Getting Hot in Hotlanta: Kobalt Tools 500 Fantasy Advice

Track Stats

Name: Atlanta Motor Speedway

Race Date: Mar. 7, 2010

Location: Atlanta, GA

Length: 1.54 mile quad-oval

Banking in the turns: 24 degrees

Banking on the straightaways: 5 degrees

Race Length: 500.5 miles/325 laps

Active Win Leader: Bobby Labonte with 6

Qualifying Record: Geoff Bodine, Ford, 197.478 mph (3:07:48), Nov 16, 1997

Tickets/track info: http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or 1-877-9-AMS-TIX

March Winner: Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch dominated last year’s race by leading 234 laps, using four tires at the end to pass Carl Edwards on a green-white-checkered finish and beat Jeff Gordon by 0.332 seconds.

Top 10

1. Kurt Busch
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Brian Vickers
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Tony Stewart
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Martin Truex Jr.

September Winner: Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne led for 60 laps, distancing himself on the final restart with 10 to go to finish 1.766 second ahead of Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya to lock himself in to the Chase for the Championship

Driver Rating from 2009 Kobalt Tools 500

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 Kobalt Tools 500

1. Kurt Busch with 150.0
2. Jeff Gordon with 125.0
3. Carl Edwards with 119.4
4. Brian Vickers with 108.9
5. Jimmie Johnson with 107.1
6. Clint Bowyer with 101.0
7. Kasey Kahne with 99.6
8. Denny Hamlin with 98.3
9. Kevin Harvick with 94.2
10. Mark Martin with 92.2

Good Picks

Jimmie Johnson

When comparing Johnson to his fellow drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he has the highest average finish of active drivers with 10.7, which includes three wins, nine top fives and 11 top 10s.

When you look at the intermediate tracks overall, Johnson ranks third in earning points when all 17 races are totaled (2386) with an average finish of 12.6, seven top-fives and 11 top 10s.

Lastly, with this being the third intermediate track of the year, a good idea to look towards which driver to pick relies on how they ran at Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson’s results from the last two weeks at both of those tracks have resulted in a good finish—first. Johnson looks to come out of Atlanta with his third win in a row.

Kevin Harvick

With Kevin Harvick’s start the season, he is bound to make it into your picks as he has started the year off with a bang with a good run at Daytona, followed by two second place finishes at both Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Though when comparing him to his fellow drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he doesn’t rank in the top 10 for highest average among active drivers despite his win in 2001.

When you look at the intermediate tracks overall, Harvick ranks 15th in earning points when all 17 races are totaled (2008) with an average finish of 16.1, four top fives and five top 10s. Though in looking at this, you do have to take in account how the Richard Childress Racing teams struggled.

Kurt Busch

After his win in 2009 with the most laps led and highest driver rating, Kurt Busch looks to be a good pick. However, be apprehensive in picking him as his average finish so far this year is 21.3 and he has only scored one top 10 with a sixth place finish at Auto Club Speedway.

Despite this win, he also doesn’t rank in the top 10 for the highest average among active drivers when comparing him to others.

When you look at the intermediate tracks overall, Busch ranks fifth in earning points when all 17 races are totaled (2226) with an average finish of 13.5, six top fives and 10 top 10s.

Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne won the September race last year and has been known for being good on the intermediate tracks. However, like Busch, be apprehensive in picking him as his average finish so far this year is 24.3 and he only has one top 10 which came at Las Vegas with an ninth place finish.

Though despite this, Kahne doesn’t rank in the top 10 for the highest average among active drivers when comparing him to others.

When you look at the intermediate tracks overall, Kahne ranks eighth in earning points when all 17 races are totaled (2198) with an average finish of 13.1, three top fives and eight top 10s.

Darkhorse: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

When you compare Dale Earnhardt Jr. to his fellow active drivers at Atlanta, he has the second highest average finish with 11.9 and has scored a win, eight top fives and 10 top 10s at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Though despite this, be apprehensive in picking him due to the struggles that he has been going through as of late. The No. 88 has been slowly making strides at becoming better with a 16th place finish after qualifying forth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Could this be where they break through?

When you look at the intermediate tracks overall, Earnhardt Jr. ranks 22nd in earning points when all 17 races are totaled (1658) with an average finish of 22.4, one top five and two top 10s.

Avoid

The bottom 10 when you add the intermediate tracks together from last year are Sam Hornish Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose, Elliott Sadler, David Stremme, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, Robby Gordon, Reed Sorenson, and Scott Speed.