Short 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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Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Dan Beaver Bristol Motor Speedway, Short Tracks Leave a comment

It seems disingenuous to call the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race a wild card. Lately, the majority of weekends have been unpredictable affairs from the road courses of Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International, the restrictor-plate Daytona International Speedway, the reconfigured/repaved Kentucky Speedway, and the fog-shortened Pocono Raceway Pennsylvania 400. New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are the closest fantasy owners have had to a predictable affair.

There is no reason to think Bristol Motor Speedway is going to be any different. Short tracks are inherently unpredictable because heavy traffic and 20 second laps are hard to navigate.

With four races remaining, there is still the potential for a Chase field filled with winners.

It is unlikely that all four races will go to unique winners, but that will not change to dynamic among the favorable four. Kyle Larson’s spin at the Glen dropped him 30 points behind Jamie McMurray, but if there is another winner and just three points’ producers get locked in, only 12 markers separate Ryan Newman from Jamie McMurray. And since the total number of winners will not be known until Richmond, no one is safe.

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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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Food City 500

Dan Beaver Bristol Motor Speedway, Short Tracks Leave a comment

Bristol is about determination. Drivers have to muscle their way around the track and bully their way through traffic. This is a take-no-prisoner kind of course and Newman is a give-no-quarter kind of driver. If he does not wind up on the lead lap and in the top 10, it will not be because of a lack of effort. One would think that kind of statement should be generic for all NASCAR drivers—but it isn’t. Newman is a throwback and this is a classic track.

The short tracks are often dominated by sleepers and dark horses. It is not always about the stats, but looking between the lines, which is why this week’s preview is important.

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