New Hampshire Camping World RV Sales 301 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson will be a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the New Hampshire Camping World RV Sales 301. Currently at the Magic Mile he has four consecutive top tens and that ranks as the longest active top ten streak. Last fall he had a very solid race. He started in 11th, had a 6th place average running position, finished 4th and earned the 3rd best driver rating. It was just a very well-run race on the part of the 48 team. Over the final 100 laps he was a driver who consistently ran in the top 4. The strength of his car in the race was being good over long runs. Qualifying is extremely important at New Hampshire and last July he started in a deep hole. His qualifying time was disallowed and as a result he started in 43rd. It didn’t prove to be too much of an issue for the 48 team. In just the first 15 laps he had already driven up to the mid-twenties. Shortly after the midpoint he cracked the top ten that’s where he ran for the rest of the race. When the race concluded he finished 6th. I think if he started closer to the front he would’ve been a contender for the win. In fall 2012 at Loudon Johnson started mid pack (20th), had a 5th place average running position, earned the third best driver rating and finished 2nd 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 71% percent of the time. Since 2006 at New Hampshire Johnson has only finished outside the top ten three times. It’s important to note that all three of those races were in September. This season at the two tracks I consider similar Johnson has results of 6th (Phoenix) and 32nd (Richmond, tire problems). One advantage you can’t overlook this week is that Johnson recently tested here with his Hendrick teammates. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Jeff Gordon – Jeff Gordon has been very good at New Hampshire. Since 2006 he ranks very well in many important loop data statistical categories. In the races over this stretch he has the best average finish (7.7), best average running position (7.4), best driver rating, the highest percentage of laps run inside the top fifteen (90%) and the second best starting position. He’s also been remarkably consistent over this stretch of races because his worst result is 15th. Last fall his car was very quick but he cost himself a shot at the win. During a caution on lap 202 he was leading at the time but when he came in for his pit stop he slid through his box and then he had to backup. That was a costly mistake because in addition to falling back to 22nd he also only took two tires. When the checkered flag waved he finished 15th. Prior to his issue he was a driver who looked like a clear lock to finish in the top five. Also in the race he started in 3rd and led 36 laps. Prior to the race last fall Gordon had four consecutive top ten finishes. In July 2013 he performed well. He qualified 5th, had a 9th place average running position and finished 10th. Also in the race he earned the 7th best driver rating. In the event he was in serious jeopardy of not finishing well. Late in the race he got shuffled back because of pit strategy and while he was back in traffic on lap 259 Paul Menard spun him. At the time of the incident he was running in 22nd place. In September 2012 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. In 38 New Hampshire races Gordon has 3 wins, 16 top fives and 22 top tens. This season at the two tracks I consider the most similar he’s performed extremely well. At Phoenix he finished 5th and at Richmond he finished 2nd and led 173 laps. One advantage you can’t overlook with Jeff Gordon this week is that he recently tested here with his Hendrick teammates. (Yahoo A Driver)

Recommended Reading – New Hampshire Front Runner Rankings, New Hampshire Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview,  Scouting Report – New Hampshire, Who will win at New Hampshire

Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski should be strong at New Hampshire in the Camping World RV Sales 301. This season at the tracks I deem similar he’s performed very well. At Phoenix he started on the pole, finished 3rd, had a 4th place average running position and earned the 4th best driver rating. At Richmond he was a serious contender for the win and if Kenseth didn’t hold him up late he likely would’ve won. In that race he started 2nd, finished 4th, had a 3rd place average running position, earned the 2nd best driver rating and led 114 laps. At New Hampshire Keselowski has performed very well throughout his career. He’s raced here nine times and has a 12.6 average finish. Recently at New Hampshire he’s been one of the strongest performers. Over the last five New Hampshire races he has the best average finish (5.6), a 9.8 average running position and the 6th best driver rating. Also over this stretch of races he’s the only driver who finished in the top 11 every race. Last fall at New Hampshire he finished 11th. In the race he performed slightly better than that but late in the race with 40 laps to go somebody got into the back of him and it slid him from 10th back to 16th. In July 2013 at the Magic Mile Brad Keselowski had a good performance. He started on the pole, led 14 laps, earned the second best driver rating and finished 4th. Also in the race he had a 6th place average running position and ran the third highest total number of fastest laps. His strength in the race was long runs. Over the course of a long run his car was just as fast as anybody. That strength was also a notable attribute of his in 2012 when he finished 5th and 6th. His best New Hampshire finish was a 2nd place result in fall 2011. (Yahoo B Driver)

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