2016 FantasyNascar Profile: Danica Patrick

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Driver Name: Danica Patrick

Car #: 10

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2013

# of Career Races: 118

# of Career Poles: 1

# of Career Wins: 0

# of Career Top 5s: 0

# of Career Top 10s: 6

# of Career DNFs: 15

# of Career laps led: 27

Career Average Finish: 24.7

Career Average Start: 25.9

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 0

# of 2015 Top 10s: 2

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 4

# of 2015 laps led: 7

2015 Average Finish: 23.5

2015 Average Start: 22.4

2015 Fantasy Recap: Danica was a tough driver to figure out 2015. She had some qualities run during the season, but they were never back-to-back. One week she could finish top 20 and the next wreck out. Really there was no real pattern in her finishes. Personally I think that killed her fantasy value. Even though she had some solid performances throughout the season. Her best days were on the intermediate racetrack. That actually didn't surprise me at all. Throughout her career, she have performed her best on the faster racetracks. A good result for Danica was 20th place and anything better was pretty much a bonus on most weekends.

Strong Tracks: Michigan and Atlanta

Weak Tracks: Phoenix and Indy

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: C-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistency with limited upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook - As I stated above, Danica will be inconsistent. But at times during the 2016 season, I expect her to get solid finishes inside the top 20. Most weekends, she won't be anything better than a 20th place driver. What holds Danica back from being a useful fantasy option is, she more often than not finishes poorly. Time and time again, I have preached on this blog that consistency is key to fantasy success. If Danica can stabilize solid finishes around 20th, then I think she could be more of a reliable option. So far in her career, she haven't proven that. Headed into 2016, she will have the potential to run well at certain tracks. More specifically, her best days will come on the intermediate racetracks. Michigan is her best track and haven't had a bad race at that venue yet. Her worst days will be on the flat racetracks. More commonly it come on the larger flats of Pocono and Indy. Shorts tracks won't be far behind. The road courses and Plates tracks will be where she is either a hit or miss. More often, I would expect her to be more reliable on the road courses.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Trevor Bayne

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Driver name: Trevor Bayne

Car #: 6

Make: Ford

Season Debut: 2015 (First full-season)

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career starts: 94

# of Career Poles: 0

# of Career Wins: 1

# of Career Top 5s: 1

# of Career Top 10s: 5

# of Career DNFs: 15

# of Career laps led: 29

Career Average Finish: 25.9

Career Average Start: 23.3

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 0

# of 2015 Top 10s: 2

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 3

# of 2015 laps led: 0

2015 Average Finish: 25.8

2015 Average Start: 27.9

2015 Fantasy Recap: Bayne struggled in 2015 and I wasn't very shock. Bayne have already made 94 career starts, while only completing in one full-season at the Sprint Cup level. When looking at his numbers, they are not very impressive. Now to be fair, RFR have sucked pretty bad lately, but that no excuse to only post 10 Top 20 finishes over 36 races. Digging deeper, he only posted 18 Top 25 finishes which should tell you a lot how Bayne season went in 2015. There wasn't a lot to like about Bayne in 2015, and quite frankly nobody really all too surprised either.

Strong Tracks: Michigan, Atlanta and Charlotte

Weak Tracks: Indy and Dover

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Limited Production with small upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I don't expect a lot of from Bayne in 2016 and quite frankly I would be shocked if he had more than 2 top 10 finishes during the season. To me, Bayne isn't a cup material driver at this point. Sure a lot of it have to do with lack of speed and other variables, but at what point do we start questioning Trevor. 94 races into his career and only 30 Top 20 finishes. That's only 32% of the time, he is finishing inside the top 20. I am sorry, I cannot give him a excuse for that. For Bayne, the good days will be at best a high-teen finish. He might sneak in a few quality finishes at times, but I would expect them on the intermediate ractracks.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

Fantasy Football Rankings (Week 12)

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Rankings -

Quarterbacks -

1. Carson Palmer
2. Tom Brady
3. Eli Manning
4. Drew Brees
5. Phillip Rivers
6. Brian Hoyer
7. Blake Bortles
8. Russell Wilson
9. Andy Dalton
10. Big Ben
11. Derek Carr
12 Kirk Cousins
13. Matt Ryan
14. Josh McCrown
15. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Running Backs -

1. Adiran Peterson
2. Todd Gurley
3. Mark Ingram
4. Doug Martin
5. LeSean McCoy
6  Chris Johnson
7  TJ Yeldon
8. DeAngeles Williams
9. Chris Ivory
10. Thomas Rawis
11. Lamar Miller
12. Latavius Murray
13. LeGarrette Blount
14. Frank Gore
15. Gio Benard

Wide Recievers -

1. DeAndre Hopkins
2. Julio Jones
3. Odell Beckham
4. Antonio Brown
5. Larry Fitzgerald
6. Mike Evans
7. AJ Green
8. Allen Robinson
9. Brandon Marshall
10. Demaryius Thomas
11. Brandlin Cooks
12. Eric Decker
13. Amari Cooper
14. Michael Crabtree
15. Ty Hilton

Tight Ends -

1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Tyler Eifert
3. Gary Barnidge
4. Travis Kelce
5. Jordan Reed
6. Delanie Walker
7. Antonio Gates
8. Jimmy Graham
9. Julius Thomas
10. Benjamin Waston

Twitter - @WilliamFrang

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Kasey Kahne

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Driver name: Kasey Kahne

Car #: 5

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2004

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career races: 432

# of Career Poles: 27

# of Career Wins: 17

# of Career Top 5s: 86

# of Career Top 10s: 156

# of Career DNFs: 57

# of Career laps led: 4,607

Career Average Finish: 17.43

Career Average Start: 13.4

# of 2015 wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 3

# of 2015 Top 10s: 10

# of 2015 Poles: 1

# of 2015 DNFs: 3

# of 2015 laps led: 66

2015 Average Finish: 18.1

2015 Average Start: 14.9

2015 Fantasy Recap: Kasey was a real disappointment and didn't really show us much at all. He had 3 top 5 finishes and 10 Top 10 finishes which isn't saying much. He had 3 top 5 finishes and 11 Top 10s in 2014. His only real improvements was his average start and poles. Otherwise across the board, his numbers were worse in 2015 than it was 2014. I had high hopes for him and I felt like this was his year to prove himself. He didn't. At some point in the next 2-3 years, I think HMS will start looking towards the future with guys like Dale Jr and Johnson approaching retirement age. Question will Kasey be apart of that plan? I don't know. Right now? I wouldn't think so. He started off the season very well and finished 12 of the first 16 races inside the top 15. Then he went 6 races without a top 15 finish and 12 races without a top 10 finishes. Actually only finished 7 of the final 20 races inside the top 15 and only 4 top 10 finishes in that span. That's not even close to be good enough in his level of equipment. Even from Kasey, I expect better numbers.

Strong Tracks: Charlotte, Bristol, Sonoma and Las Vegas.

Weak Tracks: WGI and Pocono

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistency with mix of high potential

2016 Fantasy Outlook: My hopes aren't high for Kahne like they were last season. He is entering his 5th season with HMS and he is coming off his worst season as driver of the 5 car. The previous two seasons as whole have been a nightmare for Kahne. In 2014 and 2015, he had a total of 1 win, 1 pole, 6 Top 5 finishes and 21 Top 10s in 72 races. His first 72 races with HMS? 4 wins, 4 poles, 23 Top 5 finishes and 33 Top 10 finishes. HMS clearly haven't been performing at the level they were, but still 6 Top 5s in 72 races? Need to produce better numbers than that. What people needs to understand that Kahne isn't super talented. If you don't give him a car that fits his style of driving, then he will struggle to run up front. I expect similar results from last season from Kahne. 0 wins , 3-5 Top 5s and 10-13 Top 10s finishes would be my guess.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Kevin Harvick

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Driver Name: Kevin Harvick

Car #: 4

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2001 (First-full season)

Number of Championships: 1

# of Career Races: 538

# of Career Poles: 16

# of Career Wins: 31

# of Career Top 5s: 137

# of Career Top 10s: 257

# of Career DNFs: 24

# of Career laps led: 8,871

Career Average Finish: 13.8

Career Average Start: 16.6

# of 2015 Wins: 3

# of 2015 Top 5s: 23

# of 2015 Top 10s: 28

# of 2015 Poles: 2

# of 2015 DNFs: 1

# of 2015 laps led: 2,294

2015 Average Finish: 8.67

2015 Average Start: 8.4

2015 Fantasy Recap: Kevin Harvick had one of the most impressive seasons that I have seen in quite a long time, but he didn't win the championship. I know many people are upset about that, but that how this chase format is sometimes. Nevertheless it does not take anything away from the season he had in 2015. He led the series in almost every stat. For me what makes Kevin so good is how week in and week out, he is one of the drivers to beat. He consistently get top 5 finishes. For me any driver who have consistency and speed, that alone is a winning recipe for fantasy success. The one downside to Kevin in 2015 was, more times than not he did not win enough races. I could name several races, he dominated and did not win. Even though he finished inside the top 5 in most of those he didn't win. Overall he had a very fine year and I would expect more of the same in the future.

Strong Tracks: Phoenix, Homestead, Charlotte, Michigan and Kansas

Weak Tracks: Martinsville and Bristol

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: A-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: High Upside and Potential

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I expect great things from Kevin Harvick and the 4 team in 2016! Much like the first few seasons, I expect Kevin Harvick to contend for race wins on a weekly basis. Harvick main asset for years have been consistency. If we look at his career, he have least racked up 19 Top 10 finishes in 7 of his past 10 seasons. He also have posted 3 or more wins in his past 5 of 6 season dating back to 2010 season with RCR. Needless to say, Harvick have been one of the best drivers in the series for awhile now. In 2016 I expect no different from him. In fact, I would expect him to try to outproduce his numbers from last season. Personally I expect him to post 3-4 wins, 20+ Top 5 finishes and 25+ Top 10 finishes. Anything below that would be considered a disappointment. Considering he have 10 wins, 37 Top 5s and 48 Top 10s in his first two seasons with SHR. I would think the standards are high for this raceteam in 2016.

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Austin Dillon

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Driver Name: Austin Dillon

Car #: 3

Make: Chevy

Season Debut: 2014 (First full-season)

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career Starts: 85

# of Career Poles: 1

# of Career Wins: 0

# of Career Top 5s: 2

# of Career Top 10s: 9

# of Career DNFs: 4

# of Career laps led: 49

Career Average Finish: 19.89

Career Average Start: 18.7

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s:1

# of 2015 Top 10s:  5

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 3

# of 2015 laps led: 39

2015 Average Finish: 21.03

2015 Average Start: 17.0

2015 Fantasy Recap: Dillon was a very tough driver to figure out during the 2015 season. He was up and down across the board, when we compare it his rookie campaign in 2014 season. He showed more promise and potential in his second full-time season. He often had a top 15 car (speed wise). However like with many young drivers, you will have to lose something to gain something. For Dillon his biggest asset at this point in his career was taken away and that was consistency. Often during the 2015 season, he showed top 10 or top 12 promise. But when it came down to crunch time, he couldn't not deliver the quality finishes. If there was a downside to Dillon in 2015, it was that he was untrustworthy. Something many of us were not expecting heading into the season. Then again, nobody expected him to take a big step like he did from 2014 either. Now he needs to take another step in 2016.

Strong Tracks: Daytona, Charlotte, New Hampshire and Michigan.

Weak Tracks: Dover and Richmond

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistent with mild upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: Hard to say what to expect from Austin Dillon in 2016. I personally think he will remain inconsistent like most young Cup series drivers. He should show more progress as a driver with Slugger as crew chief. He took a big step with Slugger as crew chief, but he will need to take another step. That step would be becoming a top 15 driver on a regular basis. Heading into 2016, I view him more of a top 20 driver. I don't expect a lot out of him, but I do think we will see him with more top 5 and top 10 finishes. I felt like last season, his luck was pretty poor at times. If that changes for him, then that should add a few more top 10 to his total. Overall Dillon just needs to be himself and gain more experience as a Cup driver in year 3. The more races he does, the better he will become.

**All Stats are from DriverAverages.com 

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: Brad Keselowski

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Driver Name: Brad Keselowski

Car #: 2

Make: Ford

Season Debut: 2011 (First full season)

Number of Championships: 1

# of Career Starts: 233

# of Career Poles: 9

# of Career Wins: 17

# of Career Top 5s: 59

# of Career Top 10s: 104

# of Career DNFs: 12

# of Career laps led: 4,283

Career Average Finish: 14.8

Career Average Start: 14.6

# of 2015 Wins: 1

# of 2015 Top 5s: 9

# of 2015 Top 10s: 25

# of 2015 poles: 1

# of 2015 DNFs: 1

# of 2015 laps led: 1,184

2015 Average Finish: 11.06

2015 Average Start: 10.0

2015 Fantasy Recap: I had higher hopes for Brad Keselowski than 1 wins and 9 Top 5 finishes last offseason. Even though I expected a dropoff in production from the 2014 season. Instead of racking up a lot of top 5 finishes, he became more consistent. It always helps to be considered a safe fantasy option, but he also lost fantasy value. Considering he a elite driver in our sport. Just top 10 won't cut by most people standards. Still 25 Top 10 finishes in 36 races is pretty impressive by itself. That what kept Brad relevant in fantasy this season. His big problem was finishing out races, and I pointed this out several times during the season. He often had a top 5 car heading into the race, but could not finish there on Sunday most weekends.

Strong tracks: Chicago, Phoenix, New Hampshire and Las Vegas.

Weak tracks: Sonoma, Atlanta and ACS

Additional Info:  In 2015, Keselowski's lone win came at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) aka California. An 2.0 mile racetrack located in Fontona,CA . This was probably the last track I would expect him to find victory lane at. In his previous 6 starts (all with Penske), he have only 1 Top 20 finish. His win remains his sole top 10 finish at this 2-mile racetrack. Also was the first time he recorded a driver rating over 95.0.  I am very interested how he fairs in 2016 at ACS. Did last season's race help him over the hump? Good question. We will find out.

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: A-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Consistency with top 5 upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I expect a lot of good things from both of the Penske cars in 2016. I fully expect Brad to visit victory lane least twice. I also expect him to remain consistent. The one thing both of the Penske's cars do well is consistency finish in the top 10. On any given weekend, Brad Keselowski can pretty much be locked in for a top 10, if everything goes according. Most weekends, he will have the potential to finish inside the top 5 as well. During the 2015 season, his biggest flaw was making late race mistakes. Plain and simple that what held him back most often. Not always though. Sometimes he just faded, and that is reasonable. The one thing, I am wondering is how well will the 2 and 22 adopt to the 2016 rule package? Based on what I saw at Darlington and Kentucky, I would say they are in for a very strong season. If the package is similar what we saw there.

**All Stats are from DriverAverages.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans

2016 Fantasy Nascar Profile: JMac

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Welcome to TimersSports

Driver Name: Jamie McMurray

Car #: 1

Make: Chevrolet

Aka: JMac

Season Debut: 2003 (first full season)

Number of Championships: 0

# of Career starts: 474

# of Career Poles: 11

# of Career Wins: 7

# of Career Top 5s: 56

# of Career Top 10s: 131

# of Career DNFs: 48

# of Career laps led: 1867

Career Average Finish: 18.6

Career Average Start: 18.8

# of 2015 Wins: 0

# of 2015 Top 5s: 4

# of 2015 Top 10s: 10

# of 2015 Poles: 0

# of 2015 DNFs: 2

# of 2015 Laps led: 14

2015 Average Finish: 14.9

2015 Average Start: 16.3

2015 Recap: JMac impressed the heck out me in 2015. He went from one of the most inconsistent drivers to one of the most consistent drivers in the series. Like many drivers who drives for 2nd-tier teams (no disrespect towards CGR), they tend have limited finishes near the front of the pack , along with that consistency. In 36 races, he only 10 Top 10 finishes and most of them came in the first 18 races of the season. JMac had a very successful season and should be proud of that, but really was nothing more than a 15th place driver once we got near and into the chase. But probably even got more consistent with his finishes. In 10 of the final 14 races, JMac finished in the 10th-16th finishing position. He best efforts came at the shorter flat racetracks with top 4 finishes coming at Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond. His only top 5 at a non-short flat track was Dover during the chase.

Strong tracks: Martinsville, Richmond, Sonoma and Charlotte

Weak tracks: WGI and Kansas

Additional Info: JMac have a lot of great qualities and assets such as showing up at big time races and getting qualities finishes at his best racetracks. The downside to JMac and it showed down the stench of the 2015 season. That would be his talent level. No disrespect to him, but he cannot take a 15th place car and turn it into a top 10 run. He doesn't have that type of ability like his teammate Kyle Larson does. Which brings me to my next point of his equipment will only take him so far. Which why a lot of times, we don't see him pushing his car to the limits. He know what he needs to do in the racecar to get a solid finish. In 2015, he did exactly that.

Yahoo Grouping Prediction: B-list Grouping Tier

Overall Value Prediction: Inconsistent with some upside

2016 Fantasy Outlook: I think both of the CGR cars will improve in 2016. With that said, I think he will be more inconsistent as well. As much as enjoyed Jamie's consistency throughout the 2015 season, I don't think he can sustain that this upcoming season. I also expect to see more speed out of him though. That the plus I am hoping for to be honest. His best days will continue to be on the shorter flats and some intermediate racetracks. If you were going to use JMac, I would use him at tracks like Martinsville and Richmond. I also would use him at Sonoma and Charlotte as well. There will be other opportunity along the way, too. Like at Daytona and Talladega. Personally I think he is a tad overrated at those venues, but he does have wins there. But anyone have shot there, right? I will follow up this in January in my full driver fantasy previews.

**All stats are from DriverAverages.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans

Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts (Homestead)

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Happy Raceday. Setting your fantasy team can be difficult , especially with everything being factored in. Below our group of experts give their thoughts on today race (Including their final
picks).

Kate Roswell (@CrazyKateNascar):

-Rain will be a major issue in today's race. Don't be shocked to see it postponed until Monday.

- Can Jeff Gordon win in his final start? A lot of people in the fantasy racing community seems to think so. I do too. I think he have a great shot.

-The fall-off at this track is pretty clear. It only take a few laps before we see speeds start to dip off.

-Dale Jr looked among one of the best in Saturday's final practice. I was pretty impressed. I ranked him 5th in my final rankings.

Garry Briggs (@Garryy12):

-Kyle Larson was one of the drivers I listed in my post-practice sleepers. He have bitten a lot of us in recent weeks, but he have said this is his favorite racetrack. It could be a very good day for him. He rolling off from mid-pack.

-I am excited to see how this championship battle will unfold. Four great drivers with four great stories. Very exciting as fan. Regardless who wins, nobody can be disappointed in their seasons.

-Joey Logano is one of the drivers I expect to do very well today. He will start on the front row in today's race. He may even win.

-Aric Almirola is another driver I like as a sleeper. He been very consistent all season long. That won't change this weekend.

Matt Aleza (@MattAleza):

-I have a feeling it will be Kyle Busch who is crown champion at Homestead. I have had that feeling all week long. Practice and qualifying have confirmed my gut feeling.

-Personally I hope the champion does not win today's race. It would be cool to see a non-championship contender win. Especially someone who haven't won this year. That just me though.

-Clint Bowyer is someone to consider if you are looking for a quality top 15 driver. This always been a good track for him. His track record itself tells the story.

-This will be my final race contributing to this blog. So my final piece of advice to you all would be make smart lineup decisions. A smart lineup will always get you the advantage.

Yahoo Lineup -

Kate's Lineup - 24,42,78,21

Garry's Lineup - 4,19,78,33

Matt's Lineup - 4,78,5,21

Sleeper -

Kate's Pick - Dillon

Garry's Pick - Almirola

Matt's Pick - Dillon

Winner -

Kate's Pick - Gordon

Garry's Pick - Harvick

Matt's Pick - Logano

Fantasy Football Rankings (Week 11)

Welcome to TimersSports


Quarterbacks -

1. Tom Brady
2. Carson Palmer
3. Phillip Rivers
4. Cam Newton
5. Matt Ryan
6. Derek Carr
7. Aaron Rodgers
8. Matthew Stafford
9. Tony Romo
10. Andy Dalton
11. Tyrod Taylor
12. Russell Wilson
13. Ryan Tannehill
14. Ryan Fitzgerald
15. Joe Flacco
16. Mark Sanchez
17. Jay Cutler
18. Kirk Cousins
19. Alex Smith
20. James Winston

Running Backs -

1. Devonta Freeman
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Todd Gurley
4. Charcandrick West
5. Marshawn Lynch
6. Jonathan Stewart
7. Latavius Murray
8. Demarco Murray
9. Darren McFadden
10. Chris Ivory
11. LeGarrette Blount
12. Lamar Miller
13. LeSean McCoy
14. Jeremy Langford
15. Doug Martin
16. Justin Forsett
17. Frank Gore
18. James Straks
19. Danny Woodhead
20. Chris Johnson

Wide Receiver -

1. Julio Jones
2. DeAndre Hopkins
3. Dez Bryant
4. Calvin Johnson
5. Mike Evans
6. Larry Fitzgerald
7. Demaryius Thomas
8. Michael Crabtree
9. AJ Green
10./ Brandon Marshall
11. Alshon Jeffery
12. Randall Cobb
13. Amari Cooper
14. Eric Decker
15. Emmanuel Sanders
16. Danny Amendola
17. Jarvis Landry
18. Ty Hilton
19. Sammy Watkins
20. DaVante Adams

Tight Ends -

1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Greg Olsen
3. Jordan Reed
4. Tyler Eifert
5. Antonio Gates
6. Travis Kelce
7. Jimmy Graham
8. Martellus Bennett
9. Jason Witten
10. Zach Ertz
11. Eric Ebron
12. Coby Fleener
13. Richard Rodgers
14. Charles Clay
15. Jordan Cameron

Twitter - @WilliamFrang

Fantasy Nascar Post Practice Sleepers (Homestead)

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The final race of the season is coming up which means this is my final post of the 2015 season! That's feel strange, but I am very much looking toward the 2016 offseason myself, but we have one more race to cover here at Timerssports! Homestead is an 1.5 mile worn-out racetrack that offer multiple racing groove. What I love about this place is the fall-off. The lap times will quickly drop off shortly after start of a green flag run. If you watched the NXS race, you see what I mean. So how about sleepers? Good question. I think there a large pool of sleepers this weekend for us to choose from. I am not complaining about it. However I would limited myself to the action though. Going too deep into the pool could be dangerous. I would stick to the main names, if I could.

Let get started!

Sleepers -

Aric Almirola - Almirola is one of the safest sleepers in the field! He been fast all weekend long and could make a quality fantasy option in most formats. He also been very consistent this season (especially during the chase), and have turned in a nice middle-of-the-road driver. He doesn't do anything special, but he does a good job of finishing on the lead lap inside the top 18. You cannot ask for much more than from a driver like Aric. Most weekends, he will finish inside the top 15 though. Which pretty just adds to his already solid fantasy value. Not to mention, Aric have never finished outside of the top 20 at Homestead since joining RPM back in 2010 in the 9 car. Consistency is what makes Aric such a great option at this point in the season. You should be able to count on that once again on Sunday.

Kyle Larson - I really like Larson a lot more than I previous did heading into the weekend. Especially after qualifying mid-pack in the 23 starting position. I thought he had one of the faster cars this weekend at times, and that was before I watched him dominate in the NXS race and they said this is his favorite racetrack. What really make Larson good is how he can just ride the high line. There isn't a driver in the field that can wheel a car up top like him. More than a few drivers will get into the wall in Sunday's race. If Kyle can keep it off the wall, I believe he will finish inside the top 10. However I think it should be noted that Larson downfall will be probably smacking the wall. I am almost willing to bet, if he finishes poorly it will because of that.

Austin Dillon - I could not find a better sleeper than Austin Dillon and I looked. Dillon is a risk vs reward fantasy option in my opinion to certain extent. He have a fast racecar and should be able run inside the top 15. But as I noted in my original post on Thursday, he been top 12 or nothing on the 1.5 mile racetracks lately. Meaning he had something go wrong during the race. So that why I would call him a risk vs reward. I really do like Dillon. He have the speed to be a legit top 10 threat, but for reason he have had that potential often this season. In the end, he have failed to finish there. Last season he was a consistent driver, but he ran poorer more often though. This season he is running much better, but he is inconsistent. Guess that only make sense though.

Twitter - @Garryy12

Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Homestead)

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1. Kevin Harvick
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Joey Logano
4. Kyle Busch
5. Dale Jr
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Martin Truex Jr
8. Carl Edwards
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Kyle Larson
11. Matt Kenseth
12. Kasey Kahne
13. Kurt Busch
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Jamie McMurray
16. Ryan Newman
17. Aric Almirola
18. Clint Bowyer
19. Paul Menard
20. Ryan Blaney
21. Austin Dillon
22. Greg Biffle
23. Ty Dillon
24. Danica Patrick
25. Tony Stewart
26. AJ Dinger
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
28. Casey Mears
29. David Ragan
30. Sam Hornish Jr

Fantasy Nascar Fantasy Update (Homestead)

Welcome to TimersSports

We are at Homestead this weekend for the final race of the 2015 season. I love watching the race at Homestead, because how the track is raced. You can use different grooves to get around this place and the surface itself is worn out, which in my opinion makes for better racing. What I am really excited about is this championship battle. 4 drivers with 4 great stories. A ironic figure who have won 4 championship, but none have came since the 2001 season. A single car team with a motivated driver who just want to proves he belongs among the best. A phenomenal comeback story with a driver trying to bring Toyota its first Cup championship. Then there the defending Cup Champion. Four great stories that will undoubtedly make great storylines heading into the offseason. How you not be excited? I am pumped!


Alright let's get started!

A:



1. Joey Logano - Something I learned this season about Logano was that, he is tough to beat when he starts up front. There a very good chance he will lead some laps and contend for least a top 5 finish.I am sure Logano would love to crash this championship party and go to victory lane. I think that exactly what he have on his mind. He have to be bitter that he have one of the fastest cars, but cannot battle for the championship. I know I would be! Logano will roll off from 2nd starting position and enters Sunday's race with a top 5 car in my opinion. A lot of people may avoid Logano because he isn't battling for the championship and think he have nothing to race for. I call bullshit! He have everything to race for. He doesn't give a damn about the four drivers racing for the championship. Just like every other driver outside of those four.

My Overall Ranking:1st


2. Kevin Harvick - Harvick will roll off from the 13th starting position on Sunday. He is still the odds-on favorite in my eyes though. He have a fast car and should make his way through the field too. He said his car got tight in qualifying and that why the 4 car didn't do so well on Friday night. In the limited practice time on Saturday, he showed off his speed to the field in the first session. He struggled in the final practice session on Saturday. I am not worried though. We have seen this out of the 4 team before. Usually they figure out before the checkers wave. He also have a stout track record. In 14 career starts, he have a 7.5 average finish with 2 wins. This is considered his best racetrack from a career point of view. He won this race last season. Harvick enters Sunday's race with back-to-back Top 3 finishes.

My Overall Ranking: 2nd

3. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch have been fast all weekend long and that should continue on Sunday. He will roll off from the 3rd starting position and will be a serious threat to win the race. Busch haven't found a lot of success at this racetrack, but I think this a different driver we are talking about. He have proven throughout the chase that you cannot count him out. Remember when he couldn't finish well at Kansas? Yeah he solved that problem it seems. No reason he cannot overcome Homestead, if he races smart and stay towards the front of the field. Busch enters Sunday's race with 3 straight top 5 finishes which is the most in the series. I think Busch finishes somewhere inside the top 5 and he seems to have some fast teammates starting up inside the top 10. That could be a huge benefit, if they all are able to contain that track position toward end of the race. Just may give him the advantage if it comes down to a few positions on the track. Think Kyle's teammates will make it tough on the other three drivers to make passes? I do.

My Overall Ranking: 3rd

4. Jeff Gordon -I am always tough on Jeff Gordon and it because I have always expected great things from Jeff Gordon. Crazy that this will be his final race of his Sprint Cup career as a full-time driver. He is everything that is right with Nascar. Question is will he win the championship on Sunday? I don't know and for many people it would be a letdown, if he failed to win it. He wasn't bad in practice and probably had a top 10 car, but he usually run better than he practices though. So probably have top 5 potential for Sunday's race. He posted the fastest lap among the chase drivers. So why is he ranked behind Busch and Harvick? Simply because I trust them more than Gordon from a fantasy vantage point. They have proven to me they are more capable of running and finishing up front than Gordon. Of course everyone have a opinion and probably could debate that topic. At end of the day, I say the four championship contenders will finish near one of another.

My Overall Ranking: 4th

5. Dale Jr - I thought Dale Jr looked really good all weekend long and probably should contend for least a top 10 finish, if not a top 5 run when the checkers wave. I really like what the 88 brings to the table from a fantasy vantage point. He should be a great off-sequence option for those of you who like to gamble. I have high hopes for him and the 88 team. He was bad fast in final practice and starting near the front.

My Overall Ranking: 6th

Other Options - Denny Hamlin (7th), Matt Kenseth (9th), Brad Keselowski (11th), Jimmie Johnson (12th) and Ryan Newman (13th)

B:

1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr enters Homestead as the underdog among the 4 drivers, but overall he have stood with his fellow competitors. He showed good amount of speed in the final practice session on Saturday. Add in this is his best racetrack on the schedule, he should be a popular fantasy pick this weekend in almost every format. The fact that he is still racing for the championship probably gives him a bit of a boost. Not that he needed it finish well at this track. I have heard him say this is one of his favorite racetracks and I usually take a man word. I like him a lot on Sunday and I would not be shocked if he won it all either. He qualified inside the top 10 and had top 10 speed in practice. I have him across the line around 5th place. I think he will finish 1-2 position of that mark though. Give or take that is.

My Overall Ranking: 5th

2. Carl Edwards -  Edwards enters Sunday's race not battling for the championship, but he have a fast car based off what I have seen this weekend. He consistently been near top of the speed charts and could end the weekend like that as well. I feel like he will try to assist teammate Kyle Busch in the process. That might hurt him just a bit. I am not too concerned about it though. I am sure he will try to help Kyle, but if he is a position to win, I am sure he won't just pull over him though. Edwards will roll off from the 7th starting position and should be considered a lock for a top 10 finish pretty much. All of the JGR cars have plenty of speed it seems. That's a great sign, if you are looking to find a driver a bit off the radar this weekend. I think he finishes somewhere inside the top 10 when the checkers waves.

My Overall Ranking: 8th

3. Kurt Busch - I am not as high on Busch as I was last week, I stated that in the preview earlier this week. He been inconsistent during the chase and been inconsistent during the entire season as well. I don't think I have seen a driver take more top 5 cars and turn them into well..not top 5 finishes, than Kurt Busch have. He always seem to be able to drive through the field into the top 5. Then late in the race comes and he seems to fade down the leaderboard. His track record does not make me feel any better, either. Only twice since 2006 have he finished better than 8th at this racetrack. He have finished 9th and 11th in two of the past three races though. I think he will finish around there once again on Sunday.

My Overall Ranking: 10th

4. Kyle Larson - Larson have shown speed all weekend, but will have to start from mid-pack. I don't think that will be a problem though. He said this is his favorite racetrack and I believe him without doubt. We have seen him glue that car to the top, just the way he likes it. I don't think there a driver who loves the top like Kyle Larson. I am looking forward to watching him drive through field. On the downside, Larson have finished 19th or worse in 6 straight races headed into Sunday's race. So he is a risk vs reward type fantasy play.  I think he finishes least in the top 15, if everything goes according to plan.

My Overall Ranking: 14th

5. Kasey Kahne - Kahne have a fast car and should contend for a least top 10 finish. He didn't have a great car in qualifying, because they were not focused on qualifying much in Friday's lone practice session. The results shown in a 18th qualifying effort. He should be able to drive through the field pretty easily. Kahne is clearly a inconsistent driver, but I do believe there some value there with Kahne. I wouldn't expect anything beyond a top 10 finish though. If you are expecting that, then I would be looking elsewhere probably.

My Overall Ranking: 15th

Other Options - Aric Almirola (16th), Jamie Mac (17th), Austin Dillon (18th) and Clint Bowyer (19th)

C:

1. Ryan Blaney - Blaney will start from inside the top 10 in Sunday's race. I don't think he will finish there, but I do think he can finish somewhere in the mid to high teen though. Earlier this week, it was announced that Blaney would be driving full-time next season. This team might be a little motivated to get a extra good run in than usual. I have very high hopes for him and this 21 team. I have him across the line in 20th, but that the lowest I expect him to finished. Given everything goes according to plan. My concern is him getting into the wall or blowing another engine. Anything possible I guess.

My Overall Ranking: 20th

2. Ty Dillon - Dillon another young driver who is entered in this race. Dillon will drive the 33 car (RCR powered) in Sunday's race. He wasn't bad in practice, but he wasn't anything special though. Based off of practice, he have a top 25 car and will start exactly from the 25th starting position. Ty should be good for a top 25 finish, but if some drivers have trouble. Then his upside could be top 20.

My Overall Ranking: 23rd

3. Danica Patrick - I thought about listing David Ragan, but then I remembered how bad of a weekend he is having. So Danica get the final spot in my overall rankings. She haven't impressed, but if she can keep it together then she should be good for a decent finish. Not much else to say about Patrick really. She is inconsistent, but she will often surprise us with solid finish.

My Overall Ranking: 25th

Twitter - @JeffNathans

Fantasy Nascar Sleepers (Homestead)

Welcome to TimersSports

Believe it or not, this is the final week of the 2015 Nascar season! It will be final time we set our fantasy lineups. One more opportunity. One more shot at winning our fantasy racing leagues. One more shot to thrive for fantasy glory. Don't waste it, your time is now! How bad do you want?

That's my small motivation speech for those of you still battling for something in your respected fantasy racing leagues. Alright let's dig into today's sleepers!

Sleepers -

Aric Almirola - I consider Aric Almiorla to be the Ryan Newman of 2015 to a lesser extent. He have only finished worse than 20th seven times in 35 races this season. Pretty impressive for a team like RPM, who have never been about consistency. I been riding the Almirola's express since back at Atlanta! It been a fun ride, so why stop now? He enters Homestead with 7 Top 18 finishes in 9 races during the chase. With 4 Top 10 finishes, including his most recent outing at Phoenix. He been pretty good at Homestead in his career since joining RPM too. In 4 career starts with RPM, he have finished 19th or better in every start and have finished on the lead lap in every start. That sort of things have boded well for him in the past and should find more success this weekend at Homestead. He is probably a top 20 potential fantasy pick, with upside to finish in the top 15. Given practice and qualifying all goes well.

Clint Bowyer - I made a promise to only trust Bowyer on the road courses before the season started, and that was very wise advice overall. Bowyer and MWR just have had a very crappy year, despite making the chase. However certain places he have always ran well at, he once again ran well this season. Homestead should be one of them. He enters Homestead with 4 straight top 8 finishes at this 1.5 mile racetrack. Overall he have ripped off 7 straight top 12 results at this place. In 9 career starts, he have only once finished worse than 12th place. He been up and down during the chase, but on the positive side he have finished 2 of the past 3 races on the 1.5 mile racetracks in the top 15. There clearly risks with Bowyer, but I do like what he brings to the table though.

Austin Dillon - Dillon have not set the world fire this season, but he have taken much bigger step than I expected him to. Early in the season, I saw the potential for him to be a gem down the line. Slowly he have turned into a hidden gem in certain formats. He haven't always delivered the results, but when he does he have been a very strong fantasy option. Listen to some of his recent results on the high-speed intermediate racetracks: 11th (Texas),7th (Charlotte), and Michigan (4th). Obviously he have had some bad results as well on this type of racetrack. He either been top 12 finisher or bust really. Dillon is currently riding a season-high 4 straight top 20 finishes. Overall he have finished 5 of the past 6 races inside the top 20.

Want to end this piece with saying, Congrats to the guys over at FantasyNascarPreview.com on a unbelievable run with their site.

Twitter - @Garryy12

Fantasy Nascar Picks (Homestead)

Welcome to TimersSports

There isn't a lot to talk about when it comes to Homestead. It's a 1.5 mile worn out racetrack. The only similar track that describe as a "worn out" track during the chase would be Chicago. Texas also fit under worn out, but is it really smart to use data from a race with several blown tires? Not really. So I would focus on the Chicago race more than others. As the other worn out surfaces were much earlier in the season. Also we should look past few races at Homestead as well. Let get to today's picks!

Yahoo -

A:

Start- Kevin Harvick

Bench - Jeff Gordon

Reasons-I could go with either driver here really, but I am go with the more trustworthy fantasy option in Harvick. I think they will finish close to one another. The big difference for me is Harvick have done this before and he isn't racing his final race of his career. Gordon may try a little too hard.

B:

Start - Martin Truex Jr, Aric Almirola

Bench - Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon

Reasons-Really easy choices here. Truex is battling for the championship and Almirola is the most driver of the remaining three. That pretty much the basic of my lineup decisions in this grouping tier.

C:

Start- Ryan Blaney

Bench - Ty Dillon

Reasons- For me it came down to who have more experience in Cup and who starting closer to the front. Both of those things go in the favor of Ryan Blaney.

Fantasy Live- 4,78,24,33 and 55

Sleeper-Dillon

Winner- :Logano

Twitter- @MattAleza

Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (Homestead)

Welcome to TimersSports

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Joey Logano
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Carl Edwards
5. Martin Truex Jr
6. Kyle Busch
7. Jimmie Johnson
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Dale Jr
11. Kurt Busch
12. Ryan Newman
13. Kasey Kahne
14. Clint Bowyer
15. Jamie McMurray
16. Kyle Larson
17. Austin Dillon
18. Paul Menard
19. Greg Biffle
20. Aric Almirola
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
22. Ryan Blaney
23. David Ragan
24. Ty Dillon
25. AJ Dinger
26. Tony Stewart
27. Danica Patrick
28. Casey Nears
29. Justin Allgaier
30. Sam Hornish Jr

Fantasy Nascar Preview (Homestead)

Welcome to TimersSports


This well be the final preview of the 2015 season! I had a lot of fun doing these previews each week for this blog and I truly hope everyone learned a few things from my posts.  But the season not over yet, as we have one more race to go at Homestead! This is only one of two racetracks I have not had the chance to visit yet, so hopefully one day mark it off the list. At Homestead, four drivers will battle it out for the championship and only one will come out championship.When looking at fantasy picks, I think it pretty simple really. The drivers who have been fast all season long, will be fast once again. That have been the common theme on the 1.5 mile racetracks in 2015. Here how they stack up headed into the final race of the season!

1-JMac: JMac have had a very solid season and now seems to be a lock for a top 15 on a weekly basis. I use to consider him one of the most consistent drivers in Nascar, but he have picked up him game in 2015. JMac have been consistent on the 1.5 mile racetracks this season. Minus the Atlanta race (Wrecked), he have compiled 13.4 average finish, 17.3 average start, 16.2 average running position and 80.2 driver rating. Those are pretty solid numbers across the board. His Homestead record reflects similar results as well. He have put together 17.3 average finish, 21.3 average start, 21.0 average running position and 70.8 driver rating since start of the 2011 season (4 races).Those numbers aren't very impressive, but it should be noted that he did finish 30th in the 2012 race. His other three finishes? 5th (last season), 20th and 14th. Those are finish in Jamie's range on the high-speed intermediate racetracks. I say he is a top 15 driver headed into the weekend.

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski have been eliminated from the championship hunt as we head to Homestead, but doesn't mean he won't run well though. He been the most consistent driver on this type track on the season. He have compiled 6.9 average finish, 5.5 average start, 8.0 average running position and 108.4 driver rating. He is the only driver in the series to finish every race inside the top 10. It also should be noted that, he have only finished inside the top 5 twice this season on this type track. He been top 10 consistent though. Therefore is a safe, but limited upside fantasy option. He have found a lot of success at Homestead, but not quite as much as some of the competition. Over the past 4 races here, he have put together 11.0 average finish, 4.0 average start with 8.5 average running position and 101.7 driver rating. Over the past two seasons alone, he have finishes of 3rd and 6th. Those remain his lone top 10 finishes in 7 career starts. Even though he had finishes of 15th, 20th, and 13th from 2010 to 2012.

3-Austin Dillon: Dillon have had a up and down season and looking to end it on a high-note. There isn't a lot to say about Austin Dillon really as he have only had one career start at homestead. Even though he have ran well at times on the high-speed intermediate tracks this season. His biggest problem is finishing out races. Like at Phoenix. He ran around 15th for most of the night and finished 20th. He always seems to fade late in races for some reason. That alone with make him a liability as a fantasy option.

4-Kevin Harvick: Harvick is my eyes is the heavy favorite to win the championship and on paper it probably not very close. Last season he won this race and could very well do the same on Sunday. He have ran very well on this type track this season. He have compiled 8.7 average finish, 6.9 average start, 6.6 average running position and 118.9 driver  rating. The one race that hurt his numbers would be the Chicagoland race (most similar track). If he would have pitted after getting a potential flat, he would have probably easily finished inside the top 3. Instead he finished 40th-ish after wrecking. He been very strong at Homestead as well. Over the past 4 races, he have put together 6.8 average finish with 10.5 average running position and 102.1 driver rating.  He have finishes of 1st and 10th over the past two seasons. I would consider this to be Kevin's best track (not named Phoenix), as he have finished 12 of 14 races inside the top 10. With 4 of the past 7 races inside the top 3 at Homestead. In 14 career starts, he have 7.5 average finish with 6 top 5s and 12 Top 10 finishes. From a career point of view, this is his best track in terms of average finish. Next closest would be Indy (10.2) and Kentucky (10.4).

5-Kasey Kahne: Kasey have been overall a major disappointment for me in 2015. I had higher hopes for him and thought he would have a rebound-like season. Sadly outside of some early season success, he failed to meet my expectations. He started the season off very well on this type track, but since have became inconsistent. On the 1.5 milers this season, he have compiled 18.8 average finish, 13.9 average start, 14.8 average running position and 85.8 driver rating. He started the year off well with top 15 finishes at Vegas, Charlotte, Kansas and Texas. Then we hit July and the 5 car performance dipped way down. He have struggled since on the high-speed intermediate racetracks. With finishes of 27th (Kentucky),  24th (Chicago), 43rd (Charlotte) 4th (Kansas) and 20th (Texas). I don't feel good about his chances to rebound, since 4 of his past 5 races on this type track have ended in 20th or worse. Not to mention, In 3 career starts with HMS at Homestead, he have a best finish of 12th coming last season.

11-Denny Hamlin: Hamlin will try to end the season well at one of his better racetracks. Two season ago, he won this race and could find himself in a similar situation on Sunday. On 1.5 mile racetracks this season, he have compiled 15.1 average finish, 11.5 average start, 14.0 average running position and 96.5 driver rating. Like most stats, they can be misleading without digging deeper into them. Denny's stats are no different. The first 5 races (Atlanta, Vegas, Texas, Kansas and Charlotte), he held 20.6 average finish with 11.6 average running position and 93.7 driver rating. With only 2 top 10 finishes in those first 5 races. How about the past 5 races on the 1.5 mile tracks (Kentucky, Chicago, Kansas , Charlotte and Texas)? He have held 9.6 average finish with 16.4 average running position and 99.3 driver rating. He finished 4th or better in 4 of those 5 races. The Texas race (38th) was his worst and most recent effort though. Homestead have been a very good track for Hamlin as well. Over the past 4 races here, he have put together 10.3 average finish with 10.0 average running position and 101.1 driver rating. In 10 career starts at Homestead, he have knocked off 6 Top 10 finishes and 4 Top 5s (2 wins). He have finished 9th or better in 3 of the past 4 races.

18-Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch is one of the 4 drivers who will contend for the championship at Homestead. I wouldn't call this a Kyle Busch racetrack though. He have struggled here throughout his career since getting moved up to the Cup level. In 10 career starts, he only have 3 Top 10 finishes (1 Top 5 finish) and only 5 Top 20 finishes. Overall he have finished 23rd or worse in 3 of the past 5 races. On the positive side, the other two races in that span have ended in 7th and 4th in 2012 and 2013. Don't panic Rowdy fans though. He have been fast all season long and will undoubtedly get the best car out of the JGR garage. On 1.5 mile racetracks this season, he have compiled 8.3 average finish, 6.8 average start, 6.0 average running position and 116.5 driver rating. Looking deeper into the numbers, he have been one of the best drivers in his limited (6) races. He had a top 5 car (or close to it) in every race on this type racetrack. Numbers sometimes lie. He had top 5 cars at Charlotte (both times) and got misleading finishes. Also had the car to beat Chicago (in my opinion), but late caution screwed that up. Overall Kyle enters Homestead with 4 Top 5 finishes in his past 5 races. And 5 Top 5 finishes in 9 races during the chase. He leads the series in most top 5 finishes in both categories.

19-Carl Edwards: Homestead is a great racetrack for Carl Edwards, but too bad he isn't racing for the championship though. Over the past 4 races at Homestead, he have had 15.0 average finish, 9.5 average start, 13.3 average running position and 99.4 driver rating. He have struggled here the past few seasons with RFR, but he is in a much better ride now though. In had finishes of 34th and 12th the past two seasons. However before that, he knocked off 8 straight top 12 finishes. Including 7 straight Top 8 finishes from 2005 to 2011 (7 races). Overall Edwards have 10 Top 14 finishes in 11 career starts at this racetrack. His lone finish outside the top 14 was last season when he finished 34th. Edwards struggled early in the season on the 1.5 mile racetracks and didn't score his first top 10 finish until Texas, but didn't score his first top 5 until his Charlotte win. After that race, JGR really took off. The performance have shown with Edwards. On the 1.5 mile racetracks this season, he have compiled 11.0 average finish, 10.0 average start, 10.3 average running position and 98.0 driver rating. Since winning at Charlotte, Edwards have not finished worse than 8th on the 1.5 mile high-speed intermediate racetracks. In fact, he have only once finished outside of the top 6.

20-Matt Kenseth: Matt Kenseth is expected to make his return to the track this weekend at Homestead! Yes I know we all are very excited for that. He been fast all season long and should be good enough to be a top 10 driver headed into the weekend. On the 1.5 mile racetracks this season (9 races - missed Texas), he have compiled 12.6 average finish, 13.1 average start, 11.3 average running position and 98.1 driver rating. In those 9 races, he have knocked off 6 Top 10 finishes and 4 Top 5 finishes. The two races he finished outside the top 10 was Texas (first race) and Kansas. At Homestead, he been up and down in his career. However most recently he been on it at this place. He have finished 7 of the past 10 races inside the top 10. Including 3 Top 6 finishes in his past 4 races. 4 of the past 5 races have ended inside the top 10 overall.

22-Joey Logano:Logano was the best driver a good portion of the season, but sometimes the best driver doesn't win the championship. Just like in any other sport. Sadly for Logano, he falls into that group of individuals. He been strong all season long on the 1.5 mile racetracks. He have compiled 8.6 average finish, 3.9 average start, 8.7 average running position and 111.1 driver rating. In those 10 races, he have scored 6 Top 5 finishes and is the only driver one of two drivers with (2 or more) multiple wins.  He been just good at Homestead, but only one top 10 finish though. Over the past 4 races here, he have put together 14.3 average finish with 13.3 average running position and 86.5 driver rating. In that 4 race span, he have finished inside the top 20 in every race. However he only have one career top 10 finish in 6 starts. That 8th place finish came in 2013.

24-Jeff Gordon: I know many people would like to see Jeff Gordon go out on top, but I don't know if it will happen to tell you the truth. Gordon will have to beat both Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick who have been consistently two of the fastest guys this season. I wouldn't be shocked either though. On the 1.5 mile racetracks this season, he have compiled 13.3 average finish, 13.6 average start, 12.4 average running position and 90.5 driver rating. He have only finished inside the top 5 once this season on 1.5 mile racetracks. That was way back at the first Kansas race. Outside of Martinsville and Talladeaga (1st and 3rd), his best finish of the chase was 6th at Phoenix. Overall this could be a tough task for Jeff Gordon and team 24. On the positive side, he have several things go in his favor though. He had one of the best cars at Chicago (most similar track) and had a shot to win. But he stupidly stayed out late in the race. He dropped like a rock during the final few laps and finished 14th. He have 6-time Championship Jimmie Johnson to give him advice, since it been awhile since Gordon been in position to win a championship. Also he supports a stout track record here. Over the past 4 races, he have put together 6.8 average finish with 5.8 average running position and 118.7 driver rating. In 16 career starts, Gordon have one win, 7 Top 5s and 12 Top 10s.

27-Paul Menard: Menard will look to end the season strong at Homestead! He is coming off a 13th place finish at Phoenix. This season on the 1.5 mile racetracks, he have compiled 19.8 average finish, 17.9 average start, 18.7 average running position and 75.7 driver rating. Menard is having a very fine chase. In 9 races, he have 6 Top 15 finishes. Including 4 straight top 15 finishes. He been good at Homestead since joining RCR back in 2011. He have finishes of 4th, 39th, 11th and 16th with RCR. There not much to say about Menard at this point in the season that you don't already know. He is a top 15 driver with inconsistency tendency at times. Even though I think he have taken a big step this season, he still middle of the road in terms of fantasy potential and overall production.

41-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch had a strong car at Phoenix and will look to end the season strong. I am not as high on him at Homestead as I was Phoenix, but still a lot to like about him though. Over the past 4 races here, he have put together 18.8 average finish, 8.5 average start, 20.0 average running position and 72.0 driver rating. Those aren't impressive numbers, but he have something positive going in his recent results though. 2 of his past three races have ended in 11th and 9th. 4 of his past 6 races at this track have ended inside the top 18. Including 3 of his of past 6 ending inside the top 11. He been one of the best guys on the 1.5 mile racetracks this season. He have compiled 7.9 average finish, 8.4 average start, 7.8 average running position and 108.8 driver rating. In 8 races, he have 7 Top 10 with 2 top 5 finishes. Most recent top 10 was at Texas (7th).

42-Kyle Larson: Larson have been a huge disappointment this season, he never seemed to click with this race package. At times, he was really good. At other, you would think Juan Pablo Montoya was behind the wheel (no disrespect towards Juan). His biggest problem have been getting out of slumps really. During the 2015 chase, he have been at his worst probably. After starting off the chase with two top 10 in three races. He have since left fantasy relevancy altogether. With 6 straight finishes of 19th or worse and 5 of those finishes have resulted in outside of the top 20. I think it time to put Larson away until the 2016 season.

48-Jimmie Johnson:  Johnson isn't battling for the championship anymore, but it seems that have allowed him to can out of his shell though. Since being eliminated from the chase, he have had some of his best races. Most recently he been on it more so than before. Over the past 3 races (dating back to Martinsville), he have finishes of 12th, 1st and 5th. That is his best three-race span of the 2015 season, since Sonoma (6th), Daytona (2nd) and Kentucky (9th) races. He have always ran well at Homestead! So expect him to continue this nice little hot streak to end the season. He have finished 9th in the past two races at Homestead. Overall he have 9 Top 10 finishes in 14 starts. Johnson will least be a top 10 driver headed into the weekend.

78-Martin Truex Jr: I have always considered this to be Truex's best racetrack on the schedule. He have always enjoy a great deal of success here and should be in for another strong day. Over the past 4 races here, he have put together 7.5 average finish with 8.3 average running position and 105.6 driver rating. In 10 career starts, he have finished inside the top 11 in 8 races. Including 5 top 6 finishes in his past 9 starts. He got spun last season's in this race and had to settle for a 17th place finish.  Before that, he had a 8-race streak of top 11 finishes at this track. Including 3 straight finishes of 3rd, 4th or 6th. Those stats should tell you little about how much he enjoys racing at this place. Heck with those numbers, I would too! He been fast all season long and I expect that to continue this weekend at Homestead.

88-Dale Jr: Dale Jr is coming off a win at Phoenix and will try to end the season like it started (strong). Homestead haven't always been a good track for Dale Jr, but he have picked up his performance over the past few seasons though. Since the 2011 season, he have finished 14th or better in every race at this track. Dale Jr have been a consistent performer this season and could play spoiler on Sunday! Currently Dale Jr have 4 straight top 6 finishes in the chase and is primed for a 5 straight quality finish. On 1.5 mile racetracks this season, he have compiled 10.4 average finish, 13.6 average start, 12.6 average running position and 96.4 driver rating. 5 times he have finished inside the top 5 and 6 times inside the top 10 overall on the 1.5 milers.

***All stats are from FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com and DriverAverages.com

Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans 

Fantasy Football Rankings (Week 10)

Welcome to TimersSports

Quarterbacks -

1. Tom Brady
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Andy Dalton
4. Drew Brees
5. Cam Newton
6. Carson Palmer
7. Eli Manning
8. Derek Carr
9. Blake Bortles
10. Joe Flacco
11. Peyton Manning
12. Kirk Cousins 
13. Russell Wilson
14. Matthew Stafford
15. Brian Hoyer
16. Jay Cutler
17. Sam Bradford
18. Ryan Tannehill
19. Teddy Bridgewater
20. Marcus Mariota

Running Backs -

1. Todd Gurley
2. Adrian Peterson
3. DeAngelo Williams
4. Mark Ingram
5. Demaco Murray
6. Marshawn Lynch
7. Justin Forsett
8. Darren McFadden
9. Lamar Miller
10. LeGarrette Blount
11. Doug Martin
12. Jonathan Stewart
13. James Starks
14. Gio Benard
15. Latavius Murray
16. T.J Yeldon
17. Jeremy Langford
18. Chris Johnson
19. CJ Anderson
20. Jeremy Hill

Wide Receivers -

1.Odell Beckham Jr
2. DeAndre Hopkins
3. Julian Eldeman
4. Randall Cobb
5. AJ Green
6. Demaryius Thomas
7. Antonio Brown
8. Allen Robinson
9. Calvin Johnson
10. Dez Bryant
11. Alshon Jeffery
12. Mike Evans
13. Emmanuel Sanders
14. Amari Cooper
15. Larry Fitzgerald
16. Michael Crabtree
17. Allen Hurns
18. Stefon Diggs
19. Brandin Cooks
20. Jeremy Maclin

Tight Ends -

1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Tyler Eifert
3. Greg Olsen
4. Jordan Reed
5. Delanie Walker
6. Travis Kelce
7. Gary Barnidge
8. Martellus Bennett
9. Jimmy Graham
10. Jason Witten
11. Richard Rodgers
12. Eric Eron

Twitter - @WilliamFrang

Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Happy Raceday. Setting your fantasy team can be difficult , especially with everything being factored in. Below our group of experts give their thoughts on today race (Including their final
picks).

Kate Roswell (@CrazyKateNascar):

-Kurt Busch will be very tough to beat in today's race! He is my pick to go to victory lane.

-Track position will be key, so expect some crazy pit calls today.

-This is one of the shortest races on the schedule at only 312 miles. Going a lap down early could end your day before it get started. If you are on the lead lap with 50 to go, you are good shape for the finish.

-What is wrong with Penske and the Fords? They all seems to be a little off in Saturday's practices.

Garry Briggs (@Garryy12):

-Kyle Larson is fast! The drive of the 42 car will have a shot at winning today's race, given everything goes according to plan.

-I do believe Kevin Harvick will make it 5 straight wins at PIR. He isn't quite as strong as he was back in the Phoenix, but don't count out the 4 car.

-Harvick's biggest threat (besides teammate Kurt Busch)? Last week's winner Jimmie Johnson. He is starting on the pole and have a very fast car.

-Alright Junior Nation, I will give you some love! Dale Jr is someone under the radar who should not be! He have a top 5 car headed into today's race.

Matt Aleza (@MattAleza):

-I think the two cars to beat will be Harvick and Busch. I do believe one of them will end in victory lane. Question is which one?

-JGR have not been talked about much this weekend overall. I think that is a good thing though. I expect both Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards to finish inside the top 7.

-Kasey Kahne is someone to watch out for. He qualified inside the top 10 and have top 10 speed as well for the race.

-Track position will huge. We all know that. So how many risks are these teams willing to take in order to win? I don't think there any limits. I think everyone battling for a spot at homestead will have the ''win or go home'' attitude toward today's race.

Yahoo -

Kate's Lineup - 48,3,42,20

Garry's Lineup - 4,41,19,20

Matt's Lineup - 4,41,5,20

Sleepers -

Kate's Pick - Austin Dillon

Garry's Pick - Ricky Stenhouse jr

Matt's Pick - Austin Dillon

Winner -

Kate's Pick - Kurt Busch

Garry's Pick - Kevin Harvick

Matt's Pick - Kurt Busch

Fantasy Nascar Post-Practice Sleepers (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

We are at Phoenix Raceway this weekend! This is only a one-mile racetrack which happens to also be one of the shorter races on the schedule. So from a fantasy point of view, we need to factor that in when making our lineup decisions. As for fantasy sleepers, I would not go too deep into the pool. Drivers will be starting to go a lap down before lap 20. If Sunday's race start off with a long green flag run (not unheard of), the drivers in the 20s would be off-lead lap already. Also with difficulty of passing, I would try to stick to primary sleepers. I look at 4 things when determining legitimate sleepers: Starting position, recent track history, recent finishes on the season and practice results. Below I have listed some of the sleepers I like after watching practice and qualifying!

Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Stenhouse Jr haven't shown the speed I was hoping, but rarely does he in practice this season. Despite that, he have proven, he can finish inside the top 20 on a regular basis. He will roll off from the 19th starting position. Honestly I am not sure what to expect from Ricky Jr this weekend. But based on what I do know, I think he will have a opportunity to finish inside the top 20. Few things point this such as, he have never finished worse than 18th in 5 career starts at Phoenix. Or how the 17 car have ran throughout the chase or how throughout the season how he have ran on this type racetrack. When the checkers wave, I do believe Ricky will have that car still on the lead lap. Obviously I am putting a lot of faith in Ricky,so lets see if he pulls through or make me look like a fool.

Austin Dillon - Dillon was not not one of my primary sleeper on my radar on Wednesday, but I do now though. He was consistency fast in practice and qualified pretty decent for Sunday's race. Dillon haven't gotten the results this season, but he have been fast for good part of 2015 season. One of Dillon's best efforts this season was at Phoenix earlier this season where he finished 15th. With that said, I think he have improved a lot as a racecar driver since then. So I think he could finish inside the top 15 on Sunday once again. Based on practice, I would say that is a realistic outcome.


Aric Almirola - I really tough to choose from Casey Mears and Aric Almirola for this final spot. Both are very deserving of this spot, but in the end I went with the less riskier fantasy play. Aric have been very consistent throughout the 2015 season and have finished 18th or better in 6 of the 8 races in the chase. He wasn't anything special in practice, but that does not surprise me one bit honestly. A lot of these sleepers who I list don't usually show much in practice, but race very well. Aric seems to be one of the drivers who consistency improve during the race. I believe he will finish inside the top 18 when the checkers wave in Sunday's race.


Alright that's  it for Sleepers this week at Phoenix. Check back next week as we wrap up the season in Homestead. I wish each and everyone of you the best this weekend in the desert!

Twitter - @Garryy12

Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Pheonix)

Welcome to TimersSports


1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Dale Jr
5. Joey Logano
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Carl Edwards
8. Martin Truex Jr
9. Kyle Busch
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Jeff Gordon
12. Kyle Larson
13. Ryan Newman
14. Jamie McMurray
15. Kasey Kahne
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Erik Jones
18. Paul Menard
19. Aric Almirola
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
21. Austin Dillon
22. David Ragan
23. Greg Biffle
24. Danica Patrick
25. AJ Dinger
26. Justin Allgaier
27. Tony Stewart
28. Casey Mears
29.  Sam Hornish Jr
30. Trevor Bayne

Fantasy Nascar Update (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

We are headed to Pheonix Raceway this weekend for the 35th race of the 2015 Nascar season! There will be a lot on the line in Sunday's race. Not only will 7 Cup Series drivers battle it out for the final three spots in the chase. But year-long fantasy leagues could be won and lost and outcome of Sunday's race will likely have a major impact on that. Personally I hate Phoenix since the repave. It's even harder to pass on and makes track position very important. In the end, track position could very well decides who advances to the championship round at Homestead. There was two practices on Saturday, addition to Friday's lone practice session and qualifying. So who should you select to your fantasy lineup? I gave it some thoughts and here how I feel like the field stacks up!

Today I am setting up the Update a bit differently than usual. Instead of formatting intoYahoo Fantasy Racing setup (A,B and C grouping), I have decided to widen my preferences this week. As in today's format, I have overall ranked the best 12 drivers headed into Sunday's race. Of course these ranks are based off my personal preferences such as qualifying, practice, track history, consistency, personal thoughts, etc not just who potentially have the best shot to win. Check out Kate's Rankings for that, if you are looking for prediction finishing order. You can find that on the homepage.

1. Kevin Harvick - I don't think anyone in their right minds could pick anyone over Kevin Harvick with confidences. He simply been dominant since the repave in 2011. He have won 5 of the past 6 races and looking for 5 straight wins on Sunday. He was fast on Friday and qualified 8th. He followed that up with a pair of solid practices on Saturday. That pretty much confirmed what we already knew that he would be one of the heavy favorites to win. I believe once the 4 get the lead, he will check out on the competition. In my opinion, Harvick and Phoenix is the most sure-thing combo in Nascar at the moment. Until someone steps up and knock him off here, I still consider him the man!

My Overall Ranking: 1st

2. Kurt Busch - I believe Kurt Busch is Harvick's biggest competition when the green waves. I would not be shocked if Harvick gives Busch one, given they are running 1-2 with a few to go. Then again, he might not. Regardless I believe the 41 car is fast enough to beat his teammate. Kurt have been fast in everything this weekend. No suprise either! Earlier this season, he probably had the 2nd-best car to only Kevin Harvick. A late race gamble didn't pay off and still managed a solid effort. Like teammate Kevin Harvick, he have a stout track record here. I consider this his best racetrack on the schedule! Kurt will roll off from 2nd on Sunday. Don't be shocked to see him lead laps early on.

My Overall Ranking: 2nd

3. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson will roll off from the pole position on Sunday and should contend for the win as well. Johnson use to dominate this place and then they repaved it. Since then, he have not really contended for wins on a consistent basis. Don't get me wrong, he have been strong but not good enough to win. He was fast on Saturday and that is very encouraging when we look at fantasy picks. He have track position to start, the best pit stall and speed. Great things to have at this racetrack. Jimmie biggest flaw during the chase have been bad luck. He been fastest week in and week out since Chicagoland. I believe the 48 will contend for least a top 5 finish, if not more!

My Overall Ranking: 3rd

4. Carl Edwards - Edwards should be a very strong fantasy option for those of you looking for someone under the radar during the chase. The driver of the 19 car been very happy with his car all weekend. Edwards qualified very well and practiced just as good, if not better on Saturday. This seems to be one of his favorite tracks on the schedule and I would be disappointed with anything less than a top 10 finish. As you can see, I am a bit more optimist about his chances. I believe he can finish inside the top 5 on Sunday. Of course consistency during the chase and track record helped volt him into my top 5. Realistically I think he is more a top 10 play. However the numbers say he will have a good shot at the top 5, too.

My Overall Ranking: 4th

5. Joey Logano - Logano must win or go home on Sunday. He did not qualify very well on Friday though. He will roll off from the 14th starting position, but he showed some speed on Saturday. However I don't think it was enough to say he is a winning threat. Logano was consistent for most of the season, but these past two races he have became a liability. Personally I am staying away from him in my fantasy lineups. He considered a top-tier driver, so we expect top-tier results. My concern with him is he will try too hard to win Sunday's race and that may cost him a solid finish. Either way I think Logano is boarderline top 5 fantasy pick headed into Sunday's race, after taking all of the factors into consideration.

My Overall Ranking: 5th

6. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski will start even further back than teammate Joey Logano. I also get the feeling, he have less speed than Logano based off the lap times I seen in practice between the two drivers. I would never count out Keselowski and I would not be shocked if that team took extra risks to potentially win Sunday's race. Based on what I know right now, I would say he is probably in for a top 10 finish. There few things that will hurt Keselowski in the race. One of them would be starting from the 18th position. Not only will he have a hard time finding the front of the field. He also doesn't the luxury of a top pit stall like the guys starting up front. At Phoenix, I believe having a great pit stall is as important as having a fast car.

My Overall Ranking: 6th

7. Kyle Busch - I debated weather or not to rank Kyle 5th or 7th as it was that close in my opinion. Outside of the top two or three drivers, I believe it wide open.  Kyle will roll off from the 10th starting position on Sunday. He should easily finish in the top 10 and have enough upside to finish in the top 5. The different between a top 5 and top 10 will likely be how well the 18 team make adjustments and contain track position. Personally I don't think Kyle will win and if he can make it on points, I am sure he will take it  Based on practice,  look for him to run in the 5th-8th place range most of the day.

My Overall Ranking: 7th

8. Dale Jr - Dale Jr is quietly having a great weekend and have a fast car for Sunday's race. He qualified very well and should be in for least a top 10 finish. I think more people would have taken more serious, if he still was in contention for the championship. Oh well, more fantasy value for me! Seriously I do believe Dale Jr will be a legit contender for the win on Sunday. Only reason I ranked him so low is he haven't performed that well during the chase and that a red flag to me. Not to mention, he have struggled to finish well on the short-flat racetracks this season. Based on practice, I would say was about a top 5 guy after final practice.

My Overall Ranking: 8th

9. Martin Truex Jr - Truex is having a nice chase and is now in a position to race himself into the championship round on points. I think he least needs to finish inside the top 7 to advance. More realistically, I think he will probably have to finish inside the top 5. Just depends how the guys behind him does. Truex qualified very well in 4th place and showed solid speed in both practices on Saturday. He should finish in the top 10 and have upside to finish in the top 5, but I wouldn't bank on it though.Truex have turned into a consistent driver during the chase and will likely be why he is battling for the championship at Homestead.
Given he advances that is!

My Overall Ranking: 9th

10. Kyle Larson - My dark horse this weekend is the driver of the No.42 Target car and that is Kyle Larson! He had a rocket last weekend at Texas and probably had a top 3 car easily, before tire issues doomed him. Guess the 42 team liked running up front, so they came to Phoenix with another fast piece. Larson qualified 6th and looked to be one of the quicker guys in practice at times. If he could finish out a race for once, I would probably have ranked him ahead of few more drivers. For some reason, Kyle cannot finish out races this season. Will Phoenix be any different? I sure hope so!

My Overall Ranking: 10th

11. Jeff Gordon - Gordon haven't really been that impressive this weekend, but I expect him to finish around the 10th finishing position. He have decent long run speed, but nothing that says he will contend for a top 5 finish or a win though. I don't expect anything beyond the top 10, so his upside is limited in most formats. On the plus side, he is locked into the next round. So he should be able to gamble, if he needs to during the race.

My Overall Ranking: 11th

12. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin will round out the rankings this week! Hamlin qualified 13th for Sunday's race and should contend for least a top 15 finish. This season, it seems like he top 7 or nothing. That alone worries me a bit. He have became more consistent during the chase and could be a solid sleeper pick late in the race. He showed solid speed in Saturday practice sessions and if he is in position late in the race, I believe that 11 team could be in for a top 10 or so finish. Honestly I am not really feeling him this week. In my opinion, he have lost some fantasy value since being eliminated from the championship. He still getting solid finishes here and there with JGR, but cannot really trust him when his teammates are battling for a championship. Not saying he cannot get the finishes, just saying he isn't a top priority.

Twitter - @JeffNathans 

Fantasy Nascar Sleepers (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Sleepers -


Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Ricky didn't quite live up my expectations, but I am going to sticky Stenhouse Jr though. I feel like he can end the year strong over these final two races. At Texas he probably would have finished inside the top 20, but Keselowski put most of the field a lap down. So I am not going to hold him accountable for his poor-ish finish. Even though 21st was still pretty decent overall for him. He should get back on track at Phoenix. In the past 5 races here, he have never finished worse than 18th. Earlier this season, he tied his career-best 12th place finish at this racetrack. In fact, he had his best performance at this track as well. In 5 career starts, he have completed every single lap at this racetrack and he ran very during the chase. On short-flats this season, he been shockingly one of the best fantasy values due to most people overlook him. Minus the first race at Richmond, he have supported 14.5 average finish with 19.5 average running position and 80.6 driver rating on the shorter flats racetracks. In those races, he have finishes of: 12th (Phoenix), 17th (New Hampshire), 16th (Richmond) and 13th (New Hampshire). Only race outside of the top 17th was back at the first Richmond race where he finished 28th.

Casey Mears - Yes yes I know he disappointed last week with a 26th, but he just had a bad day. I don't think there was a driver who had more problems than Casey Mears at Texas. From ill-handling racecar to unscheduled pit stops to terrible vibration to whatever else he had go wrong. And despite going 3 laps down before lap 20, he still managed a 26th-place finish. The 13 team actually fixed him up and got some speed into that car. At Phoenix, he could be in for a decent run! Earlier this season, he finished 20th at this track. Actually 3 of the past 5 races at this racetrack have ended in 20th or better. Mears also have ran quite well this season on shorter flats as well. Minus the first Richmond race, he have put together 18.8 average finish with 21.3 average running position. In fact, he have finished 20th or better in 4 of 5 short-flat races this season.

Aric Almirola - Almirola started off the chase very well with 3 Top 10 in the first 4 races. Then he finished 24th back at Kansas. Since? 3 straight finishes of 16th or 18th. Overall 6 of 8 races during the chase have ended inside the top 18. I can live with results like those from driver with middle of the road equipment. He been very consistent at Phoenix since being put in the 43 car back in 2012. In 7 races in the #43 car, he have never finished worse 19th. Also he have finished all 7 of those races on the lead lap which have helped him a lot in these races. To add onto his fantasy value, he have been solid on the short-flat racetracks this season. Outside of the 2nd New Hampshire race, he have 14.5 average finish, 28.0 average running position and 19.5 average running position. If you remember the New Hampshire race, he was running well in the top 15 before he blew a tire and hit the wall. Now let look deeper into his short-flat stats. His 4th place effort obviously boost his overall stats. So here what his averages would look like without that race: 18.0 average finish, 29.3 average start, 21.5 average running position and 70.3 driver rating. What is the one thing that stands out in both sets of those stats? His position differential. Nice fantasy option in leagues that reward that, if the price is right. 

*Note - Stats are from FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com and DriverAverages.com 

Twitter - @Garryy12

Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Joey Logano
4. Kurt Busch
5. Jimmie Johnson
6. Kyle Busch
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Carl Edwards
9. Martin Truex Jr
10. Dale Jr
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Jamie McMurray
13. Kasey Kahne
14. Ryan Newman
15. Kyle Larson
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Austin Dillon
18. Paul Menard
19. Aric Almirola
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
21. Erik Jones
22. Greg Biffle
23. David Ragan
24. Casey Mears
25. Tony Stewart
26. AJ Dinger
27. Danica Patrick
28. Justin Allgaier
29. Sam Hornish Jr
30. Trevor Bayne

Fantasy Nascar Picks (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

We are headed to Phoenix RaceWay for the 35th race of the season this weekend! A place that have seen Kevin Harvick dominate over the past few seasons. Phoenix is a 1-mile short flat racetrack, so we should look at stats from similar racetracks this season and past data from Phoenix. You can check out Jeff's Fantasy Nascar Preview (Click here), very good stuff! I don't really like going against the majority at Phoenix, so I plan to load heavy on the chase drivers. There probably won't be a lot of passing, so don't be shocked to see the same drivers dominate on Sunday.

Here is today's picks!

Yahoo -

A:

Start - Kevin Harvick

Bench - Joey Logano

Reasons - PIR is Harvick's playground, so I am not benching him for a slower Logano who needs to win to advance. Also feel like Penske is lacking too much speed and probably only have a top 10 car.

B:

Start - Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch,

Bench - Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr

Reasons - Not real tough decisions this week for me. Kahne and Busch look like the best combo among the 4 drivers I have selected. Kurt Busch probably have the best car for Sunday's race. So there no way I can bench him. The final spot came down to Kahne, Bowyer or Truex. I want to save Truex for homestead, since I am using Busch here. So Kahne or Bowyer? I went with the driver with more speed and starting closer to the front. Kasey Kahne it is!


C:

Start - Erik Jones

Bench- Danica Patrick

Reasons -Erik Jones vs Danica Patrick. I don't think I really need to explain this decision, but alright then. Erik Jones have way more upside and potential than Danica Patrick. That alone should make him a obvious start. Especially since Kenseth will be back next week. 

Fantasy Live -4,41,48,51 and 3

Sleeper -Austin Dillon

Winner - Kevin Harvick

Twitter - @MattAleza

Fantasy Nascar Preview (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Preview-  

1-Jamie Mac: JMac is putting together a pretty nice chase! Few weeks ago at Martinsville (another shorter flat track), he had one of the strongest performances of the season. I don't think he will back it up, but he have had some nice runs at Phoenix, too. Earlier this season, he started 3rd , finished 3rd and posted 112.1 driver rating. He was easily a top 10 driver for that entire race and hung around the top 5. When the time came, he made his move. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 13.2 average finish, 16.0 average start, 13.6 average running position and 86.7 driver rating. Over his past 4 races at PIR, he have finished 18th or better in race. More importantly, he have finishes of 14th, 10th and 2nd since start of last season. The shorter-flats fits Jamie's style more in my opinion, so don't be shocked by his solid efforts on them. 2nd at Phoenix, 2nd at Martinsville, and 4th at Richmond this season. See a trend developing?

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski may have blown his chance at advancing in the chase and he now will have to win at Phoenix. A track where he have never been to victory lane at. A track where his best finish is 3rd at. Kevin Harvick was in a similar situation at Dover. Wonder if the results will be similar? Earlier this season, he finished 6th. He probably was the 2nd-best driver and one of the few to lead more one lap. In fact he led 52 laps that day on his way to a 6th place finish. I believe Penske have improved a lot since then and they will give Brad a bad fast Ford on Sunday. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 5.6 average finish, 6.4 average start, 5.8 average running position and 115.6 driver rating. This could be considered Brad's best track since joining Penske. In 12 career starts, he have 10 Top 20 finishes. More impressively, he have finished 6 of the past 7 races inside the top 6 (dating back to start of 2012 season), and only race he didn't finished inside the top 6 was 11th in 2013. Including 3 straight top 6 finishes with a best of 3rd coming last season in the spring. That's the good, so what is the bad? Well he have finished better in the spring races than the fall races. In 6 fall races, he have finished outside of the top 10 in 4 of them. Luckily he have finished 4th and 6th in past two of three fall races. Keselowski also been very solid on the shorter-flats this season! He have posted 9.0 average finish with 5.0 average running position and 115.4 driver rating.

3-Austin Dillon: It's hard to judge Austin Dillon with only three career starts, but he have proven he can run well on this type racetrack. Earlier this season he finished 15th which was by far his best finish and best performance in his Cup career. Other than that there a lot of unknowns about Austin Dillon. For now, he is nothing more than a top 20 driver. We will know more after practice and qualifying.

4-Kevin Harvick: Kevin Harvick is not only a favorite, but a heavy favorite to win Sunday's race at Phoenix! He was dominated earlier this season and went to victory lane from the pole. In that race he led 224 laps to en route to his 4th straight win at the 1-mile racetrack. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 3.4 average finish, 6.6 average start, 3.4 average running position and 139.8 driver rating. Harvick simply is the best pick this week. He have won 5 of the past 6 races dating back to the 2012 season. In fact he have finished 6th or better in 8 of the past 10 races, with 6 Top 2 finishes (5 wins and a 2nd place finish.) Since joining SHR, Harvick have turned into a completely new animal at this track. He have won in every start, led least 224 laps in every start, and about 150.0 driver rating during that span. Yeah he is pretty damn good! He also have had some strong runs on the shorter-flats tracks this season/ He have posted 8.2 average finish with 4.8 average running position and 124.0 driver rating. He have scored the 3rd-most points on this type track.

5-Kasey Kahne: I was disappointed in Kahne at Texas, I thought he had more in him than 20th place. Oh well that what you get with Kasey Kahne. They don't call him the most inconsistent driver in the series for nothing, do they? Earlier this season, Kasey finished 4th in this race. But he wasn't quite that good. He was about a top 10 driver to top 15 driver I would say. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 11.4 average finish, 10.2 average start, 12.6 average running position and 92.9 driver rating. He been up and down since joining HMS. He have 3 top 4 finishes (since his 2012 debut with HMS), but he also have 4 finishes outside of the top 10. Including finishes of 11th, 19th, 21st and 34th. Positive news? 2 of his three Top 4 finishes have came in the past 3 fall races at Phoenix. His other top 4 finish came back here in March. Kasey also been pretty solid on the shorter flats this season. He have posted 11.2 average finish with 12.6 average running position and 90.5 driver rating. He should be considered a top 15 fantasy option headed into the weekend!

11-Denny Hamlin: Tough weekend at Texas for Denny Hamlin, but he could get back on track at Phoenix though. Earlier this season, he wasn't very competitive and finished 28th. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 15.6 average finish, 9.6 average start, 16.8 average running position and 78.6 driver rating. He been a bit inconsistent since the start of the 2012 season. He have 4 Top 5 finishes, including a win back in 2012. He also have finishes of 28th, 19th and 23rd. All three of those finishes have came in the past 4 races at Phoenix for Hamlin. So he will need better luck this Sunday! He been decent on the shorter-flats this season though. He have posted 13.4 average finish with 13.6 average running position and 78.6 driver rating. He haven't been great on this type track, but his performance have greatly improved during the chase. Early in the season, I felt like he struggled to finish well (23rd at Phoenix and 22nd at Richmond.) In the chase it been a different story with finishes of 2nd and 6th at Richmond and New Hampshire.

18-Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch really haven't had a bad race in the chase yet (minus that one wreck early on), and that a big reason why he haven't had to go out and win. He can lock up his championship ticket to Homestead by simply finishing inside the top 10 on Sunday. I expect him to go for the win though. Over the past 4 races here, he have compiled 18.3 average finish, 5.3 average start, 15.8 average running position and 83.5 driver rating. Busch haven't had many great races with JGR at Phoenix, but he haven't many bad ones either. In 14 starts with JGR, he have finished 17th or better in 11 of them. Including 8 Top 10 finishes. In fact, he have finished 4 of the past 6 races at Phoenix inside the top 10. Solid!

19-Carl Edwards: I been trying to figure out Carl Edwards all season and just when I think I am starting to, he goes out and make me look like a fool. So whatever I say about Edwards, you better go and do the complete opposite. Earlier this season, Edwards wasn't too bad but was nothing more than a teen-type driver and finished 13th. JGR was still trying to find speed early in the season, so I wouldn't put too much into that performance. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 11.6 average finish, 16.2 average start, 10.2 average running position and 100.0 driver rating. Edwards always been decent at Phoenix for the most part. Only twice have he finished worse than 17th since the 2008 season. I like Edwards a lot this week, but I would like him more, if he was in a better position in the points though. He currently is about 6 points out and that could be hard to overcome without some help from his competitors. On the shorter-flats this season, he have posted 11.0 average finish with 11.8 average running position and 92.0 driver rating. He's easily a top 10 play this week!

22-Joey Logano: Logano is in a must-win situation now after back-to-back finishes outside of the top 35. Earlier this season, he was very strong at Phoenix. He started on the front row and finished 8th. He led 35 laps in that race for though that are wondering. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 10.6 average finish, 8.6 average start, 8.6 average running position and 104.4 driver rating. Logano is currently on a 4-race steak of top 10 finishes. In that span, he only have one top 5 finish though. He also been one of the strongest drivers on the shorter-flats. He have posted 4.6 average finish with 6.0 average running position and 113.4 driver rating. I think Logano will be a top 5 driver, but I don't think he wins though. There still practice and qualifying to change my mind though.

24-Jeff Gordon: Gordon is already locked into the championship round at Homestead, so it will be interesting to see how he attacks it this week. Earlier this season, he finished 9th. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 7.8 average finish, 8.8 average start, 8.2 average running position and 105.9 driver rating. Gordon have been a consistent driver at Phoenix with 4 top 10 finishes in his past 5 races. His two wins came in 2011 and 2007. After his 2011 win (8 races ago), he only have 2 top 5 finishes though. On the plus side, 5 of his past 8 races have ended inside the top 10. I think Gordon is a top 10 play headed into the weekend. On shorter-flats this season, he have posted 8.0 average finish with 10.4 average running position and 97.5 driver rating.

41-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch is coming off an 7th place run at Texas and will need to win at Phoenix on Sunday! Earlier this season, he finished 5th. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 16.6 average finish, 12.2 average start, 10.0 average running position and 96.5 driver rating. In that 5 race span, he have put together 3 top 10 finishes. Including back-to-back top 10 finishes of 5th and 7th. In fact, 4 of the past 6 races he have finished inside the top 10. With 6 of the past 10 races ending inside the top 10. Looking deeper in the stats, I would say this is one of Kurt's best track from a career point of view. Only at Kentucky and ACS does he have better average finish. At the shorter flats in 2015, he have compiled 10.0 average finish with 6.2 average running position and 112.8 driver rating.

42-Kyle Larson: Larson is cursed or something this season! Seriously! How he could manage to have three blown tires in two races! He should have won the NXS race and probably should have finished inside the top 5 in the Cup race. Earlier this season, he finished 10th at Phoenix. In 3 career starts, Larson have compiled 14.3 average finish, 9.3 average start, 12.3 average running position and 89.2 driver rating. He been equally solid on the shorter flats racetracks. He have posted 16.4 average finish with 16.0 average running position and 83.1 driver rating. Truthfully I think Larson best days are ahead of him. However I think that will come in 2016 though.

48-Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie Johnson is coming off a win at Texas. Earlier this season, Johnson finished 11th at Phoenix. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 12.2 average finish, 8.6 average start, 10.0 average running position and 103.5 driver rating. In that 5-race span, he have finished 3 of those 5 races inside the top 6. I felt like Johnson was at his peak at Phoenix before the repave was done. Now he is more of a hit or miss type driver. I think as time goes on, he will slowly rise to the top once again. However I don't know if it will be anytime soon though. On shorter flats racetracks this season, he have posted 10.2 average finish with 12.4 average running position and 95.7 driver rating.

78-Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr is coming off a top 10 finish at Texas and looks to lock his ticket to the championship round at Homestead. He finished 7th earlier this season. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 17.0 average finish, 16.0 average start, 17.8 average running position and 82.7 driver rating. Over the past 4 races, he have finished 12th or better in 3 races. In fact, he have finished 12th or better in 4 of the past 7 races. However he also have three finishes of 22nd, 36th and 43rd.  Overall Truex have finished 15th or better 6 of his past 10 races dating back to 2010 with MWR. On shorter flats this season, he have posted 13.8 average finish with 15.4 average running position and 89.3 driver rating. I think he is least top 10 driver headed into Sunday's race.

88-Dale Jr: Dale Jr is coming off a very strange Texas race where he was able to find a decent finish somehow. Earlier this season, he finished 43rd at Phoenix. I believe had a tire go down and hit the wall. Over the past 5 races here, he have compiled 12.4 average finish, 13.8 average start, 12.6 average running position and 100.3 driver rating. Before wrecking earlier this season here, he have finished 4 straight in the top 8. Honestly outside of those 4 races, he haven't really done much since joining HMS. He been decent on shorter flats this season. He have posted 18.4 average finish with 13.8 average running position and 89.2 driver rating. I am not really high on Dale Jr, but he nothing better than a top 10 fantasy option in my opinion.

**All stats are from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com

Twitter - @JeffNathans