Category: Fantasy NASCAR

Congratulation to Joey Logano, who picked up his first win of the season and is now qualified for the Chase. There are now eleven races left before the Chase begins and we have ten different drivers with wins who are virtually qualified for the Chase and six spots that can be filled by new winners.

SONOMA RACEWAY

After a much deserved week off, the series heads back out west to Sonoma Raceway for the running of the Toyota/SaveMart 350. This is the first of two road course races that appear on the schedule before the Chase and we very well could see our eleventh different driver in victory lane this season. This is a slightly longer than two-and-a-half-mile track that features twelve turns and one hundred sixty feet of elevation change in the Sonoma Mountains in Sonoma, CA.

Kurt Busch: Kurt is my pick to win this week’s race. He has one win, seven top five finishes, and has led more laps here than any other active driver. This team has the power it needs to get the job done on a road course and Kurt has the mentality it takes to be patient and use the bumper when he needs to, which is something you need to do to pick up positions.

Tony Stewart: Tony has won two races at this track and looked very good at Michigan a couple of weeks ago. That is so much better than he has run the past two seasons and this is the type of track he can use the momentum from Michigan on to get a win and be eligible to make the Chase if he can move into the top thirty in points which I think he can do. If it wasn’t for Kurt needing a win, he might let his boss take this one away from him but, Tony is going to have to fight for this win.

AJ Allmendinger: The two road course races are AJ’s best chance to make the Chase. He won the race at Watkins Glen two years ago to get qualified for the Chase that time and these are the races this team prepares for all year. AJ is probably the best road course driver in the series as far as true road course racers can be considered. It is nice to see a team like this make the Chase, but once the Chase starts there odds of moving on round by round diminish because they don’t have the resources to compete on every track every week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has one win and nine top ten finishes in his fourteen career starts. Jimmie has taken what he has learned from off-road racing and what he has learned from Jeff Gordon in the past all the way to being one of the better road course racers in the series. Jimmie really likes to run these races because it reminds him of his early career to a certain extent. Look for this team to be solid once again this weekend.

Clint Bowyer: Clint has really struggled for most of the year and that isn’t because of his driving ability. This is one of those weekend’s where Clint is going to be someone to take a chance on because speed isn’t a factor in this race as much as handling and hitting your marks is. Clint has one win, six top five, and eight top ten finishes in only ten starts here. Those are impressive numbers that tell me he knows how to run these races. Take a chance on him this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl won this race two years ago and has been having a very good season so far with two wins which has guaranteed him a spot in the Chase. Any more wins gives him some bonus points once the Chase starts and another trophy for his collection. Still, Carl likes to run the road course races and he also loves to compete with the best in the sport. Look for Carl to push it to the limit this week and maybe take a few chances to try and pick up his third win of the season.

Kyle Busch: Kyle is tied with Tony Stewart with the most wins, with two, of all active drivers at Sonoma. I don’t know what to think of Kyle’s chances this week after having problems in every race over the past month. Is he going to come into the weekend thinking that something is going to break on his car again or is he happy that he has three wins on the season and this is a good time for bad luck? I can see this going either way but, the frustration has to be building.

Ryan Newman: Ryan always runs well at the road courses but, he is still looking for his first win at Sonoma. This team would love to get a win and break a long winless streak and make their way into the Chase with a win instead of fighting to get in on points. I think they will have another great road course run this weekend and could surprise folks by taking the checkered flag.

Greg Biffle: Greg has struggled the past two seasons because the Roush teams just haven’t been able to get the speed and aerodynamics of their cars figured out. They have been getting a little better though lately and he is another driver who knows how to run on this course. He is another driver who could surprise here and can be used in most leagues as an inexpensive driver or a surprise driver others in your league might not have on their roster.

Brad Keselowski: Brad doesn’t have the finishes here that he could have. He always seems to have a great handling car but, he doesn’t seem to have the patience when it comes to passing people. The result is he is either causing a wreck or is getting wrecked by someone he has had a run in with earlier in these races. If he can stay a little patient early in the race he could have a shot at the end when there are no drivers on the track who are looking to get a little payback from an early incident in the race.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie is another driver whose results here don’t mirror his race. He usually is very good early in the race but, something breaks on his car, he has a poor pit stop, or he gets caught up in some type of accident on the track. He knows how to get around these tracks fast enough and just needs to have all of his luck to be good to get the finish he deserves.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR SONOMA RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kurt Busch
• Jimmie Johnson

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Tony Stewart
• Ryan Newman
• Clint Bowyer
• Greg Biffle

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chris Buescher
• Chase Elliott

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT SONOMA RACEWAY

1. Kurt Busch
2. Tony Stewart
3. Carl Edwards
4. AJ Allmendinger
5. Jimmie Johnson

Dark Horse: Clint Bowyer

Stay Away From: Matt Kenseth

Big 18: Ryan Newman

Congratulations to Kurt Busch who played the fuel game and won the rain delayed race at Pocono this past Monday. He beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. by just over a second on the 2.5-mile triangular shaped speedway to pick up his first win of the season and qualify himself for the Chase. We now have nine drivers who have wins on the seasons and there are twelve more races before the Chase begins to settle the final seven spots.

FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

This week the series heads to the Michigan International Speedway for the running of the FireKeepers Casino 400. Michigan is a two-mile moderately banked D-shaped oval that is very similar to California Speedway. This race will go to the driver who can carry their speed out of the corners and pick up even more as they head down the long straightaways. This race is often won by fuel mileage just like the race last weekend, so don’t be sure the best car and driver are going to win this weekend.
Matt Kenseth: I am picking Matt to win his second race of the season this weekend in Michigan. Matt has three career wins at this track with the last of those wins coming last fall. He has also finished in the top five fourteen times, and the top ten twenty times in his thirty-three starts here. The way the JGR cars have been running this season, I think Matt will be the class of the field by the end of the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: After almost winning the race at Pocono last week, this team is feeling better about how they are running on the track now. Michigan is another of those tracks where Dale will run the high line and carry his speed out of the corners like I said you need to do to win here and he is one of the best at doing that. This is one of those tracks where if this team stays out of trouble in the pits and on the track early in the race they will have a good shot at picking up their first win of the season.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has also won three races at this track and carries the momentum from last Monday’s win into this weekend. However, Kurt is a feast or famine driver at this track and has only two top ten finishes in his last eleven starts which includes one of his wins. I think there are better tracks to use Kurt at than Michigan and he will win more races before the end of the season.
Carl Edwards: Carl has two win, nine top five, and sixteen top ten finishes in only twenty-three starts here. This team has two wins on the season and might be one of the teams to take a chance on fuel to win their third race of the season. If they have a fast car that can compete for the win they will play it safe, but if they have a car that they don’t think is good enough to win straight up they will take some chances with their decisions.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie won his first race here in June of 2014. He has lead more laps at this track than any other active driver, yet he hasn’t come away with the finishes one would think they should have. With only five top five finishes and eleven top ten finishes in twenty-eight starts there are much better tracks to take your chance with Jimmie on. I will hold off on using his starts until he goes somewhere he drives consistently better.

Joey Logano: Joey won his first and only race at this track in August of 2013. He has nine top ten finishes in fourteen career starts at this track and this team always seems to run well on this type of track. I think this team will be fast during qualifying and will be a contender all day long with a chance to pull out a win at the end of the race and get themselves qualified for the Chase.

Martin Truex Jr.: This is the type of track where Martin really excels and he could come away with his second win of the season after the way he dominated the race at Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. Michigan is known for its long green-flag runs and if you have a dominant car you can put three-quarters of the field a lap down and reduce your competition. It makes for a boring race, but that is what all drivers are trying to do.

Brad Keselowski: Brad is still looking for his first win at this track, but the Penske drivers are second only to the Joe Gibbs drivers in having consistently fast, great handling cars on a consistent basis this year. Brad has three top five and six top ten finishes in his thirteen starts at this track and he has finished in the top fifteen in his last nine starts at Michigan.

Kevin Harvick: Let’s not forget about Kevin. The way Kevin has run at this track the past three seasons he is going to be the driver that will give Matt the most competition for this week’s win. Kevin has finished second five times in the last six races he has run here. While he only led laps in two of those races, this team knows how to get the most out of their car and knows when its time to go at the end of a race.

Greg Biffle: Greg leads all active drivers with four wins at this track with the last two not coming that long ago with one win in 2012 and one in 2013. If the Roush/Fenway drivers are getting better we will be able to tell this weekend by the way Greg practices and qualifies even before the green flag waves. If he has any type of speed at all I look for him to run in the top ten most of the day. If they still can’t find any speed, they are in for another long remainder of the season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Matt Kenseth
• Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Carl Edwards
• Kasey Kahne
• Paul Menard
• Greg Biffle

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

1. Matt Kenseth
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Joey Logano
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
5. Carl Edwards

Dark Horse: Paul Menard

Stay Away From: Jamie McMurray

Big 18: Matt Kenseth

Martin Truex Jr. became the eighth driver to qualify for the Chase on Sunday night when he won the Coca-Cola 600 in dominating fashion leading 392 of the 400 laps run. He was only passed once for the lead during a green flag run and quickly retook the lead. All in all a pretty boring race in my opinion, but congratulations to Martin and his team for making all of the right calls throughout the race. That is exactly how they are supposed to do it.

AXALTA WE PAINT WINNERS 400

This week the series heads to Pocono Raceway in the Pennsylvania mountains. Pocono Raceway is also known as “The Tricky Triangle” and is a two-and-a-half-mile track in the shape of a triangle with three different corners. Each of the corners has a different degree of banking and are configured with different entrances and exits which makes it difficult to get a car set up to run well through all three turns. The crew-chiefs will have their work cut out for them this week along with the drivers who have to try to relay pertinent information back to those crew-chiefs. Needless to say there will be quite a few frustrated drivers this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale is my pick to win this week’s race and become the ninth driver qualified for the Chase by virtue of winning a race. He won both races here in the 2014 season and has finished in the top ten in eight of his last ten starts here. This team is due to break into the win column and get back on track after a stretch where they have been struggling in almost every race they run.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has three wins at this track, eleven top five finishes, and nineteen to tens in his twenty-eight starts here. It seems that drivers who spent time driving off-road courses during their careers do better than those who didn’t when racing at Pocono. I think that is because you almost need to have your car on the brink of sliding to get through all three turns with speed.

Denny Hamlin: Denny leads all active drivers with four wins at Pocono. Although he hasn’t visited victory lane here since the 2010 season, Denny still has nine top five and thirteen top ten finishes in his twenty starts at this track. This team doesn’t seem to be at the top of their game on a consistent basis, but I think this is one of the tracks they all look forward to coming to and I think Denny will run well this weekend.

Tony Stewart: If Tony is going to run well this season and win a race and make it into the Chase he is going to have to run well this weekend. This is one of the tracks that Tony has consistently run well on during his career with two wins, twelve top five, and twenty-three top ten finishes in thirty-four starts here. Tony is another of those dirt track drivers who knows how to get the job done at Pocono and he could be a surprise winner this weekend.

Kurt Busch: Kurt has two wins, twelve top five, and sixteen top ten finishes in his twenty-nine starts at Pocono. This team is looking for their first win of the season and are coming up on a stretch of tracks where they run consistently well. I look for Kurt to have another good run this weekend and think he will win a race over the next six weeks.

Carl Edwards: Carl also has two win at this track and is another driver who spent time racing on dirt tracks. Although he only has one top ten finish in his last six starts here and hasn’t won a race here since the 2008 season, this team has run consistently better all year so far and I think that will carry over into this weekend’s race. Look for Carl to come away with another top ten finish.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has one win, nine top five, and fourteen top ten finishes in his twenty-eight career starts at Pocono. This team has once again quietly run well this season and sooner or later they are going to surprise people by visiting victory lane again. Last year he finished both races not on the lead lap, but prior to last season he has five straight top ten finishes here.

Kyle Larson: Kyle has been running very well lately, and though he has only run four races at Pocono his worst finish is twelfth. His best finish is a fifth place finish which he picked up in his first race here and then he sat on the pole for his second start here. Kyle is another driver who has experience on dirt tracks and like I said before, that equates to running well at Pocono.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is still looking for his first career win at Pocono and he is getting closer to that goal. he finished second in back to back races here in the fall of 2014 and the spring of 2015 season. This team can never be counted out of any race and they are capable of winning on any type of track. Look for Kevin to qualify well and run in the top ten most of the day and have a chance to win the race at the end.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin won last weekend at Charlotte and he won this race at Pocono last season. This team will certainly not be lacking for confidence as they head into Pocono this weekend. With the dominating performance they put on last weekend and the way the Chase format is set up with more of the same type of track on the schedule, this team will be legitimate contenders once the Chase starts.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR POCONO RACEWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Denny Hamlin

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Carl Edwards
• Tony Stewart
• Ryan Newman
• Kyle Larson

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Ryan Blaney
• Chase Elliott

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT POCONO RACEWAY

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Kurt Busch
5. Carl Edwards

Dark Horse: Tony Stewart

Stay Away From: Paul Menard

Big 18: Kyle Larson

One-third of the way through the season and the All-Star race in the books. The longest race of the year comes up this Memorial Day weekend. Seven drivers qualified for the Chase. Nine spots still open. Fourteen races left until the start. There are some drivers who are going to start getting nervous if they don’t pick up their first win of the season soon.

COCA-COLA 600

Charlotte Motor Speedway is another of the mile-and-a-half tracks on the circuit and this is a tough race to call for the crew-chiefs. The race starts in the afternoon and ends up at night under the lights. Cars that are fast early might not be there at the end of the race if they don’t keep up with the changes to the cars as the track changes. A 600-mile race is a long race, so if your drivers aren’t running well early, don’t worry about it. Their is a lot of chances to adjust the cars to get them to be at their fastest when the race comes down to the end.

Brad Keselowski: I am going to pick Brad to win the race this weekend. He finished second in the All-Star race last weekend and was fast in all of the practice sessions. I also like the way he and Paul Wolfe work together and make the right changes as races progress and I think he will be the driver to finish the race with the checkered flag waving. He has won one race here before in the fall and now he will win his first spring race at this track.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is a driver who can dominate every week and never gets down if his car isn’t fast at the beginning of a race. He knows that there will be plenty of time to get his car handling the way he wants it to late in the race so he can make a push for the win. He has two wins and two runner-up finishes in his last six starts here and he will be competitive at the end of this week’s race too.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie leads all active drivers with seven wins at Charlotte. He has also finished in the top five in thirteen of his twenty-nine starts here and those are very impressive numbers. He really had a tough time last year at this track where he finished 39th and 40th in the two races run here. I think this team has a good handle on the mile-and-a-half tracks right now and they could come away with another victory here.

Joey Logano: Joey won his first All-Star race last weekend and that will give this team a lot of confidence this weekend heading into the race. The only thing I am a little skeptical about is if this team can keep up with the correct adjustments to the car as the track changes throughout the race. They seem to lose the handling of their car more often than not and with a race of this length it is imperative that this not happen if you want to win.

Carl Edwards: Carl won this race last season and always seems to run well at this track. He has finished in the top ten in fifteen of his twenty-two starts and with two wins under their belt already this year they will be able to take a few chances late in the race to try and steal another victory if they have to. Remember, once a driver wins a race they are virtually qualified for the Chase and every additional win give them bonus points once the Chase starts.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has won two races at this track and has finished in the top ten in seventeen of his thirty-three starts. He always seems to run well at the intermediate tracks and with a win under his belt he is another driver that can take a chance at the end of the race to try to pick up another win if he isn’t running so well. By taking a chance I mean they might try to stretch fuel mileage of go with no tires or two tires or stay out all together late in the race to get the track position they need.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey has four wins and three runner-up finishes at this track in his twenty-four starts. This is a team that is still looking to pick up their first win of the season and get qualified for the Chase. Watch for Kasey to run the high line for a large part of the race along with a few other driver I will talk about next. Anyway, seven top two finishes in twenty-four starts is very good.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale finished third in the All-Star race last weekend and he is another driver who likes to run the high line once that groove gets wore in. He also said that his team needs to step up for the rest of the season including himself to get where they need to be if they want to have a shot at winning a championship. I think that what he did is going to help his whole team out and they are going to start running better.

Kyle Larson: Kyle was running the high line in the All-Star race last weekend and almost used it to win that race. He won one of the segments to get into the final race and he will be one of the first drivers to go high this coming week. He just needs to be careful early in this long race, because if you get into the wall really early, it is going to be a long night. I think he is going to come away with a top ten finish this week.

Chase Elliott: Chase has run very well on every track he has been on in his rookie season. This team has the equipment to run 600-miles without having to worry about anything breaking and the crew are all seasoned veterans. They just need to keep reminding Chase that it is a long race and not to take too many chances early on. Just stay out of trouble, keep adjusting the car and really go for the win over the last 100-150-miles of this race. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him get his first Sprint Cup win this weekend.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Brad Keselowski
• Kevin Harvick

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Carl Edwards
• Kasey Kahne
• Kyle Larson
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Brad Keselowski
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Carl Edwards
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Chase Elliott

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Trevor Bayne

Big 18: Kasey Kahne

There seems to be a little misunderstanding about my Stay Away From driver I list every week at the end of my article. When I started writing most of the readers wanted to get advice about the Yahoo fantasy racing league and that is pretty much what my article is geared towards. I think there is still something to be taken from my articles for most other leagues. That being said, my Stay Away From driver is a driver that I feel doesn’t give you the potential for the reward compared to the risk of using him. I have said stay away from a driver who has won races before. What I am saying is I think there are better options to choose from that week as for risk to reward. Otherwise I would just say stay away from a driver who always winds up a bunch of laps down and I think all of you already know who those drivers are. Sorry about the confusion.

AAA 400 DRIVE FOR AUTISM

This week the series heads to Dover International Speedway for the running of the AAA 400 Drive for Autism. This race marks the one-third point of the season. It seems like just yesterday they were running the Daytona 500. Dover International Speedway, otherwise known as the ‘Monster Mile’, is a one-mile high-banked oval track that usually has some very exciting racing. I like to think of it as a bigger Bristol where there are more opportunities to pass without having to move someone out of your way. This is one of my favorite tracks on the whole circuit.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie is a must have on every roster this week. He has ten wins, fifteen top fives, and twenty top tens in twenty-eight starts at Dover. He has also led 2,999 laps here which is almost three times more than any other driver. When you win better than once every three times you go to a track you are a no brainer to be on everyone’s roster. Even with the way the Gibbs teams have been running, it is going to be tough to beat Jimmie this weekend.

Kyle Busch: Kyle has won two races at Dover and finished second three times here. Kyle is also the hottest driver in the series having just picked up his third win of the season last weekend at Kansas. I think Kyle is going to give Jimmie all he can handle this weekend, but I think he comes up a little short. He also seems to lead laps every time he comes to this track. He is third among active drivers with 1,037 laps led at this track.

Tony Stewart: Tony looked pretty good last weekend at Kansas. Better than he has looked the past two seasons I would say. This could be one of those tracks where he can pick up a win which will put him into position to move into the top thirty in points and qualify for the Chase. Tony has three wins and eleven top five finishes in his thirty-three starts at this track and he is a great driver to take a chance on this weekend.

Matt Kenseth: Matt is looking for his first win of the season and hoping to get away from the bad luck that has been following him all season. Matt came away with his first top five finish of the season last weekend at Kansas where he was in contention until fading after the final restart of the race. With two wins at Dover and fifteen top five finishes in thirty-four starts, Matt is another driver who is so consistent here it is hard to leave him off your roster.

Carl Edwards: Another of the Joe Gibbs drivers who runs well here on a consistent basis. Carl has one win, eight top five, and twelve top ten finishes in only twenty-three starts here. Carl fought back from two laps down last weekend to salvage an eleventh place finish at Kansas which is impressive seeing they are already qualified for the Chase and their finish didn’t really mean that much to them, but it shows me they are committed to improving their position no matter what during a race.

Kevin Harvick: Once again Kevin came away with a second place finish last weekend at Kansas. He has one win and fourteen top ten finishes in his thirty career starts at Dover. This team could win just about every week, so the question is which races do we use him for. I think there are much better options as we look at risk versus reward this weekend.

Ryan Newman: Ryan had another good run at Kansas where he came away with a seventh place finish last weekend and he has run consistently well at Dover during his career. He has three wins and thirteen top ten finishes in his twenty-eight starts here although he only has two top ten finishes in his last ten starts here. I think this team could surprise this week once again and get back to running well at Dover.

Joey Logano: Joey is looking for his first win of the season and his first win at Dover. He has really run well here over the past four seasons coming away with seven top ten finishes in the eight races he has run here. The race where he didn’t finish in the top ten in the past four seasons he finished eleventh, so he has probably been the most consistent driver in terms of top ten finishes in that time frame.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin has one win and nine top ten finishes in his twenty career starts here. I think Martin is better suited to the intermediate tracks even with him finishing in the top ten in almost half of his starts here. Once again, the risk to reward ratio tells me that there are better options to use this weekend. I think this team is going to win a race on an intermediate track and qualify for the Chase that way.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale also has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten in twelve of his thirty-two starts at Dover. Once again, the risk to reward ratio isn’t there in my opinion and there are better races to use Dale at. For example, Pocono is coming up soon and this is a track where Dale has excelled at in recent races run there. Doing well in your individual leagues has a lot to do with strategy, so follow the statistics not your heart.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Kyle Busch

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Ryan Newman
• Tony Stewart
• Carl Edwards
• Kyle Larson

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Matt DiBenedetto

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Joey Logano
5. Carl Edwards

Dark Horse: Tony Stewart

Stay Away From: Austin Dillon

Big 18: Jimmie Johnson