How to approach Kentucky
This week NASCAR is heading to Kentucky. This isn’t your Kentucky from year’s past. Kentucky has been repaved and re-configured. The only thing that’s the same about Kentucky is the zip code. Because of that I’m viewing Kentucky as an entirely new track, and you should as well.
Whatever happened at Kentucky in the past, should stay in the past because it’s no longer relevant.
Kentucky was known for being flat, having a rough surface and being bumpy. Those attributes are gone.
In terms of making a fantasy pick at Kentucky here’s I would rank the variables in terms of importance:
- Study how drivers performed at similar tracks this season. Specifically I would study 1.5 mile tracks. The two 1.5 mile tracks I think might have the highest correlation are Las Vegas and Kansas. I’m singling out those two tracks because they have surfaces that will likely be the closest to Kentucky. The tires that are being used at Kentucky are similar to what was used at Las Vegas.
- Practice. Yes we’re talking about practice. It will be a good way to weed out the pretenders from the contenders when cars hit the track. There will be plenty of time to evaluate drivers this week. NASCAR will have 4 hours and 10 minutes of practice!
- Start position. I think starting up front will be a big advantage at Kentucky. Repave races quite often turn into track position races because passing is difficult. The tires will also be hard this week because NASCAR is playing it safe with a hard tire compound. When it comes to pit stops I wouldn’t be surprised if we mostly see two tire pit stops throughout the race.
- Track History. As I mentioned earlier, forget it. Kentucky is essentially a brand new track. I’m just including this at the end as a reminder.
