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New Hampshire is a 1-mile flat racetrack that is difficult to consistency finish well at. There a big difference between running well and finishing well here. Many of you will learn that the hard way. Big reason is track position. This will be the key to success on Sunday. Passing can be done here, but don't expect to pass ten or twelve cars on a green flag run. Which also means restarts will be critical! I remember few years ago Clint Bowyer had a car capable of dominating in practice, but couldn't overcome a poor qualifying run. Guess my point being don't undervalue the advantage of starting up front/track position when setting your lineups.
Let get started!
A:
1. Kevin Harvick - Harvick started off practice on Saturday with using older tires (ones he used in qualifying). He was actually pretty solid considering. But once he put new tires on, he rocketed to the top of the board. Mark my words he have one of the best cars this weekend. Especially on the long runs. Nobody in my opinion was better in that category on Saturday than Harvick. He's the man to beat in my eyes.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson probably could have been ranked 2nd or 3rd. I decided to go with the higher power. There several valid reasons for this. He was very fast in both practices on Saturday and consistency been one of the drivers to beat with this race package. Plus New Hampshire been a great track for him. Johnson almost a lock for a top 10 on his track record alone. So he should be easily a top 5 fantasy option. I have him across 2nd in my overall rankings!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Kyle Busch - Busch been hot lately and he not cooling down either. He looked like the best car out of the JGR stable which is staying something since they all look really fast. Its help that he's starting from 4th which should make his afternoon that much easier. Busch also have finished 2nd in the past two July races. In fact he have three 2nd place finishes in his past 4 starts. There risk with Busch since he trying to close the gap in points, but I really like his potential and upside.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4. Joey Logano - Logano will start from 2nd and should be able to have a opportunity to finish inside the top 5. Logano have a habbit of taking strong starting positions and turning them into solid results. He have finished 3 of his past 4 races inside the top 5 which is a series-high since Pocono race. I don't think he has a winning car, but he should still make for a solid fantasy option. A big advantage for Logano should be his pit stall. Something that isn't always considered. This is a short race, so having a great pit stall could be worth 2-3 positions on a late caution.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Denny Hamlin - I considered Brad Keselowski for the 5th slot, but decided to go with Hamlin. Hamlin is my sleeper in this grouping tier. He will roll off from 5th and have a pretty fast Toyota for Sunday's race. He was once the man here and showed flashes of his old self in 2014 at this 1-mile racetrack. The one thing I like about Hamlin is he is have plenty of momentum and seems to be hitting his stride at the moment.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
Other Options - Keselowski (7th), Kenseth (8th), Dale Jr (10th), Gordon (11th) and Newman (15th)
B:
1. Kurt Busch - Busch will roll off from 6th starting position and looked pretty good in both practices on Saturday. I say he have about top 10 speed, but it probably closer to the top 5 though. I think this is one of the better places to unload him. Especially with the new packages coming up at Michigan, Indy and Darlington. There so much uncertainty.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
2. Carl Edwards - Edwards starts from the pole, but I doubt he can stay up front even though he looked strong in practice. I have a feeling he will eventually fade in 2nd half of the race. However I do think he has potential to finish inside the top 5 if everything goes his way. Honestly his performance this season is what scares me. Otherwise I like him a whole bunch. So 9th seems like a fair ranking. It's not too high and allows room for error, if needed that is.
My Overall Ranking: 9th
3. Kasey Kahne - Kahne will roll off from inside the top 10, but honestly I wasn't overly impressed by Kahne in either practices. He had decent speed with top 10 potential or close to it. He is a driver who consistency get better as the weekend goes on. I have him across the line in 12th in my overall rankings.
My Overall Ranking: 12th
4. Martin Truex Jr - Truex starts from outside the top 15, but he should be able to move forward though. Honestly I am not sure how good he is overall. As Truex been a tough driver to get read on this season. He been fast all season, but that speed haven't always been there in practice. Ultimately that was why I have him lower than I would I like.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Kyle Larson - Larson will start from around 17th, but he seems to have top 10 speed and potential. However I wouldn't bank on him finishing there. As Larson have proven this season, he cannot be trusted. Fortunately this was a very good track for him in his rookie season, so there isn't any reason to believe he won't run well. It really a matter of trust and judgment. I have him across 14th in my overall rankings.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
Other Options - Bowyer (16th), JMac (17th), Dillon (19th), and Menard (20th)
C:
1. David Ragan - Ragan is easily the top driver in this tier. Honestly it hard to overlook his 3rd place starting position. He wasn't the fastest guy, but he showed enough speed to convince me he have top 15 potential. However that is given he can keep that car out of trouble and maintain track position. I have him across the line in 18th in my overall rankings.
My Overall Ranking: 18th
2. Ryan Blaney - Blaney made a strong case for the top spot, but he been super inconsistent this season. So I will give him the 2nd spot. In practice he looked really fast and swept the top 10 on the speed charts. Remember the 21 car is a fully-powered Penske car entered by the Wood bros. So no surprise he fast every time he is on the track. I think he can run top 15, but hard saying way Blaney's season have gone.
My Overall Ranking: 21st
3. Danica Patrick - Patrick will roll from just inside the top 25 and honestly I don't think she will finish that far ahead of that range. At the moment, I think it very tough to trust Danica. Plus not like she blew the world away in practice. Most she ran lap times in the 20s and will likely finish there too.
My Overall Ranking: 24th
Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
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