Newman hasn’t finished better than 20th. His average finish since his big win there is 28.1. Also since his win Newman has only finished on the lead lap in two of the seven races run. Newman hasn’t fared much better at Talladega. His average finish in the last five Talladega races is 31.4.
Short Track Grade- A-, Newman is a very skilled short track driver. Last year on short tracks he averaged 32 points per race and had the eighth best average finish (12.7). He finished in the top ten in four of the six races. Last season only him, Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in the top twenty in every race on this track type.
Road Course Track Grade- B, Since 2007 Ryan Newman only has one top ten finish between both road courses (Infineon 2008). Honestly I think the best case scenario for an fantasy racer who picks him would be a teens finish. His combined average finish in this time period is 17.3. Newman used to be better at these venues but now they’re consistent struggles.
How to use Ryan Newman from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2012? In 2012 I would really focus on using Newman at short tracks and flat tracks. I would steer clear of him at plate tracks and road courses.
[button link=”http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/drivers/ryan-newman/100″ style=”tick”]FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Ryan Newman Page[/button]
[fblike url=”http://ifantasyrace.com/2012/01/17/ryan-newman-2012-fantasy-nascar-preview/” style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”]
