Month: July 2015

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR NASCAR Fantasy Live

NASCAR FANTASY LIVE PICKS, 2015 POCONO, WINDOWS 10 400

As we begin the month of August, the summer months are beginning to end and kids are getting ready to go back to school. In the NASCAR series, this means that drivers are running out of opportunities to qualify for the Chase.

We are back at Pocono Raceway this week, and all of the top drivers at the track are likely to make the Chase. There will probably not be any surprises. Since the Pocono race in June was not too long ago, I like to see the results from the June race as the best indicator for results this week. You will not get a ton of points out of laps led or fast laps this week, but I would still recommend front-loading your lineup with your three top choices and rounding out your lineup with budget options.

For those of you who read my article on a weekly basis, you already have a good idea who the first choice for my lineup will be. Kevin Harvick led 39 laps en route to a second place finish earlier this summer at Pocono. He has three top-10 finishes in his last five races at the track and an average finish position of 8.8. His 86 fast laps over the same time span is second among racers. Harvick’s 2015 numbers continue to be strong. He has 12 top-5 finishes and 16 top-10 finishes through 18 races. He has the most laps led and the most fast laps of any driver this season. With 91% of his laps within the top-15, he shows a consistency on a lap-to-lap basis. Harvick will continue to stay in my lineup as long as he continues to run near the top.

While leading 97 laps, Martin Truex Jr. won the June race at Pocono. Since the race dates are, the previous race results have a good chance to be duplicated. The only reason to avoid Truex is that his historical track numbers only show an average finish position of 15.1 and only seven top-10 finishes since 2005. Despite his track numbers, Truex has 14 top-10 finishes and an average finish position of 11.7 in 2015. His 486 Laps Led is third in the Series, and he has run 83% of his laps in the top-15. The #78 Furniture Row team has cooled down a bit as the summer months have progressed, but this appears to be more due to bad luck than a slow car. Expect a strong effort from Martin Truex Jr. this week.

I cannot have a recommended driver list from Pocono without including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior finished 11th in the last Pocono race, but won both races in 2014. His numbers at the track over the last five races is impressive. Dale Jr. has four top-5 finishes, an average finish position of 4.2, and 91% of his laps in the top-15. In 2015, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s average finish position is 10.6, good for fifth in the series. He is also top-10 in laps led and fast laps.

With limited salary cap resources available, the bottom two drivers will not be as successful. Justin Allgaier finished in 20th place earlier this season and has a 21st place average finish position at the track. I have been expecting the #51 car to exceed his budget salary cap number for a few weeks. His team is always risky, but he has upside for his low salary cap number. In 2015, Allgaier has two top-20 finishes and an average finish position of 27.1. Michael Annett disappointed me earlier this season with a 34th place finish at Pocono. Over three races, he has a 25th place average finish position. Considering his low salary cap number, Michael Annett is a great budget option for your team. There are other budget options who provide incredible value this week. I am half-tempted to roster Brendan Gaughan at $4.50 to provide more versatility to my other roster spots for the rest of the season.

FANTASY NASCAR LIVE SALARY CAP

Fantasy Live on nascar.com uses a scoring system that combines fast laps, laps led, finish position, and start-to-finish differential. In order to prevent us from simply starting the five best drivers each week, Fantasy Live uses a salary cap format. Our formula calculates the average number of Fantasy Live points earned over the last five Pocono races. Next, we divide that number by the salary cap figure to determine which drivers provide the most salary cap value. Jimmie Johnson finished 3rd earlier in 2015, but narrowly missed my lineup recommendations. To make it up to him, we will use his numbers from the last five Pocono races to further illustrate the formula.

JIMMIE JOHNSON AT POCONO

  • Average finish position last five Pocono races: 12.4 equals 30.6 Fantasy Live points per race
  • Start-to-finish differential: Negative 2.8 equals negative 2.8 points per race
  • Laps Led: 176 laps led equals 17.6 points per race
  • Fast Laps: 52 fast laps equals 5.2 points per race
  • Fantasy Live points per race: 50.6
  • Fantasy Live salary cap figure: $27.50
  • Fantasy Live points per dollar: 50.6 divided by 27.50 equals 1.84 points per dollar

Below you will see the Fantasy Live points per dollar for all the drivers in the series. Highlighted picks are in bold. Because we already ran at Pocono two months ago, all drivers in the race have a track history this week.

GROUP A ($25.00 or higher)

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2.05
  • Jeff Gordon 1.91
  • Jimmie Johnson 1.84
  • Martin Truex Jr. 1.65
  • Kurt Busch 1.61
  • Brad Keselowski 1.60
  • Kevin Harvick 1.56
  • Jamie McMurray 1.44
  • Joey Logano 1.13
  • Denny Hamlin 0.91
  • Kyle Busch 0.74
  • Matt Kenseth 0.63

GROUP B ($20.00 – $24.99)

  • Kyle Larson 1.71
  • Ryan Newman 1.57
  • Kasey Kahne 1.54
  • Clint Bowyer 1.36
  • Carl Edwards 0.46
  • Aric Almirola 0.30
  • Paul Menard 0.09

GROUP C ($15.00 – $19.99)

  • Greg Biffle 2.30
  • Tony Stewart 2.09
  • Austin Dillon 1.32
  • AJ Allmendinger (-0.01)

GROUP D ($10.00 – $14.99)

  • David Ragan 2.47
  • David Gilliland 2.27
  • Casey Mears 2.14
  • Trevor Bayne 2.11
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 0.82
  • Danica Patrick (-0.14)
  • Sam Hornish Jr. (-1.05)

GROUP E ($9.99 or lower)

  • Michael Annett 4.23
  • Jeb Burton 3.58
  • Matt DiBenedetto 3.08
  • Justin Allgaier 2.91
  • Brett Moffitt 2.53
  • Alex Bowman 2.40
  • Josh Wise 2.27
  • Alex Kennedy 2.16
  • JJ Yeley 2.10
  • Brendan Gaughan 1.33
  • Landon Cassill 1.18
Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2015 Pocono Raceway, Windows 10 400

Kyle Busch is on a mission right now. He picked up his third straight win and fourth in his last five starts and moved closer to the top thirty in points. With six more races to go before the Chase starts, all he needs to do is stay out of trouble and he should have a shot at winning his first Sprint Cup Championship. Right now he would be the odds on favorite to win that title too.

WINDOWS 10 400

This week the series heads back to Pocono Raceway for the running of the Windows 10 400. Once again, Pocono is a long two-and-a-half mile track without a lot of banking. It consists of three different types of corners and the trick is to get your car setup to be as fast as it can be all the way around the track. This is where a good crew-chief and good information from the driver really comes into play. You might make an adjustment to make your car better in one corner but, that adjustment might slow you down in the other two. Balance is the key to this race.

Denny Hamlin: I am going to say that Denny Hamlin finds himself back in victory lane at this track this weekend. The Joe Gibbs teams have been spectacular over the past six weeks and this weekend should be no different. Denny has won four races at this track and has nine top five finishes in his nineteen starts here. I think Kyle Busch is going to have to step out of the spotlight this week.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has won two of the last three races at Pocono and his worse finish in the last five races is an eleventh place finish. After another disappointing finish last week due to more mechanical problems on pit road, this team will be looking forward to getting back to the track and running well throughout a race. I think Dale will run up front most of the day and be in a position to go for another win late in this race.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is another driver who will be looking for a little redemption this week after a disappointing finish last week also. Jeff got caught up in an accident that started in front of him and it ruined his day. Not the thing a team that doesn’t have a win and is trying to make the Chase on points wants to happen. With six wins at this track, Jeff leads all active drivers in that category and would love to make it seven and guarantee his spot in the Chase.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin won the race here in June and ran well once again last weekend at Indy. This team seems to have a really good handle on these flat tracks and they have shown that they have the speed to win races. Martin will be looking for the Pocono sweep this weekend as we close in on the Chase. He had the dominant car in the June race as he lead ninety-seven laps in that race.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has always run well at this track and has three wins to back up that statement. He also has finished in the top ten in eighteen of his twenty-seven starts at this track. Now that Kyle Busch has the same number of wins as Jimmie and looks like he will make the Chase, this team would love to pick up another win themselves to obtain all of the bonus points they can when the Chase starts.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has two wins at this track and has always run well here himself. He has finished in the top ten in sixteen of his twenty-eight career starts at Pocono which is very good. Kurt has been fast all season and I think this team just needs a little better communication between driver and crew-chief. I know Kurt gives good information but, that doesn’t mean he and his crew-chief interpret that information to mean the same thing all of the time.

Kyle Busch: Let’s not rule Kyle out here. Any team that can win three straight races and four of five is some to be reckoned with. He has won on all types of tracks during this stretch and everything seems to be falling into place for this team right now. The biggest thing for this team right now is to remember they don’t have to win every race, they just need to finish them on the lead lap and they will make the Chase.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is still looking for his first career win at this track. However, he has finished second here in his last two starts, which means he has a pretty good idea on how to get around this track. This team is solidly in the Chase and would like to get at least one more win before the start of the Chase. They have been consistent for the last two seasons and that is how they won the championship last year.

Tony Stewart: Tony had a real good car last week at Indy but, things just didn’t work out well for him late in the race. He got caught behind cars that had bad restarts and then got pinballed out of contention. This is another week where Tony can come out and win a race and qualify himself for the Chase. Tony has finished in the top ten in twenty-two of his thirty-three starts here with two wins to show. After last week I think this team can win this week’s race.

Joey Logano: Joey has one win at Pocono and has finished in the top ten in five of his last seven starts there. He had a fast car that handled well last week at Indy and he had himself in position to pick up a win on the last restart but, Kyle Busch just got too good of a restart and Joey couldn’t get around him during the Green-White-Checkered finish. This week could be a different story.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR POCONO RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Denny Hamlin
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Kurt Busch
  • Tony Stewart
  • Martin Truex Jr.
  • Kyle Larson

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Justin Allgaier
  • Landon Cassill

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT POCONO RACEWAY

  1. Denny Hamlin
  2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  3. Jimmie Johnson
  4. Joey Logano
  5. Tony Stewart

Dark Horse: Tony Stewart

Stay Away From: Jamie McMurray

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR NASCAR Fantasy Live

NASCAR FANTASY LIVE PICKS, 2015 INDIANAPOLIS, JEFF KYLE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD

With another victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch continues his improbable return from a broken leg to get closer to Chase eligibility. As our summer series continues, we move on to one of the oldest race tracks. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a race where the top-drivers are typically running in the front of the field. As a result, my recommendation this week is to front-load your lineup with three drivers with a high probability of running out front. The final two roster spots should be the best available budget options.

Although he has not been as dominant as early in this season, Kevin Harvick is still the most consistent driver in the series. The first selection for my lineup has seen recent success in Indianapolis. In his last five races at the track, Harvick has enjoyed two top-10 finishes and an average finish position of 10.6. All of his races have been inside the top-20. During the same time span, Harvick has spent 65% of his laps running in the top-15. Through 17 races in 2015, Harvick has an average finish position of 6.9. With 12 top-5 finishes and the most laps led and fast laps in the Series this season, Harvick is worth keeping in your lineup.

The second recommendation for my starting lineup is as predictable as the first. Jimmie Johnson has led the most laps over the past five races at the Brickyard. He has a couple of top-10 finishes and 81% of his laps in the top-15. With four wins at the track and the most laps led over the last 10 years, Johnson has seen success. He is also one of the top-drivers in the Series. Johnson has 10 top-5 finishes in 2015. He is in the top-5 in the Series in laps led and fast laps in 2015.

Jeff Gordon has been underwhelming in his final season in the Series. He is completely off my radar in my Yahoo leagues. If he ever turns the corner this season, this is the race where he will. Gordon has earned four top-10 finishes in his last five races. His seventh place average finish position in the last five Indianapolis races is 2nd in the Series. Over the long-term, Gordon has eight top-10 finishes in 10 races, and an 8th place average finish position. With only two top-5 finishes in 2015, Gordon’s spot in my lineup may be replaced by Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, ignoring his successful history at the track is challenging.

Since our lineup is front-loaded, there will be little budget for the remaining two roster spots. Chase Elliot is expected to race and has a 24th place average in limited action this season. I think he will exceed expectations at the historical track and build on his 2-point per fantasy dollar number. Michael Annett finished 31st in Indy last season and has a 32nd place average finish in 2015. This should be enough to get some value out of this spot.

FANTASY NASCAR LIVE SALARY CAP

Fantasy Live on nascar.com uses a scoring system that combines laps led, fast led, finish position, and start-to-finish differential. In order to prevent us from simply starting to best drivers every week, Fantasy Live uses a salary cap format. Our formula calculates the average number of Fantasy Live points earned by each driver over the past five Indianapolis races. Next, we divide that number by the salary cap figure to determine which drivers provide value for your budget. In the theme of underachievers in 2015, Tony Stewart could be a dark horse this week with an average finish position of 8.4 in his last five Indianapolis races. He is a little risky for a roster spot. As a consolation prize, we will use his Indianapolis numbers to further illustrate the formula.

TONY STEWART AT INDIANAPOLIS

  • Average finish position last five Indianapolis races: 8.4 AFP equals 35.6 Fantasy Live points
  • Start-to-finish differential: Plus 7.2 equals 7.2 fantasy live points per race
  • Laps led: 10 equals 1 Fantasy live point per race
  • Fast laps: 13 equals 1.3 Fantasy Live points per race
  • Total points earned last five Indianapolis races: 44.1 Fantasy Live points per race
  • Salary cap figure: $16.25
  • Fantasy Points per dollar: 44.1 divided by 16.25 equals 2.71 points per dollar

Below are the point per Fantasy Live dollar for each driver in Indianapolis. For drivers with no track history, we will use their numbers from all 2015. Suggested picks this week are in bold. Good luck with your Fantasy Live picks this week.

GROUP A ($25.00 or higher)

  • Jeff Gordon 2.19
  • Kyle Busch 2.07
  • Jimmie Johnson 1.86
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1.49
  • Jamie McMurray 1.44
  • Kevin Harvick 1.40
  • Denny Hamlin 1.34
  • Brad Keselowski 1.26
  • Matt Kenseth 1.25
  • Martin Truex Jr. 1.20
  • Joey Logano 1.08
  • Kurt Busch 0.33

GROUP B ($20.00 – $24.99)

  • Kasey Kahne 2.25
  • Kyle Larson 2.02
  • Ryan Newman 1.73
  • Paul Menard 1.62
  • Clint Bowyer 1.58
  • Aric Almirola 1.30
  • Carl Edwards 1.09

GROUP C ($15.00 – $19.99)

  • Tony Stewart 2.71
  • Greg Biffle 2.48
  • Austin Dillon 1.74
  • AJ Allmendinger 1.47

GROUP D ($10.00 – $14.99)

  • Chase Elliott 2.00 *
  • Cole Whitt 1.67
  • Sam Hornish Jr. 1.50
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1.48
  • David Ragan 1.42
  • David Gilliland 1.31
  • Trevor Bayne 0.53
  • Casey Mears 0.34
  • Ryan Blaney 0.15 *
  • Danica Patrick (-0.35)

GROUP E ($9.99 or lower)

  • Matt DiBenedetto 2.67 *
  • Michael Annett 2.42
  • Brett Moffitt 2.32 *
  • Justin Allgaier 2.05
  • Landon Cassill 1.81
  • Reed Sorenson 1.22
  • Jeb Burton 1.20 *
  • Michael McDowell 1.02
  • JJ Yeley 1.00
  • Josh Wise 0.60
  • Timmy Hill 0.40
  • Brian Scott 0.13 *
  • Alex Bowman (-0.25)

* Driver has no track data, and we are using his 2015 numbers.

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR

2015 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Crown Royal Presents The Jeff Kyle 400 at The Brickyard

Congratulations once again to Kyle Busch who picked up his third win in the last four races and moved closer to the top thirty in points to qualify for the Chase. Barring any catastrophic events over the next seven races, Kyle should easily move into the top thirty in points and have a chance at winning his first championship.

CROWN ROYAL PRESENTS THE JEFF KYLE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD

This week the series heads to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a two-and-a-half mile rectangle which makes it a unique track on the NASCAR circuit. Winning this race is second to only the Daytona 500 on every drivers list and the Hendrick Motorsports teams have dominated here over the twenty-one races that have been run here. They have won nine of those twenty-one races. The most any other team has won is three.

Kyle Busch: When you’re hot you’re hot. I am picking Kyle to win yet again this week. Even though he has yet to win a race at this track, he has shown that his team is at the top of their game right now. He finished second in this race last season and the Joe Gibbs teams have shown a lot of speed the past few races. I think Kyle will run up front most of the day and take the checkered flag as he moves closer to making the Chase.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff leads all drivers with five wins at this track and has finished in the top five an outstanding twelve times in his twenty-one starts. I think Jeff will make the Chase on points if he doesn’t pick up a win in the next seven races but, this is one of his better tracks and he might be able to get that win this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson: I think Jimmie and his team did a lot of testing at Loudon last weekend as they prepare for the Chase. I don’t think you will see them struggle this weekend as there really aren’t any tracks like Indy on the Chase schedule. This week is all about winning this race and moving on. With four wins to his credit at this track he knows how to get the job done here.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is another driver who is looking for his first win at the Brickyard. He has finished in the top five in seven of his fifteen starts here and that shows he knows how to race on this track. With the Joe Gibbs teams looking very strong for the past month, Matt has an excellent chance to pick up that elusive win at this track.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has one win here and he has been competitive every week this year. I think that he will be fast once again this weekend and will be in contention throughout the race. Kevin would like to pick up another win before the Chase starts and keep his momentum heading in the right direction as he starts to defend his title in the Chase.

Tony Stewart: Tony has two wins at Indianapolis and has finished in the top ten eleven times in his sixteen career starts there. Tony has struggled most of this year and I don’t have a lot of faith in this team right now. If you need to take a chance to move up in your league he might be worth a shot this weekend but, in all likely hood he will not have a car that will contend for a win.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has only run five races at the Brickyard and his best finish is 9th which he has accomplished twice. Brad has lead laps in three of his five starts here but just can’t seem to come away with the type of finish he is capable of having here. I think Brad will be in contention once again this weekend and will lead some laps in this race once again.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale is another driver looking for his first Indy win and has finished in the top ten here in his last three starts. This team has run well most every weekend this season unless they have some mechanical issue that takes them out of a race. I think Dale will run well here once again and should come away with another top ten finish.

Carl Edwards: Carl has three top ten finishes in his ten starts at this track. Carl just doesn’t seem to have any consistency when he races on this track but, he never has a terrible finish either. He is just an average driver when it comes to Indy. I think this team still needs to improve on their adjustments that they make to their car during the race to keep Carl in contention at the end of the race.

Denny Hamlin: Denny always seems to run well on tracks like Indy. He struggled a little bit last week at Loudon and never really got his car to handle the way he wanted it to. That might have been a little testing as they get ready for the Chase but, like all of the other drivers in the field next weekend, Denny will do whatever he can to try and get his first win at this track.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

  • Kyle Busch
  • Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

  • Tony Stewart
  • Jamie McMurray
  • Kyle Larson
  • AJ Allmendinger

Yahoo Driver Group C

  • Justin Allgaier
  • Landon Cassell

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

  1. Kyle Busch
  2. Jeff Gordon
  3. Jimmie Johnson
  4. Matt Kenseth
  5. Kevin Harvick

Dark Horse: Kyle Larson

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

Categories
Fantasy NASCAR NASCAR Fantasy Live

NASCAR FANTASY LIVE PICKS, 2015 NEW HAMPSHIRE, 5-HOUR ENERGY 301

Last week at Kentucky Speedway, our fantasy live standings became divided into those who started Kyle Busch and those who did not start Kyle Busch. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series kicks off the second-half of the season by moving north for their first installment at Louden. Over the past five years at New Hampshire, the top-drivers in the Series have a tendency to be successful at the track. There is not one team that is extremely dominating, and several teams have found success.

The key to victory in your NASCAR Fantasy Live league is to capture the drivers who will be out front this week. My suggestion is to front-load your roster with three of the top-drivers and fill your remaining roster spots with the best available value.

THE DRIVERS BELOW HAVE A HIGH PROBABILITY FOR SUCCESS THIS WEEK

The first pick for my roster is the NASCAR leader in 2015 in laps led, average finish position, and lap-to-lap performance. With his success through the first-half of the season, Kevin Harvick will stay on my roster unless he hits an unexpected slump. His New Hampshire numbers are modest, but nothing to scare you away from keeping him in your lineup. Harvick has seen two top-10 finishes in his last five New Hampshire races and an average finish position of 14.2. Over the long-term, Harvick has enjoyed 10 top-10 finishes in his last 20 New Hampshire races and an average finish position of 13.8. I expect him to improve on his averages this week.

Brad Keselowski has seen recent success in New Hampshire. He has the best lap-to-lap performance of any driver and an average finish position of 5.8 in his last five New Hampshire races. His 236 laps led and 185 fast laps over the same time span are the best in the series. With four top-10 finishes in his last five starts and 92% of his laps in the top-15, you can expect positive results from the #2 Car. Over the long-term, Keselowski has seen seven top-10 finishes in 11 New Hampshire races and an 11th place average finish position. While he has not shown the consistency that you would like to see from a top-driver, Keselowski is in the top-10 in the Series in average finish position, laps led, and lap-to-lap performance.

Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. is my third roster spot recommendation this week. He has five straight top-15 finishes at the track and an average finish position of 10.4 over his last five races. This season, Junior is in the top-5 in average finish position and lap-to-lap performance. His laps led are not as strong, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a high probability for success in New Hampshire. I may swap him out for Kenseth or Hamlin after qualifying.

The drawback of front-loading your lineup is that the pickings are slim for the rest of your roster. Justin Allgaier had a top-20 finish last year in New Hampshire. Although he is a risky pick on a week-to-week basis, his price tag is low enough to be worth the risk. Michael Annett averages around a 30th place finish in two starts last year. This translates to 3.88 Fantasy Live points per dollar and presents the best value for the budget drivers. He should do enough to be worth a roster spot.

FANTASY NASCAR LIVE SALARY CAP

Fantasy Live on nascar.com uses a scoring system that combines fast laps, laps led, finish position, and start-to-finish differential. In order to keep us from simply starting the best drivers every week, Fantasy Live uses a salary cap format. Our formula first calculates the average number of Fantasy Live points earned by each driver over the last five New Hampshire races. Next, we divide that number by the salary cap figure. The end result is a number that shows how much value to expect from each driver at new Hampshire. For his last five New Hampshire races, Matt Kenseth has an average finish position of 9.8 and 90% of his laps in the top-15. While his numbers are impressive, he missed the cut for my roster. As a consolation prize, we will use his New Hampshire numbers to further illustrate the formula.

MATT KENSETH AT NEW HAMPSHIRE

  • Average finish position last five New Hampshire races: 9.8 equals 33.2 points per race
  • Start-to-finish differential: Plus 5.6 equals 5.6 points per race
  • Laps Led: 152 equals 15.2 points per race
  • Fast Laps: 70 equals 7 points per race
  • Total points earned per race: 62
  • Salary cap figure: $25.75
  • Points per dollar: 62 divided by $25.75 = 2.40 Fantasy Points per dollar

Below you will find the points per dollar for all of the drivers in the series. For rookies with no track history, we will use their numbers for all 2015 races to give you an idea of their value. This week’s suggestions are highlighted in bold. Feel free to share your rosters in the comments.

GROUP A ($25.00 or higher)

  • Brad Keselowski 3.17
  • Matt Kenseth 2.41
  • Denny Hamlin 2.40
  • Kyle Bush 2.27
  • Martin Truex Jr. 1.78
  • Jimmie Johnson 1.61
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1.56
  • Kevin Harvick 1.54
  • Jamie McMurray 1.38
  • Jeff Gordon 1.18
  • Joey Logano 1.08
  • Kurt Busch 0.80

GROUP B ($20.00 – $24.99)

  • Kyle Larson 2.50
  • Clint Bowyer 1.83
  • Carl Edwards 1.53
  • Aric Almirola 1.50
  • Kasey Kahne 1.24
  • Paul Menard 1.08
  • Ryan Newman 0.95

GROUP C ($15.00 – $19.99)

  • Austin Dillon 2.74
  • Tony Stewart 2.44
  • AJ Allmendinger 2.09
  • Greg Biffle 1.96

GROUP D ($10.00 – $14.99)

  • David Gilliland 1.81
  • Sam Hornish Jr. 1.63
  • Danica Patrick 1.30
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1.30
  • David Ragan 1.17
  • Cole Whitt 1.02
  • Casey Mears 0.88

GROUP E ($9.99 or lower)

  • Michael Annett 3.88
  • JJ Yeley 2.91
  • Alex Bowman 2.78
  • Matt DiBenedetto 2.53 *
  • Timmy Hill 2.34
  • Jeb Burton 2.00 *
  • Landon Cassill 1.79
  • Reed Sorenson 1.67
  • Justin Allgaier 1.18
  • Timmy Hill n/a
  • Derek White n/a
  • Joey Gase n/a

* Driver has no track data, and we are using his 2015 numbers.