Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Preview - Auto Club 500
These driver selections represent my roster before Yahoo's qualifying deadline. Active and inactive drivers
should be selected after qualifying and all practices take place. I will post any changes, as well as my final
active roster in our Fantasy NASCAR Forum. Also, be sure to check out our Yahoo Driver Rankings before selecting
your final qualifying roster.
A List
1. Jimmie Johnson (9 starts remaining)
Johnson finished 9th in this race last season and won at Auto Club Speedway, while leading the most laps, in
October. Jimmie also led the most laps at Michigan last season, a sister track to Auto Club, before gambling
and losing on fuel mileage.
In Yahoo’s format, drivers who qualify in the top four positions receive bonus points. These can add up over a
season and make a huge difference in your standings. Johnson leads all drivers with a 1.8 average starting
position in the last four races at Auto Club.
I like saving most of Johnson's starts until later in the season, but getting him on your roster early is a safe
way to navigate through the first few races while we wait for the A List to shake out.
2. Carl Edwards (9)
According to our new NASCAR Stats feature, Carl Edwards has the best average finish at Michigan (4.0) and the
second best average at Auto Club (5.0) in the last four races run at each racetrack.
Roush/Fenway is always good in Fontana, so Cousin Carl will round out my A List.
Roush/Fenway is always good in Fontana, so Cousin Carl will round out my A List.
B List
1. Matt Kenseth (9)
Kenseth led the most laps and won this race one year ago, and currently sports the 4th highest average finish at
Auto Club Speedway over the past two seasons. As I mentioned earlier, Auto Club is a Roush/Fenway racetrack and a
team consisting of Kenseth and Edwards has a chance to do some damage.
2. Brian Vickers (9)
Vickers won the pole and finished 10th in this race last season. The 83 also dominated at Michigan in 2009, capturing
both poles and taking the checkered flag at the Carfax 400 in August.
3. Clint Bowyer (9)
After Kenseth and Vickers, you can make a case for a handful of drivers. This year’s B List looks to be deeper
than in previous seasons, so my strategy is to simply trot out the best roster possible for the first 4-6 races,
then reevaluate.
For those familiar to the website, I’m a proponent of saving starts, especially in the B List. But this early in
the season, we don’t have any idea who to save and who to burn up. The smart money says Kenseth will be a stud,
but everything else about the B List is up in the air.
After a horrible season in 2009, all three Childress cars unloaded with good speed at Daytona. I don’t have
numbers to back me up here, but I’m betting that the RCR cars are ready to show us that they’re once again a force
in the Sprint Cup Series.
4. Jeff Burton (9)
See Clint Bowyer.
C List
1. Sam Hornish Jr. (9)
Hornish finished 5th at Michigan in August and 12th at Auto Club in October. That’s about as good as it gets for C Listers.
2. A.J. Allmendinger (9)
The Dinger did not run too well at Auto Club and Michigan last season, but expect a turnaround in 2010. For the
first time in his career, Allmendinger does not have to worry about the future of his ride and can focus
strictly on racing.
Right now, Hornish is the early leader to get the start, but a strong qualifying effort and good practice times could
sway me in Allmendinger’s direction.
Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Picks - Fontana
| A List Drivers |
| Jimmie Johnson |
| Carl Edwards |
| B List Drivers |
| Matt Kenseth |
| Brian Vickers |
| Clint Bowyer |
| Jeff Burton |
| C list Drivers |
| Sam Hornish Jr. |
| A.J. Allmendinger |
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