Fantasy NASCAR Asterisk Mark Report – Darlington

Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson had a tough race last year at Darlington and he finished an asterisk mark 39th. In the race Johnson started in the rear of the field but he didn’t have much difficulty moving his way up through the pack. On lap 64 he was up to 14th, but that’s when trouble struck because he had a loose wheel and was forced to make an unexpected pit stop. As he was coming to pit road he got a commitment cone violation. After that you could pretty much so stick in a fork in his competitive afternoon (3 laps down), but that wasn’t his last problem. On lap 230 he had oil pump problems which marked the end of his race. If his race would’ve been incident free, he may have very well been a top ten contender.

Ryan Newman – Darlington ranks as one of Ryan Newman’s best tracks and in 5 of the last 6 races he’s finished in the top 13. Last year he finished outside of that range and finished an asterisk mark 19th. In the race he had a good chance to finish in the top ten, but with 56 laps to go while he was running in the top ten he was involved in a wreck. From the race I’ll note he had an 11th place average running position and finished 7th in Stage #2.

Martin Truex Jr. – Martin Truex Jr. finished 11th last year at Darlington, but that’s a misleading result. During green flag pit stops in the lap 160’s while he was running in 2nd his team had an uncontrolled tire and he had to serve a pass thru penalty. That made for a long evening and he never fully recovered. In the race it should be noted he led 30 laps and finished 3rd in Stage #1 prior to his problem. If his race would’ve been incident free, I think he was likely a top five contender.