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We are at Darlington this weekend! This is one of my favorite racetracks on the schedule, especially since it moved where it belongs in September instead of May! Nascar have decided to bring a new rules package here this weekend as well. Similar to the one we saw at Kentucky, but the big different will be that this package will work better at Darlington than it did at Kentucky. In years past I thought the racing was pretty boring overall. Not what it once was in my opinion, so hopefully this new package will bring more passing and more excitement.
A -
1. Kevin Harvick - Harvick was bad fast in both practices and probably is the best fantasy pick to choose heading into Sunday's race. He dominated this race last season and nobody could do anything with him until the late restarts. I don't think Harvick will dominate like that again , since I don't think SHR is trying their hardest at the moment. However I do believe that Harvick is the best choice to go with still. His consistency and upside alone makes him the top pick in my opinion.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Joey Logano - I think there are several drivers who could make a case for the No.2 spot based on practice and qualifying. So I decided to go with ''who's hot'' and that is obviously Joey Logano. He have won 2 of the past 3 races and should have probably won at Pocono with ease. I think it very hard to overlook Logano this week, but people find ways to do it. The fact is Logano is one of the safest picks this weekend based on his performance this season. His track record concerns me , but I wouldn't put too much stock into that since we only go to this track once per season!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Denny Hamlin - If Hamlin was more consistent with his finishes, then I would probably rank him over Logano and possibly Harvick too. Sadly he is a loose cannon in my eyes, but at Darlington he is one of the best in the series. In 9 career starts, he have finished inside the top 10 seven times. That stat alone should probably be enough to give him consideration. Digging deeper into his stats, Hamlin have been to victory lane once here and will probably contend for another win at this 1.33 mile racetrack. In practice he was very fast in both sessions and was probably the best JGR car in my opinion. Personally I don't think JGR have the edge over the competition like they once did.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4.Brad Keselowski - I like Keselowski starting from the pole, but I don't think he will stay there though. You can tell a lot about driver by looking at his results this season. The fact that Keselowski only have 5 top 5 finishes this season tells me, he is missing something that he had in 2014. Did he find it this weekend? I don't know, but I think Keslowski is definitely worth taking a risk on. Personally I think he will hung around the latter part of the top 5 most of the night or slip to just outside of that when the checkers waves. Expect a finish in the 4th-7th on Sunday night!
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Kyle Busch - I considered Jeff Gordon for this spot, but in the end I decided to go with Busch for two reasons: 1) Busch have proven to take advantage of opportunities more often than Gordon this season. 2) I still feel like JGR have the speed to run up front. Until someone proves otherwise on raceday. Busch had to go to a backup car in practice, but I am not too concerned considering he won't go to the back for it. Personally I would be higher on him if he had more time on the track in final practice, but overall I feel pretty good with Busch. Will he win on Sunday? I don't know, but he should be a solid fantasy pick though.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
Other Options - Jeff Gordon (7th), Matt Kenseth (9th), Jimmie Johnson (11th), Dale Jr (12th), and Ryan Newman (16th)
B -
1. Kurt Busch -I debated heavily either to rank Kurt lower or not, but I did like what I saw in practice on Friday. He wasn't super impressive or nothing, but was easily a top 10 car overall in both sessions. However with him starting 2nd, I eased my doubt that I had about him. My only concern is that Kurt have better track coming up and more importantly in the chase.It been awhile since we seen Kurt go out and dominate a race, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him lead some this weekend. Based on what I know, I think Kurt is a top 5 fantasy pick or close to it.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
2. Carl Edwards - Like I said earlier in this post, I feel like JGR still hold all the cards in their hands and will probably have the cars to beat. However I don't feel like they have a major advantage over the field like they once did. Edwards at times looked like the best driver among his teammates, but I am not real sure since I can never get a read on him. Like his teammates, he have a strong track record here that makes him a popular fantasy option. The only downside to picking Edwards is you won't be able to gain much ground in your league standings. Might be a good thing if something should go wrong though. I think Edwards have top 5 potential, but he will probably late in the race to the top 10 instead.
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Martin Truex Jr - Truex have found the speed, but he haven't found the consistency. Earlier this season, he had both. Kinda wondering if the 78 team is playing around at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if they were, but still the upside is too good to pass up in my opinion. If Truex had more consistency, then I would probably rank him higher, since he showed solid speed in both practices. However since he didn't, I am pretty much forced to rank him in the latter part of the top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson have not exactly been what everyone expected him to be, but personally I think media can be blamed (yes you can include me with that). The fact that everyone expected so much out of this kid, he felt like he had to try extra hard so he doesn't disappoint. Problem is he now trying too hard and that have led to poor finishes more often than not. He looked fast in practice, but he haven't had the speed to back it up on raceday. Will it be any different on this Sunday? Doubtful. I have him pencil in as a top 15 finisher with upside.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Kasey Kahne - I am probably ranking Kasey too high, but he did qualify decent and well that pretty much it. I don't have a lot of faith in Kasey, but hoping he turns it around this weekend. Personally I don't want any part of him. He is inconsistent, unreliable and haven't finished inside the top 10 since Sonoma! With that said, he is probably due for a decent run pretty soon. Does that mean he will? Of course not! To be honest, I don't know what to expect out of Kahne. He wasn't nothing special in practice, but a top 15 finish would be a solid points day for him. At this point in the season, I wouldn't complain about that!
My Overall Ranking: 14th
Other Options - Paul Menard (15th), Clint Bowyer (17th), Greg Biffle (18th), and Austin Dillon (20th)
C:
1. Ryan Blaney - Blaney or Elliott is always a tough decision when they both are entered this season. I think Blaney is the better option because of the experience he have at the Cup level, even though it not much more. I think they will be very close, but I believe Blaney have a edge on Elliott in terms of speed and finish range potential. What set the two drivers apart is Blaney's starting position. Blaney starts inside the top 10 and probably finish inside the top 15 or close to it! However his inconsistency this season hurts his overall ranking sadly.
My Overall Ranking: 19th
2. David Ragan - Ragan is the best option in this tier probably. The Totoya have been finding more and more speed lately. Personally I would rather use him somewhere else, but I am not against using him on Sunday though. He looked decent in practice, but I wished he would have qualified better though. I think he will finish around 20th when the checkers wave, but I wouldn't bank on that though!
My Overall Ranking: 21st
3. Chase Elliott - As I stated above, I think Blaney will be the better option this weekend. Personally I think Elliott will be more consistent than Blaney. Blaney's team usually hit on the setup, but Elliott is more of a Paul Menard or Austin Dillon type driver. Elliott usually improves as the weekend goes on and should have top 25 potential headed into the weekend. He will have top 20 upside if his team can get his car right during the race though.
My Overall Ranking: 23rd
Other Options - Danica Patrick (25th) and Justin Allagier (26th)
Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
We are at Darlington this weekend! This is one of my favorite racetracks on the schedule, especially since it moved where it belongs in September instead of May! Nascar have decided to bring a new rules package here this weekend as well. Similar to the one we saw at Kentucky, but the big different will be that this package will work better at Darlington than it did at Kentucky. In years past I thought the racing was pretty boring overall. Not what it once was in my opinion, so hopefully this new package will bring more passing and more excitement.
A -
1. Kevin Harvick - Harvick was bad fast in both practices and probably is the best fantasy pick to choose heading into Sunday's race. He dominated this race last season and nobody could do anything with him until the late restarts. I don't think Harvick will dominate like that again , since I don't think SHR is trying their hardest at the moment. However I do believe that Harvick is the best choice to go with still. His consistency and upside alone makes him the top pick in my opinion.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Joey Logano - I think there are several drivers who could make a case for the No.2 spot based on practice and qualifying. So I decided to go with ''who's hot'' and that is obviously Joey Logano. He have won 2 of the past 3 races and should have probably won at Pocono with ease. I think it very hard to overlook Logano this week, but people find ways to do it. The fact is Logano is one of the safest picks this weekend based on his performance this season. His track record concerns me , but I wouldn't put too much stock into that since we only go to this track once per season!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Denny Hamlin - If Hamlin was more consistent with his finishes, then I would probably rank him over Logano and possibly Harvick too. Sadly he is a loose cannon in my eyes, but at Darlington he is one of the best in the series. In 9 career starts, he have finished inside the top 10 seven times. That stat alone should probably be enough to give him consideration. Digging deeper into his stats, Hamlin have been to victory lane once here and will probably contend for another win at this 1.33 mile racetrack. In practice he was very fast in both sessions and was probably the best JGR car in my opinion. Personally I don't think JGR have the edge over the competition like they once did.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4.Brad Keselowski - I like Keselowski starting from the pole, but I don't think he will stay there though. You can tell a lot about driver by looking at his results this season. The fact that Keselowski only have 5 top 5 finishes this season tells me, he is missing something that he had in 2014. Did he find it this weekend? I don't know, but I think Keslowski is definitely worth taking a risk on. Personally I think he will hung around the latter part of the top 5 most of the night or slip to just outside of that when the checkers waves. Expect a finish in the 4th-7th on Sunday night!
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Kyle Busch - I considered Jeff Gordon for this spot, but in the end I decided to go with Busch for two reasons: 1) Busch have proven to take advantage of opportunities more often than Gordon this season. 2) I still feel like JGR have the speed to run up front. Until someone proves otherwise on raceday. Busch had to go to a backup car in practice, but I am not too concerned considering he won't go to the back for it. Personally I would be higher on him if he had more time on the track in final practice, but overall I feel pretty good with Busch. Will he win on Sunday? I don't know, but he should be a solid fantasy pick though.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
Other Options - Jeff Gordon (7th), Matt Kenseth (9th), Jimmie Johnson (11th), Dale Jr (12th), and Ryan Newman (16th)
B -
1. Kurt Busch -I debated heavily either to rank Kurt lower or not, but I did like what I saw in practice on Friday. He wasn't super impressive or nothing, but was easily a top 10 car overall in both sessions. However with him starting 2nd, I eased my doubt that I had about him. My only concern is that Kurt have better track coming up and more importantly in the chase.It been awhile since we seen Kurt go out and dominate a race, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him lead some this weekend. Based on what I know, I think Kurt is a top 5 fantasy pick or close to it.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
2. Carl Edwards - Like I said earlier in this post, I feel like JGR still hold all the cards in their hands and will probably have the cars to beat. However I don't feel like they have a major advantage over the field like they once did. Edwards at times looked like the best driver among his teammates, but I am not real sure since I can never get a read on him. Like his teammates, he have a strong track record here that makes him a popular fantasy option. The only downside to picking Edwards is you won't be able to gain much ground in your league standings. Might be a good thing if something should go wrong though. I think Edwards have top 5 potential, but he will probably late in the race to the top 10 instead.
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Martin Truex Jr - Truex have found the speed, but he haven't found the consistency. Earlier this season, he had both. Kinda wondering if the 78 team is playing around at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if they were, but still the upside is too good to pass up in my opinion. If Truex had more consistency, then I would probably rank him higher, since he showed solid speed in both practices. However since he didn't, I am pretty much forced to rank him in the latter part of the top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson have not exactly been what everyone expected him to be, but personally I think media can be blamed (yes you can include me with that). The fact that everyone expected so much out of this kid, he felt like he had to try extra hard so he doesn't disappoint. Problem is he now trying too hard and that have led to poor finishes more often than not. He looked fast in practice, but he haven't had the speed to back it up on raceday. Will it be any different on this Sunday? Doubtful. I have him pencil in as a top 15 finisher with upside.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Kasey Kahne - I am probably ranking Kasey too high, but he did qualify decent and well that pretty much it. I don't have a lot of faith in Kasey, but hoping he turns it around this weekend. Personally I don't want any part of him. He is inconsistent, unreliable and haven't finished inside the top 10 since Sonoma! With that said, he is probably due for a decent run pretty soon. Does that mean he will? Of course not! To be honest, I don't know what to expect out of Kahne. He wasn't nothing special in practice, but a top 15 finish would be a solid points day for him. At this point in the season, I wouldn't complain about that!
My Overall Ranking: 14th
Other Options - Paul Menard (15th), Clint Bowyer (17th), Greg Biffle (18th), and Austin Dillon (20th)
C:
1. Ryan Blaney - Blaney or Elliott is always a tough decision when they both are entered this season. I think Blaney is the better option because of the experience he have at the Cup level, even though it not much more. I think they will be very close, but I believe Blaney have a edge on Elliott in terms of speed and finish range potential. What set the two drivers apart is Blaney's starting position. Blaney starts inside the top 10 and probably finish inside the top 15 or close to it! However his inconsistency this season hurts his overall ranking sadly.
My Overall Ranking: 19th
2. David Ragan - Ragan is the best option in this tier probably. The Totoya have been finding more and more speed lately. Personally I would rather use him somewhere else, but I am not against using him on Sunday though. He looked decent in practice, but I wished he would have qualified better though. I think he will finish around 20th when the checkers wave, but I wouldn't bank on that though!
My Overall Ranking: 21st
3. Chase Elliott - As I stated above, I think Blaney will be the better option this weekend. Personally I think Elliott will be more consistent than Blaney. Blaney's team usually hit on the setup, but Elliott is more of a Paul Menard or Austin Dillon type driver. Elliott usually improves as the weekend goes on and should have top 25 potential headed into the weekend. He will have top 20 upside if his team can get his car right during the race though.
My Overall Ranking: 23rd
Other Options - Danica Patrick (25th) and Justin Allagier (26th)
Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
