By: Rhett Sawyer
Season 11 Oval Preseason Power Rankings
With the practice races behind us and with Season 11 right around the corner it’s time to put out where I think teams are at as the season starts. First I need to clarify how and what I used to come up with these rankings, so take all this information with a grain of salt. There isn’t a lot of hardcore data that I could use to come up with these rankings, so it’s a lot of personal opinion. The first point of data is how teams did in the preseason practice races, but since these were done at Daytona we are only using the Qualifying performance since the race has a lot of Luck. Second is where the team finished S10, and the last data point is how the team has done historically in my opinion. Also I’m not averaging these to come up with an average as the final ranking. It’s just the data I used to form my opinions, and I will probably have teams with lower averages ranked higher than others.
1 – NLR Legends
Preseason – 1st
S10 – 1st
Historical – 2nd
It’s hard to put another team at the top of the Rankings going into Season 11 when the reigning Champions come out and put as good of a preseason performance as they did. Can they continue the form they showed in S10 or will someone come knock them off the top?
2 – Low Fuel Racing
Preseason – 4th
S10 – 3rd
Historical – 3rd
Low Fuel Racing has constantly been challenging for the team title in the Oval series every season and while they were in the middle of the pack in practice, we expect them to get it figured out for Season 11!
3 – Delusions of Grandeur
Preseason – 2nd
S10 – 5th
Historical – 4th
DoG comes in at 3rd in my opinion. While they don’t have as much history of being a top challenger like some of the other teams, they did look good in testing securing the 2nd best result comfortably. Was this a flash in the pan or are they here to stay?
4 – Lost City Racing
Preseason – 5th
S10 – 2nd
Historical – 5th
As a team, Lost City Racing has been building a strong base as a team in their first 2 seasons. In preseason practice they looked solid being in the mid pack not too far behind the top teams. Now it’s about putting it all together and taking the next step forward.
5 – Sloth Racing
Preseason – 3rd
S10 – 6th
Historical – 7th
After a solid Rookie season in which the finished week 13 as the Top team, Sloth Racing continued that form into Preseason practice finishing in 3rd. Now it is just preseason practice but the signs are there that Sloth could be on the come up in their sophomore season.
6 – The Brew Crew
Preseason – 7th
S10 – 4th
Historical – 1st
The Brew Crew is historically the best Next Gen team, and many around the league expect them to be there at the end of the season. However they got off to a rough start in testing and if that is to be believed then they have some ground to makeup during the season.
7 – 307 Motorsports
Preseason – 6th
S10 – 8th
Historical – 8th
307 Motorsports comes in with some of the biggest hype that has surrounded a rookie team in league history. They posted some good results in the early offseason testing, and they have an owner that has been successful in the league. Now they did have a step back during preseason practice coming in near the bottom of the mid pack, so which version of 307 is going to show up in Season 11?
8 – Desperado Racing
Preseason – 8th
S10 – 7th
Historical – 6th
After a tough Season 10, Desperado is looking to bounce back in Season 11. They have shown that they could compete with the best drivers and teams in the league before, they just need to find that form again.
Season 11 Road Preseason Power Rankings
With the practice races behind us and with Season 11 right around the corner it’s time to put out where I think teams are at as the season starts. First I need to clarify how and what I used to come up with these rankings, so take all this information with a grain of salt. There isn’t a lot of hardcore data that I could use to come up with these rankings, so a lot of personal opinions were used to make this list. The first point of data is how teams did in the preseason practice races, both in Qualifying and how their drivers finished. Second is the team average PR for S10, and the last data point is how the team has done historically in my opinion. Also I’m not averaging these to come up with an average as the final ranking. It’s just the data I used to form my opinions, and I will probably have teams with lower averages ranked higher than others.
1 – NLR Legends
Preseason – 1st/1st
S10 – 1st
Historical – 2nd
NLR Legends had a rough end of Season 10 losing the championship in Week 13, and they look to bounce back in Season 11. They came out strong in preseason practices coming out on top in both qualifying and finishing positions. Can they convert that to success during the season?
2 – Low Fuel Racing
Preseason – 3rd/4th
S10 – 2nd
Historical – 1st
Season 10’s reigning champs are looking to defend their title against some tough competition this season. Low Fuel has consistently been at the top of the Road series, and we expect them to be there again. They trailed NLR in the preseason practice, but I expect them to get it figured out as the season gets under way.
3 – The Brew Crew
Preseason – 2nd/2nd
S10 – 5th
Historical – 4th
While The Brew Crew has typically been a solid middle of the pack team in the road series, they ended Season 10 by winning both weeks 12 and 13 to close out Season 10. They showed signs of being right there with LFR during the early practices, so this might be the season that they break through in what has been a tough series for them.
4 – Delusions of Grandeur
Preseason – 5th/3rd
S10 – 4th
Historical – 5th
Even though DoG has struggled to find there footing in the Road Series, they have had moments of brilliance here and there. Now they just have to find consistency to really climb the ladder in Season 11. Preseason practice had them right there with all the top teams, so there’s no reason for them to not take that first step.
5 – 307 Motorsports
Preseason – 4th/5th
S10 – 8th
Historical – 8th
The hype around 307 Motorsports is up there in the Road Series, and it’s obvious to see why. Team Owner Mitchell O’Brien is coming off a incredible charge late in Season 10 to claim his first individual championship. Amk Ski had one of the most dominant stretches in league history over the last 7 races picking up 5 wins and 4 poles, which as a rookie who only raced 9 races total last season is crazy. With performances like that people around the league are expecting them and their Rookies to make a splash in Season 11. Is the weight of expectations going to be too much?
6 – Sloth Racing
Preseason – 6th/6th
S10 – 6th
Historical – 7th
Sloth Racing had an up and down run in the Road Series during their Rookie season, and they also had a rough performance in preseason practice races. But with a season of data behind them can they take another step forward towards challenging the top teams?
7 – Lost City Racing
Preseason – 7th/7th
S10 – 3rd
Historical – 3rd
Through their first 2 Seasons LCR has been a consistently good Road Series team, finishing 3rd in the team standings both seasons. However their preseason practice results showed signs of a possible step back in performance, coming in 7th for both qualifying and finishing results by a pretty significant margin. I hope they prove me wrong, but it may take them a few weeks to fix things if there is a problem.
8 – Desperado Racing
Preseason – 8th/8th
S10 – 7th
Historical – 6th
After a rough Season 10, Desperado Racing looks to find their form that had them finish 4th in Season 9. We know they have the experienced drivers and team to do so, it just comes down to taking the steps and time to get there.
