Fantasy football has been extremely popular for years and the Internet has increased the popularity of fantasy sports in general to all time highs. One of the fastest growing fantasy sports is fantasy racing. The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series has exploded in popularity over the past two decades selling out all race events and grabbing huge chunks of the TV ratings. And that, in turn, has increased the popularity of fantasy racing leagues.
There are a wide variety of fantasy racing leagues to choose from. Just like football, you can find a local office pool where you choose a driver or two each week to more sophisticated leagues that involve multi-million dollar salary caps and point systems. Some fantasy racing leagues are free and others charge a fee to participate. Contestants battle it out for bragging rights to thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.
Some consider fantasy sports games of chance but if you ask those that participate and win and finish near the top of their league(s) consistently, you will learn that fantasy sports are Games of Skill. You need to study and stay up to date on all aspects of the sport your fantasy league is based on.
For fantasy racing leagues based on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, you need to study and chart how each driver and his team perform at each track. NASCAR is a team sport, a driver alone cannot win a race. If a driver changed teams during the off season, this may impact his performance. There are 36 races on 23 different race tracks and over 50 drivers to choose from so your notes can get quite extensive.
Wallbanger Fantasy Racing offers a helpful cheat sheet that you can individually chart drivers with. I suggest you print one and then make copies or you can come up with your own system. If you want to dominate your league, you will need 23 pages (one page for each track) for each driver you chart. You will also need a folder or binder to stay organized.
You may be asking where do I start?!? Here are some of the things that may factor in to which driver you choose at a certain race track:
Some Driver Factors you need to keep records of include:
— How does this driver perform on short tracks like Martinsville and Loudon?
— How does this driver perform on flat ovals like Indy and Phoenix?
— How does this driver perform on super speedways such as Atlanta and Charlotte?
— How does this driver performance on restrictor plate tracks? (Daytona and Talladega)
— How does this driver perform on a Road Course?
— Does this driver have recent multiple wins at a specific track?
— Has the driver ever raced at this track? (Busch or Nextel Cup Series)
— Did the driver participate in Saturday’s race?
— What is the drivers average finish at this track?
— What is the drivers average finish this season?
— Does your driver have teammates? How many? Do they work well together?
— How well do the Driver and Crew Chief communicate?
— How well does the Pit Crew perform?
— Is the driver happy with his team?
— Does this driver get good fuel mileage?
— Does this driver occasionally make a mental mistake?
— Does this driver usually hit something or get caught up in a wreck?
— Is the driver aggressive?
— Where is your driver in the standings? Close to a bubble spot?
Some Race Day Factors include:
— The drivers starting position
— The drivers location on Pit Road
— The drivers health status (sick or injured)
— Happy Hour speed
— Happy Hour or Practice crash
— Day or Night Race
— Pre race engine change
Some Track Factors include:
— Surface (Concrete or Asphalt)
— Banking (Flat, Average, High Banked)
— Track Configuration: Oval, Road Course, Other
— Restrictor Plate Required?
— Has a certain make of vehicle dominated this track?
— Is gas mileage usually a factor here?
Please remember that this is racing. “Rubbing is racing” and accidents WILL happen. Your driver may get collected in “The Big One” or may simply blow a tire going into turn 3, that will happen but not as often to those that study make smart choices on race day.
This article may be reproduced and redistributed in its entirety free of charge. This article may not be altered in any way.
Word count: 742