Darlington Bojangles Southern 500 Fantasy Front Runner Rankings

Kasey Kahne – Last season at Darlington in the Bojangles Southern 500 Kasey Kahne was a serious contender for the win. With 34 laps to go he was racing side by side with Kyle Busch for the lead but he got loose and got up into the wall. Shortly after that his car shut off on the track. Later in the race after his car came in for repairs he was bouncing off the wall which led to his 17th place finish. Before his problems began he ran in the top 5 for nearly the entire event (5th place average running position). Also in the race last May he started in 4th and earned the 6th best driver rating. In 2012 Kahne had one of the strongest cars. He started in 3rd, led 33 laps, had a 6th place average running position and finished 8th. He could’ve potentially finished better but he was one of the drivers who pitted near the end and lost track position. In 2011 when he drove for the now defunct Red Bull Racing he was very impressive. In that race he started on the pole, led 124 laps and finished 4th. In the five races prior to that he finished between 20th and 23rd every race. If your fantasy league rewards qualifying points Kahne isn’t a bad driver to have on your roster. He’s won four poles and minus his 2008 qualifying effort he has a 4.6 average starting position and hasn’t started worse than 13th. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Clint Bowyer – From a career perspective Darlington hasn’t been a good track for Clint Bowyer. He has one top ten, led in only one race and has a 21.1 average finish. In four of his eight starts he’s had a result of 23rd or worse. Last season at Darlington Clint Bowyer had one of his better races. He finished 11th but he likely was a little better than that in the event. With 130 laps to go he had a pit penalty when his fuel tank left his pit box. As a result NASCAR forced him to come down pit road for a drive through and he lost a lap. At the time of the incident he was running in the top ten. Also in the race last season he had an 11th place average running position and earned the 10th best driver rating. In 2012 Clint Bowyer also finished 11th. Also in 2012 he had a 14th place average running position and earned the 12th best driver rating. (Yahoo A Driver)

Recommended Reading: Darlington Top Tier Elite Picks, Darlington Mid Pack Predictions, Darlington Yahoo C List Preview, Scouting Report, Who will win at Darlington

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – From a career perspective Darlington has been a solid track for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He’s finished in the top ten 42% percent of the time and has a 14.9 average finish. Last season at Darlington he had a good race. He finished 9th, earned the 9th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. On Sunday in the Bojangles Southern 500 I think that’s a feat he should be able to replicate. Recently at Darlington he’s been a streaky driver and so I think that adds to the argument he’ll have another good performance. In the four Darlington races prior to last season he had a 19th place average finish. Between 2008 and 2004 he finished in the top eleven every race and had a 7.6 average finish. During his cold streak in 2012 he was uncompetitive. He finished 17th, had an 18th place average running position and earned the 18th best driver rating.(Yahoo A Driver)

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