Media Contact: Steven Ovens - woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com
For Immediate Release – June 1st, 2018 – Joe Kaminski Jr. photo -
(WOODHULL) - Well Woodhull Fantasy Racing players, the game just got a whole lot more interesting!
June 1st brings about the shuffling of the deck for the three Woodhull Fantasy Racing driver groups and it is going to shake up how the rest of the 2018 season plays out in the league. Gone are the days of setting Cecce, DelGrosso and Peoples in your lineups with a 'set it and forget it' mentality to climb atop the Fantasy rankings.
Now you have to dig deep to find that driver on a hot streak, or maybe that driver that's ready to finally get off the schnide. The time has come to focus on those top five finishes week in and week out, enroute to a paying spot in the final rundown at season's end. The top 10 players in Fantasy Racing League points after championship night will receive cash and other great prizes for their season-long efforts.
In this new article series, we want to help you identify some drivers to keep your eye on when making your fantasy picks. Be it a hot streak, or a great handicap starting spot, let us have a gander at some of the drivers you might not be considering that you should be considering. For Fantasy Fixings Week 5, we evaluate your options in the Modifieds, Sportsman and Street Stock ranks. Next week, we will scope out the Hobby Stocks, Crate Lates, Mini Stocks and Front Wheel Drives.
MODIFIED Drivers:
Donnie Lawson No. 11, Bullring Brigade group
In what I would consider to be pretty quiet fashion, Donnie Lawson has crept his way into the runner up position in Insinger Performance Modified points. Lawson has logged three top five finishes out of four races, with only a sixth place finish marring what would be four-for-four top fives.
This team is heading into their favorite time of the year- slick track season! Expect big things, including several wins out of the Morgan's Auto Repair No. 11 in the coming weeks. If you don't have Donnie Lawson in your lineup, chances are you're going to get beat by someone who does!
Cory Costa No. 02, Bullring Brigade group
It is mind-blowing to me that only one team out of 30 has Cory Costa in their lineup. Granted, that one team is owned by his Crew Chief! How is that even possible? How is it possible that four Fantasy Teams have 19-time champion Billy Van Pelt on their rosters and only one team has Cory Costa? Let us review the numbers that explain why this is so mind-blowing to me.
Costa has not finished outside the top five this season, logging finishes of fifth, first, fourth and fifth. Don't forget two of those top fives came from starting at the back of the field. Van Pelt, on the other hand, has finishes so far this season of first, second and two finishes well outside the top five. This would explain why the highest Fantasy team in the points with Van Pelt on their roster is currently seventh in the standings.
I'm not saying to ditch the 19-time champion, but I am saying to give the 'Corning Crusader' a good look when setting your lineup. Van Pelt will certainly get his wins along the way, but with the bad luck they've encountered to start the season, maybe wait until that gets sorted out before putting your Fantasy season in jeopardy in Week 5.
Dayton Brewer No. 17, Woodhull Wingnuts group
Dayton Brewer is making a liar out of me, after taking him out of my lineup after his struggles in Week 1. He's followed up that rough night with finishes of third, seventh and fourth. Brewer is showing that consistency you want to score a top five and 20 Fantasy points that comes with a Top 5. Don't be a loser like me and take the guy out of your lineup before he gets on a roll.
Brian Doolittle No. 7, Woodhull Wingnuts group
Last weekend, Doolittle got back on track with a sixth place finish in his 'Little HigFab That Could' No. 7. That was a great rebound after finishes of 18th and 18th. I say Brian Doolittle this week because those pair of 18th place finishes are going to help him start up front due to the handicap. As long as he qualifies through his heat, I expect Doolittle will have the opportunity to crack back into the top five this weekend.
If you're willing to let it ride to try and get an edge on your competitors, put some money on Red No. 7 and LET IT RIDE!
SPORTSMAN Drivers:
Kenny Peoples Jr. No. 5K, Bullring Brigade group
There just isn't any way the Crate Sportsman guys are going to be able to keep this guy out of Victory Lane for much longer. He drove from the back of the pack to second place last weekend, making it a second, two thirds and a 21st on the season. Put this guy in your lineup, set it and forget it. When he gets his first win since moving into the Crate division, the waterfalls will start flowing and Peoples will be the guy who can net you 25 points with a win on multiple occasions. Make this move before your competitor does!
Stacey Jackson No. 22J, Woodhull Wingnuts group
Stacey got win number one last weekend and nobody got to take advantage of it. But with the way he started the season, how could you trust the 22J to pull through for you? Here's another driver that I believe you have to consider because of the handicap score. Yes, he has a win but he will still have a great score this weekend if he qualifies through the heat.
If Jackson scores a second straight victory this weekend, then maybe we will talk about giving the 'Last Lap Express' a break for a week or two and see if they can find that consistency again.
Brandon Butler No. 16, Woodhull Wingnuts group
Butler is a guy that won't have the finishes he's had this season, all year long. They've had a lot of tough breaks thus far, but that will not happen all season. This team is way too good to only be averaging a 10th place finish per week. If you make a move to add Butler to your lineup, we believe you're going to be handsomely rewarded in the coming weeks with a win.
Stevie Hartman III No. 15, Highbank Hustlers group
FANTASY VALUE ALERT!! FANTASY VALUE ALERT!! Stevie Hartman III is THE best Woodhull Raceway Fantasy value for the group he's in to start the stretch run through the summer months. Hartman landed in the Highbank Hustlers group by virtue of making the decision to not run 100% of Woodhull's schedule in 2018.
I guarantee that over the course of Weeks 5 through the end of the season, the player WITH Hartman will beat out the player WITHOUT Hartman. Just pay attention to what weeks he is racing at Woodhull and ride the No. 15 NAPA Crate Sportsman to a Fantasy payout. You heard it here first!
STREET STOCK Drivers:
Top Three In 2018 Points, Bullring Brigade group
Look, I'm not going to tell you to take Dylan Cecce out of your lineup. He's been a Street Stock juggernaut in 2018. Three wins and a fifth place finish- it don't get much better than that.
But consider this, even though Cecce was able to edge out Teddy Morseman for the title in 2017, there were a lot of 'little things' that reared their ugly head in the middle of the season for the driver of the No. 7. Bad luck, flat tires, etc. The question for Fantasy Racing players becomes, 'Ok, if they cool off at all or have a bad night, what does that bad night include finish wise?' Is a bad night a fifth place finish or is a bad night a 15th place finish? That 10-point difference in points right now could dropkick you from 4th to 14th place.
I say this because Brett Marlatt has had three 3rd place finishes and a finish of 6th. If Cecce has a bad night and finishes 15th to get you only ten points, sticking with someone like Marlatt over the long run might just equal out or get you ahead of the next place position by 5 points. Dylan will bust my chops and say I'm spreading a hex on his team, but if you're a numbers person and like to follow the percentages you know that one driver can't stay that red hot over the course of a 20-week season. Like I said, the difference will be IF they have a bad night you have to take those lumps as they come and expect that for any 'off nights' there will be just as many 'W's.'
Also, don't sleep on Teddy Morseman in the both the Street Stocks and the Hobby Stocks. He also has only one finish outside the Top 5 in his SS and traveled to Genesee and got a win there with that car. The 44 team is just hitting their stride and that stride could net you a bunch of wins and bunch of Top 5 finishes that will help anchor your three-driver roster.
Good luck this week...and remember to always keep the shiny side up! Happy picking...