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I am not gonna get into deep details on Phoenix Raceway layout. The big thing you need to know is track position is huge here. Realistically anyone can win in a 3 lap shootout. But let me be clear , the cars with great long run speed will be up front when it all said and done. Interesting fact about drivers starting inside the top 10. Since the repave over 60% of the drivers started 10th or better finished there. Yet no driver have won from inside top 8.
Below I gave my thoughts of each driver in Saturday practice sessions. Since Yahoo Fantasy Racing is the most popular game , I broke it down into tiers. Enjoy and good luck.
A:
1. Kevin Harvick - Harvick was by far the man to beat and it wasn't even close. Harvick was stupid fast in the morning session. Still stupid fast in the final session. He topped the best 10 lap average charts in both sessions. The 4 car was very strong on the long run.
My overall Ranking: 1st
2. Jeff Gordon- Gordon wasn't bad overall. Just not in Harvick zip code. I thought he was very good on the long run. Gordon will be one of the guys to beat on Sunday. He was least a top 5 guy overall Saturday. Don't overlook the 24 car.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
3. Matt Kenseth -Kenseth been overlooked for awhile now and this may be the perfect time pounce on the opportunity. The 20 was strong in both sessions on Saturday. More importantly showed legitimate long run speed on the long runs. Was ranked near the top of Best 10 and 15 lap average charts. Have a good starting position. I am higher on him then most
My Overall Ranking: 5th
4. Dale Jr - Dale didn't stand out on Saturday , but I thought overall he was very good. The 88 crew improved the car all day long and had Dale Jr running competitive lap times in the top 5 at end of final practice. Dale was good on the long run as well.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
5. Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie wasn't terrible , but he doesn't need to be perfect to be a legit threat. Honestly I thought the 48 lacked too much speed to contend for a win. But I do believe he is in storage for least another top 10 on Sunday.
My Overall Ranking: 7th
B:
1. Brad Keselowski- Keselowski was strong in both practices on Saturday. Posting quick lap times throughout a run. I didn't think Brad was quite as good in final practice as the morning session. But he have a fast car with solid starting spot. Two things I like.
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
2. Joey Logano- Logano wasn't exactly stellar on Saturday. But he got faster as the day went on. At end of final practice , I thought Logano had a top 5 car for Sunday race. He got a solid chance to punch his ticket on points alone. I don't think he's a winning driver this weekend , but somewhere from 3rd to 6th is likely.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
3. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin starts on the pole for Sunday race , but don't think he have a top 5 car though. Honestly probably a top 10 car more likely. He showed flashes of speed all weekend. Just not consistent enough to be ranked above the Penske duo. Nice medium to long run speed in final practice.
Overall Ranking: 8th
4. Jamie Mac- I liked JMac in final practice. I thought he had about a 10th -15th place car. Trust me he was much better then his 19th starting position. Jamie seems to be happy with his car overall. As did teammate Kyle Larson. JMac may be a bit risky , but I think it worth it.
My Overall Ranking: 11th
5. Ryan Newman- Newman was terrible in the morning session. I was very unimpressed. As the day went on , the 31 car was improved significantly. At end of final practice , Newman had a top 15 car. Realistically I think he an top 15 guy with top 10 upside. Did not pay much attention to the 31 long runs ,but Newman was solid on the 10 lap average chart.
My Overall Ranking: 12th
6. Paul Menard- This is the best Menard looked all season at a flat track. He ran very fast laps in both sessions. Well inside the top 15 , but Menard is a pretty tricky driver to figure out. Not the first time Paul looked good in practice. Usually it has ended badly on raceday unfortunately. I am optimism about an top 15 though.
My overall Ranking: 14th
7. Carl Edwards- Edwards was probably the worst of the chasers at end of final practice. The 99 was decent for a few laps and then that pretty much it. Edwards strength haven't been long runs this season. It may be a problem come Sunday. Especially since track position is so big here. Of course that's pure speculation! Edwards didn't do any long runs in practice. Really hit or miss.
My overall Ranking: 15th
C:
1. Kyle Larson- Larson actually surprised me. I didn't expect him to be this good at Phoenix. But I guess nothing should surprise me about Kyle Larson. He looked great on Friday. Even better on Saturday. I actually considered ranking him even higher , but wanted to give him a higher ceiling. Larson an top 10 option with top 5 upside.
My Overall Ranking: 9th
2. Austin Dillon- Dillon is always the forgotten rookie during practice. He goes out and mind his own business. And does the same thing on raceday. I like him for least an top 20. On Saturday he was close to that.
My Overall Ranking: 18th
3. Justin Alliager- JA wasn't bad I guess. Definitely not in Larson/Dillon range , but Justin is having a nice season. I raved about this guy back in the offseason. Look like he finally making me look good. Justin have an top 25 car this weekend.
My Overall Ranking: 25th
4. Danica Patrick- Patrick to me isn't a good fantasy pick. She got the bad end of the CC swap with Kurt Busch. Patrick is an average driver with an average CC. Usually you get average results. So an top 25 isn't out of the question. Anything more is questionable. Danica have struggled since unloading. Not a lot of upside honestly.
My Overall Ranking: 26th
Well that's it for my Phoenix coverage. Check back next week for the final Timerssports Preview and of course Update.
Twitter - @JeffNathans
