Month: May 2021

The Coca-Cola 600 is in the books and the series heads out west to the Sonoma Raceway for the first time in two years for the running of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. This race was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. So the questions are has the track changed? If so, how much and will the teams notes from past years make a difference?

TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350

This is another of the many road course races on the schedule this year. After this race the teams will head to Texas for the All-Star race before getting back to finding out who can qualify for the playoffs as the season winds down. After this race there will only be ten more races left before those playoffs start and those without a win will be pushing hard to get it so they don’t have to worry about making it in on points.

Chase Elliott: Chase has been the driver to beat lately on all of the road courses. He is still looking for his first win at Sonoma although he has only run four races here. He did lead a few laps in his last race here before losing an engine. His best finish is a fourth place finish which came two race ago at this track. Even without him having a win here yet it’s hard not to have him on your roster.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin has won the last two races at Sonoma. With that being said and with how well he had been running on the intermediate tracks until last weekend, I don’t think I want to use him up here. Hard to do with his latest accomplishments here, but the way Chase has run on these tracks I think I can take that chance. He will probably still finish in the top five here and might even win.

Kyle Busch: Kyle came up just short the last time the series was here finishing second to Martin. He hasn’t finished worse than seventh in his last five starts at this track and has two career wins. The only other issue is that Kyle doesn’t usually finish in the top ten in the stages. In fact, he has only finished in the top ten in a stage once here. That means he might not be consistent enough to consider using him this week either.

Kevin Harvick: Not the first person you think of when you are looking for starters for a road course race, but this is one of those tracks where Kevin runs better than the rest of them. He hasn’t finished worse than sixth in his last five starts and that includes a win a few years ago. This team has struggled most of the season and if you have a bunch of starts with him left you might consider using him this week.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is someone you might think of when setting your lineup at a road course, but he has yet to win at this track. He has run much better and more consistent in his last four races here than he had previous to that. In his last four he has three top five and four top ten finishes. In the six races he ran before that streak he only cracked the top twenty once.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has been very consistent throughout his career at this track. He has one win and hasn’t finished outside the top fifteen in his last nine starts at this track. He is someone we will strongly consider having in out B list lineup this week. He might not be running as well as he did the last couple of seasons, but this is a different type of track and I think his consistency here will show through.

Kyle Larson: Last week’s winner has never run really well here in his six starts. That’s not to say that he hasn’t been one of the fastest cars here. In fact, he sat on the pole for his last three starts and in the top five in each of his six starts at Sonoma. The issue seems to be not making mistakes during the race. I don’t know if it’s bad timing on pit stops or what, but this team doesn’t seem to come away with the results they are expecting here. That could all change now that he’s with Hendrick and I think he might be the drivers to beat. Even better than Chase, but do we want to use him here when he’s been so dominant most everywhere else?

William Byron: William has only run two races at Sonoma which doesn’t give us much to look at. In those two races his best finish was nineteenth which he accomplished in his last race. What that doesn’t tell us is that he won the first stage and finished third in the second stage of that race before falling back in the final stage. He also lead twenty-one laps in that race which is also a good sign. Worth taking a chance on this weekend.

Ryan Newman: Another driver who has never won at this track but might be worth taking a chance on this week. In his only race here with Roush/Fenway Racing Ryan finished seventh. Throughout his career which spans eighteen races at this track he has only finished outside the top twenty twice. He might not have what it takes to win this race, but he should give you a chance at a solid finish while saving some starts for other drivers.

Erik Jones: Another driver I think is worth taking at shot with this week. Erik has run consistently well on the road courses in his short career. He has back to back to ten finishes at this track and has finished fourteenth and sixteenth in his two road course races this year. I think this team should have what it takes to come away with a top ten finish this week if they can keep from making huge mistakes on the track.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR SONOMA RACEWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Chase Elliott

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kurt Busch
• Erik Jones

Driver Group Game Group C

• Chase Briscoe

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT SONOMA RACEWAY

1. Chase Elliott
2. Kyle Larson
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Kyle Busch
5. Kevin Harvick

Dark Horse: Erik Jones

Stay Away From: Bubba Wallace

Big 18: Chase Elliott

That was something last week with the rain and many teams not having the right tires on when the race started and having to pit early and then all of the drivers who kept spinning out. Another fiasco in my opinion. Hard to tell who was where with so many drivers pitting on a different sequence, but at least they got the race in albeit a bit shortened.

COCA-COLA 600

This week the series heads home to the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the running of the Coca-Cola 600. This is the longest race of the season and can play havoc on engines, but things have been pretty good over the past few seasons in that respect. Toughest thing here is starting with sun on the track and finishing under the lights. This track goes through a lot of changes and those who are good at the beginning might not be so good at the end. It’s all about having enough room to make all of the adjustments you need through the whole race.

Martin Truex Jr.: I have to go back to the hot hand on the mile and a half tracks and pick Martin to win again. He has finished in the top five in seven of his last ten starts at Charlotte including three wins with two of those being in this long race. No reason to believe he isn’t going to be good all day and into the night again in this race.

Chase Elliott: Now looking for his second win of the year, Chase has run very well here over the past couple of years. He won the second race here last season and has finished in the top five in four of his last five starts. Besides the win in the second race last season he finished second in the first race. Of those four top five finishes he has the one win and was runner-up twice. This could be the week he gets the monkey off his back.

Kyle Busch: Kyle and his team have been improving every week and he has been running well at all types of tracks. This is one of those tracks where he has run well even when the team was in a bit of a slump. He has finished in the top five in four of his last six starts here including a win in dominating fashion in this race in the 2018 season. He might be worth taking a chance on this week.

Brad Keselowski: Brad won the first race here last year and won the both stages in this race two years ago. I’m not sure what to think about the rumors that he might move to Roush next season and become a part owner. I don’t know what Roger Penske thinks about that either. I’m guessing Roger is going to wish him luck and they will part on good terms and that it won’t affect them at all the rest of this season.

Joey Logano: Joey has won a fall race here and came in second in this race two years ago. This team is hard to figure out. Some weeks you think they should run well and they disappoint and the next week they’ll run really well again. This is a long race with a lot of adjustments being made. I’m not sure if this team can keep up for the whole six-hundred miles.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is looking for his first ever win at this track. He came close in the second race last season finishing runner-up. He’s still been very good here with six top five finishes in his last nine starts. If Denny can be patient early and keep from making mistakes in the last third of the race on pit road he should be in contention once again to pick up that elusive win at this track.

Ryan Blaney: Ryan finished third in both races here last year and always seems to have a fast car. Once again, it comes down to keeping up with the changing track conditions as the race progresses and being patient early, especially if things aren’t handling the way you would hope. Remember, those who aren’t the best early on can be the fastest at the end of the race when the track changes and adjustments are made.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is a driver who hasn’t had the best of luck so far this season and they don’t seem to be at the top of their game yet. I think that will change as the season wears on. Kevin has finished in the top ten in twelve of his last fourteen starts at Charlotte and has won this race twice and a fall race here during his career. One of these weeks they are going to break out and they really seem to have good communication on what adjustments they need to make and that is huge in this race.

Alex Bowman: This is Alex’s type of track. Last year he won three of the four stages run, but didn’t come away with the finishes he wanted finishing the race outside the top fifteen both times. Still, if he was fast early on he can be fast at the end. With two wins already this season this team is relaxed right now and only looking to add momentum to their season and maybe pick up a couple of more wins before the playoffs start.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Chase Elliott

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kyle Busch
• Alex Bowman
• Kyle Larson
• Aric Almirola

Driver Group Game Group C

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• Michael McDowell

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Chase Elliott
3. Kyle Busch
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kevin Harvick

Dark Horse: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stay Away From: Ryan Newman

Big 18: Ryan Blaney

We are now into a short stretch where there will be practice and qualifying for the next two races. Some leagues will have the option to fill extra spots before qualifying and then you will have to choose your drivers from those in your list. Other leagues are setup to run the same every week where you have until race time to fill in your drivers. Make sure you know what type of league you are in.

ECHOPARK TEXAS GRAND PRIX

This week the series heads to a track it has never run at before. The Circuit of the Americas track was built with F1 racing in mind and will host a Cup series race for the first time this weekend. That is one of the reasons for practice and qualifying. From what I gather this is a twenty turn road course and there isn’t a lot of places to pass. If that’s the case we’re going to see a lot of bump and run going on throughout the race and that could make the end very interesting.

Chase Elliott: Chase has to be the odds on favorite to win this weekend. He has won five of the last nine road course races and finished second in another one. There isn’t anyone with an advantage this week as none of these drivers has raced here in the Cup series before. I don’t know if any of them have ever raced here in any series.

Martin Truex Jr.: One of the hottest drivers on the circuit right now and with the best average finish over the last nine road course races. This is a tough call. This is a track where he has no experience and we know it can be hard on equipment. That combined with the fact they say there might be a lot of banging going on for position in this race leads me to believe we would be better off keeping his starts for other venues.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is another driver who runs well at all of the road course tracks. He has finished in the top five in four of his last seven road course starts. I haven’t used him much yet this season, but I know I will be using him up throughout the rest of the year. Once again a tough call on whether or not to use him this week. Not as risky as starting him on a restrictor plate track but the next risky place to do it.

Ryan Blaney: Here we go again. Ryan has five top ten finishes in his last eight road course starts including a win at the Charlotte Roval. Do we really want to take a chance with him on a track where he has never run before? That is the dilemma we have this week with all drivers. This is where we have to decide how best to manage their starts through the rest of the season.

Kevin Harvick: Six top ten finishes in his last nine road course races but hasn’t won on one since the 2017 season at Sonoma. Not the best place to use him either. I’m going to be just as ill informed as the rest of you and don’t want to use one of my better drivers at a place they have never run before, but you have to use someone.

Kurt Busch: Eight top ten finishes in his last eleven road course races. Here is someone who has been struggling quite a bit compared to last year and this might be the type of race where he can once again get back in the swing of things. He might be someone we could take a chance on this week.

Christopher Bell: Christopher won the race on the Daytona road course earlier this year which tells us he knows how to get around these tracks. He is another driver we will probably want to take a chance on this week.

Kaz Grala: I don’t know if he’ll be entered this week, but he is someone else we could take a chance on if he’s entered and on your fantasy roster. He has only run one Cup series road course race, but he finished seventh in that race at Daytona last fall.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

Driver Group Game Group A

• Chase Elliott
• Denny Hamlin

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kurt Busch
• Christopher Bell
• Alex Bowman
• Erik Jones

Driver Group Game Group C

• AJ Allmendinger or Kaz Grala (if entered)
• Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez (if first 2 are not entered)

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

1. Chase Elliott
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Christopher Bell

Dark Horse: Erik Jones

Stay Away From: Bubba Wallace

Big 18: Kurt Busch

Congratulations to Martin Truex Jr. for winning once again this past weekend in dominating fashion. At the end of the race there were only nine cars left on the lead lap and only two drivers were within seventeen seconds of him. He won both stages and the race to give him a bunch of playoff points to go with the win.

DRYDENE 400

This week the series heads to the Dover International Speedway for the running of the Drydene 400. I look for this one to be dominated once again by the Gibbs and Hendrick teams pretty much like we saw at Darlington last week. This is a high banked one-mile track nicknamed The Monster Mile is going to give racing similar to what we saw last weekend. The difference here is that both ends are configured the same and the track is a little shorter.

Martin Truex Jr.: I have to go with Martin to win once again seeing I believe this is going to be close to the same as last week. Martin has finished second here in each of his last three starts and won the race before that. Overall in his last ten starts here he has finished in the top five eight times with 2 wins. His poorest finish in his last fifteen races is fifteenth which he has finished in twice.

Kyle Larson: The driver who came the closest to Martin last week gets the nod to give him a run once again this weekend. Kyle won here the last time he ran back in the 2019 season and in twelve starts has only finished outside the top twelve once. This team might not be collecting as many playoff points as Truex, but I think they are going to continue getting better as we get closer to the start of the playoffs.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has been an on again off again type of driver at Dover. He has two wins here in his thirty-two starts, but has also had some accidents and mechanical failures. He ran well last week and seems to be starting to get some consistency back on the track, but I think I’ll hold off on using him this week because he hasn’t been very consistent here throughout his whole career.

Kevin Harvick: This team hasn’t run as well as I thought they would yet this year. They seem to be missing a little something every race. Kevin might run up front for part of the race but they can never get the whole thing to work out for them. Now, he won the last race here last season and won both stages in doing so. He also completed that same feat back in the 2018 season and has finished in the top six in his last six starts at Dover.

Denny Hamlin: Denny picked up his first win at Dover in the first race run here last year. This team is another that hasn’t found victory lane yet this year, but he did finish fourth last week only a bit over seventeen seconds behind his teammate. I think this team will get a win before July, but it won’t be this weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey was in contention last week until he got caught speeding entering the pits for the final time late in the race under green flag conditions. However, he has been the model of consistency at Dover over the course of his career either. His best finish is third which he has done three times and he has finished in the top ten in over half of his twenty-four starts here.

Chase Elliott: Chase has one win and seven top five finishes in his ten career starts at Dover. This is another team that just can’t seem to get everything to fall their way so they can win a race. It must be a bit frustrating to be the reigning champion and see you teammates visit victory lane while you haven’t been there yet this year.

William Byron: William ran very well here in the second race last season coming away with a fourth place finish in that race. They have been much better this season, so there are high hopes on this team heading into the weekend. It still seems like the Hendrick and Gibbs teams have the best packages this year and that has to be considered when setting your lineup.

Cole Custer: This might be the week to take a chance on Cole. In the only two races he has run here he has finished tenth and eleventh. They have something figured out and those notes should help them get their setup close coming off the truck this week. If they are close at the beginning of the race they should be able to make the necessary adjustments during the race to stay competitive.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR INSERT TRACK NAME

Driver Group Game Group A

• Martin Truex Jr.

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kyle Larson
• William Byron

Driver Group Game Group C

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT INSERT TRACK NAME

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kyle Larson
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Chase Elliott

Dark Horse: Cole Custer

Stay Away From: Ryan Newman

Big 18: William Byron

Almost a third of the way through the season and we have ten different winners already. There has been some pretty good racing so far and that’s why we have so many different winners. Now will that trend continue? There are three drivers who won a total of twenty-one races between them last season that don’t have any wins yet this year.

GOODYEAR 400

This week the series heads to the Darlington Raceway also know as The Lady in Black or The Track Too Tough To Tame. Both of these names are appropriate for this track which is a slightly less than mile and a half track, but the configuration is more of an egg shape than an oval. That makes getting the cars to handle appropriately a bit of a challenge for the crew chiefs. You can make adjustments to help you on one end of the track, but they might hurt the handling on the other end of the track. Makes for some interesting racing.

Kevin Harvick: I’m going to pick Kevin to win his first race of the season at Darlington. He has won two of the last three races run here and has nine top five finishes in his last ten starts at this track. His lowest finish in that stretch is a ninth place finish. This team has some good notes they can use to get their car close to handling the way they want it to off the truck and should have a slight advantage early in this race.

Kyle Larson: Kyle right now seems like the odds on favorite to win the championship this year. That can all change as we have a long way to go to even get to the playoffs, but he is in the mix each and every week. He is going to provide the most competition for Kevin this week once again. He has only run six races at this track and is looking for his first win, but has finished in the top three in three of his last four starts here and has lead more laps in his last two starts than anyone else has in their last five starts.

Kyle Busch: Last week’s winner hasn’t won at Darlington since the 2008 season and that is his only win here. With that being said we can also look at his track record and see that once he wins a race he can win multiple races in a row. He has finished in the top ten in nine of his last eleven starts at this track and has momentum on his side.

Brad Keselowski: Brad won here in the fall of 2018 and has been pretty consistent. Not as consistent as Kevin, but still someone to watch. He has four top five finishes and hasn’t finished worse than fifteenth in his last eight starts at this track. This team does a good job of figuring out what changes they need to make to their cars to get them to handle the way they want as the race progresses which gives them a shot a winning.

Kurt Busch: Kurt hasn’t run as well as I expected him to so far this season, but you never know when they are going to hit on something. He has finished in the top ten in six of his last eight starts at Darlington, but surprisingly has never won here. This could be one of those weeks where experience comes out on top as the younger drivers will be messing with the Darlington stripe and Kurt should be able to avoid that.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has three wins at this track with the last one coming in the middle race here last year. This team is looking for their first win of the season and this track is a little bit like Pocono in the fact that both ends of the track are configured differently and you need to have your car setup to be balanced so you don’t lose too much time on one end as opposed to the other.

Erik Jones: Erik in my dark horse this week. He has only run six races at this track and has never finished outside the top ten. He also has one win here. The reason he’s a dark horse instead of a solid contender is the fact that he’s on a new team this season and hasn’t shown a lot yet. Still, if he can relay what he needs to his crew chief they could make the right adjustments and get him another top ten finish here.

Joey Logano: Joey is another driver looking for his first win at this track. He isn’t as consistent as some of the other drivers here, but he still run well more often than not. He has five top six finishes in his last eight starts and has scored points in eight of the last twelve stages run here. There are probably tracks where Joey is more consistent and we’ll save him up for those races.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin runs well here himself, but just doesn’t seem to come away with the finishes he would like. In the last twelve stages run here he has won four and finished the stage in the top three eight times. In fact, the only person who has lead more laps here over the past five races is Kyle Larson. Sooner or later things are going to break right for Martin and he will head back to victory lane for the second time in his career at this track.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR DARLINGTON RACEWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Kevin Harvick

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kyle Larson
• Kurt Busch

Driver Group Game Group C

• Michael McDowell

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Larson
3. Kyle Busch
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Brad Keselowski

Dark Horse: Erik Jones

Stay Away From: Bubba Wallace

Big 18: Kyle Larson