Why Roadcourse Drivers Could Do Well At Martinsville
At approximately 35mph, Martinsville’s corners are the slowest stretch of track NASCAR drivers will navigate in a race all SEASON long. However the average speed per lap is 92mph, meaning driver’s straight away speeds are about 150mph. All this equates to braking, a lot of braking. So it stands to reason that drivers who excel on road courses should do well here. Road courses require pedal finesse and the ability to roll your car through the corners smoothly, sprint and repeat.
Jeff Gordon has been a strong road course competitor. Kyle Busch won both road course races last year. Juan Pablo Montoya’s only Sprint Cup victory came on a road course, and he has one to his credit in Nationwide too.
So with this theory in mind, let’s talk about drivers whose road race records make them someone to consider this weekend. Especially with rain possibly putting a damper on practices.
Kyle Busch has an AF of 4.2 over the last four Sprint Cup road course races [the COT era], including wins in both races from last year. [He also has an AF of 1.5 over the two road course events he ran in the Nationwide Series last year.] While Martinsville has not been a great track for him in the past, I think he’ll shrug that off this year and put those road skills to use.
Tony Stewart has an AF of 4.8 with one win over the same span. Being a car owner has not slowed him down a bit. Look for him to be sneaky good this weekend.
Juan Pablo Montoya crashed at Watkins Glen in ‘07. Throw that out, and JPM would have an AF of 3.6 over the other three races. Baring incident, he should be a lock for a top 15 at Martinsville where his AF is 12.8, and has the potential to be much better than that. He looked good in today’s practice too!
Although Rousch has been having some problems with their engines, Carl Edwards has to be considered a threat here based on his road course prowess. He has an AF of 11 in the COT era. He’s also 5th best on the Nationwide Series road courses over the last four races.
Surprise mid price driver to watch could be Casey Mears. He too, had one bad road race at the beginning of ‘07 putting his AF for the four race span at a still respectable 16.5, but throw that bad finish out and his AF drops to 9.75. He certainly hasn’t show much this year and teammate Clint Boywer seems a better play, but if you are looking for a longshot, this could be your guy. Added bonus: +$55k salary gain at Fantasy Cup.
At the bottom of the salary charts, Aussie Marcos Ambrose should be the best finish for value on the boards. He had transmission problems in his first Cup road course start, and finished 3rd in his second. He has an AF of 4.8 over the last four Nationwide road courses, including a 3rd in Montreal, site of the infamous Robby Gordon punt maneuver. Looked great in practice today, is a cap gainer at both F/C and Thunder. Ambrose should match his top 10 finish of last week.
TOP 15 ROADCOURSE DRIVERS - COT ERA
|
|
Driver |
Races |
Win |
T5 |
T10 |
Pole |
Laps |
Led |
AvSt |
AvFn |
|
1 |
Kyle Busch |
4 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
402 |
130 |
15.8 |
4.2 |
|
2 |
Tony Stewart |
4 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
402 |
27 |
14.5 |
4.8 |
|
3 |
Juan Pablo Montoya |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
384 |
9 |
24 |
12.5 |
|
4 |
Carl Edwards |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
402 |
14 |
9 |
11 |
|
5 |
Denny Hamlin |
4 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
402 |
3 |
15.2 |
11.8 |
|
6 |
Clint Bowyer |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
402 |
0 |
13 |
11.8 |
|
7 |
Greg Biffle |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
402 |
1 |
12.8 |
11.8 |
|
8 |
Martin Truex, Jr. |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
402 |
0 |
18.2 |
12.8 |
|
9 |
Ron Fellows |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
402 |
3 |
22.8 |
15.2 |
|
10 |
Casey Mears |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
402 |
0 |
26 |
16.5 |
|
11 |
Ryan Newman |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
402 |
0 |
12.2 |
16.5 |
|
12 |
Matt Kenseth |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
401 |
0 |
19 |
16.5 |
|
13 |
Elliott Sadler |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
402 |
0 |
15.8 |
16.2 |
|
14 |
Jimmie Johnson |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
402 |
30 |
13.8 |
10.5 |
|
15 |
Kevin Harvick |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
396 |
0 |
18.5 |
18.5 |
xox, mb
