Richmond Capital City 400: Fantasy NASCAR “Front Runner” Rankings
Carl Edwards – Edwards currently has a four race top ten streak at Richmond. The only other driver who has an active streak this long is Kyle Busch. Last fall Edwards finished 2nd and led over a quarter of the race (113 laps). At Phoenix earlier this year Edwards looked lost for much of the race (running in mid teens) but towards the end he climbed into the top ten. Unfortunately contact with Ryan Newman caused him to finish 17th. (Yahoo! A Driver)
Clint Bowyer – In 2008 when Kyle Busch turned Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the closing laps Clint Bowyer took advantage of the situation and went on to victory lane (video). Last fall Clint Bowyer finished 22nd but that can be chalked up to an on track incident with David Reutimann. In the next four most recent Richmond races he’s finished 6th, 12th, 6th and 6th. I really trust Clint Bowyer on this track type. (Yahoo! B Driver)
Tony Stewart – In 1999 Tony Stewart got his first career win at Richmond. Since then he’s won two more races at RIR. Last year Stewart finished 9th in the spring race and 7th in the fall race. Stewart has been slightly off his game in recent races at Richmond but I wouldn’t be to concerned about picking him. Just be mindful of that. At Phoenix this year Tony Stewart was poised to have a top ten finish but fuel related issues ruined his day. (Yahoo! A Driver)
Ryan Newman – Newman has finished in the top eleven in five of the last six races at Richmond. Last spring Newman finished 20th but that’s due to his on track feud with Juan Pablo Montoya (video). In the fall race Ryan Newman finished 8th and had a 10th place average running position. Early on in his career he was dominant at RIR. Now I view him as a consistent sub top five driver. (Yahoo! B Driver)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – In the first half of his career Richmond was perhaps his best non-restrictor plate track. Between 1999 and 2006 Junior won three races at Richmond and finished in the top ten nine times (15 total races). Since 2007 Dale Earnhardt Jr. has only finished in the top ten once (4th in 2008, average finish in these ten races is 21.1). Richmond is a good track for Earnhardt Jr. but his lack of recent success needs to be noted. At Phoenix this year Earnhardt Jr. finished 14th. (Yahoo! B Driver)
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Top Tier Elite > Front Runners > Mid Pack Projections > Drivers To Avoid
