Flat Tracks

Federated Auto Parts 400

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, Richmond International Raceway, Short Tracks Leave a comment

And then there was one.

For more than half the field, the season boils down to the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Four drivers have a chance to make the Chase on points; 17 can get into the playoffs by winning this week.

Unless players think the playoffs are hype that doesn’t impact them, simply look back at last week’s Bojangles’ Southern 500. The four drivers who are battling for a position based on points finished between eighth and 15th and probably would have been better overall if Jamie McMurray’s crew had not made a late-race mistake.

Rest assured the NASCAR teams know all of the scenarios involved in advancing and the four points’ contenders are going to be solid values. Newman may throw a Hail Mary pass, but all of the winless drivers below him will certainly be looking for a strategic advantage. They will try to short pit, stretch their fuel, or stay out on old tires to gain track position. Like Newman last week, that could benefit fantasy owners with a top-10 finish on their lineup—but it could also cost a lot of points if the teams misjudge.

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Pennsylvania 400

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, Pocono Raceway Leave a comment

The Pennsylvania 400 rounds out three consecutive flat track races.

Half of last week’s top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway finished that well at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Three of them were coming off sub-10th-place results the previous week at Kentucky Speedway—a newly paved and reconfigured track that threw a lot of curve balls—and were able to regain a little momentum.

That will now get carried over to the tricky triangle of Pocono Raceway. At 2.5 miles in length with one corner inspired by Indy, these two tracks (and specifically these two races) are among the closest comparatives on the circuit. The one-mile track in New Hampshire, Phoenix International Raceway, the three-quarter-mile Richmond International Raceway, and half-mile Martinsville Speedway can also be used to deepen the data pool.

For the moment, ignore the New Hampshire 301 and focus on the Axalta 400 that was run at Pocono seven weeks ago. Only three drivers have top-10s to their credit in the two latest 2.5-mile, flat track races and they should be considered favorites. Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, and Joey Logano have emerged as flat track aces. Several others have sweeps of the top 15, or a legitimate reason they stumbled in one of the two races, and they could be good differentiators for players who are in leagues with competitors slavishly devoted to statistics.

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Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Leave a comment

The Brickyard 400 may not be the longest race of the season. It may not even be the one everyone wants to win; after all, the Daytona 500 and Southern 500 are much richer in history. But this race quickly grabbed the attention of drivers whose career path led them away from possible participation in the Indy 500.

Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, followed by Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Jarrett, and Ricky Rudd in the following years. Gordon became the first two-time winner in 1998.

One would be tempted to say this race has never been won by a dark horse, but Gordon’s victory in ’94 was only the second in his career. Jarrett’s 1996 win was the seventh of his career. Kevin Harvick scored his fourth Cup victory in this race in 2003, Jamie McMurray scored his fifth win in 2010, and Paul Menard got his first taste of NASCAR Big League victory in 2011.

It is possible for a surprise winner to take the checkers. Then again, the average on this track is for the winner to score about his 31st career victory.

Experience counts much more than enthusiasm.

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New Hampshire 301

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, New Hampshire International Speedway Leave a comment

The similarly-configured, 1.5- and two-mile tracks dominate the schedule, but close on their heels are flat tracks.

With two races held each year at Phoenix International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and this week’s venue New Hampshire Motor Speedway—plus a single event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and two on a short track that could be considered among many track types (Richmond International Raceway) there are plenty of comparative stats to consider.

New Hampshire, Pocono, and Indy line up in single file—which is actually quite similar to how drivers have to go through the minimally banked corners.

Flat tracks are rhythm courses. Drivers have to hit very precise marks in order to get around the track with maximum speed. On the surface, New Hampshire would not seem to have much in common with the 2.5-mile courses of Pocono and Indy, but they require the same general skill. Drivers have to enter the turns gently and time their acceleration so they get the most velocity exiting the turns. This is the same tactic used on the short frontstretch in Loudon, NH, the short chutes at either end of Indianapolis, or the longest straight in NASCAR in Long Pond, PA.

The best thing about the coming weeks is flat track masters have a chance to establish some domination and separate from the crowd. This also gives fantasy owners an opportunity to differentiate their lineup and lessen some of the reliance on traditionally strong unrestricted, intermediate speedway drivers.

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Axalta We Paint Winners 400

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, Pocono Raceway Leave a comment

2473_DB_DFS_skyscraper

One thing fantasy players cannot complain this week is a lack of uniqueness where Pocono Raceway is concerned.

If a three-turned track with three distinctive radiuses to the corners, three distinctive degrees of banking, and three distinctive lengths to the straightaways is not enough differentiate this track, then there is no pleasing critics. Pocono is one of the longest tracks on the circuit and with its flat corners and tight turns, it takes the greatest amount of time to complete a lap there.

The longest straight leads to the corner with the most banking. From there through turn three, the straights get shorter and the banking less steep so that the effect is like a corkscrew. Eventually drivers have to tiptoe through the final turn and then strain their engines to beat the competition to the next left-hand swerve.

It can take a while to adjust to Pocono, but once that happens, it is possible to string some strong runs together. Sweeping Victory Lane in a season is not uncommon. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the latest driver to do so in 2014. Before his sweep, Denny Hamlin won back-to-back summer and spring events in 2009/2010, as well as famously doing so in during his rookie season. Harvick finished second in consecutive races in 2014/2015.

Four-, five-, or even six-week streaks of top-fives and -10s are not rare and when they are broken up, it is typically because of pit strategy that goes awry.

One reason for this is because Pocono’s two races are held close to one another on the schedule that track conditions and momentum does not change appreciably. Only six races get run between the waving of the checkered flag over the Pocono 400 and the green on the Pennsylvania 400 and two of those are held on flat tracks.

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Toyota Owners 400 Draft Kings Contest

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, Richmond International Raceway, Short Tracks Leave a comment

This week, we created a 25-person contest Draft Kings contest—and if that fills quickly, we will add another smaller league. As the week’s roll along, we will continue to seek the upper limit of these contests, but we need your feedback.

Communicate with us via Twitter or through the DanBeaver.com web site so that we can determine how to proceed. If you want us to keep growing this league so that the prize gets bigger, that is one option. The other option is to create multiple, 25-person contests with the top five positions paying out.

Send your response to Dan @FantasyRace or Victoria at @VictoriaBeav42.

Search for NAS $5 25-Player (Top 5 Win) by FantasyRace or click on the link https://www.draftkings.com/contest/draftteam/23442304?ugc=0 to join.

Since contests must be full to be in effect, we are taking baby steps. Anyone who wishes to be invited, should send @FantasyRace a note on twitter with his or her Draft Kings handle, and we will send invitations.

 

Toyota Owners 400

Dan Beaver Flat Tracks, Richmond International Raceway, Short Tracks Leave a comment

NASCAR visits its third short track in four weeks.

This year the Toyota Owners 400 is scheduled for daylight hours. Like last week’s venue Bristol Motor Speedway, that means their two races will be run in different conditions, which could eventually lead to a pattern of some racers performing better in the spring or fall.

And that is likely to make a bigger difference at Richmond than Bristol. Mostly concrete, the half-mile bullring is not as heat sensitive as the three-quarter-mile asphalt track.

This little track has delusions of grandeur. It is a short track that has as many similarities to the similarly-configured, 1.5- and two-mile tracks as it does to the other short courses and in some ways it is the best of two worlds. At less than a mile in length, cars are constantly in traffic. And with only 40 cars instead of 43 as the maximum field, drivers can maneuver more skillfully around the course.

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