New Hampshire Sylvania 300: Fantasy NASCAR “Top Tier Elite” Picks

Jimmie Johnson – In July Johnson started in 7th and finished 7th. He was better than that though. He was a driver who got burned by the last caution. When the last yellow flag waved it was in the middle of the pit cycle and Johnson just pitted. He was put a lap down but was given the lucky dog. If the last caution didn’t come out I think there’s no question he would’ve finished in the top three (Yahoo! Race Chart). In recent years Johnson has had trouble in the Loudon Chase race. In the last two September races he’s finished 18th and 25th. Since 2007 when you exclude the last two September races he has a worst finish of 9th and an average finish of 5.3. New Hampshire has been a very good track for Johnson. He’s won here 3 times (Last in 2010) and has a 9.9 career average finish. (Yahoo! A Driver)

Denny Hamlin – Denny Hamlin had the dominant car at New Hampshire in July. He started in third, led nearly half the race (150 laps) and had the best PROS Ranking. He would’ve won but during the last round of pit stops his crew chief elected for four tires and almost everyone else took two. This caused him to go from the lead all the way back to 13th. He then put on a passing clinic and quickly passed his two tire competitors. At the end he got within 120 feet of Kasey Kahne but the combination of lapped traffic and used up tires couldn’t get him any closer. New Hampshire is the perfect track for Hamlin. It fits both of my prerequisites for what tracks are his best (short and flat). In the last six races at Loudon Hamlin has four top three finishes. The #11 team has been very good on similar tracks this season. He won at Phoenix and a few weeks ago at Richmond he had the car to beat. Denny Hamlin will be a very popular experts pick for the Sylvania 300. (Yahoo! A Driver)

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Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski is a driver who you should pay attention to at the Magic Mile. Your competition will be focusing on Hamlin and the Hendrick cars but Keselowski is someone who’s also capable of getting the job done. The “Blue Deuce” was really good in July. He started in 22nd and drove up to sixth in only 75 laps. His strength was that his car was really fast over long runs. He ended up finishing 5th and recorded the 7th best driver rating. Last year in the Chase Keselowski had his best result at Loudon. He finished 2nd but it’s important to note it was inflated by pit strategy and the fuel mileage nature of the race. In July Keselowski won the New Hampshire Nationwide race. (Yahoo! A Driver)

Kasey Kahne – We all remember how good Kahne was in July. He started on the outside of the front row and won. Kasey was solid all race long and had a 3rd place average running position. I think it should be noted that he didn’t have the best car, Denny Hamlin did. If it wasn’t for Hamlin’s 4 tire pit stop mistake it’s likely Kahne would have never even led (Yahoo! Chart comparing the two). Last year in the New Hampshire Chase race Kahne was really good. He started 2nd, led 43 laps and finished 15th. Late in the race Kasey Kahne had to pit from third (Yahoo! Race Chart). As you can clearly see he had a top five car. If you want somebody on your team who qualifies good consider Kahne. In three out of the last five NH races he’s started 2nd. (Yahoo! B Driver)

Clint Bowyer – Clint Bowyer will be a contender for the win in the Sylvania 300. He’s won this race twice and he’s fresh off his win at Richmond (similar track). In July Clint Bowyer had a really good car. He started in 5th and finished 3rd. He wasn’t as good as Hamlin or the Hendrick guys but he’s definitely a driver who you want on your side this week. Last year in the Chase Bowyer looked like he would be the winner but he ran out of fuel late (Yahoo! Race Chart). It was a reversal of roles between him and Stewart from the Chase 2010 race. (Yahoo! B Driver)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a good performance at Loudon earlier this season. He finished 4th and had a 5th place average running position. New Hampshire has been a good track for Junior. He’s never won here but on occasion he’s had cars that were capable of finishing first. Richmond is a similar track and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a solid top five car a few weeks ago. His 14th place finish wasn’t a good representation of just how good he was. He won the pole, led 67 laps, had an average running position of 6th and earned the third best driver rating (109.5). (Yahoo! B Driver)

Jeff Gordon – Jeff Gordon had a really good car in July at this one mile oval. He finished 6th and had a 6th place average running position. With the exception of Denny Hamlin nobody had a car that could challenge the entries from the Hendrick stable. Jeff Gordon has been very consistent here. His 6th place finish was his 14th straight top fifteen at Loudon. Last year in the New Hampshire Chase race Jeff Gordon arguably had the best car. He finished 4th and lead nearly a third of the race (led 78 laps). In that race he had the best average running position (3rd) and driver rating (131.5). (Yahoo! A Driver)

Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch had one of the fastest cars in July. He started on the pole and and began lapping drivers 30 laps into the race. His problems in the race started during his first pit stop. In round #1 of pit road action Kyle Busch had a slow pit stop and he was also busted for being to fast entering. This dropped him all the way back to 21st. Later in the event Kyle Busch had more problems on pit road. He was able to rebound from the first incident because it happened early enough but he couldn’t overcome the second one. Late in the race when he was running mid pack he had trouble making passes.  (Yahoo! A Driver)

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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Projections > Drivers To Avoid