Martinsville STP 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Clint Bowyer – Clint Bowyer has had a rough season but he could be a contender at Martinsville in the STP 500. He’s a short track ace and currently at Martinsville he has six consecutive top tens. That ranks as the longest active top ten streak in the series. Last year at “The Paper Clip” he was one of the most competitive drivers. In fall 2014 he started in 12th, had a 10th place average running position, finished 7th, earned the 7th best driver rating and led 33 laps. It should be noted he performed better than he finished. Before the final caution came out he was running in 3rd but over the closing laps he fell back a handful of positions. Over the final 75 laps I would estimate he probably had about a 2nd place average running position. He could’ve won the 2014 spring race but in consolation he earned the #1 position in the PROS Rankings. In the race he passed Johnson for the lead with 51 laps to go but a few laps later the caution came out when Carl Edwards spun. That was his downfall because he had a long pit stop that dropped him from the lead back to 10th in the outside lane which cost him a few more positions. When the checkered flag waved he finished 9th, had a 9th place average running position, earned the 6th best driver rating and led 16 laps. In fall 2013 Clint Bowyer had a very strong car. He finished 3rd after being inched by Matt Kenseth coming to the finish line. In that race he started 5th, had a 5th place average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating and led 60 laps. In spring 2013 he finished runner-up. In that race on lap #181 he was involved in the Martinsville “Big One” and sustained minor damage. That dropped him down to about 20th but he was able to work his way methodically up through the field because his car was strong over long runs and short runs. In fall 2012 he had one of the strongest cars. He finished 5th, led 151 laps and earned the second best driver rating. In spring 2012 he was one failed “Hail Mary” away from victory lane. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Ryan Newman – Ryan Newman is more than capable of coming home with a good result at Martinsville but he hasn’t proven to be the most dependable driver. In his 26 Martinsville races he has 1 win, 8 top fives, 12 top tens but 10 results of 18th or worse. His overall average finish stands at a mid-pack 15th. Last fall Newman had about an 8th place car but at the end he maneuvered it home to a 3rd place finish. In the event Newman started in 9th and through the first 190 laps until he got a speeding penalty I would estimate his average running position was around 11th. When he got his speeding penalty during the Sorenson caution he was running in 10th and it dropped him to 31st. That didn’t prove to be a major issue because through pit strategy he was running in the top 13 about 30 laps later. With 14 laps to go before the final caution came out Newman was running in 7th but he was strong at the end and drove up to 3rd. Prior to the fall 2014 race Newman went through a tough stretch of Martinsville races. In spring 2014 he ran well for the majority of the race but dropped off at the end. From the start to lap 350 he typically ran between 8th and 13th. Over the remainder of the laps he just didn’t run as well. When the checkered flag waved he finished in 20th and earned the 19th best driver rating. 2013 was a tough year for Newman at “The Paper Clip”. In fall 2013 he looked like a driver who would challenge for a top ten but on lap 318 Harvick got into him and that sent Newman into the wall which ended his day and caused him to finish 38th. In spring 2013 it also looked like he would have a good performance. For much of the mid-section of the event he ran between 8th and 12th. The race wasn’t incident free for him. With about 140 laps to go he had a flat tire and parked his car on the track. NASCAR wasn’t too happy about that and they parked him in his pit stall for 3 laps. In spring 2012 Newman won his only race at Martinsville. In that event he by no means had the best car but he was in position to take advantage of the late race carnage. During the next to final restart he was running in 5th but when Clint Bowyer did his “Hail Mary” he shot into the lead. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Jamie McMurray – Jamie McMurray is a dark horse driver with strong fantasy value at Martinsville.  If I were forced to pick him at one venue Martinsville would be pretty high on my list for selecting him. He’s only finished in the top five once but in 50% percent of his starts he’s finished in the top ten. At no other venue on the circuit does he have a higher top ten finish percentage. Last year at Martinsville he ran good in both races but didn’t finish good in either one. In fall 2014 he started on the pole, earned the 6th best driver rating, had a 7th place average running position, finished 16th and led 84 laps. Through the first 300 laps I would estimate his average running position was 3rd. Then just before lap 300 questionable pit strategy dropped him back to about 18th. He had a good car so he was able to drive up into the top ten again. Then later in the race after the lap 388 caution when Sorenson wrecked he took four tires and nearly everyone else did two which shuffled him to about 20th. Over the final 110 laps he was able to rally up to about 11th but that’s the closest he got to the front. Over the final short run of the race following the last yellow he must’ve got stuck in the outside lane because he lost quite a few positions in the few remaining laps. In spring 2014 he was set to have a good finish but Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun him into the wall while he was running inside the top ten. In 2013 he had a great season at Martinsville. In the combined races of that season he was one of five drivers who swept the top ten and had an 8.5 average finish. In fall 2013 he started in 7th, finished 10th, earned the 13th best driver rating and had a 14th place average running position. In spring 2013 he had one of his best performances of the year. He started in 13th, had an 8th place average running position, finished 7th and earned the 7th best driver rating.

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