Richmond Toyota Owners 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Jamie McMurray – Jamie McMurray shouldn’t be overlooked at Richmond. In 2014 on shorter flat tracks he was quietly one of the better drivers. Last fall at Richmond McMurray was very strong and had one of the best cars. In segments of the race over long runs the only driver who was quicker than him was race winner Brad Keselowski. Last fall McMurray started in 15th and raced all the way up to 3rd around lap 60. From that point to the conclusion of the race he was one of the consistent front runners and never left the top 8. When the checkered flag waved he finished 4th, had a 5th place average running position and earned the 5th best driver rating. His good result last season wasn’t an isolated incident. In fall 2013 he also finished 4th. Additionally in that race he had a 5th place average running position and led 6 laps. At Richmond in spring 2014 he had a solid race. He started in 7th, had a 10th place average running position, earned the 10th best driver rating and finished 13th. For the majority of the last quarter of the race he ran right around 10th. In spring 2013 he finished 26th but that result is pretty misleading. In that race Jamie McMurray was one of three drivers who elected not to pit at the end when a late caution came out. McMurray really got burned by that decision. In the final restart he faded all the way back to a 26th place finish. Before the final caution he was running in 10th so it was an obvious mistake. At Phoenix earlier this year McMurray was very strong. He finished 2nd, had a 5th place average running position and earned the 5th best driver rating. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Ryan Newman – Richmond is a Ryan Newman track and he can be counted on for a good result. His greatest strength here is his consistency. Since 2009 he only has one result outside the top fifteen. In his career at Richmond he has an 11.2 average result and has finished in the top ten 62% percent of the time. He’s also a former winner but that was over a decade ago. Currently at Richmond Newman has three consecutive top tens. Last fall he started in 12th but fell back a few spots early to the high-teens. When the checkered flag waved he finished 9th, had an 8th place average running position and earned the 8th best driver rating. In spring 2014 he also had a good showing. Over the final 100 laps I would estimate his average running position was around 5th. In the race he started in 18th, had a 10th place average running position, finished 8th and earned the 8th best driver rating. In fall 2013 Ryan Newman almost had the “clutch” moment of the season but he came up short after Clint Bowyer spun. In the race he was told with 40 laps to go while he was in 4th that he had to win to make the Chase. Over that green flag run he reeled in the cars that were ahead of him and with 10 laps to go he passed Carl Edwards for the lead. Unfortunately then with 8 laps to go Bowyer’s arm got itchy and the #15 spun. That brought out the caution and a few drivers elected not to pit and others simply had quicker pit stops than Newman. During that restart Newman was back in 5th. He did manage to drive up to third though and that’s where he finished. In the spring race at Richmond in 2013 Newman had a sub-par day. He started 15th, finished 15th and earned the 15th best driver rating. In fall 2012 at Richmond he finished 8th. At Phoenix earlier this season Newman ran very well. He finished 3rd, had a 6th place average running position and earned the 6th best driver rating. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Kyle Larson – Don’t overlook Kyle Larson at Richmond because he could be a contender. With a year under his belt I think we should expect to see some natural improvement from him at this “skill track”. Last season he was pretty good so a top ten finish is more than achievable. Last fall he ran very well and for much of the final quarter of the event he ran in the top ten. When the checkered flag waved he earned the 10th best driver rating, had a 10th place average running position and finished 11th. In spring 2014 qualifying was rained out but as a result of having the fastest lap in practice he started on the pole. He didn’t really gain much experience starting at the front because he got spun in the first turn on the first lap. He was able to drive into the mid-twenties in about 60 laps and then he spent much of the next 300 laps running around that range. Because of how the end of the race played out with the cautions he was able to slip into a 16th place finish. In that event he had a 22nd place average running position and earned the 23rd best driver rating. At Phoenix earlier this year he finished 10th and earned the 10th best driver rating. (Yahoo B Driver)

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