NASCAR Fantasy Picks - Charlotte
Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne drivers to beat in the Coca-Cola 600
May 21, 2009
The Coca-Cola 600 is not just the longest race of the NASCAR season; it is a Memorial Day tradition, and one of the races that every driver wants to win. Because it is such a long event, success in the Coke 600 is as much in the hands of the engine builders and crew chiefs as it is the drivers themselves, but there are some teams that have an edge heading into NASCAR’s longest night. Here are the best bets for your fantasy team at Darlington:
Favorites at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
1. Jimmie Johnson – Maybe it is just because his sponsor’s name (Lowe’s) is on the sign outside the track, but Johnson and the No. 48 team are always at the top of their game whenever the green flag flies in Charlotte. Johnson is a perennial favorite here, and for good reason; he’s got five wins at the mile and a half oval, sports a career average finish of 9th and has the highest rating of any driver at the track over the past four years (117.1). That said, Johnson has not won a points race here in over three years, but he could easily break that losing streak this weekend.
2. Kasey Kahne – Johnson gets all of the attention whenever NASCAR heads to Charlotte, but Kahne is almost as good here; he has won three of the past six races at the high-banked oval, including the All-Star/Coca-Cola 600 sweep last season. Kahne has struggled this year, but looked strong in Atlanta, and it would be no surprise to see him run near the front at Lowe’s, as well.
3. Tony Stewart – Tony only has one win at the North Carolina track, but he has a ton of momentum heading into the weekend thanks to his million-dollar victory in last Saturday night’s All-Star race. Only three active drivers have ever pulled off the All-Star/Coca-Cola 600 sweep (Kahne, Johnson and Jeff Gordon), but Stewart has top-10 finishes in two of his last four races here, and with Hendrick horsepower under the hood and the confidence from last week’s run, Smoke should have a good chance at pulling off the elusive Charlotte-double.
Safe Picks for a Solid Charlotte Finish
1. Jeff Gordon – Gordon is one of the few drivers not named Johnson or Kahne to have captured a checkered flag at Charlotte over the past five years. Gordon broke out of a slump Lowe’s with his fall 2007 win, and has looked strong ever since, with three straight top-10 finishes heading into this weekend. With four career Charlotte wins, and a solid run in last weekend’s All-Star race before a wreck in the closing laps, Gordon should be a strong fantasy NASCAR play this weekend – but if you are running low on starts, there are better races to save the No.24 car for.
2. Jeff Burton – A lot of people were a bit surprised at Burton’s Charlotte win during the Chase last season, but his recent results at NASCAR’s home track clearly show that his trip to victory lane was no fluke; Burton has finished sixth of better in four of the last five races run here, and his 10th place average finish over the past four years is second only to Johnson. Burton is a driver that often gets passed up on fantasy rosters, but for a team looking to save a few starts on a driver like Gordon or Kyle Busch, this is a good track to swap in Burton.
3. Kyle Busch – Busch struggled at the start of his career in Charlotte, but has come on strong the past few seasons, and he enters the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 with a streak of three consecutive top-5 finishes. Despite his previously inconsistent results, Busch’s driver rating over the past four seasons here (100.4) is second only to Johnson, and if Kyle’s run in the All-Star race was any indication, he should be near the front of the field Sunday night.
Charlotte Underdogs
1. Jamie McMurray - It has been quite a while since McMurray burst onto the NASCAR scene by winning at Charlotte while filling in for the injured Sterling Marlin back in 2002. His results at the ‘Beast of the Southeast’ since then have been inconsistent, but McMurray finished fifth here last fall, looked great in the Sprint Showdown and could have another strong run this weekend.
2. Sam Hornish, Jr. – Hornish has been the most surprising driver in NASCAR over the past month; he has two top-10 finishes in his past four points races, and likely would have had a top-10 at Darlington, as well, had he not been involved in a wreck. On top of that, Hornish won the Sprint Showdown on All-Star weekend, and looked impressive doing so. Unless he has a secret deal with Carl Long’s engine builder, Hornish will not end up in victory lane this weekend, but he could turn in another surprise performance.
3. Brian Vickers – Vickers makes an interesting pick at Charlotte; his average finish at Lowe’s is 24th, yet over the past four years, only two people have led more laps here – Johnson and Kahne. Vickers has had an up-and-down season, but his best performances this year have come at intermediate tracks, so the No. 83 could be a dark horse pick.
The Coca-Cola 600 is a test of endurance, not just for drivers, but also crew chiefs and engine builders. The worst thing for a fantasy team is a DNF, so picking drivers with a history of making it to the checkered flag unscathed here will help maximize the number of points your NASCAR fantasy team scores.
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