Kentucky Quaker State 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Paul Menard – Paul Menard has been a consistent fantasy sleeper pick on high-speed intermediate tracks and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get another good finish in the Kentucky Quaker State 400. In the four races on 1.5 mile tracks this season he has 3 top tens and a 9.3 average finish. Also in these races he’s scored the 9th most points, led 23 laps and has a 15.0 average running position. Kentucky hasn’t been a great track for Paul Menard. Last season he started in 24th and he ran right around that range until he was involved in the early “Big One” on lap 48 that sent him to the garage for repairs. At the time of the incident he was running right around 20th. In 2012 he had a quiet race and was solid. He started in 15th and finished 12th. Also in the race he had the 14th best driver rating and a 16th place average running position. In that event nothing notable happened to him. In the inaugural race at Kentucky he had a low teen’s car but got damaged during a restart when he ran into the back of Greg Biffle. After that his car was never the same and he went on to finish 24th. One attribute you have to like about Menard is his momentum. He has back to back top fives and has been a top ten machine. Only Top Tier Elite Pick drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth have more top tens than him. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Carl Edwards – Last year at Kentucky Carl Edwards started in 2^nd and lead the first 31 laps. About 120 laps later he led four more for a grand total of 35 laps led. His four laps led later came through pit strategy because during that pit cycle he took two tires and everyone else took four. In the race he performed relatively well despite his 21st place finish. In the event he earned the 10th best driver rating and had a 10th place average running position. His poor result is all due to the last run of the race. In the final 27 laps he went from 10th all the way back to 21st. He didn’t hit anything or spin, he simply just got passed a lot. In 2012 at Kentucky Edwards had about a 10th place car but late in the race his team used poor pit strategy that caused him to come in for a pit stop with less than 5 laps remaining under green. Here’s a look at his Yahoo! Race Chart so you can see just how devastating it was. In 2011 at Kentucky Edwards finished 5th. In that race he started in 7th, had an 8th place average running position and earned the 5th best driver rating. This season on 1.5 mile tracks Edwards hasn’t been a very strong performer but he’s consistently finished well. In the four races on tracks of this length he’s scored the 3rd most points, has a 7.3 average finish and a 13.0 average running position. (Yahoo B Driver)

Recommended Reading – Kentucky Top Tier Elite Picks, Kentucky Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Kentucky Scouting Report, Who will win the Quaker State 400

Jamie McMurray – Don’t overlook Jamie McMurray at Kentucky for the Quaker State 400. Last season he had a great performance. In the closing laps of the race he had the fastest car on the track. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd. In the race he started in 23rd and through the first pit cycle he climbed up to about the mid-teens. From lap 100 until the conclusion of the race he was a top ten mainstay driver. Over the final 167 laps I would estimate his average running position was around 6th. Also in the race last year he earned the 6th best driver rating. In 2012 he started in 17th, had a 17th place average running position and finished 15th. In the first race at Kentucky he ran around 23rd for much of the race but around lap #200 his engine detonated. This season on 1.5 mile tracks he hasn’t been a bad performer. Minus Kansas where he ran well but crashed he has a 12.3 average finish and a 12.7 average running position. One attribute about McMurray you have to like is that he recently tested here. If you’re a fan of momentum you have to like him even more because over the last 5 races he’s scored the 5^th most points. (Yahoo B Driver)

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