After two consecutive weeks of short track racing, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series will be back on the throttle Sunday, battling the 190 MPH straights and high-banked corners at Texas Motor Speedway. With Roush Racing looking to rebound from their recent struggles and Jimmie Johnson going for his second straight win, there should be plenty of action on the mile and a half oval.
No single driver or organization has really been able to dominate at Texas over the years, but if you want to score the maximum number of points in your fantasy NASCAR league, pick from these drivers for your Texas lineup:
These picks are for the 2009 April race. For picks to help your fantasy NASCAR team in the April 2010 Texas Race, click here.
Favorites at Texas Motor Speedway
1. Jimmie Johnson – It is difficult to pick a driver to win back-to-back races, but Johnson makes a great case to be on your fantasy NASCAR roster; he owns the highest driver rating (104.7) and average finish (9.1) of any active driver at Texas, has one win at the track and the only time he’s finished outside the top-15 here is when he wrecked out in the spring 2007 race.
Add to that the fact that Johnson is coming into the weekend with three-straight top-10 finishes, including last week’s win at Martinsville, and he is a must-start fantasy driver.
2. Matt Kenseth – The past few weeks have been rough for Roush Racing; their five drivers have combined for a grand total of two top-10 finishes over the past three races. Roush is looking towards Texas to break out of their slump, and Kenseth is the perfect driver to lead the way. With one win and three career second-places finishes here, Texas is one of the No. 17 team’s best tracks, and Kenseth has a top-10 finish in his past four races at the mile and a half oval.
After winning Daytona and California to start the season, Kenseth has been plagued by engine and handling problems, but he is a prime candidate for a solid Texas finish, and could compete for a win.
3. Carl Edwards – Edwards is an all-or-nothing driver at Texas; he has only finished inside the top-12 three times at the Fort Worth track – but all three of those have been wins. Two of the victories came last year, where Edwards swept the season series.
He may not have been consistent here in the past, but after his dominant showing last season, Edwards has established himself as a legitimate Texas contender. Even if he does not win the race, Edwards should be a lock for a top-10 finish.
Safe Picks for a Solid Texas Finish
1. Tony Stewart – Stewart hasn’t missed a beat in his transition from Gibbs Racing to Stewart Haas, and he has looked great so far this year on intermediate tracks, scoring 8th place finishes at both California and Atlanta. That success should continue at Texas, a place where Smoke already has one win and a career average finish of 13th.
2. Denny Hamlin – Hamlin finished second at both Bristol and Martinsville, and while he may be frustrated by coming up one spot short two weeks in a row, Hamlin is one of the hottest drivers in the sport right now. He has never won at Texas, but Hamlin has finished in the top-10 five of the seven races he has run here throughout his career. He may not get the win he has been looking for, but Hamlin should be near the front of the field.
3. Mark Martin – Engine problems in multiple races got Martin off to a dismal start, but he has recovered nicely the past two weeks, posting top-10 finishes at both Bristol and Martinsville. Martin has looked great the past few years at Texas, with top-10 finishes in his past three spring races here, all of which were run in Ginn Racing and DEI cars. With superior Hendrick horsepower under the hood, Martin is a good bet for a solid finish.
4. Jeff Gordon – Texas is one of only two Sprint Cup tracks where Gordon has never scored a victory (Homestead is the other), but that does not mean you should shy away from adding him to your fantasy NASCAR lineup; the current point leader has top-10 finishes in four of his last five Texas races, and has been on fire this year at intermediate tracks, averaging a 3rd place finish on 1.5 and 2-mile ovals.
Texas Underdogs
1. Jamie McMurray – His results do not really reflect it, but McMurray has looked a lot more confident this season behind the wheel. He was the only Ford in the top-10 last weekend at Martinsville, and Texas is a good track for McMurray, where he has an average career finish of 12th and three top-10’s in his last four races. Jamie finished ninth a few weeks ago at Vegas, and could do the same thing this weekend.
2. Martin Truex, Jr. – Truex has struggled to start the season, but his career numbers at Texas are great; he has a better driver rating here that both Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, plus Truex has finished in the top-10 three of the last four Texas races. Look for a breakthrough weekend from the No. 1 team.
3. David Reutimann – Ruetimann is one of the most improved drivers in the Cup series this year, and he should continue to impress at Texas. Engine problems knocked him out of his first two Texas races, but he finished tenth here last fall, and is a great candidate for another surprising result this time around.
Texas tends to be an unpredictable track, but if you lean towards drivers who have had success here more recently, it is possible to put together a formidable fantasy NASCAR lineup. Johnson and Edwards are easy picks, but the getting consistent results out of the rest of your roster will give you an edge in you fantasy NASCAR league.
Todd Butts - Coming from the world of newspaper and radio, I have been covering NASCAR and other motorsports for over 8 years. I started as the host ...
