This article is part of our NASCAR Draft Kit series.
The Monster Energy Cup Series presents as diverse a set of tracks as any racing series in the world. From intermediate ovals to winding road courses, each track has its own special configuration and special set of characteristics. This lineup of tracks is designed to test the NASCAR driver's ability in virtually every racing condition. From the fantasy racing standpoint, it helps to know which drivers succeed at certain facilities. Recent historical information gives us an edge, but we also need to be mindful of current trends and past statistical information in context. We've taken a long look at both and come up with the drivers you need to have at certain style tracks in 2018 for fantasy racing success. Here is our breakdown of track specialists to watch closely in the upcoming season. This analysis is particularly helpful for weekly lineup leagues.
SHORT-TRACK SPECIALISTS
These stats are based on three-quarter-mile tracks or shorter, including Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
Kyle Busch
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
Busch made another valiant effort at winning the championship last season, and a big key to that push was his short-track success. The Joe Gibbs Racing star raced like a boss on the bull ring circuit with victories at Bristol and Martinsville in the
SHORT-TRACK SPECIALISTS
These stats are based on three-quarter-mile tracks or shorter, including Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
Kyle Busch
Car: 18
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 25 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 14 |
| Martinsville | 25 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Richmond | 25 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 18 |
| Career | 75 | 12 | 3 | 37 | 46 |
Busch made another valiant effort at winning the championship last season, and a big key to that push was his short-track success. The Joe Gibbs Racing star raced like a boss on the bull ring circuit with victories at Bristol and Martinsville in the
The Monster Energy Cup Series presents as diverse a set of tracks as any racing series in the world. From intermediate ovals to winding road courses, each track has its own special configuration and special set of characteristics. This lineup of tracks is designed to test the NASCAR driver's ability in virtually every racing condition. From the fantasy racing standpoint, it helps to know which drivers succeed at certain facilities. Recent historical information gives us an edge, but we also need to be mindful of current trends and past statistical information in context. We've taken a long look at both and come up with the drivers you need to have at certain style tracks in 2018 for fantasy racing success. Here is our breakdown of track specialists to watch closely in the upcoming season. This analysis is particularly helpful for weekly lineup leagues.
SHORT-TRACK SPECIALISTS
These stats are based on three-quarter-mile tracks or shorter, including Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
Kyle Busch
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
Busch made another valiant effort at winning the championship last season, and a big key to that push was his short-track success. The Joe Gibbs Racing star raced like a boss on the bull ring circuit with victories at Bristol and Martinsville in the second half of the season, and nabbing four Top-10 finishes total. That made the driver of the No. 18 Toyota one of the most dominant drivers in the Monster Energy Cup Series on the small ovals. Martinsville used to be his lone weakness in this lineup of tracks, but he's now won two of the last four events at Martinsville Speedway. Those accomplishments only pushed higher his career resume on the short tracks. Now 32-years-old, Busch has become one of the most prolific stars in the series currently on these style ovals. With crew chief Adam Stevens returning in 2018, we expect this driver and team to keep pounding on the competition when it comes to racing on the short tracks.
Joey Logano
Owner: Penske Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
While the 2017 season was a throw-away in many respects for the No. 22 Ford team, Logano still maintained a high level of performance on the circuit's short tracks. The Penske Racing star had the best average finish (8.2) of all drivers on these three tough ovals. In that performance he nabbed a victory at Richmond in the spring, albeit encumbered by penalty, and Logano grabbed three more Top-5 finishes during the season. One of those was a runner-up finish at Richmond when the series returned in the fall. Logano also piled up 157 laps led in these six events, which shows that he had the speed to race up front quite a bit. With four-career victories at these facilities and a career Top-10 rate that is quickly approaching 50-percent, Logano and his team will be a factor in the upcoming season and for years to come.
Denny Hamlin
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
Hamlin's 2017 campaign on the short tracks can best be described as "steady excellence." The driver of the No. 11 Toyota didn't pick up any wins during last season, but Hamlin did a commendable job keeping this car up front each and every week the series raced on short tracks. Hamlin claimed three Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes in the six events, and tallied an excellent 9.7 average finish on these ovals. The Joe Gibbs Racing star had a victory within his grasp in the Chase Martinsville race, but a feud with Chase Elliott in the late stages would nullify that from happening. The driving excellence and resume are certainly there to back up this ranking. If the No. 11 team can find some more speed in 2018, we wouldn't rule out one or more short track victories for Hamlin in the upcoming season. The veteran driver has homerun potential on these style ovals.
Jimmie Johnson
Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
Manufacturer:Chevrolet
Father Time has caught up just a bit to the legendary Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus. Last season was a struggle, but the success the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team had on the short tracks helped keep him relevant in the championship picture well into the later stages of the season. Johnson picked up a rare Bristol victory in the spring, and he nabbed a Top-10 finish just prior to the Chase at Richmond. Shockingly, the seven-time champion looked almost human finishing 15th- and 12th-place in his two Martinsville outings. That is a short track that he's dominated for years. While the skills have eroded somewhat we don't believe Johnson's excellence on these style ovals is over. He should rebound somewhat in the upcoming season. The career-long accomplishments on the short track circuit are hard to ignore.
Kyle Larson
Owner: Chip Ganassi Racing
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Last season was an incredible break-out campaign for Larson and the No. 42 Chevrolet team. While the young driver piled up a lot of wins and finishes on the intermediate ovals, let's not overlook what he did on the short tracks. Larson grabbed two pole positions, led 353 laps and picked up a victory in the fall Richmond race. That was one of three Top-10 finishes the Chip Ganassi Racing driver claimed on the small ovals in 2017. Larson's career stats are a little on the short side since this was just his fourth full season of competition, but it's clear that going forward he will be a force on the bull ring circuit. This driver and team had their best season ever on the short tracks last year, and it's going to be an even better short track season ahead for this budding driver and race team.
Martin Truex Jr.
Owner: Furniture Row Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
Truex grabbed his first-career championship last season. A large part of that is due to his dominance on cookie cutter ovals, but he was also very improved on the short tracks. The Furniture Row Racing star didn't claim any wins on these ovals, but he was incredibly close on a couple occasions. Truex led 116 laps and finished sixth in the spring Bristol race, and more impressively he led 198 laps and dominated the fall Richmond race before falling victim to a late-race crash. The full season tally on these ovals stood at 356 laps led, three Top 10s and a respectable 12.8 average finish. We suspect this driver and team will only get better on these ovals in 2018. Crew chief Cole Pearn is helping Truex to figure some things out, and they just keep getting faster in these events.
ROAD COURSE SPECIALISTS
Although road courses are a small percentage of the overall schedule, they can be a huge factor in a fantasy racing championship. The circuit's road courses include Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International.
Kyle Busch
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
With Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart having each passed into retirement, they handed the road course baton to Busch for the most part. He stands as the active winningest driver on these two winding NASCAR circuits. The Joe Gibbs Racing star won the pole at Watkins Glen this past season and led 21 laps before finishing seventh. Earlier in the summer Busch qualified on the second row and finished fifth at the road course in Sonoma. Those efforts boosted his career Top-10 rate to an astonishing 62-percent on these tracks. With the Monster Energy Cup Series growing younger each season, Busch's star only continues to rise on these tough and challenging road circuits. He will be the driver to beat when we visit Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2018.
Kurt Busch
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
The older brother of Kyle Busch isn't too shabby on the road courses either. It speaks volumes to the driving ability within the Busch family. The Stewart Haas Racing veteran only has one-career victory on these challenging tracks, but his speed and consistency to finish well are beyond question. Although 2017 was a bit of a down year in many respects for the No. 41 Ford team, Busch still managed a high level of performance at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen. He qualified mediocrely in both events, but still managed to race his way through traffic and forge seventh- and sixth-place finishes in these events. That's symbolic of Busch's career work at these two tracks. With a career Top-5 rate sitting roughly at 30-percent, that's a very high level of performance on the road courses.
Denny Hamlin
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
The Joe Gibbs Racing star's early career on the road courses didn't go so well, but now the 37-year-old driver has reached a high level of performance on the series' road courses. Hamlin nabbed his first-career win on these style tracks in 2016, and he kept the momentum rolling with a pair of fourth-place finishes at Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2017. The veteran driver has now pushed his career Top-10 rate at these two facilities to a more respectable 42-percent. Hamlin has had to race hard the last few years at these two tracks to overcome many seasons of mediocrity in road course racing. Given how young NASCAR's top division has turned in the last two seasons, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see Hamlin grow his win totals at Sonoma and Watkins Glen over the next couple seasons.
Clint Bowyer
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
The 2017 campaign had its struggles and challenges for the No. 14 team and Bowyer, but the road courses were not a problem. The veteran driver shone like a star in these two events. Bowyer nabbed a brilliant runner-up finish at Sonoma and followed that up with an equally impressive fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen later in the year. While he was not a major threat to win either race, Bowyer made his presence felt in a big way. Improvement goes almost without saying for this race team in 2018. A second season with the SHR No. 14 team should only push the bar higher for this veteran driver. His career totals now show a 58-percent career Top-10 rate at these two tracks. When you consider Bowyer's accomplished these totals across several different teams, the feat becomes even more impressive.
Kevin Harvick
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
The Stewart Haas Racing star enjoyed a bit of a resurgence on the road courses in 2017. Harvick nabbed his first-career Sonoma win in June with a very strong performance in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The win ended years of frustration for him narrowly missing victory lane at the Sonoma road course. Harvick's Watkins Glen outing later in the summer didn't go quite as good. The veteran slogged to a 17th-place finish on a track where he averages finishing a higher 13.5. Still, Harvick's stock is rising on the road circuits with the shrinking age of the average Cup Series driver. At 47-percent, his Top-10 average at these two facilities is improving and likely get even better. Harvick boasts two-career wins and 11 Top 10s in 11 Xfinity Series starts on the road courses, so the talent is unquestionably there for the Stewart Haas Racing star.
Martin Truex Jr.
Owner: Furniture Row Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
The growth and improvement of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team and Truex cannot be stated enough after last season. He was a pretty decent road course driver anyway before arriving at Furniture Row, but Cole Pearn has gotten him back into victory lane after a few seasons of drought. Truex led 24 laps and mastered the August Watkins Glen race for his first victory at that facility. He's now a two-time winner on these winding circuits, and his numbers continue to improve. Truex led 25 laps and looked poised to win earlier in the summer at Sonoma before an engine failure ended his day prematurely. Were it not for that mechanical failure, Truex could have very easily swept both road courses in 2017. That's something to remember as we head into 2018 and Truex's championship defense.
SUPERSPEEDWAY SPECIALISTS
As with the road courses, the superspeedways represent a small portion of the overall schedule. However, these tracks are raced twice a season, so the stakes are much higher. The circuit's superspeedways include Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Owner: Penske Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
With the retirement of Dale Earnhardt Jr. there's no question of his successor atop the superspeedway rankings. Keselowski has done everything to earn the top of this list over the past couple seasons. The Penske Racing star has won three of the last eight races between Talladega and Daytona, and he's led a whopping 327 laps the last two seasons on the superspeedway circuit. Keselowski won the last event on these huge ovals with his October win at Talladega for his fifth-career victory at that facility. The Daytona 500 is still a trophy that's not in his collection, but Keselowski will overcome that void at some point. He could very easily win the upcoming season opener and continue his dominance on these huge ovals.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Owner: Roush Fenway Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
The Roush Fenway Racing driver has come on strong over the past two years. He's gone from obscurity to becoming an ace at racing in the draft. Stenhouse won the spring Talladega event and summer Daytona race for two victories at these ovals in 2017. He had speed in the other two events, but was unlucky and got rolled up in some crashes. Roush Fenway Racing has given Stenhouse cars to win with, and he hasn't disappointed. With four Top-5 finishes in the last six restrictor-plate events, he's become a real threat to Keselowski's dominance on these ovals. If Roush can keep giving Stenhouse fast cars in the upcoming season, there's no reason to believe this uptrend is going to end.
Kurt Busch
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
After years of trying Busch finally won his first superspeedway event in 2017, and it was a big one. Busch claimed the victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 and erased years of near misses with the win. After the big win, the rest of the season had its struggles, but Busch was still fast on the big ovals. His sixth-place finish at Talladega in the spring gave the Stewart Haas Racing star five Top 10s in the last eight superspeedway races. That dovetails nicely with his career consistency at these two ovals. You'll be challenged to find a safer fantasy racing play at Daytona and Talladega. Busch's 52-percent career Top-10 rate at these two ovals is astronomical when compared to the baseline average of all the drivers in the series in this form of high stakes racing.
Joey Logano
Owner: Penske Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
Penske Racing has set the pace on the huge ovals the last couple seasons. While 2017 was a bit of a disappointment for Logano and the No. 22 team, they still maintained a high level of performance on the restrictor-plate race tracks. Logano nabbed a pair of Top 10s but he also collected a pair of DNF's on these tracks last season. Still, the trend line is more towards the positive than the negative. The Penske Racing star led a combined 85 laps in these four events last year, and that shows the No. 22 Ford team had the speed to succeed. That shouldn't change much in the upcoming season. If anything should change, it would be more likely Logano's luck. That's all that prevented Logano from winning and collecting more accolades on these big ovals last season.
Denny Hamlin
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:Toyota
Hamlin won the 2016 Daytona 500, and that made him a two-time winner on the superspeedways. He's always been fast and collected Top 10s, but now he's a legitimate threat to win these events. The Joe Gibbs Racing star managed to lead 63 laps on these big ovals last season, but only came away with one Top 10 (sixth) in the fall Talladega race. We expect the veteran driver to rebound nicely in the upcoming season. While victories on the huge ovals may still be just a bit out of reach, he has that homerun potential. Certainly the Top-10 finishes should increase and we should see Hamlin racing among the leaders at these ovals.
Aric Almirola
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:Ford
While 2017 was a turbulent season for Almirola and he sit out for a bit with a back injury, the superspeedways were where he really shined with his former race team. The veteran driver guided the No. 43 RPM Ford to Top-10 finishes in all three Daytona and Talladega events that he raced. That extended his Top-10 streak at these ovals to four, counting the fall Talladega race of 2016. Almirola has developed a nose for the draft and a knack for staying out of trouble in this volatile form of racing. He moves to a new race team in 2018, and one that should provide him with faster cars at the No. 10 Stewart Haas Racing team. Almirola should be in his best position to succeed as a Monster Energy Cup Series driver in the upcoming season, and it should really show up on the superspeedway ovals.
SHORT-TRACK SPECIALISTS
These stats are based on three-quarter-mile tracks or shorter, including Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
Kyle Busch
Car: 18
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 25 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 14 |
| Martinsville | 25 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Richmond | 25 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 18 |
| Career | 75 | 12 | 3 | 37 | 46 |
Busch made another valiant effort at winning the championship last season, and a big key to that push was his short-track success. The Joe Gibbs Racing star raced like a boss on the bull ring circuit with victories at Bristol and Martinsville in the second half of the season, and nabbing four Top-10 finishes total. That made the driver of the No. 18 Toyota one of the most dominant drivers in the Monster Energy Cup Series on the small ovals. Martinsville used to be his lone weakness in this lineup of tracks, but he's now won two of the last four events at Martinsville Speedway. Those accomplishments only pushed higher his career resume on the short tracks. Now 32-years-old, Busch has become one of the most prolific stars in the series currently on these style ovals. With crew chief Adam Stevens returning in 2018, we expect this driver and team to keep pounding on the competition when it comes to racing on the short tracks.
Joey Logano
Car: 22
Owner: Penske Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 18 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Martinsville | 18 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| Richmond | 18 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Career | 54 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 24 |
While the 2017 season was a throw-away in many respects for the No. 22 Ford team, Logano still maintained a high level of performance on the circuit's short tracks. The Penske Racing star had the best average finish (8.2) of all drivers on these three tough ovals. In that performance he nabbed a victory at Richmond in the spring, albeit encumbered by penalty, and Logano grabbed three more Top-5 finishes during the season. One of those was a runner-up finish at Richmond when the series returned in the fall. Logano also piled up 157 laps led in these six events, which shows that he had the speed to race up front quite a bit. With four-career victories at these facilities and a career Top-10 rate that is quickly approaching 50-percent, Logano and his team will be a factor in the upcoming season and for years to come.
Denny Hamlin
Car: 11
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 24 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 |
| Martinsville | 24 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| Richmond | 23 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 14 |
| Career | 71 | 9 | 9 | 29 | 44 |
Hamlin's 2017 campaign on the short tracks can best be described as "steady excellence." The driver of the No. 11 Toyota didn't pick up any wins during last season, but Hamlin did a commendable job keeping this car up front each and every week the series raced on short tracks. Hamlin claimed three Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes in the six events, and tallied an excellent 9.7 average finish on these ovals. The Joe Gibbs Racing star had a victory within his grasp in the Chase Martinsville race, but a feud with Chase Elliott in the late stages would nullify that from happening. The driving excellence and resume are certainly there to back up this ranking. If the No. 11 team can find some more speed in 2018, we wouldn't rule out one or more short track victories for Hamlin in the upcoming season. The veteran driver has homerun potential on these style ovals.
Jimmie Johnson
Car: 48
Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 32 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 18 |
| Martinsville | 32 | 9 | 3 | 19 | 24 |
| Richmond | 32 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| Career | 96 | 14 | 6 | 37 | 55 |
Father Time has caught up just a bit to the legendary Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus. Last season was a struggle, but the success the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team had on the short tracks helped keep him relevant in the championship picture well into the later stages of the season. Johnson picked up a rare Bristol victory in the spring, and he nabbed a Top-10 finish just prior to the Chase at Richmond. Shockingly, the seven-time champion looked almost human finishing 15th- and 12th-place in his two Martinsville outings. That is a short track that he's dominated for years. While the skills have eroded somewhat we don't believe Johnson's excellence on these style ovals is over. He should rebound somewhat in the upcoming season. The career-long accomplishments on the short track circuit are hard to ignore.
Kyle Larson
Car: 42
Owner: Chip Ganassi Racing
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Martinsville | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Richmond | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Career | 24 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
Last season was an incredible break-out campaign for Larson and the No. 42 Chevrolet team. While the young driver piled up a lot of wins and finishes on the intermediate ovals, let's not overlook what he did on the short tracks. Larson grabbed two pole positions, led 353 laps and picked up a victory in the fall Richmond race. That was one of three Top-10 finishes the Chip Ganassi Racing driver claimed on the small ovals in 2017. Larson's career stats are a little on the short side since this was just his fourth full season of competition, but it's clear that going forward he will be a force on the bull ring circuit. This driver and team had their best season ever on the short tracks last year, and it's going to be an even better short track season ahead for this budding driver and race team.
Martin Truex Jr.
Car: 78
Owner: Furniture Row Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Bristol | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Martinsville | 24 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Richmond | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Career | 72 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 19 |
Truex grabbed his first-career championship last season. A large part of that is due to his dominance on cookie cutter ovals, but he was also very improved on the short tracks. The Furniture Row Racing star didn't claim any wins on these ovals, but he was incredibly close on a couple occasions. Truex led 116 laps and finished sixth in the spring Bristol race, and more impressively he led 198 laps and dominated the fall Richmond race before falling victim to a late-race crash. The full season tally on these ovals stood at 356 laps led, three Top 10s and a respectable 12.8 average finish. We suspect this driver and team will only get better on these ovals in 2018. Crew chief Cole Pearn is helping Truex to figure some things out, and they just keep getting faster in these events.
ROAD COURSE SPECIALISTS
Although road courses are a small percentage of the overall schedule, they can be a huge factor in a fantasy racing championship. The circuit's road courses include Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International.
Kyle Busch
Car: 18
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Sonoma | 13 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Watkins Glen | 13 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Career | 26 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 16 |
With Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart having each passed into retirement, they handed the road course baton to Busch for the most part. He stands as the active winningest driver on these two winding NASCAR circuits. The Joe Gibbs Racing star won the pole at Watkins Glen this past season and led 21 laps before finishing seventh. Earlier in the summer Busch qualified on the second row and finished fifth at the road course in Sonoma. Those efforts boosted his career Top-10 rate to an astonishing 62-percent on these tracks. With the Monster Energy Cup Series growing younger each season, Busch's star only continues to rise on these tough and challenging road circuits. He will be the driver to beat when we visit Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2018.
Kurt Busch
Car: 41
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Sonoma | 17 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| Watkins Glen | 17 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Career | 34 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 17 |
The older brother of Kyle Busch isn't too shabby on the road courses either. It speaks volumes to the driving ability within the Busch family. The Stewart Haas Racing veteran only has one-career victory on these challenging tracks, but his speed and consistency to finish well are beyond question. Although 2017 was a bit of a down year in many respects for the No. 41 Ford team, Busch still managed a high level of performance at both Sonoma and Watkins Glen. He qualified mediocrely in both events, but still managed to race his way through traffic and forge seventh- and sixth-place finishes in these events. That's symbolic of Busch's career work at these two tracks. With a career Top-5 rate sitting roughly at 30-percent, that's a very high level of performance on the road courses.
Denny Hamlin
Car: 11
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Sonoma | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Watkins Glen | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Career | 24 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
The Joe Gibbs Racing star's early career on the road courses didn't go so well, but now the 37-year-old driver has reached a high level of performance on the series' road courses. Hamlin nabbed his first-career win on these style tracks in 2016, and he kept the momentum rolling with a pair of fourth-place finishes at Sonoma and Watkins Glen in 2017. The veteran driver has now pushed his career Top-10 rate at these two facilities to a more respectable 42-percent. Hamlin has had to race hard the last few years at these two tracks to overcome many seasons of mediocrity in road course racing. Given how young NASCAR's top division has turned in the last two seasons, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see Hamlin grow his win totals at Sonoma and Watkins Glen over the next couple seasons.
Clint Bowyer
Car: 14
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Sonoma | 12 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| Watkins Glen | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Career | 24 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 14 |
The 2017 campaign had its struggles and challenges for the No. 14 team and Bowyer, but the road courses were not a problem. The veteran driver shone like a star in these two events. Bowyer nabbed a brilliant runner-up finish at Sonoma and followed that up with an equally impressive fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen later in the year. While he was not a major threat to win either race, Bowyer made his presence felt in a big way. Improvement goes almost without saying for this race team in 2018. A second season with the SHR No. 14 team should only push the bar higher for this veteran driver. His career totals now show a 58-percent career Top-10 rate at these two tracks. When you consider Bowyer's accomplished these totals across several different teams, the feat becomes even more impressive.
Kevin Harvick
Car: 4
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Sonoma | 17 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Watkins Glen | 17 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Career | 34 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 16 |
The Stewart Haas Racing star enjoyed a bit of a resurgence on the road courses in 2017. Harvick nabbed his first-career Sonoma win in June with a very strong performance in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The win ended years of frustration for him narrowly missing victory lane at the Sonoma road course. Harvick's Watkins Glen outing later in the summer didn't go quite as good. The veteran slogged to a 17th-place finish on a track where he averages finishing a higher 13.5. Still, Harvick's stock is rising on the road circuits with the shrinking age of the average Cup Series driver. At 47-percent, his Top-10 average at these two facilities is improving and likely get even better. Harvick boasts two-career wins and 11 Top 10s in 11 Xfinity Series starts on the road courses, so the talent is unquestionably there for the Stewart Haas Racing star.
Martin Truex Jr.
Car: 78
Owner: Furniture Row Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Sonoma | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Watkins Glen | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Career | 24 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
The growth and improvement of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team and Truex cannot be stated enough after last season. He was a pretty decent road course driver anyway before arriving at Furniture Row, but Cole Pearn has gotten him back into victory lane after a few seasons of drought. Truex led 24 laps and mastered the August Watkins Glen race for his first victory at that facility. He's now a two-time winner on these winding circuits, and his numbers continue to improve. Truex led 25 laps and looked poised to win earlier in the summer at Sonoma before an engine failure ended his day prematurely. Were it not for that mechanical failure, Truex could have very easily swept both road courses in 2017. That's something to remember as we head into 2018 and Truex's championship defense.
SUPERSPEEDWAY SPECIALISTS
As with the road courses, the superspeedways represent a small portion of the overall schedule. However, these tracks are raced twice a season, so the stakes are much higher. The circuit's superspeedways include Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Brad Keselowski
Car: 2
Owner: Penske Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Daytona | 17 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Talladega | 18 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 11 |
| Career | 35 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 15 |
With the retirement of Dale Earnhardt Jr. there's no question of his successor atop the superspeedway rankings. Keselowski has done everything to earn the top of this list over the past couple seasons. The Penske Racing star has won three of the last eight races between Talladega and Daytona, and he's led a whopping 327 laps the last two seasons on the superspeedway circuit. Keselowski won the last event on these huge ovals with his October win at Talladega for his fifth-career victory at that facility. The Daytona 500 is still a trophy that's not in his collection, but Keselowski will overcome that void at some point. He could very easily win the upcoming season opener and continue his dominance on these huge ovals.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Car: 17
Owner: Roush Fenway Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Daytona | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Talladega | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Career | 20 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
The Roush Fenway Racing driver has come on strong over the past two years. He's gone from obscurity to becoming an ace at racing in the draft. Stenhouse won the spring Talladega event and summer Daytona race for two victories at these ovals in 2017. He had speed in the other two events, but was unlucky and got rolled up in some crashes. Roush Fenway Racing has given Stenhouse cars to win with, and he hasn't disappointed. With four Top-5 finishes in the last six restrictor-plate events, he's become a real threat to Keselowski's dominance on these ovals. If Roush can keep giving Stenhouse fast cars in the upcoming season, there's no reason to believe this uptrend is going to end.
Kurt Busch
Car: 41
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Daytona | 33 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 17 |
| Talladega | 34 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 18 |
| Career | 67 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 35 |
After years of trying Busch finally won his first superspeedway event in 2017, and it was a big one. Busch claimed the victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 and erased years of near misses with the win. After the big win, the rest of the season had its struggles, but Busch was still fast on the big ovals. His sixth-place finish at Talladega in the spring gave the Stewart Haas Racing star five Top 10s in the last eight superspeedway races. That dovetails nicely with his career consistency at these two ovals. You'll be challenged to find a safer fantasy racing play at Daytona and Talladega. Busch's 52-percent career Top-10 rate at these two ovals is astronomical when compared to the baseline average of all the drivers in the series in this form of high stakes racing.
Joey Logano
Car: 22
Owner: Penske Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Daytona | 18 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Talladega | 18 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| Career | 36 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 14 |
Penske Racing has set the pace on the huge ovals the last couple seasons. While 2017 was a bit of a disappointment for Logano and the No. 22 team, they still maintained a high level of performance on the restrictor-plate race tracks. Logano nabbed a pair of Top 10s but he also collected a pair of DNF's on these tracks last season. Still, the trend line is more towards the positive than the negative. The Penske Racing star led a combined 85 laps in these four events last year, and that shows the No. 22 Ford team had the speed to succeed. That shouldn't change much in the upcoming season. If anything should change, it would be more likely Logano's luck. That's all that prevented Logano from winning and collecting more accolades on these big ovals last season.
Denny Hamlin
Car: 11
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Daytona | 24 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Talladega | 24 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| Career | 48 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 16 |
Hamlin won the 2016 Daytona 500, and that made him a two-time winner on the superspeedways. He's always been fast and collected Top 10s, but now he's a legitimate threat to win these events. The Joe Gibbs Racing star managed to lead 63 laps on these big ovals last season, but only came away with one Top 10 (sixth) in the fall Talladega race. We expect the veteran driver to rebound nicely in the upcoming season. While victories on the huge ovals may still be just a bit out of reach, he has that homerun potential. Certainly the Top-10 finishes should increase and we should see Hamlin racing among the leaders at these ovals.
Aric Almirola
Car: 10
Owner: Stewart Haas Racing
Manufacturer:
| COURSE | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Daytona | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Talladega | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Career | 28 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
While 2017 was a turbulent season for Almirola and he sit out for a bit with a back injury, the superspeedways were where he really shined with his former race team. The veteran driver guided the No. 43 RPM Ford to Top-10 finishes in all three Daytona and Talladega events that he raced. That extended his Top-10 streak at these ovals to four, counting the fall Talladega race of 2016. Almirola has developed a nose for the draft and a knack for staying out of trouble in this volatile form of racing. He moves to a new race team in 2018, and one that should provide him with faster cars at the No. 10 Stewart Haas Racing team. Almirola should be in his best position to succeed as a Monster Energy Cup Series driver in the upcoming season, and it should really show up on the superspeedway ovals.
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