NASCAR: Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 Fantasy Advice

A Mix of Short Track Racing with Intermediate Style Speed

Track Stats:

Name: Richmond International Raceway

Race Date: May 1, 2010

Location: Richmond, VA

Length: 0.75 miles

Banking in turns: 14 degrees

Banking on the frontstretch: eight degrees

Banking on the backstretch: two degrees

Grandstand Seats: 112,029

Tickets/track info: http://www.rir.com/ or 1 [phone]

Last Year’s Top 10:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Tony Stewart

3. Jeff Burton

4. Ryan Newman

5. Mark Martin

6. Sam Hornish Jr.

7. Jamie McMurray

8. Jeff Gordon

9. Casey Mears

10. Juan Pablo Montoya

September Winner: Denny Hamlin

Driver Rating from 2009 Crown Royal 400

NASCAR.com has a driver rating system that is suppose to help in picking who is a good fantasy choice. Their formula combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top 15 finishes, average running positions while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finish. The maximum points one driver can obtain for one race is 150 points.

For more specific information and further understanding, please visit nascar.com.

Here are the top 10 drivers and their ratings following the 2009 Crown Royal 400

1. Kyle Busch with 129.4

2. Denny Hamlin with 126.5

3. Jeff Gordon with 117.5

4. Mark Martin with 114.4

5. Ryan Newman with 113.6

6. Kurt Busch with 108.4

7. Tony Stewart with 107.1

8. Jeff Burton with 96.5

9. Sam Hornish Jr. with 90.3

10. Martin Truex Jr. with 89.9

Good Picks

Kyle Busch

Last year, Kyle Busch won the May race at Richmond for the weekend sweep after taking the lead from Jeff Gordon on lap 352. Busch has proven to be successful at Richmond as in the last ten races there, he has gained the most points there.

When comparing Busch to his fellow drivers at Richmond, he ranks the highest in the average finish category. In 10 starts, he has one win, eight top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 6.0.

When you look at the short tracks overall, Busch ranks second in earning points when all six races are totaled (986) last year with an average finish of sixth, five top fives and five top 10s.

Busch currently sits fifth in points, 160 out of the lead and is looking for his first win of 2010.

Denny Hamlin

Last year, Denny Hamlin won the fall race to propel himself into the Chase, where he finished the season fifth in points.

Hamlin has always ran well at Richmond, leading 832 of the last 1,610 laps ran there and finally escaped trouble to break through. His dominance can easily be seen when you combine the last three races there and see he has gained the most points.

When comparing Hamlin to his fellow drivers at Richmond, he has the second highest average finish. In 8 races, he has one win, four top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 8.5.

When you look at the short tracks overall, Hamlin ranks first in earning points when all six races are totaled (1031) last year with an average finish of 4.2, five top fives and five top 10s.

Hamlin currently sits ninth in the standings, 185 points out of the lead despite his knee surgery, and looks to use Richmond to continue to move up the standings.   

Mark Martin

Mark Martin may not have the highest average finish, though in the last four races there combined, he has gained more points than any of his competitors.

When comparing Martin to his fellow drivers at Richmond, he has the fifth highest average finish. In 48 races there, Martin has one win, 17 top fives, 27 top 10s and an average finish of 11.8.

When you look at the short tracks overall, Martin ranks third highest in earning points when all seven races are totaled (948) last year with an average finish of 5.3, three top fives and six top 10s.

Martin currently sits sixth in points, 169 points out of the lead, looking to break through with his first win of the year.

Clint Bowyer

Clint Bowyer has had past success at Richmond as he won there back in 2008 after Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tangled.

When comparing Bowyer to his fellow drivers at Richmond, he has the third highest average finish. In 8 races there, he has one win, one top five, four top 10s and an average finish of 10.0.

When you look at the short tracks overall, Bowyer ranks 11th highest in earning points when all seven races are totaled (749) last year with an average finish of 13.7, one top five and two top 10s.

Bowyer currently sits 11th in points, four points ahead of the final Chase spot, as he looks for his first win of 2010.

Stories to Watch

Everybody Loves Richmond

Richmond produces some of the best racing all year and is a track that no driver speaks badly about. If you’re looking for a track that could follow Talladega with another competitive, well ran race, then look no further than Richmond.