The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this week after loading up what machinery survived Daytona's Coke Zero 400 last Saturday. The teams will have one less day to prepare than planed after rain delayed last weekend's action to Sunday.
At New Hampshire there is one driver that has a leg up on the competition. Jeff Gordon is the leader among active drivers at the track for top-5s, top-10s, laps led, and lead-lap finishes. The track has been on the schedule for 38 races, and the No. 24 has also started each of those.
The track is just over one mile in length and features variable banking to help enhance the racing. Brian Vickers won the spring race here last season, and Matt Kenseth followed up with the fall win. Vickers came back to win last spring after a pit infraction put him a lap down. He overtook Kyle Busch on a green-white-checkered finish, and firmly announced his return to the series. Tony Stewart led for much of the race, but ran out of fuel and lost ground at the end. This year's event will be the last race before a week's break ahead of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Jeff Gordon - Gordon heads to this week's race in New Hampshire as the current points leader and the driver with some of the best statistics at the track. Gordon's New Hampshire driver rating is an impressive 109.2, and he leads most loop statistical categories including percentage of laps spent running inside the top-15 at 89.5 percent. He has led 1,352 laps at the track during his 38-race career, while also tallying three victories and 22 top-10 finishes. The No. 24 has been fast and consistent this season, scoring more top-10 finishes than any other driver of the circuit at 13, helping drive his position atop the standings. This may be the week fantasy rosters opt to nominate Gordon as their team captain.
Denny Hamlin - After his solid sixth-place finish in last week's Coke Zero 400, Hamlin may begin climbing his way up the point standings. He has a win in the bag, which helps his chances for the Chase, but would feel more comfortable with more top-10 runs. He may be in store for another good weekend in New Hampshire where he has the best average finish among active drivers at 9.0. His driver rating at the track is 102.9 and is one of only four competitors to top the 100 mark here. Hamlin has mainly been competitive on restrictor-plate tracks this season, but he will need to perform on shorter ovals as well and New Hampshire is the perfect spot for him to do that.
Jimmie Johnson - Though he doesn't boast the best record among drivers this week, when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire fantasy owners shouldn't discount Johnson. He hasn't failed to finish outside of the top-10 runners at the track since an 18th-place run in 2011. His driver rating in the last nine years is 105.8, and he is a three-time winner from 29 tries. Daytona didn't give Johnson the result he wanted after crashing out early, but he and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates still lock out the top three positions in the points. Johnson is a threat to win every week, so using the champion judiciously is necessary in some league formats, but this week is one to use him if possible.
Tony Stewart - Stewart was of the many drivers caught out by the early crash in Sunday's Coke Zero 400, relegating him to a 40th-place finish. With zero wins and holding 20th-place in points, Stewart needs to turn his fortune around quickly. New Hampshire presents a great opportunity for him to right the ship. He has the best driver rating at the track in the last nine years at 111.0, and claims three wins along with 17 top-10 finishes from 29 total races. The No. 14 hasn't come on song like fantasy owners have expected yet, but when the deck is stacked against him Stewart can rise to the challenge. This may be the week to take a small risk on the owner/driver.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Earnhardt's return to the scene of his triumph in February didn't turn out as well as hoped. He finished 14th in the Coke Zero 400, which helped him move to second in the points standings, but he leaves wondering what more could have come. Fantasy owners will want to keep an eye on the No. 88 at New Hampshire this week, though. His driver rating at the track is 97.3, and he brings an average finish of 15.7 to the track. He has never won at the oval, but has 12 top-10 finishes from his 29 career starts there. The current season has been a banner year for Earnhardt, and there is no reason to think his foot will come off the pedal this week.
Jamie McMurray - Though McMurray entered Daytona with plenty of promise, he didn't walk out with much in hand. He finished in 30th position, one of many cars in the second of two major crashes that afternoon. The No. 1 machine has come to the fore for fantasy rosters on multiple occasions this season, but this week may present a challenge for the team. McMurray's driver rating at the track is 66.9 with an average finish of 21.5 in 22 starts. He finished 12th in the spring and fifth in the fall New Hampshire races, which were his best finishes there since 2010 when he scored the latest of his three top-5s. Fantasy players will want to wait to see McMurray's practice and qualifying speeds before selection this week.
Joey Logano - In 11 New Hampshire starts Logano's average finish is 17.5 despite scoring a breakthrough win in 2009. He only scored one top-10 finish at the track in the last two seasons, and has a driver rating of 71.0. He currently sits sixth in the points, and was one of the few cars to finish on the lead lap at Daytona last weekend. The Penske Racing teammates have been a force this season, and are likely to continue causing problems for the rest of the competition, but this may be the week fantasy players opt for the No. 2 car ahead of the No. 22. Brad Keselowski's average New Hampshire finish is 12.6 despite not having a win like his teammate.
Paul Menard - Menard sits 10th in points and salvaged a 16th-place finish at Daytona after being involved in some of the day's carnage. His run of good form this year has been nothing short of impressive, and he now looks like a serious contender to win a race, and possibly even make the cutoff for the Chase. He'll have to first overcome New Hampshire, though. Menard has zero top finishes at the track from 14 career attempts. His average finish there is 24.6, and his driver rating is only 59.3. New Hampshire has been a rough place for Menard to visit despite never recording a DNF. Past statistics don't suggest a win, and fantasy players may want to temper their expectations of him this week.
Carl Edwards - Edwards managed to scramble to a 37th-place finish in last weekend's Coke Zero 400, which was not nearly what he was hoping for. The No. 99 has been challenged much of this season, but still pocketed two wins. His seventh-place position in the points is on the back of those victories, along with eight top-10s. At New Hampshire the Roush Fenway Racing driver doesn't have as impressive of a history as others in the field. His driver rating from the last nine years at the track is 86.6, but he did finish in the top-10 there both times in 2013. Edwards has been hot or cold this year, making him a difficult option to regularly rely on.
Matt Kenseth - Kenseth showed a bit of life last weekend in Daytona. He led 12 laps and ran up front until contact put him behind the competition. His recent races have been disappointing, and include four efforts worse than 10th out of the last five races. His speed at Daytona could be a signal of a turnaround, though. Kenseth sits sixth in points, and has a win and 14 top-10 finishes from 28 New Hampshire starts. His win here last fall was preceded by a ninth-place run in the spring race. We haven't seen the Kenseth we knew in 2013 quite yet this season, but there may be more on the way including this week in New Hampshire.
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Radune was named the 2012 Racing Writer of the Year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. Get a FREE RotoWire 10-day trial (no credit card required) at RotoWire.com.
