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Fantasy Nascar Update -
A:
1. Denny Hamlin - All of the JGR Toyotas has looked very strong this weekend and it is led by the 11 of Denny Hamlin. In practice on Saturday, very few drivers looked better than him overall. His lap times were consistency solid and he will start from the 5th position. Hamlin also has a lot of momentum with 9 straight Top 10 finishes currently. Hamlin record at New Hampshire isn't too bad, either. Over the past 5 races here, he has posted 3 Top 9 finishes. In 21 career starts, he has 10.1 average finish overall. What makes me really like him is, he was extremely strong back at Richmond. The most recent short flat racetrack, we had visited. At New Hampshire, it is also important to start up front as well. I think him starting inside the top 5 will huge, since he seems to have a pretty strong racecar! Headed into the race, I view him as one of the favorites and should be on everyone's short list to win.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth has finished 6 of the past 7 races at New Hampshire inside the top 10 and has 3 wins during that timespan. He's one of the most reliable and consistent finishers at this place. He won the last time, we were here in July. Then, he came to Richmond and had about the 2nd or at times the 3rd-best car before finding the wall. In practice, I thought Kenseth had top 5 to top 7 good speed. However, I don't think he was quite as good as Hamlin, Busch, Harvick and Truex. I would even add Edwards to that list as well. One thing, we know about Kenseth is, he rarely shows his full hand in practice. If he looks top 10 in practice, then he certainly will be a factor on raceday. I fully expect the 20 car to be a top 5 contender on Sunday afternoon.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
3. Kyle Busch - I think Busch or Harvick could get the 3rd ranking in this tier of drivers, but I am going with Busch because of starting position. Rowdy will start from the 12th spot and he will be a heavily contender on Sunday afternoon. The 18 car was strong in both practice sessions on Saturday and was top 5 good in my opinion. He only posted the 8th-best single lap, but he's much better than that. If you were following his lap times, you can tell how strong he was. In second-half of final practice, he posted an solid 22-lap run to end the session. He was very strong. Started out in the 28.80s and ended in 29.60s. That's very strong overall! Good short run and good long run speed. If you are good on both of those, then you are going to go to the front and stay up there on a long run. If you have Kyle Busch available to as a fantasy pick, then you need to start use. He led a ton of laps back in July, but faded in the final laps. This is a strong racetrack for the 18 team and they looked very good on Saturday. I expect a top 5 run out of him on Sunday afternoon!
My Overall Ranking: 4th
4. Kevin Harvick - Harvick is already in a hole during the chase and will have to overcome another one this weekend, as he qualified 19th for Sunday's race. I am not worried about him though. He has qualified poorly often throughout the year and it haven't been much of a issue for him overall. In practice, he looked strong on the long runs as usual. He was very consistent on the long runs and that's usually a very good thing at New Hampshire. If you can post consistent strong lap times on a lap run, then you are going to be in great shape. Especially with how tough passing is here. The 4 car should be considered one of the cars to beat. He posted the 2nd-best Ten lap average in final practice and 9th-best lap overall. If we are talking about performance on the shorter-flat tracks, then Harvick is a must-have. As he has finished inside the top 5 at every race on this type of track in 2016. No other driver in the series has accomplished this feat. Earlier this season, Matt Kenseth won from the 18th starting spot. Harvick will roll off from a spot further back.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
5. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson and the HMS Chevy all are looking very strong, much like they did last weekend. However, I don't think they are as good as the JGR Toyotas or Kevin Harvick though. With that said, I think they will have the edge on the 1.5 milers coming up as they did last weekend. As for this weekend, Johnson has looked capable of being a top 5 driver. The 48 car was fast off of the truck and will start from the 4th spot. Johnson still haven't proven to me, he can finish out races of late. However, if he can finish well at New Hampshire, he will on my radar much more often in the near future. Headed into the race, I view him as a high-end top 10 pick. More specifically, I see an finish from 5th-8th place most likely.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr has been one of the most popular fantasy options in fantasy nascar for over a month now and he raised his stock this weekend with an strong 2nd place qualifying effort. In practice, he was top 5 good and will be very tough to beat in the race. Drivers who starts up front will typically lead a lot of laps. It all about picking the right one for fantasy nascar and I think that driver name is Martin Truex Jr. He has led in 4 straight races, including at the most recent short-flat racetrack. Even more important, Truex Jr has had the best car in the two most recent races on this type of track. The JGR cars are all very strong, so no suprise that their ally in the 78 camp is just as good. I would even say, he is better than a couple of them. Heck if he get out front, then this could be a long day for the entire field. He also has a lot of momentum currently, when you are looking at the past month or so. With 4 of the past 6 races ending in 7th or better, dating back to Watkins Glenn. In fact, the past three races he has finished 3rd or better. I view Truex as a heavy favorite and might just run away from the field, if he is given the chance!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
2. Carl Edwards - Edwards will start from the pole and should be at least a top 5 fantasy pick headed into the race. Edwards has been strong since unloading and to nobody suprise he is starting up front. Last time at New Hampshire, he was a major disappointment after hanging in the teens for most of the day. But, I get the feeling this weekend will be different. The speed was there for him in July for pracitce as well, but he didn't start up front. I think him having track position will be a big difference for him. He has the speed, as he topped the ten-lap average in final practice. Having the best ten-lap average, doesn't really mean much at New Hampshire. However, his lap times didn't fall off considerably to the competition on the long run either. So he should be in good shape and unless something crazy happens, he should be considered one of the top fantasy plays this weekend. As much as I think he has amazing potential from the pole, I think there is a lot of things working against him. Which hindered him in my overall rankings. Such as inconsistency of late and his recent lackluster performances on the shorter-flats. Headed into the race, I pin him just outside of the top 5. If he can go mistake free and hit his marks, then I think he easily could be one of the best fantasy plays this weekend.
My Overall Ranking: 7th
3. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson has impressive short run speed, I don't think anyone was better. On his 20-lap long run towards end of final practice, his lap times were incredible. First 8 laps of the run ranged from low 28.70s to high 28.90s, after that he really started to dropped off though. Much like at Richmond (most recent short-flat track), Larson big issue will be on the long run. But he is in the ballpark on the long run though. Least somewhat in my opinion. I tracked his long run with Kyle Busch's in final practice. Mainly because they started their 20-laps runs around the same time. Larson ran 29.66 on his 15th lap and Busch ran an 29.60 on his 15th lap. Busch was far more consistent after 10 laps though. Larson lap times were dipping in and out of the 30-second range. When you are trying to get a good sense how good a driver is, compare him to a top driver. Based on what I has seen so far this weekend, I would say Larson is a top 10 driver. His long run speed is a bit concerning, but he been able to overcame that the past two races and ran top 10 in both races. No reason to think, he won't do it again on Sunday.
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Kasey Kahne - Kasey Kahne been very good this weekend and has shown good speed overall. The Hendrick cars showed up with good amount of speed the past couple weekends. The 5 car may have benefited from it the most. Johnson much like last weekend has the best car, but Kahne isn't too far behind him. I am honestly not shocked that the 5 car has looked good this weekend at New Hampshire. He ran top 15 earlier this season here and Hendrick isn't holding back from giving him quality racecars. Last time, Kahne finished worse than 20th was back in July at New Hampshire. Since, then he has finished mainly inside the top 15. Including 3 straight Top 10 finishes over his past 3 races. The 5 team is running better right now than he has in the past 12 months (imo), which isn't saying too much though. Headed into the race, I view Kahne as a top 15 driver with upside to possibly sneak off an 4th straight top 10 finish. He won't do it by running inside the top 5 or top 10 for the entire race, but sneak inside late in the race.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Ryan Newman - This final ranking spot was tough because I could have put multiple drivers in this spot, but chase drivers like Dillon and JMac has not looked as good as I was expecting. Ryan Newman, however he had backed up his qualifying effort with good speed on Saturday morning. He wasn't nearly as good as his qualifying effort, but he is certainly capable of a top 15 finish though. Newman is a capable driver, when you give him a good car. This weekend, I say he is pretty capable. He has lost a lot of his fantasy value from earlier in the year, because he isn't as consistent anymore. So when a chance to get a top 15 finish out of him, you have to jump on it and make the most out of the opportunity. I think the biggest surprise this weekend is how much better, he has looked than chase driver Austin Dillon. Regardless, you can expect the usual from Newman. Fade until about 13th place or so, before getting comfortable. He is also a pretty good shorter-track driver. On twitter, he said the shorter tracks are his team's biggest strength. New Hampshire is considered a shorter-track.
C -
1. Chase Elliott - Elliott, much like his teammates has looked very good since unloaded. I honestly didn't think he would be as good as he has been this weekend. I thought he was alright on Friday and in the morning session on Saturday. He improved a ton in final practice though. In fact, he posted the 7th-best ten lap average in final practice and posted the 11th-best ten-lap average as well. He looked quite good on the long runs. Back in July, he was running top 10 good before that problem with Alex Bowman in the final 30 laps or so. I am not nearly as high on him as I was last weekend, but I definitely don't hate him either though. Headed into the race, I view him as top 15 fantasy option with the usual obvious upside.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
2. Ryan Blaney - Blaney has looked okay this weekend I guess. I haven't been blown away by him though. He been kinda disappointing so far overall for me. He finished and performed very well back in July. This time around, I get the feeling he won't be quite that good. Blaney will start from 16th and will have the potential to move up a few spots, but honestly his fantasy value isn't that high this week. Unless the 21 team make huge improvements, I see nothing beyond an 15th-place finish for him. He also been inconsistent, so I would save him if I were playing Yahoo Fantasy Racing. His fantasy value is also lackluster in most other major games. Simply because, he isn't really an asset with starting from 16th. Most games he is an asset in, is when he qualifies in the 20s or has a fast car.
My Overall Ranking: 18th
3. Alex Bowman - I am not really loving Bowman this weekend, like I am with his teammates. Bowman was very good back in July, when he fulled in for Dale Jr for the first time. This time around, I am not so sure. He could be very good and he will likely be better than I think. I view him as a top 20 option, but the 88 car been showing top 15 speed often this season. So I am willing to bet, he runs in the low teens at some point on Sunday's afternoon. Bowman will be most useful in Yahoo Fantasy Racing. Otherwise, I am not too crazy about him overall. Least not like I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, he will be a fine option when it is said and done.
My Overall Ranking: 20th
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
Fantasy Nascar Update -
A:
1. Denny Hamlin - All of the JGR Toyotas has looked very strong this weekend and it is led by the 11 of Denny Hamlin. In practice on Saturday, very few drivers looked better than him overall. His lap times were consistency solid and he will start from the 5th position. Hamlin also has a lot of momentum with 9 straight Top 10 finishes currently. Hamlin record at New Hampshire isn't too bad, either. Over the past 5 races here, he has posted 3 Top 9 finishes. In 21 career starts, he has 10.1 average finish overall. What makes me really like him is, he was extremely strong back at Richmond. The most recent short flat racetrack, we had visited. At New Hampshire, it is also important to start up front as well. I think him starting inside the top 5 will huge, since he seems to have a pretty strong racecar! Headed into the race, I view him as one of the favorites and should be on everyone's short list to win.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth has finished 6 of the past 7 races at New Hampshire inside the top 10 and has 3 wins during that timespan. He's one of the most reliable and consistent finishers at this place. He won the last time, we were here in July. Then, he came to Richmond and had about the 2nd or at times the 3rd-best car before finding the wall. In practice, I thought Kenseth had top 5 to top 7 good speed. However, I don't think he was quite as good as Hamlin, Busch, Harvick and Truex. I would even add Edwards to that list as well. One thing, we know about Kenseth is, he rarely shows his full hand in practice. If he looks top 10 in practice, then he certainly will be a factor on raceday. I fully expect the 20 car to be a top 5 contender on Sunday afternoon.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
3. Kyle Busch - I think Busch or Harvick could get the 3rd ranking in this tier of drivers, but I am going with Busch because of starting position. Rowdy will start from the 12th spot and he will be a heavily contender on Sunday afternoon. The 18 car was strong in both practice sessions on Saturday and was top 5 good in my opinion. He only posted the 8th-best single lap, but he's much better than that. If you were following his lap times, you can tell how strong he was. In second-half of final practice, he posted an solid 22-lap run to end the session. He was very strong. Started out in the 28.80s and ended in 29.60s. That's very strong overall! Good short run and good long run speed. If you are good on both of those, then you are going to go to the front and stay up there on a long run. If you have Kyle Busch available to as a fantasy pick, then you need to start use. He led a ton of laps back in July, but faded in the final laps. This is a strong racetrack for the 18 team and they looked very good on Saturday. I expect a top 5 run out of him on Sunday afternoon!
My Overall Ranking: 4th
4. Kevin Harvick - Harvick is already in a hole during the chase and will have to overcome another one this weekend, as he qualified 19th for Sunday's race. I am not worried about him though. He has qualified poorly often throughout the year and it haven't been much of a issue for him overall. In practice, he looked strong on the long runs as usual. He was very consistent on the long runs and that's usually a very good thing at New Hampshire. If you can post consistent strong lap times on a lap run, then you are going to be in great shape. Especially with how tough passing is here. The 4 car should be considered one of the cars to beat. He posted the 2nd-best Ten lap average in final practice and 9th-best lap overall. If we are talking about performance on the shorter-flat tracks, then Harvick is a must-have. As he has finished inside the top 5 at every race on this type of track in 2016. No other driver in the series has accomplished this feat. Earlier this season, Matt Kenseth won from the 18th starting spot. Harvick will roll off from a spot further back.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
5. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson and the HMS Chevy all are looking very strong, much like they did last weekend. However, I don't think they are as good as the JGR Toyotas or Kevin Harvick though. With that said, I think they will have the edge on the 1.5 milers coming up as they did last weekend. As for this weekend, Johnson has looked capable of being a top 5 driver. The 48 car was fast off of the truck and will start from the 4th spot. Johnson still haven't proven to me, he can finish out races of late. However, if he can finish well at New Hampshire, he will on my radar much more often in the near future. Headed into the race, I view him as a high-end top 10 pick. More specifically, I see an finish from 5th-8th place most likely.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr has been one of the most popular fantasy options in fantasy nascar for over a month now and he raised his stock this weekend with an strong 2nd place qualifying effort. In practice, he was top 5 good and will be very tough to beat in the race. Drivers who starts up front will typically lead a lot of laps. It all about picking the right one for fantasy nascar and I think that driver name is Martin Truex Jr. He has led in 4 straight races, including at the most recent short-flat racetrack. Even more important, Truex Jr has had the best car in the two most recent races on this type of track. The JGR cars are all very strong, so no suprise that their ally in the 78 camp is just as good. I would even say, he is better than a couple of them. Heck if he get out front, then this could be a long day for the entire field. He also has a lot of momentum currently, when you are looking at the past month or so. With 4 of the past 6 races ending in 7th or better, dating back to Watkins Glenn. In fact, the past three races he has finished 3rd or better. I view Truex as a heavy favorite and might just run away from the field, if he is given the chance!
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
2. Carl Edwards - Edwards will start from the pole and should be at least a top 5 fantasy pick headed into the race. Edwards has been strong since unloading and to nobody suprise he is starting up front. Last time at New Hampshire, he was a major disappointment after hanging in the teens for most of the day. But, I get the feeling this weekend will be different. The speed was there for him in July for pracitce as well, but he didn't start up front. I think him having track position will be a big difference for him. He has the speed, as he topped the ten-lap average in final practice. Having the best ten-lap average, doesn't really mean much at New Hampshire. However, his lap times didn't fall off considerably to the competition on the long run either. So he should be in good shape and unless something crazy happens, he should be considered one of the top fantasy plays this weekend. As much as I think he has amazing potential from the pole, I think there is a lot of things working against him. Which hindered him in my overall rankings. Such as inconsistency of late and his recent lackluster performances on the shorter-flats. Headed into the race, I pin him just outside of the top 5. If he can go mistake free and hit his marks, then I think he easily could be one of the best fantasy plays this weekend.
My Overall Ranking: 7th
3. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson has impressive short run speed, I don't think anyone was better. On his 20-lap long run towards end of final practice, his lap times were incredible. First 8 laps of the run ranged from low 28.70s to high 28.90s, after that he really started to dropped off though. Much like at Richmond (most recent short-flat track), Larson big issue will be on the long run. But he is in the ballpark on the long run though. Least somewhat in my opinion. I tracked his long run with Kyle Busch's in final practice. Mainly because they started their 20-laps runs around the same time. Larson ran 29.66 on his 15th lap and Busch ran an 29.60 on his 15th lap. Busch was far more consistent after 10 laps though. Larson lap times were dipping in and out of the 30-second range. When you are trying to get a good sense how good a driver is, compare him to a top driver. Based on what I has seen so far this weekend, I would say Larson is a top 10 driver. His long run speed is a bit concerning, but he been able to overcame that the past two races and ran top 10 in both races. No reason to think, he won't do it again on Sunday.
My Overall Ranking: 10th
4. Kasey Kahne - Kasey Kahne been very good this weekend and has shown good speed overall. The Hendrick cars showed up with good amount of speed the past couple weekends. The 5 car may have benefited from it the most. Johnson much like last weekend has the best car, but Kahne isn't too far behind him. I am honestly not shocked that the 5 car has looked good this weekend at New Hampshire. He ran top 15 earlier this season here and Hendrick isn't holding back from giving him quality racecars. Last time, Kahne finished worse than 20th was back in July at New Hampshire. Since, then he has finished mainly inside the top 15. Including 3 straight Top 10 finishes over his past 3 races. The 5 team is running better right now than he has in the past 12 months (imo), which isn't saying too much though. Headed into the race, I view Kahne as a top 15 driver with upside to possibly sneak off an 4th straight top 10 finish. He won't do it by running inside the top 5 or top 10 for the entire race, but sneak inside late in the race.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Ryan Newman - This final ranking spot was tough because I could have put multiple drivers in this spot, but chase drivers like Dillon and JMac has not looked as good as I was expecting. Ryan Newman, however he had backed up his qualifying effort with good speed on Saturday morning. He wasn't nearly as good as his qualifying effort, but he is certainly capable of a top 15 finish though. Newman is a capable driver, when you give him a good car. This weekend, I say he is pretty capable. He has lost a lot of his fantasy value from earlier in the year, because he isn't as consistent anymore. So when a chance to get a top 15 finish out of him, you have to jump on it and make the most out of the opportunity. I think the biggest surprise this weekend is how much better, he has looked than chase driver Austin Dillon. Regardless, you can expect the usual from Newman. Fade until about 13th place or so, before getting comfortable. He is also a pretty good shorter-track driver. On twitter, he said the shorter tracks are his team's biggest strength. New Hampshire is considered a shorter-track.
C -
1. Chase Elliott - Elliott, much like his teammates has looked very good since unloaded. I honestly didn't think he would be as good as he has been this weekend. I thought he was alright on Friday and in the morning session on Saturday. He improved a ton in final practice though. In fact, he posted the 7th-best ten lap average in final practice and posted the 11th-best ten-lap average as well. He looked quite good on the long runs. Back in July, he was running top 10 good before that problem with Alex Bowman in the final 30 laps or so. I am not nearly as high on him as I was last weekend, but I definitely don't hate him either though. Headed into the race, I view him as top 15 fantasy option with the usual obvious upside.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
2. Ryan Blaney - Blaney has looked okay this weekend I guess. I haven't been blown away by him though. He been kinda disappointing so far overall for me. He finished and performed very well back in July. This time around, I get the feeling he won't be quite that good. Blaney will start from 16th and will have the potential to move up a few spots, but honestly his fantasy value isn't that high this week. Unless the 21 team make huge improvements, I see nothing beyond an 15th-place finish for him. He also been inconsistent, so I would save him if I were playing Yahoo Fantasy Racing. His fantasy value is also lackluster in most other major games. Simply because, he isn't really an asset with starting from 16th. Most games he is an asset in, is when he qualifies in the 20s or has a fast car.
My Overall Ranking: 18th
3. Alex Bowman - I am not really loving Bowman this weekend, like I am with his teammates. Bowman was very good back in July, when he fulled in for Dale Jr for the first time. This time around, I am not so sure. He could be very good and he will likely be better than I think. I view him as a top 20 option, but the 88 car been showing top 15 speed often this season. So I am willing to bet, he runs in the low teens at some point on Sunday's afternoon. Bowman will be most useful in Yahoo Fantasy Racing. Otherwise, I am not too crazy about him overall. Least not like I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, he will be a fine option when it is said and done.
My Overall Ranking: 20th
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
