Jeff Gordon 2014 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2013 Stats: Points Finish 6th, 2 Poles, 1 Win, 8 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens, Average Running Position 13.7, Average Finish 14.4, Laps Led 434, Driver Rating 92.53
Strengths- Jeff Gordon is at his best on flat tracks, short tracks, Infineon and select intermediate tracks.
Weaknesses- Bad luck is an ever-present problem for Jeff Gordon. Typically in the season its front loaded so we get to see the theatrics of him racing his way into the Chase.
NASCAR 2014 Printable Schedule
Intermediate Track Grade- A-, Intermediate tracks are friendly venues for Jeff Gordon. Last season he tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. for scoring the 14th most points. That number would be higher but bad luck hurt him in the total points accumulated column. From a performance standpoint I think he ranked right around 8th. Typically Jeff Gordon’s best intermediate tracks are venues where the surface has aged. His last two wins on this track type have come at venues where that characteristic is prevalent (Atlanta and Homestead). As long as Jeff Gordon avoids trouble on intermediate tracks he’ll likely finish in the top ten and have a solid afternoon.
Flat Track Grade- A, Jeff Gordon is an elite flat track driver. He’s talented at both the big flats and the small flats. On this track type last season he scored the 4th most points and had a 9.9 average finish.
Big flat tracks have long been a strength of Jeff Gordon’s. At Indy he’s a four-time winner and has finished in the top ten 80% percent of the time. Last season he finished 7th. That marked his 3rd consecutive top ten. At Indy his average finish is 8.8 and he’s only finished outside the top twenty-four times.
At Pocono Jeff Gordon is a six-time winner. In August he nearly got his 7th win but he lost the race during a late restart to Kasey Kahne. In that race he finished 2nd and led 7 laps. Gordon’s most recent Pocono victory was in August 2012.
New Hampshire has been a strong venue for Jeff Gordon. Last fall he finished a misleading 15th. What happened in that race is that he had pit road problems and never recovered. If that didn’t happen he likely would’ve been in contention for the win. Also in that race he started 3rd and led 36 laps. In July he finished 10th. Gordon is a remarkably safe fantasy option at New Hampshire. His last finish outside the top fifteen was in July 2005.
Gordon has been solid on the new Phoenix layout. On it he has two top tens but two finishes of 30th or worse. Last fall at Phoenix he finished 14th and led 49 laps. His finish in that race is misleading because he had top five potential. In spring 2013 he finished 9th. In fall 2012 he also had top five potential but due to his run in with Clint Bowyer he finished 30th.
Short Track Grade- A, Jeff Gordon is an extremely talented short track driver. On this track type he’s won 15 races. Last season on short tracks he scored the 3rd most points. If he didn’t have a flat tire in the spring Bristol race while he was leading he could’ve scored the most points in the series.
Martinsville is Jeff Gordon’s best short track. Last fall he returned to victory lane for the first time since 2005 and won his 8th race. Also at Martinsville he has 9 poles, 27 top fives and 34 top tens in 42 races. Recently at Martinsville his strength has been being good over long runs.
Bristol has been a good track for Gordon. In the last five races he has 2 top fives and three top tens. Last spring at Bristol Jeff Gordon arguably had the best car but he had a flat tire and pounded the wall while he was leading. In August he finished 7th.
For a while in Jeff Gordon’s career Richmond was a volatile track. That corner appears to have turned. Since 2007 he has 9.7 average finish and has had a result in the top ten 71% percent of the time. That’s tied with Harvick for the best top ten percentage over this stretch of races. Also over these races he’s led the 2nd most laps. Last season Gordon had results of 8th and 11th. Despite his recent success here there’s better fantasy options. It’s important to note some of his good recent results are misleading.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B+, Last season on restrictor plate tracks Jeff Gordon scored the 12th most points. That’s really nothing to get excited about because Jimmie Johnson who scored the most points accumulated 68 more points than him. On these tracks his average finish was 19.8 and he didn’t have a single top ten finish.
The core of his success on this track type came at Talladega. At that venue last season he had results of 11th and 14th. In the last seven Dega races he has three top tens and five top fifteens. At Talladega Jeff Gordon has won six races but his last was in 2007.
At Daytona Jeff Gordon had a rough 2013. In the Daytona 500 he qualified 2nd, led 31 laps but finished 20th. In the July race he was involved in an accident and finished 34th. Picking Jeff Gordon at Daytona just seems to risky to me. Since 2006 he has four top tens and has finished outside the top twenty 62.5% percent of the time.
Don’t doubt Jeff Gordon’s talent on these venues though. It’s just that’s he’s highly susceptible to finding trouble on these venues.
Road Course Track Grade- B+, Infineon belongs in the conversation with Martinsville as to what track is currently Jeff Gordon’s best. At Infineon he’s a five-time winner who’s finished in the top five 62% percent of the time and in the top ten 81% percent of the time. Currently at Infineon he has 8 consecutive top ten finishes. Last season he finished 2nd.
Watkins Glen belongs in the conversation as to what track is currently Jeff Gordon’s worst. Since 2002 he has a best finish of 9th and has finished 21st or worse 58% percent of the time. Last season he was involved in an accident and finished 36th. The best case scenario for Gordon at the Glen is a low double-digit finish.
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