Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2013 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
In 2013 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will drive the #17 in place of the Matt Kenseth who is moving to Joe Gibbs Racing. Stenhouse Jr. is a talented driver and is the first rookie with legitimate fantasy value in a number of years. The #17 is perfectly suited for him to just buckle up and have success. He’s a two-time Nationwide Series champion and the expectations on him will be high in 2013.
Strengths- Look for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to be at his best on intermediate tracks. This type of track is Roush Fenway’s strength. Last year in the Nationwide Series all of his wins came at these venues. His wins were at Las Vegas, Texas, Iowa, Atlanta, Chicagoland and Kansas.
Weaknesses– What Ricky Stenhouse Jr. doesn’t have is experience. That can really bite fantasy racers because that can be chalked up to probably 3 automatic DNF’s. I also would be nervous about using him at road courses and short tracks.
Intermediate Track Grade- B+, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. should be a solid performer at intermediate tracks in 2013. As I listed in his strengths last year in the Nationwide Series he won six races on this track type. In the Sprint Cup Series he has four starts under his belt and has had limited success. His Sprint Cup intermediate finishes are 11th (Charlotte 2011), 12th (Dover), 35th (Charlotte 2012 – engine) and 39th (Homestead). In 2013 he’ll get his fair share of top tens on this track type and even potentially challenge for a win.
Flat Track Grade- B-, Stenhouse Jr. has never raced at a flat track on the Sprint Cup level. In the Nationwide Series last year he was four for four in terms of finishing in the top ten. At the shorter flat tracks he had finishes of 3rd, 3rd and 5th. At Indy he finished 9th. His record is impressive but the Nationwide Series isn’t half as competitive as Sprint Cup racing. Also I would like to note I don’t trust Roush cars at shorter flat tracks and they make up more than half the races on this track type.
Short Track Grade- B-, Stenhouse Jr. was pretty good at short tracks in the Nationwide Series. At Bristol he had finishes of 6th & 2nd and at Richmond he finished 4th and 2nd.Those are great finishes but I don’t trust rookies at these tracks. Veterans don’t show them mercy and they tend to find trouble. Martinsville is the toughest track for rookies and he lacks the track time to be good at that venue. Also I would like to note that Roush cars aren’t on par with the other top teams at these venues.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B-, Roush Fenway cars have a superior engine package but heading into 2013 they’re probably overrated for this track type. Matt Kenseth is gone and a lot of their success was due to him and Greg Biffle working with each other as they drove to the front. Also the front bumpers are said not to lineup anymore so bump drafting like they’ve done could be a dangerous maneuver. Last year Stenhouse was in the Daytona 500 and finished 20th. In the Nationwide series he was pretty good in 2012. His finishes were 2nd, 3rd and 19th.
Road Course Track Grade- C+, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could struggle at these venues. In the Nationwide Series last year he had finishes of 4th, 11th and 12th. Those finishes aren’t good enough to translate into success in the Sprint Cup level. Also I think it’s best to be leery of picking a rookie on this track type.
How to use Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2013?
I would focus on using Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at intermediate tracks exclusively. You can always count on Roush cars at these venues and it’s safe to project he’ll have success. To an extent the case can be made he’s somewhat of a known commodity on this track type.
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