Carl Edwards 2013 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2012 Stats: Points Finish 15th, 0 Wins, 3 Top Fives, 13 Top Tens, Average Running Position 15.5, Average Finish 15.6, Laps Led 254, Driver Rating 84.2
Strengths– In fantasy NASCAR you can’t be a prisoner of the moment. Last year is over so move on and expect big things from the #99 team in 2013. This is an elite team and Edwards is one of the best drivers in NASCAR. He’s a versatile driver who is just one year removed from tying Tony Stewart for the championship. In 2013 he’ll have Jimmy Fenning on top of his pit box who Jack Roush has previously called the organizations best crew chief. Also the new Generation Six car will make many of his problems obsolete on day one of the new season. Look for Edwards to have his best days on intermediate tracks in the 2013 season.
Weaknesses– Some tracks that I would avoid him at are Talladega, New Hampshire, and Martinsville.
Intermediate Track Grade- A-, The 2013 Generation Six car will be a reset point on this track type. That’s great news for Edwards because the #99 team struggled last season on this track type. These tracks are their “bread and butter” and they typically rank as one of the best teams in the series. Last season Edwards scored the 12th most points and was far from competitive. He only led 2 laps and had the 14th best driver rating. In 2011 Edwards scored the most points on this track type. I expect Edwards to be much better on this track type in 2013. Ford rolled out the 2013 car early and I think they’ll be prepared for the challenges on this track type.
Flat Track Grade- B, Last year in the seven flat track races Edwards scored the 16th most points but failed to lead a single lap. His 18th place average running position sums up just how well he performed. His best flat track last season was Pocono. On the newly repaved surface he finished 7th and 11th. His next best track was Phoenix. In the spring race he was involved in a late accident and in the fall he finished 11th. His other flat track finishes were 18th, 19th and 29th. In terms of ranking him at these tracks I would go Phoenix, Pocono, Indy and then New Hampshire. In 2011 Edwards also scored the 16th most points on these tracks.
Short Track Grade- B+, Edwards best performance of the year came on this track type in the spring race at Richmond. In that race he lead over half the event but jumped a restart (finished 10th). That summarizes his season to a large extent because even when he ran well problems found him. Other than that his season is pretty forgettable on this track type. In four of these seven races he finished 17th or worse. Currently I would rank Richmond as his best short track. In the Chase cut-off race he finished 17th but in the five previous races he finished in the top ten every time and had a 6.4 average finish. Last year at Bristol he really struggled (crashed in the spring & did a horrible fuel mileage gamble in August) but between 2011 and 2006 he never finished worse than 16th and had a 8.4 average finish. Martinsville is the last track I would pick a Roush Fenway Ford at but Edwards has been solid there in recent years. In four of the last six races he finished between 8th and 11th. In 2011 on this track type Edwards scored the third most points in the series. In 2013 I think the #99 team will perform better at these venues.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, Since 2009 at Daytona Edwards has been money in the bank. In six out of the last seven races he’s finished in the top ten and in the one race he didn’t he was running in the top ten until a bump drafting incident took him out. Last year at Daytona he won the pole for the 500 and had finishes of 6th and 8th. Edwards hasn’t been as good at Talladega. Since 2007 he’s only finished in the top ten once and last season he had finishes of 36th and 31st.
Road Course Track Grade- B+, Carl Edward’s is a very capable driver on this track type. Last season he had finishes of 21st and 14th but don’t let that scare you away. Historically Edwards has been solid at road courses. Since 2006 at Watkins Glen he has five top tens and a 8.0 average finish (tied for third best). He hasn’t been as good at Infineon but he’s performed better than his results indicate. Since 2006 he has three top tens.
How to use Carl Edwards from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2013? In fantasy NASCAR it’s best to use Edwards heavily at intermediate tracks. This team will bounce back in 2013 and he’ll get some wins on that track type. I would also recommend you use Edwards at Richmond, Phoenix, Daytona, Pocono and Watkins Glen.
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