New Hampshire Sylvania 300 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks
1. Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson is a driver who you can confidently make your fantasy pick for the New Hampshire Sylvania 300. Recently he tested here with his Hendrick teammates and that should almost guarantee a solid performance. New Hampshire has been a very good venue for him. He’s a three-time winner and finished in the top ten 70% percent of the time. He’s also an extremely safe fantasy option because he’s only finished outside the top twenty twice. Earlier this year at New Hampshire Jimmie Johnson had a great car that worked well in traffic. He started dead last and still managed to drive the #48 car up to a sixth place finish. On Sunday he’ll start in 11th so this race should be a breeze for him. Last fall at Loudon he finished runner-up to Denny Hamlin and had a 5th place average running position. In summer 2012 he started in 7th and finished 7th. My only concern about Johnson heading into the New Hampshire Sylvania 300 is that he’s had some problems here in the Chase. Since 2009 he’s only finished outside the top ten three times and all of those races were in the September Chase race. Today in practice the #48 car was fast. In Happy Hour his ten lap average ranked as the second quickest. Chad Knaus was also pleased with his lap times so that’s a good indicator he’ll be pretty strong on Sunday.
2. Matt Kenseth – New Hampshire hasn’t historically been one of Kenseth’s better tracks but don’t discount his ability here. I believe and know he’s a driver who’s capable of winning here. His main drawback for many years was his car. For whatever reason Roush Fenway entries just aren’t as strong as the competition here. I know this is a long, long time ago but in 2002 he had this race won but had a flat tire (fantasy racing helps you remember a lot of shoulda, coulda, woulda’s). Earlier this season at New Hampshire Kenseth had a strong car. He earned the 4th best driver rating, led 33 laps and finished 9th. He could’ve finished better but on lap 224 during the Busch / Newman wreck he lost all of his track position and fell to 28th. Also earlier this year he started in 12th and drove up to the lead on lap 125. On Sunday he’ll start in 9th. Last season in his Roush Fenway ride he had results of 13th and 14th. This season on shorter flat tracks Matt Kenseth has been a strong performer. He has the best driver rating, best average running position (6.5), second best average starting position (6.8), and the second best average finish (7.3). Today in practice Kenseth had a great car. The #20 had the best 5 lap, 10 lap and 15 lap average speeds. Kenseth also likes the balance of his car.
Recommended Reading: Practice Notes, Big Board Speed Chart, Practice Speeds, Qualifying Results, PROS Rankings, Recap Review, Pit Stall Selections
3. Clint Bowyer – Clint Bowyer is a driver who you can’t count out at New Hampshire. Shorter flat tracks like New Hampshire are the venues where I have the most confidence in him. On similar tracks this season minus his tanked performance at Richmond he has a 7.0 average finish and a 10.0 average running position. At Loudon Bowyer is a two-time winner and it’s important to point out both of his victories have come in the Chase race. Also he would have a third win here but in 2011 he ran out of fuel late while he was leading. Earlier this season he had a disappointing performance. He finished 13th and had a 14th place average running position. What made that even more disappointing is that he tested here prior to the race. Last year at New Hampshire Bowyer was very strong. He was one of only three drivers who finished in the top five both races. In the combined races last year he had a 3.5 average finish, 6.5 average running position and earned the 5th best driver rating. In the last eight Loudon races he has five top tens and the fourth best average finish (10.1). On Sunday he’ll start in 16th. Look for Clint Bowyer to be a serious contender at the end of this race. His car is fast over long runs and he feels confident about the race package he used in Happy Hour. He’s not normally a happy driver with his race setup so don’t overlook him.
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