Kentucky Quaker State 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Jeff Gordon – I’m sure Jeff Gordon has this race circled on his schedule. Kentucky is the only Sprint Cup track he’s winless at and this is his final opportunity to reach victory lane. Based on how he’s performed at 1.5 mile tracks this season he’ll have his work cut out for him. This year at tracks of this length he’s run well but he’s typically looked like a 10th place performer. At Kentucky Jeff Gordon has run well. He has a 7.3 average result and is one of four drivers who have finished in the top ten every race. Last year he ran well. He started in 3rd and finished 6th. In the race he even overcame some adversity to earn his good result. During the 3rd caution while he was running in 7th his team had an air gun malfunction and it dropped him back to 24th. He was able to overcome that problem with a good handling car that was strong over long runs. In 2013 he was also fast. Over long runs his car was very good but it took 20 laps before it came to life over a run. In the event he started in 12th, had a 12th place average running position, earned the 8th best driver rating and finished 8th. In the first 60 laps of the race he moved all the way up to 4th. Then on lap 89 while he was running around 5th he was burned by a caution during the pit cycle. That setback moved him back into the 20′s, but he was able to rebound from it and work his way up through traffic. In 2012 at Kentucky Jeff Gordon started in 9th but dropped like a rock when the green flag waved. In just the first few laps he fell all the way back to the high teens. Around the mid-point of the race the #24 car came to life. When the checkered flag waved he finished 5th and earned the 7th best driver rating. In 2011 at Kentucky Jeff Gordon finished 10th. That result deserves an asterisk mark. In that race he pounded the wall hard but was saved by a caution at a favorable time. If that didn’t happen he would’ve been in big trouble. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Ryan Newman – Ryan Newman has run well at Kentucky. At this  venue minus a 2012 engine failure he has a 7.0 average finish. At Kentucky track position is huge and in the last three races here he’s started in the top 7. Last year he was very competitive and he had one of the best cars. In the race he had a 5th place average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating and finished 3rd. Throughout the event he was a consistent front runner and outside of the Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski he probably had the next best car. In 2013 at Kentucky Ryan Newman had a solid afternoon. He finished 14th, had a 13th place average running position and earned the 13th best driver rating. In the race he started in 7th but he fell back to about 18th in just the first 20 laps. Around lap 50 his car got tuned to his liking and from that point on he ran 14th or better. At some points in the race he even ran in the top ten. In 2012 he had a tough race. He started in 5th but by the time of his first pit stop he fell back to the low double digits. Then on lap #210 his engine blew up and he pounded the wall hard for a DNF. At the time of the incident he was running right around 10th. Before his engine went south I would estimate his average running position was around 12th. In the first race at Kentucky he finished good but didn’t perform well. In 2011 he finished 4th but he was fortunate that a caution came out at a favorable time. In that race he had an 18th place average running position and only ran 29.6% of the laps in the top fifteen. This season at 1.5 mile tracks Ryan Newman has scored the 6th most points and has an 8.2 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Kentucky Top Tier Elite Picks, Kentucky Mid Pack Predictions, Kentucky Scouting Report

Denny Hamlin – Denny Hamlin has run well at Kentucky. Last year his car looked very competitive but he had a short evening. In the race he started 4th and on lap 29 while he was running in 3rd he hit the wall hard. After contact with the wall he was done for the day. In 2013 at Kentucky he was very competitive but his second problem in the race led to his early exit.  In the race he started in 6th but on lap 36 while he was running in 5th he had a flat tire. This dropped him two laps down but he got one lap back automatically when the caution came out when his tire inner-liner went up the track and hit Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Then later in the race he got another “Lucky Dog” and got back on the lead lap. On lap 148 he had his second problem which was a knockout blow. He was running in 6th at the time but he got into the wall hard and the damage to his car was severe. In 2012 Hamlin had a great race. He finished third and if he didn’t have to conserve fuel he might’ve had something for race winner Brad Keselowski. In the race he started in 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position, led 58 laps and earned the second best driver rating. In the event Hamlin’s strength was being good under the lights. In 2011 he also had a good car. In that race he started in the rear of the field due to an engine change and finished 11th. What stood about him in that race was that passing was difficult but he was able to get around cars and march up towards the front. This season at 1.5 mile tracks Hamlin has run well in every race but he’s had problems in two of the five events. (Yahoo A Driver)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Kentucky Quaker State 400 Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

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