Asterisk Mark Report – Martinsville

Every week in NASCAR there’s drivers who have problems in the race and walk away with an asterisk mark result. Understanding misleading finishes and knowing how good drivers truly were can help give you the edge on your competition. Many fantasy racers just look at results and assume that’s how good drivers were. This post explains who had a misleading result last fall at Martinsville, and how good they truly were.

Clint Bowyer – Clint Bowyer had a great car last fall at Martinsville, but he finished an asterisk mark 21st. On lap 457 while he was running in the top ten he spun after slight contact from Jimmie Johnson. In the race he finished 4th in Stage #1, 8th in Stage #2 and had an 8th place average running position. If his race would’ve been incident free I have no doubt he would’ve finished in the top ten. Last spring at Martinsville he led 215 laps and raced his way to victory lane.

Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney had a fast car last fall at Martinsville, but his race wasn’t incident free and he finished a misleading 20th. In Stage #1 he finished 8th, but then during the competition caution he had an uncontrolled tire and had to start in the back. He never bounced back from that and I’m guessing things weren’t smooth for him back in traffic. If his race would’ve been incident free I think there’s a great chance he would’ve finished in the top ten.