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The key to success this weekend will be track position and keeping up with the track for 600 miles. The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the season and have a known history of favoring drivers who start up front. From an fantasy vantage point, Sunday night's race will be like trying to pinpoint where lightning will strike! The track will go through three stage: Daylight, dust and nighttime! Each transition will change the track and the front runners. Who can keep up with the changes best may end in victory lane!
A:
1. Kevin Harvick - When it all said and done, I believe Harvick will be one of the drivers contending for the race win. He rolls off from 8th starting position and looked pretty good in practice overall. He didn't look like an odd-on favorite, but mark my words he will finish least in the top 5! Its definitely helps that he have won this event 2 of the past 3 seasons. More importantly, he have an 1.8 average finish on this type track in 2015. Texas and Atlanta are the most similar tracks to Charlotte. He won at Atlanta and finished 2nd at Texas. Harvick is probably your safe pick.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Joey Logano - People tend to undervalue the importance of starting up front! I find it a special advantage to start up front with a driver like Logano. Especially since Penske doesn't have the power to outrun the Hendrick powered cars. His overall value may vary depending on type of scoring system. In formats such as Yahoo, he is probably the most valuable. Mainly due to how the scoring is setup. Not to mention, he was only selected by 23% compared to Johnson/Harvick 50%. Other formats that take position differential and count each laps as points (such as Fantasy Live and draftKing). He will likely be overvalued. He was pretty good in both practices. I see Logano finishing inside the top 5 when the checkers wave!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson have looked strong since unloading! Potential alone he belongs inside the top 5. I definitely like Johnson a lot as I think he will contend at some point in Sunday's race. However his track record at Charlotte is concerning. Over his past 10 races ( 5 seasons span) , he have finished 17th or worse in 50% of his starts. Also had 4 top 5s though. On flip side, he have been the best driver on the 1.5 mile tracks this season. Winning 3 times in 4 races! Probably should've won all four in my opinion. Based off practice, Johnson is locked for an top 5 finish at Charlotte.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth starts from the pole on Sunday! I believe he have a solid car this weekend, but I am not convinced he can stay with the Hendrick and Penske powered cars. He probably will mix it up with them, but in the end it probably won't matter. Kenseth may have the winning card though with the best pit stall. Remember the All-star race? Hamlin was the first one off pit road! JGR have been consistency the best on pit stops. Based off practice, I think Kenseth have Top 5-potential. His excellent starting position should give him the opportunity to lead the first lap. Definitely give him consideration in league which offer bonus points for leading laps. It could pay off, if he can get a good start. Clean air at Charlotte is an equalizer in my opinion! Least for a little while.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Brad Keselowski - I don't think Keselowski is good enough to win. But I expect him to hover around the top 5 for most of Sunday's race. In practice, he was pretty solid overall. Posted consistent lap times from what I saw on the speed charts. He never stood out from the pack, but I wasn't expecting him to either though..I have him across the line in the 5th position.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
Also consider - Dale Jr (6th) , Jeff Gordon (9th), Kyle Busch (11th), Denny Hamlin (12th) and Ryan Newman (13th)
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr is the top driver in this tier for several reasons! He start 10th and look to have an fast car this weekend. I don't think he will be as good as Kansas, but he will mix it up among the leaders all race long. Another attribute I like is his track record in 2015! 10 of 11 races have ended inside the top 10. Atlanta and Texas are the most similar tracks and he finished inside the top 10 in both races. I see him finishing around there once again. I have across the line in 6th!
My Overall Ranking: 7th
2. Kurt Busch - Busch will start from 15th and seems to be have a car capable of running up front with teammate Kevin Harvick. However he haven't been able to stay up front at end of races. He tend to fall off more often than not. Minus his win, Busch only have two other Top 5 finishes this season. Not for lack of speed or performance though. If nothing goes wrong, I expect Busch to finish near the top 5. Unfortunately I have feeling he may fade late in the race. I have Busch across the line inside the top 10!
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Carl Edwards - Edwards is a true headache for fantasy players! Honestly I feel like he have a better setup for qualifying than the race. I am sure he will race fine on Sunday, but it unlikely for him to stay inside the top 3 all race long. Some of his best performances this season have came on the 1.5 mile racetracks. He was decent in practice, but I thought he had about 10th place car. Maybe a little better at times. Unfortunately his inconsistency in 2015 hurt him in my overall rankings!
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Kasey Kahne - Kahne wil either be a super-value play or fool gold. That will depend how Kahne makes it through the field. Can he make it to the front without finding trouble? I think he can make up to the front without much trouble at all. However I would feel much about him with an decent starting position. In practice, I thought he was pretty strong overall! He should be able make his way through the field fairly quick and potentially contend for an top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
5. Kyle Larson - Larson starting to show that competitiveness from 2014. Saw glances of it at Bristol and Kansas, and showed flashes of it in practice this weekend too! Earlier in the season, we didn't really see it all that much. He will start from inside the top 10 and seems to have a car capable of running up front! I think him running the NXS race should've greatly benefit him. I say he definitely have top 10 potential, but it difficult to say with his inconsistency in 2015 though.
My Overall Ranking: 15th
Other Options - Greg Biffle (16th) , Paul Menard (18th) and Jamie Mac (19th)
C:
1. David Ragan - Ragan was pretty much the best driver in this tier all day in Saturday's practices! I thought he was better in the morning session, but still looked solid in the afternoon practice though. It helps that he starts inside the top 10 too. I don't think he will stay inside the top 10, but he have impressed me all weekend. Honestly I was caught off guars by him!
My Overall Ranking: 17th
2. Ryan Blaney - Blaney was pretty good in both sessions on Saturday! He will roll off from 16th and should probably contend for an top 20 at the 600. Realistically I think he will run outside the top 20 for most of the event and sneak in late. Just think he will get better as more laps get put down. His inexperience is what make me nervous. I have him across the line at 19th when the checkers wave on Sunday!
My Overall Ranking: 20th
3. Chase Elliott - Elliott wasn't really that impressive in either practices on Saturday, but I think he will be fine. Think back to his NXS career and his last cup race at Richmond! What does he do well? Consistency improve throughout the race. I am not too worried about him. I say he least score an Top 25 at Charlotte! He start from 28 and I have across the line at 22 when checkers waves.
My Overall Ranking: 22nd
4. Danica Patrick - Patrick haven't been nothing special this weekend, but she should be able to keep pace in this tier. Along as she stay on lead lap. I wouldn't expect nothing beyond an top 25 finish though. Maybe Top 20, but that may be pushing it though.
My Overall Ranking: 24th
Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
The key to success this weekend will be track position and keeping up with the track for 600 miles. The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the season and have a known history of favoring drivers who start up front. From an fantasy vantage point, Sunday night's race will be like trying to pinpoint where lightning will strike! The track will go through three stage: Daylight, dust and nighttime! Each transition will change the track and the front runners. Who can keep up with the changes best may end in victory lane!
A:
1. Kevin Harvick - When it all said and done, I believe Harvick will be one of the drivers contending for the race win. He rolls off from 8th starting position and looked pretty good in practice overall. He didn't look like an odd-on favorite, but mark my words he will finish least in the top 5! Its definitely helps that he have won this event 2 of the past 3 seasons. More importantly, he have an 1.8 average finish on this type track in 2015. Texas and Atlanta are the most similar tracks to Charlotte. He won at Atlanta and finished 2nd at Texas. Harvick is probably your safe pick.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Joey Logano - People tend to undervalue the importance of starting up front! I find it a special advantage to start up front with a driver like Logano. Especially since Penske doesn't have the power to outrun the Hendrick powered cars. His overall value may vary depending on type of scoring system. In formats such as Yahoo, he is probably the most valuable. Mainly due to how the scoring is setup. Not to mention, he was only selected by 23% compared to Johnson/Harvick 50%. Other formats that take position differential and count each laps as points (such as Fantasy Live and draftKing). He will likely be overvalued. He was pretty good in both practices. I see Logano finishing inside the top 5 when the checkers wave!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson have looked strong since unloading! Potential alone he belongs inside the top 5. I definitely like Johnson a lot as I think he will contend at some point in Sunday's race. However his track record at Charlotte is concerning. Over his past 10 races ( 5 seasons span) , he have finished 17th or worse in 50% of his starts. Also had 4 top 5s though. On flip side, he have been the best driver on the 1.5 mile tracks this season. Winning 3 times in 4 races! Probably should've won all four in my opinion. Based off practice, Johnson is locked for an top 5 finish at Charlotte.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth starts from the pole on Sunday! I believe he have a solid car this weekend, but I am not convinced he can stay with the Hendrick and Penske powered cars. He probably will mix it up with them, but in the end it probably won't matter. Kenseth may have the winning card though with the best pit stall. Remember the All-star race? Hamlin was the first one off pit road! JGR have been consistency the best on pit stops. Based off practice, I think Kenseth have Top 5-potential. His excellent starting position should give him the opportunity to lead the first lap. Definitely give him consideration in league which offer bonus points for leading laps. It could pay off, if he can get a good start. Clean air at Charlotte is an equalizer in my opinion! Least for a little while.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Brad Keselowski - I don't think Keselowski is good enough to win. But I expect him to hover around the top 5 for most of Sunday's race. In practice, he was pretty solid overall. Posted consistent lap times from what I saw on the speed charts. He never stood out from the pack, but I wasn't expecting him to either though..I have him across the line in the 5th position.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
Also consider - Dale Jr (6th) , Jeff Gordon (9th), Kyle Busch (11th), Denny Hamlin (12th) and Ryan Newman (13th)
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr is the top driver in this tier for several reasons! He start 10th and look to have an fast car this weekend. I don't think he will be as good as Kansas, but he will mix it up among the leaders all race long. Another attribute I like is his track record in 2015! 10 of 11 races have ended inside the top 10. Atlanta and Texas are the most similar tracks and he finished inside the top 10 in both races. I see him finishing around there once again. I have across the line in 6th!
My Overall Ranking: 7th
2. Kurt Busch - Busch will start from 15th and seems to be have a car capable of running up front with teammate Kevin Harvick. However he haven't been able to stay up front at end of races. He tend to fall off more often than not. Minus his win, Busch only have two other Top 5 finishes this season. Not for lack of speed or performance though. If nothing goes wrong, I expect Busch to finish near the top 5. Unfortunately I have feeling he may fade late in the race. I have Busch across the line inside the top 10!
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Carl Edwards - Edwards is a true headache for fantasy players! Honestly I feel like he have a better setup for qualifying than the race. I am sure he will race fine on Sunday, but it unlikely for him to stay inside the top 3 all race long. Some of his best performances this season have came on the 1.5 mile racetracks. He was decent in practice, but I thought he had about 10th place car. Maybe a little better at times. Unfortunately his inconsistency in 2015 hurt him in my overall rankings!
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Kasey Kahne - Kahne wil either be a super-value play or fool gold. That will depend how Kahne makes it through the field. Can he make it to the front without finding trouble? I think he can make up to the front without much trouble at all. However I would feel much about him with an decent starting position. In practice, I thought he was pretty strong overall! He should be able make his way through the field fairly quick and potentially contend for an top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
5. Kyle Larson - Larson starting to show that competitiveness from 2014. Saw glances of it at Bristol and Kansas, and showed flashes of it in practice this weekend too! Earlier in the season, we didn't really see it all that much. He will start from inside the top 10 and seems to have a car capable of running up front! I think him running the NXS race should've greatly benefit him. I say he definitely have top 10 potential, but it difficult to say with his inconsistency in 2015 though.
My Overall Ranking: 15th
Other Options - Greg Biffle (16th) , Paul Menard (18th) and Jamie Mac (19th)
C:
1. David Ragan - Ragan was pretty much the best driver in this tier all day in Saturday's practices! I thought he was better in the morning session, but still looked solid in the afternoon practice though. It helps that he starts inside the top 10 too. I don't think he will stay inside the top 10, but he have impressed me all weekend. Honestly I was caught off guars by him!
My Overall Ranking: 17th
2. Ryan Blaney - Blaney was pretty good in both sessions on Saturday! He will roll off from 16th and should probably contend for an top 20 at the 600. Realistically I think he will run outside the top 20 for most of the event and sneak in late. Just think he will get better as more laps get put down. His inexperience is what make me nervous. I have him across the line at 19th when the checkers wave on Sunday!
My Overall Ranking: 20th
3. Chase Elliott - Elliott wasn't really that impressive in either practices on Saturday, but I think he will be fine. Think back to his NXS career and his last cup race at Richmond! What does he do well? Consistency improve throughout the race. I am not too worried about him. I say he least score an Top 25 at Charlotte! He start from 28 and I have across the line at 22 when checkers waves.
My Overall Ranking: 22nd
4. Danica Patrick - Patrick haven't been nothing special this weekend, but she should be able to keep pace in this tier. Along as she stay on lead lap. I wouldn't expect nothing beyond an top 25 finish though. Maybe Top 20, but that may be pushing it though.
My Overall Ranking: 24th
Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
