Category: Fantasy NASCAR

I have a feeling this is going to be one of the best championship races NASCAR has ever had in this Chase format. Here are the stats for the four drivers who qualified for the championship over their career at all intermediate tracks and at Homestead.

Jimmie Johnson: No wins at Homestead at this point, but four top five and ten top ten finishes in fifteen starts. Overall at this type of track Jimmie has 29 wins, 79 top five, and 118 top ten finishes in 173 starts.

Carl Edwards: Two wins five top five and seven top ten finishes in twelve starts at Homestead. He also has 13 wins, 53 top five, and 81 top ten finishes on the intermediate tracks in his career.

Kyle Busch: one win at Miami, two top five and four top ten finishes in eleven starts. Overall he has 11 wins, 47 top five, and 68 top ten finishes in 137 starts at the mile-and-a-half tracks in his career.

Joey Logano: Joey has yet to win a race at Miami, and he has one top five and two top ten finishes here. Overall he has 4 wins, 29 top five, and 41 top ten finishes at this type of track in 95 starts.

Who wins the championship of these four drivers?

FORD ECOBOOST 400

Jimmie Johnson: Even though he has never won a race at this track yet, I am picking Jimmie to win his seventh championship this coming weekend. I guess when he was winning those championships in other formats he pretty much had them wrapped up by the time he got to this track or just had to protect a big points lead and didn’t race as hard as he can. I think this team showed that they were back on their game by winning two of the nine Chase races up to this point and they will give their very best once again this weekend.

Kyle Busch: Kyle won this race last year when he needed it to win his first ever Cup championship. He will try to win his second straight race at this track and second straight championship this weekend. He has been consistent all year and can really get everything out of his car that he can when it comes down to crunch time. Like I said before, I think this is going to be one of the best championship races the series has ever seen.

Carl Edwards: Seeing that Carl has two wins at this track, we know he can get the job done here. Now that he won the race at Texas two weeks ago, this team will have a lot of confidence when they get to this track. If anything is going to hinder this team this weekend it is going to be their inconsistency throughout the year. It seems like if they get behind early in a race they just can’t make up the positions they need to get back in contention. That means Carl needs to be pretty good right from the start next weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey might have the least experience of the four drivers left, but he can drive a race car. I think Joey and his whole team has matured quite a bit when it comes to racing over the past couple of seasons and that will bode well for them this weekend. I think Joey will have a fast car all weekend and their biggest challenge will be keeping up with the changing track conditions in a race that starts with the sun up and ends with the sun down.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has finished first or second in this race the past two seasons and just because he is out of the running for the championship doesn’t mean that he won’t do everything he can to win this race once again. Kevin is going to race hard no matter if the driver he is trying to pass is in championship contention or not. I think this gives him an edge over those in the championship who will let him go because he doesn’t mean anything to their championship hopes.

Martin Truex Jr.: The same thing goes for Martin. He has been fast on this type of track all season and he is going to do all that he can to win one more before he takes a vacation from racing and relaxes before the series gets going again next February. Look for Truex to get the same considerations from championship contenders unless they need to keep him behind them as they try and reel in one of the other contenders who is ahead of them.

Matt Kenseth: After wrecking in the final laps of the race last week from the lead, and thus getting knocked out of the Chase for the second straight season, Matt will be looking for a little redemption this week. He has finished in the top ten at this track in five of his last six starts. However, I think Matt will cut both of his teammates who are running for the championship a little break late in the race and might even do some blocking for them if he thinks it is necessary.

Denny Hamlin: With two wins here that all came in his last seven starts, Denny will be another of the Joe Gibbs drivers trying to win a race and wonder what could have been if he would have pitted with the rest of the field instead of staying out on old tires last week at Phoenix. A tough call by his crew-chief that didn’t work out very well for him. It’s hard to race thirty-five races and come so close to having a chance to win a championship and then get knocked out this way. It is a long way back over the first thirty-five races next season.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is still looking for his first win at this track, but he finished third in the last two races he has run here. I think he races hard once again this weekend and will not give in to anyone other than Joey Logano if it gets to that point late in the race. I look for him to have another top ten run here.

Chase Elliott: This will be Chase’s first race at this track, but with the way he has run on the intermediate tracks all season I think he will have a chance to win his first Cup race this weekend. What better way to end your rookie season than by winning your first race and being able to really look forward to capitalizing on everything you learned this season when the new season rolls around early next year.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you loyal readers for visiting our site every week. I hope that I gave you a little insight in to how I see the races play out during the year and helped you with your fantasy leagues and you had an enjoyable year. I got a lot more questions from you this year than in years past and tried to answer them all to the best of my ability. I know I didn’t get to answer all of the questions before some of the races started and for this I apologize. I hope you all come back once again next year and let me help you out once again! See you in February!

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Jimmie Johnson

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Carl Edwards
• Martin Truex Jr.
• Kasey Kahne
• Austin Dillon

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Kyle Busch
5. Joey Logano

Dark Horse: Chase Elliott

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Jamie McMurray

It seems like the season just started and here we are with only two more races left. Carl Edwards came away with the win on Sunday night in a rain delayed race at Texas and he is now qualified for the championship race with Jimmie Johnson. That leaves two spots up for grabs between the other six drivers left in the Chase. Right now, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch are tied for those last two spots with Matt Kenseth only one point back and Denny Hamlin only two points back. Then we have Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch who both almost have to win this week’s race to make the championship.

CAN-AM 500

This week the series heads back to the Phoenix International Raceway for the running of the Can-Am 500. Phoenix is a slightly longer than one-mile fairly flat tri-oval track out in the Arizona desert. This is also one of the only races that the mileage in the name refers to kilometers and not miles, so the race will be scheduled to run 500km.

Kevin Harvick: You absolutely must have Harvick on your team this weekend. Kevin has won six of the last nine races held at this track since it was reconfigured back in 2011. He finished second in two of the other three races and thirteenth in the other. He knows something about getting around this track that none of the other drivers have figured out yet. Odds are he wins again and makes the championship race at Homestead.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten here in seven of his last ten starts. There is going to be a tremendous amount of pressure on these drivers this week because they all know how good Kevin can be here. That means if Kevin wins there is only one spot left that will be awarded on points, so every position will count. No one can afford to have a penalty or a poor pit stop here this weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey is still looking for his first win at this track, but he is right there with Kyle Busch in his stats here lately. He has finished in the top ten in five of his last six starts here and knows who he needs to pass to gain those points. That is one thing about this race the drivers will know. How many spots they need to pick up and who they can’t afford to let pass them.

Matt Kenseth: Matt isn’t as consistent at Phoenix as most of his competition is, but he has his calm demeanor going for him. I don’t know how long he will remain calm in this race though because he knows what it means to win a championship. I think he will stay calm for the first half of the race but then look out. Matt has two top ten finishes here in his last three starts but only three in his last ten.

Denny Hamlin: Denny needs to pick up two points and pass two or three drivers in the standings. He ha one win here and ten top five finishes in his twenty-two career starts. Remember, he made this round in a tiebreaker with Austin Dillon when they were tied in points after the last race of the second round. Can he do it again? Odds are he will finish well once again and very well could move on to the championship race.

Carl Edwards: Carl can relax a little bit this week now because of his win last week at Texas. However, Carl usually runs fairly well here and finished second to Kevin in the March race here this year. He lead sixty-five laps in that race and started on the front row. The question is, will he run for the win or try to help one of his three teammates make the championship. If I was him I wouldn’t want to race any of my teammates for the championship.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie could relax this weekend also, but we all know Jimmie never does that. He wants to win every race he enters and will try to do just that once again this weekend. He doesn’t have any teammates who are still qualified for the Chase so he can go out and just do his job. I think he would love to get the win and knock Kevin out of the championship so he doesn’t have to worry about him at Homestead.

Kurt Busch: Kurt won his only race here back in 2005. He has finished in the top ten in his last four starts and has qualified in the top ten in his last six races here. He now sits thirty-four points out of the championship which means he has to win this race to move on to Homestead. This team will take every chance they can to win this race, but I don’t think they can do it.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is still looking for his first win at this track and now that he has already been knocked out of the Chase he has nothing to shoot for but he win this weekend. He has run consistently well here over the past none race coming away with seven top ten finishes in them. If he can help out his teammate, Joey Logano, he will but at the same time he will do everything he can to take his car to victory lane.

Chase Elliott: Chase has only one race at this track and he came away with an eighth place finish in that start. His rookie season is quickly coming to a close and he is still looking for his first win. Even if he doesn’t pick it up in the next two races, he is going to win a whole bunch of races in his career and multiple championships. His potential is better than any driver who has come into the series since Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, and Kevin Harvick.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Joey Logano

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Carl Edwards
• Ryan Newman
• Jamie McMurray
• Martin Truex Jr.

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Joey Logano
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kyle Busch
5. Jimmie Johnson

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Tony Stewart

Big 18: Kevin Harvick

Jimmie Johnson punched his ticket to the championship race by virtue of his win at Martinsville last weekend. Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick had troubles and find themselves in a hole once again at the beginning of this round of the Chase. These drivers probably need to win one of the next two races if they want to move on to the championship race at Homestead.

AAA TEXAS 500

The series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the second race in this round of the Chase. This track is another of the mile-and-a-half tracks that make up the Chase. We will look at all of the drivers left in the Chase and decide which ones have a legitimate chance to win this race. We will also look at the drivers who have been eliminated or never made the Chase and see if any of these drivers can win this race.

Jimmie Johnson: I think Jimmie will win the race once again this weekend. Jimmie has won five of the last eight races he has started at this track and by winning more races he can eliminate some of the drivers who need a win to continue on and make sure he doesn’t have to race them at Homestead. We have seen this team win multiple races in a row in the past and they very well could do that again.

Kyle Busch: Kyle won the race here this spring and has finished in the top five in six of his last seven starts here including two wins. Kyle is the defending champion in this series and wants to win a race to guarantee himself a chance to defend his title when the series goes to Homestead in a few weeks. He also showed me his maturity in the past two years by racing smarter instead of harder and that can go a long way to winning a championship.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin almost needs to win one of the next two races to make it to the championship race once again. There is still a chance he can make it on points if someone ahead of him has some major problems on the track in the next two races and he is also the favorite at Phoenix next weekend. However, even though he hasn’t won a race at Texas yet, he has finished in the top three in three of his last four starts here.

Joey Logano: Joey currently sits in fifth place and is only four points out of the fourth position. He has run very well at Texas the past few years coming away with one win and five top five finishes in his last seven starts. This team always seems to have a good car and qualifies well every week and if they can keep up with the changing track conditions during the race they have a chance to win every race they start.

Carl Edwards: Carl is another driver who really needs to win one of the next two races if he wants to have a shot at winning the championship and with three wins at Texas in his career he has shown that he knows how to get the job done here. He has also finished in the top ten in his last four starts here. I think this team might take some chances this weekend if they need to because they really need to win this race.

Kurt Busch: Kurt is another driver that needs to win a race if he wants to make the championship race. He has one career win at Texas, but he has struggled a bit this year on this type of track. I don’t see this team flipping a switch and winning one of the next two races or making it into the championship race with a chance at the championship. They have some work to do.

Matt Kenseth: Matt always runs well at Texas and has two wins and thirteen top five finishes in twenty-seven starts. Any time a driver can finish in the top five in half of the races he starts at any track you have to consider having him on your team. I keep saying that Matt is great at staying calm during races and that is what could get him into the championship round.

Denny Hamlin: Denny won back to back races here back in 2010. Since that time he has only finished in the top ten twice in ten races. I think Denny just needs to come away with a top ten this week and I think he will be able to make it on points because he always runs well at Phoenix. He needs to look at the big picture this week and try not to put himself in a position where he finishes a lap down. He had another speeding penalty on pit road last week that he battled back from, but he can’t continue to do that.

Martin Truex Jr.: Even though he has been eliminated from the Chase, Martin came back and sat on the pole once again last weekend at Martinsville and we know how good he has been on the intermediate tracks this season. HE is still looking for his first win at this track, but he has finished in the top ten in his last three starts here and with the way he has run all year he might be able to pick up that first win this week.

Brad Keselowski: Another driver who was eliminated from contention, Brad is still looking for his first win at this track also. He has finished in the top ten here in six of his last eight starts and has the same speed as his teammate, Joey Logano, and could easily find himself winning another race this weekend and spoiling the party for another championship hopeful.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Carl Edwards
• Kasey Kahne
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Alex Bowman

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Martin Truex Jr.

Dark Horse: Chase Elliott

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Kasey Kahne

We are now down to the last four races of the season and eight drivers who have a chance to win the Sprint Cup Championship this year. Just to show how nerve wracking this can be for the drivers, Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon were tied in points at the end of the second round and Hamlin advanced on a tie breaker. At the same time, Martin Truex Jr. got knocked out because of a blown engine along with Brad Keselowski who had the dominant car in the race until he lost his engine and both were eliminated from the Chase.

GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500

The first race of the third round will be held at Martinsville Speedway. This is the shortest track on the Chase schedule and the shortest track on the entire Sprint Cup schedule. This .526 mile oval also is the only track with asphalt on the straightaways and concrete through the turns. The concrete can be tough on tires and because the track is very flat it can be tough on brakes. If your car isn’t handling well you will find yourself getting lapped in a hurry here.

Another big concern is qualifying for this race. You need to qualify well here or you will find yourself almost a half of a lap down at the start of the race. Add to that, drivers and teams get to pick their pit stalls based on where they qualify and that makes a huge difference at this small track. Pit road is tight and you want to be able to select a pit that has an opening in front of it so you can get your car out quickly once service is completed.

Jimmie Johnson: With eight wins here and this team running much better during the Chase, I am going to pick Jimmie to win here once again and be the first driver to be qualified for the Championship race. He also has eighteen top five and twenty-three top ten finishes in his twenty-nine starts at this track which tells you he knows how to get around this track and how to deal with traffic here.

Denny Hamlin: Not to be outdone by much, Denny has five wins, eleven top five, and sixteen top ten finishes here in twenty-one races himself. Once again this team had a speeding penalty on pit road last weekend that could have cost him a chance at winning the championship this year. A speeding penalty under green at Martinsville means almost certain doom for any team, so they are going to have to be clean in the pits this weekend.

Jeff Gordon: Jeff is back subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the last time this season. Jeff leads all drivers with nine wins at this track. He also has twenty-nine top five and thirty-seven top ten finishes in forty-six starts at Martinsville. Even though he hasn’t run the best while he was subbing for Dale this year, Jeff is way to good at this track to leave off of your team this weekend.

Joey Logano: Joey won the race last week at Talladega to take any chance that he might get knocked out on points out of the equation. He has finished in the top five in three of his last five starts at Martinsville and has a little momentum on his side. Another top five finish this week will go a long way towards getting him qualified for the Championship race at Homestead.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten here in four of his last six starts. This team looks like they are at the top of their game once again and seems to be getting better in the pits. Just before the Chase started their biggest concern was mistakes on pit road by the crew. If they have those things all straightened out they are going to be in contention for getting their title back.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is another driver that runs pretty well here on a consistent basis. He has finished in the top six in four of his last six starts here. He is one of the drivers who doesn’t need to win a race to advance most of the time because he is so calm during races and does what he needs to do to move on to the next round. I look for Matt to have another good run this weekend.

Kyle Busch: Kyle also has won a race at this track during his career and has ten top five finishes in only twenty-two starts. He has also led 374 laps here in his last four races which tells me he qualifies well and knows how to get to the front. He needs to be a bit patient here and not get on anyone’s bad side early in the race so they don’t give him payback towards the end when he is in contention to win the race.

Brad Keselowski: After being disappointed by getting knocked out of the Chase when he blew his engine at Talladega last week after being the dominant car in the race, Brad will look to win a few more races before the end of the season. He is still looking for his first win at this track where his best finish is second. He has finished in the top ten in seven of his thirteen starts here and should run well once again this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl is another driver looking for his first win at this track. However, Carl rarely has a car capable of winning at this track. With only one top five and six top ten finishes in his twenty-four starts, Carl needs to figure out how to run better here. He has led laps in only three of those twenty-four starts also. This is a race he needs to run well at or he will find himself in a hole as this round progresses.

Kurt Busch: Despite having won two races at this track, Kurt normally struggles here. He has only three top five and five top ten finishes in thirty-two starts here and that won’t win you a championship in the current format. He along with Carl need to figure something out in a hurry if they don’t want to find themselves in a hole points wise after the race at Martinsville.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Ryan Newman
• Jamie McMurray
• Tony Stewart
• A.J. Allmendinger

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Jeff Gordon
• Chase Elliott

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kyle Busch

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Denny Hamlin

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who once again won a race when he really needed to and qualified himself for the third round of the Chase. Chase Elliott finds himself in the unenviable position of virtually having to win the race this coming weekend to move on to the third round of the Chase as he currently sits in twelfth place so he needs to overtake four other drivers by enough places to move into the eighth position.

ALABAMA 500

This week the series heads to the Talladega Superspeedway for the second round elimination race. Talladega is a restrictor plate race which means that anything can happen this weekend. So, the only two drivers who are really safe this week are Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick who won the first two races of this round. All other drivers need to worry about getting caught up in the big one this weekend that can ruin their whole season.

Brad Keselowski: I am going to pick Brad to win this week’s race. He already has four wins here in only fifteen starts and has won two of the last four races here. He either needs to win this race or finish in the top five and hope it is enough to get him back into the top eight in points so he can move on. Brad seems to be a little like Harvick in the fact that when he needs to win a race he usually gets it done.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has led more laps in the last five races here than any other driver who is entered in this race. However, his finishes don’t reflect that in those five races. Then another thing is, this team has looked much better the past couple of weeks and they might be hitting their stride at the right time this year.
Kurt Busch: Kurt has always run well at this track even though he is still looking for his first win here. Kurt also needs to win this race or hope other drivers have some type of problem so he can move into the top eight in points and continue his quest for another championship.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is always calm and patient on the track and that can really pay off on a restrictor plate track. Matt seems to stay out of trouble early in these races by either running up front or falling into a pack behind the lead pack where you have time to slow down if a wreck occurs in front of you. I think Matt will stay out of trouble once again this week and move on to the third round.

Chase Elliott: Chase finished fifth in his only start at this track earlier this year. As I said before, I don’t think anything short of a win will be enough for him to move to the next round. However, this is a restrictor plate track and anything can happen. It is still very unlikely he will move on by points after this race.

Kevin Harvick: Look for Kevin to run at the back of the pack unless he qualifies up front and then make his move during the last twenty-thirty laps of this race. With nothing to lose, this team will do what they need to just to pick up another trophy and gear up for the third round of the Chase. You might not hear much about him early in the race, but you will hear his name late.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin needs to stay out of trouble in this race and then he should move on. After winning two races in the first round, Martin has struggled a little bit in the last two races. They need to get back on track and they are still a legitimate contender for this season’s championship.

Joey Logano: Joey currently sits in the final spot to make the third round. He and teammate, Brad Keselowski, work well together on the restrictor plate tracks. I think if he stays out of trouble early he will finish in the top ten this weekend and that should be enough for him to advance.
Kyle Busch: This is going to be the toughest race of the season for Kyle. He wants to race hard all the time and this week he needs to focus on the big picture. Stay out of trouble and just come away with a top ten finish and keep the chance to continue to defend his championship in the third round.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is always good on the restrictor plate tracks and he might need to win this race to move on to the next round. Remember, Denny won the Daytona 500 this year which just goes to show, he knows how to get the job done on this type of track. The Joe Gibbs teams have shown speed all season and that will come in big this weekend.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Brad Keselowski
• Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Austin Dillon
• Jamie McMurray
• Paul Menard
• Trevor Bayne

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Ryan Blaney
• Alex Bowman

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Joey Logano
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Kevin Harvick

Dark Horse: Austin Dillon

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

Big 18: Austin Dillon