New Hampshire Sylvania 300 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Jimmie Johnson – It’s hard to go wrong if Jimmie Johnson is your fantasy pick for the New Hampshire Sylvania 300. He started in a big hole at New Hampshire earlier this year after his qualifying result was disallowed. As a result he started in 43rd. That’s a serious problem at tracks like New Hampshire where passing can be difficult. It wasn’t to much of an issue for the #48 team though. They paced themselves up through the field. In just the first 15 laps of the race he had already driven up to the mid twenties. Right after the midpoint of the race he cracked the top ten and ran there for the remainder of the event. From that point on I would estimate his average running position was around 7th. When the checkered flag waved he finished 6th. If he didn’t start off the race in such a big hole I think he definitely would’ve competed for the win. Last fall at Loudon Jimmie Johnson started mid pack (20th), had a 5th place average running position, earned the third best driver rating and finished second to Denny Hamlin. The strength of his car in that race was that it maintained speed over long runs. In July 2012 he started in 7th and finished 7th. New Hampshire has been a good track for Johnson. He’s a three-time winner and has finished in the top ten 70% percent of the time. Since 2006 at New Hampshire Johnson has only finished outside the top ten in three races. It’s important to note that all three of those races came in the September Loudon race. My prediction is Jimmie Johnson will will win the Sylvania 300. (Yahoo! A Driver)
Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch had a strong car at New Hampshire earlier this year. He started in 4th and drove up to the lead on lap 10. From there he went on to lead all 53 of his laps led. The strength of his car in the race was short runs. Over long runs he appeared to be somewhat vulnerable. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd, had a 3rd place average running position and earned the best driver rating. Last year at Loudon Kyle Busch was strong in both races but didn’t get a single good finish between the two. In July 2012 he started on the pole and lapped drivers early. His downfall in the race was pit road. While he was leading he had a slow pit stop that was combined with a speeding penalty. Once he rebounded from that incident he later had more self-inflicted pit road problems (over shot box). That’s why his 16th place finish is very misleading. In the race he led 72 laps, had a 9th place average running position and earned the 9th best driver rating. If he didn’t have any issues I think he would’ve finished in the top five. Last September Kyle Busch once again had a strong car but had nothing to show for it. In that race he started in 2nd, led 48 laps but around lap #165 while he was running in 4th he lost a cylinder and eventually finished 28th. (Yahoo! B Driver)
Recommended Reading: New Hampshire Fantasy Front Runner Rankings, New Hampshire Review Recap, New Hampshire Who will win weekly poll, New Hampshire Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo! C List Fantasy Preview
Jeff Gordon – New Hampshire has been a good track for Jeff Gordon. In the last 15 New Hampshire races he has the best average finish (7.8), best average running position (7.3), 7 top fives and 10 top tens. Also in the races over this stretch he has the best driver rating (111.0), led 247 laps and has ran the second most fastest laps (389). Currently at Loudon he has four consecutive top ten finishes. That’s tied with Brad Keselowski for the longest active top ten streak. Earlier this year at New Hampshire his top ten streak almost came to a grinding halt. He ran well in the race but got shuffled back by pit strategy. Then when he was back in traffic he got spun by Paul Menard on lap 259. When the checkered flag waved he finished 10th. In the race he started in 5th, had a 9th place average running position and earned the 7th best driver rating. In 2012 Jeff Gordon was impressive. Last September he started on the pole, finished 3rd, and earned the second best driver rating. In July 2012 he finished 6th and had a 6th place average running position. In fall 2011 Jeff Gordon was very strong. In that race he earned the best driver rating, led 78 laps and finished 3rd. (Yahoo! A Driver)
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