Indy John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard: Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Jimmie Johnson – It’s hard to go wrong if you make Jimmie Johnson your fantasy NASCAR pick to win the Indy John Wayne Walding Brickyard 400. He’s a four-time champion and has won half the races over the last 8 years. In last year’s race he would’ve won his 5th race but he was beat by pit strategy when Ryan Newman took two tires late and he took four. His final pit stop was also agonizingly long and took 17 seconds. In the closing laps he was chasing down the 39 car but because of Newman’s quicker pit stop he had quite the gape to make up. When the checkered flag waved he finished in second. In the race he had the dominant car and earned the best driver rating, had the best PROS ranking, led 73 laps and had a 3rd place average running position. In 2012 he went to victory lane and there’s no dispute he had the best car because he earned a perfect 150.0 driver rating. In that race he started in 6th and drove up to the lead in the first 30 laps. Also in that race he led 99 laps (61.8% of the race) and cruised to a comfortable 4.758 second margin of victory. He was unchallenged and nobody had anything for him in that race. His other Indy wins came in 2009, 2008 and 2006. One aspect that needs to get noted about him at Indy is that he’s either been a “hero or a zero”. He has five finishes of 2nd or better and six results of 18th or worse. His one middle ground finish was a 9th in 2002. If you’re fantasy league rewards qualifying points it’s a good idea to have him on your team. Since 2008 he’s qualified in the top three 66% percent of the time and has a 6.0 average starting position. Pocono is the most similar track on the schedule and earlier this year at that venue he had a great car and finished 6th despite having a pit road collision. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Brad Keselowski – Brad Keselowski is a driver who should be strong in the Indy John Wayne Walding Brickyard 400. Although he thinks Hendrick is at least a year ahead in the engine department I didn’t see that on the track earlier this season. Pocono is the most similar track on the schedule and he would’ve won that race if it wasn’t for the maneuver he made with Patrick to get debris off his grille. At Pocono he earned the best driver rating, finished 2nd and led 95 laps. At other big horsepower tracks this year he’s also looked strong. Last year at Indy Keselowski likely had a low teen’s car but he crossed the finish line in 21st. His lackluster result is largely due to pit strategy because with 12 laps to go he pitted from the lead. In the two Indy races prior to last season he came home with a pair of 9th place finishes. In 2012 he used pit strategy and got up into the lead and paced the field for 22 laps. His car in my opinion was top 5 material but during a late restart he lost lots of track position. In his 2011 9th place finish he also used pit strategy and led 17 laps. In his first start at Indy in 2010 he finished 19th. (Yahoo B Driver)

Recommended Reading – Indy Front Runner Rankings, Indy Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Indy Scouting Report, Who will win the Indy John Wayne Walding Brickyard 400

Jeff Gordon – Indy Motor Speedway is one of Jeff Gordon’s home tracks and he’s always a popular fantasy NASCAR pick. At the Brickyard he’s been very successful throughout his career. He’s raced here 20 times and his win percentage is 20% percent (4 wins). The safety in picking him is second to none. He has an 8.8 average result and has finished in the top five 55% percent of the time and in the top ten 80% percent. Also at Indy he’s led 488 laps and has the second best driver rating over the last 8 races. In the last four races he’s either qualified 8th or 9th. The only thing that is keeping Gordon from being considered the favorite is his teammate Jimmie Johnson. Last season at Indy Jeff Gordon had a solid race but he was never truly a contender for the win. He started in 9th, had a 9th place average running position and finished 7th. Also in the race he led 11 laps and earned the 6th best driver rating. It’s important to point out all of his laps led came through pit strategy. In 2012 Gordon had one of the strongest cars. In that race he finished 5th, had a 5th place average running position and earned the 3rd best driver rating. In the race the #24 was better than a 5th place car. Around lap 108 while he was running in 2nd he started driving conservatively because he had temperature issues. Also in the race he had some restart problems and had a late slow pit stop that cost him 4 positions. In 2011 at Indy Jeff Gordon had the best car and came within .725 seconds from getting win #5. His problem was that hyper mileager Paul Menard had too big of a lead late. In that race he earned the best driver rating and led 36 laps. Jeff Gordon had a good showing at Pocono earlier this year. He finished 8th and earned the 4th best driver rating. (Yahoo A Driver)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Indy John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

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