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Fantasy Nascar Update -
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr haven't looked dominated or starting on the front row, however he is the man on the 1.5 mile tracks. Sure, he is starting from 7th but I don't think it will matter. He will be in the mix all race long and that usually leads to very good things for Truex Jr. Especially on the 1.5 mile tracks, where he has done some serious damage. In fact, he has led the most laps on this type of track this season and has the most wins on this type of track. He has won the past 4 races on the 1.5 mile intermediate tracks and 6 of 9 on the season overall. Don't doubt the numbers and trust in Martin's consistency!
2. Kyle Busch - Rowdy has been consistency one of the fastest drivers on the track throughout the season and he is locked into the next round. What should we expect from Rowdy? I think we should expect a lot of things and a lot of good things, too. He is a stud at Texas and usually can be counted to lead laps. He has speed this weekend. Top 5 speed and that's a very good sign for Kyle Busch. When he unloads fast, it usually foreshadows the #18 car being a contender. He may not always win, but he will be in the mix. At Texas, he is a tough guy to beat. And his record on the 1.5 mile tracks this season says he is a top 5 at least.
3. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson has had a couple of rough weeks, but he's fast again this weekend and looks like he can challenge for the win. He didn't qualify as well as I would had liked, but he has been very strong on the 1.5 mile tracks. He is a machine on this type of track in 2017 and should be a very safe bet to go with. I love Kyle Larson for this weekend. He has been at top of the charts since unloading, I think that will be the case on Sunday as well.
4. Kevin Harvick - Harvick haven't won on an intermediate track this season with the #4 team, but he has a great track history at Texas with SHR. And the SHR Fords look very good this weekend and his teammate is sitting on the pole for Sunday's race. Another thing to like about Kevin Harvick? He has finishes of 3rd, 3rd and 8th in his last three races on this type of track. Also, he has led at least 37 laps in each of those races. In 7 of 9 races on the 1.5 mile tracks this season, Harvick has led at least 10 laps. While 6 of those 9 races, he's led 37 or more laps. Harvick has the numbers and the speed to be a top fantasy pick for Sunday's afternoon race!
5. Denny Hamlin - Denny Hamlin is not a very popular man in the world of Nascar right now, after the events that happened at Martinsville. I am not gonna say what's my take is on it because it is not gonna be a very popular one. However, I think last week will be on his mind still though. Regardless, I don't think it will matter much in the end. He has a good enough car to challenge for the win on Sunday and he will start alongside of polesitter Kurt Busch. Throughout the second half of the season, Hamlin has been one of the best drivers in the series. In his last 16 races this season, he has compiled 10 Top 5 finishes. With only 4 finishes of worse than 7th(!) place! It also doesn't hurt that he has a pretty good track record at Texas Motor Speedway!
6. Chase Elliott - Chase Elliott was inconsistent through part of the 2017 season and still has a little inconsistency to him in the playoffs. But he is showing flashes of his true potential right now. He is fast week in and week out! The last few weeks, he has been very close to getting to victory lane. All year long, I have been looking for Elliott to show me something. Show me that he is THAT guy who can go up front and challenge for the win. For the first 25 or 30 races, I didn't see it. The past few races? He has stepped up. And if he going to win one of these next three races, I think it will be on Sunday afternoon at Texas. I think this is his best shot at going to victory lane. He's fast, but starting in the back.
7. Kurt Busch - Kurt Busch has displayed some speed this weekend, but I am not convinced that he will be able to stay up front and challenge for the win. I would be honestly very shocked if that happened. I expect to see something similar to what happened to teammate Kevin Harvick at Texas in April. Started up front, but fade late in the first run and then stay in the 6th-10th place range. That is the most likely thing to happen to Kurt Busch on Sunday afternoon. Still, he is one of the better fantasy options in leagues such as Yahoo Fantasy Racing. In leagues that depend on position differential? Not so much.
8. Matt Kenseth - I cannot sit here and tell you that I love Matt Kenseth, but I certianly don't hate him, either. This season, Kenseth haven't gone to victory lane. He has been close, but he has gone south since the playoffs started. That usually a bad sign as the year comes to a close. No momentum means less chance that he will challenge for a top 5 finish or a win. In 7 races during the playoffs, he has just one finish better than 9th place. Even though 3 of the last four races has ended in 9th-14th. Still, that's not very good overall. Kenseth is a big time driver and you expect top 5 finishes from him. In most formats, you probably cannot afford to use him otherwise. I think he will be top 10 good, at least based on what I have seen.
9. Jimmie Johnson - I haven't been high on Jimmie Johnson for most of the year. Why should I start now? He will be good like usual, but that's it. Nothing over the top and most likely finish somewhere in the top 10. He's a 7-time winner at this track, but he has just 2 Top 5 finishes in his LAST 25 RACES. Both of those top 5 finishes came at Dover. On the 1.5 mile tracks, he doesn't have a finish better than 7th place since winning here at Texas back in April. And he wasn't a top 5 car for that event, either. They got him really good late in the race. He led 18 laps on his way to victory lane. On the season, Johnson only has 2 top 10 finishes on the 1.5 mile tracks. Both of them has been in the playoffs though. I think he will be a top 10 driver in the race!
10. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski like usually haven't stood out that much this weekend. It has been a common theme to see Keselowski just being decent on the 1.5 mile intermediate tracks this season. That is the same sense I have gotten from him on Saturday. You know he will be good, but you also know that he has a limited ceiling, too. Consistency and finishing out races well is what really has carried him this far in the season. For whatever reason, Penske haven't ever recovered from that strong start that suddenly disappeared. Since finishing 2nd at Kansas, he has only one finish better than 15th on the 1.5 mile tracks. There's some bad luck involved, but you get my point.
Just Missed
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Joey Logano
Jamie Mac
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
Fantasy Nascar Update -
1. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr haven't looked dominated or starting on the front row, however he is the man on the 1.5 mile tracks. Sure, he is starting from 7th but I don't think it will matter. He will be in the mix all race long and that usually leads to very good things for Truex Jr. Especially on the 1.5 mile tracks, where he has done some serious damage. In fact, he has led the most laps on this type of track this season and has the most wins on this type of track. He has won the past 4 races on the 1.5 mile intermediate tracks and 6 of 9 on the season overall. Don't doubt the numbers and trust in Martin's consistency!
2. Kyle Busch - Rowdy has been consistency one of the fastest drivers on the track throughout the season and he is locked into the next round. What should we expect from Rowdy? I think we should expect a lot of things and a lot of good things, too. He is a stud at Texas and usually can be counted to lead laps. He has speed this weekend. Top 5 speed and that's a very good sign for Kyle Busch. When he unloads fast, it usually foreshadows the #18 car being a contender. He may not always win, but he will be in the mix. At Texas, he is a tough guy to beat. And his record on the 1.5 mile tracks this season says he is a top 5 at least.
3. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson has had a couple of rough weeks, but he's fast again this weekend and looks like he can challenge for the win. He didn't qualify as well as I would had liked, but he has been very strong on the 1.5 mile tracks. He is a machine on this type of track in 2017 and should be a very safe bet to go with. I love Kyle Larson for this weekend. He has been at top of the charts since unloading, I think that will be the case on Sunday as well.
4. Kevin Harvick - Harvick haven't won on an intermediate track this season with the #4 team, but he has a great track history at Texas with SHR. And the SHR Fords look very good this weekend and his teammate is sitting on the pole for Sunday's race. Another thing to like about Kevin Harvick? He has finishes of 3rd, 3rd and 8th in his last three races on this type of track. Also, he has led at least 37 laps in each of those races. In 7 of 9 races on the 1.5 mile tracks this season, Harvick has led at least 10 laps. While 6 of those 9 races, he's led 37 or more laps. Harvick has the numbers and the speed to be a top fantasy pick for Sunday's afternoon race!
5. Denny Hamlin - Denny Hamlin is not a very popular man in the world of Nascar right now, after the events that happened at Martinsville. I am not gonna say what's my take is on it because it is not gonna be a very popular one. However, I think last week will be on his mind still though. Regardless, I don't think it will matter much in the end. He has a good enough car to challenge for the win on Sunday and he will start alongside of polesitter Kurt Busch. Throughout the second half of the season, Hamlin has been one of the best drivers in the series. In his last 16 races this season, he has compiled 10 Top 5 finishes. With only 4 finishes of worse than 7th(!) place! It also doesn't hurt that he has a pretty good track record at Texas Motor Speedway!
6. Chase Elliott - Chase Elliott was inconsistent through part of the 2017 season and still has a little inconsistency to him in the playoffs. But he is showing flashes of his true potential right now. He is fast week in and week out! The last few weeks, he has been very close to getting to victory lane. All year long, I have been looking for Elliott to show me something. Show me that he is THAT guy who can go up front and challenge for the win. For the first 25 or 30 races, I didn't see it. The past few races? He has stepped up. And if he going to win one of these next three races, I think it will be on Sunday afternoon at Texas. I think this is his best shot at going to victory lane. He's fast, but starting in the back.
7. Kurt Busch - Kurt Busch has displayed some speed this weekend, but I am not convinced that he will be able to stay up front and challenge for the win. I would be honestly very shocked if that happened. I expect to see something similar to what happened to teammate Kevin Harvick at Texas in April. Started up front, but fade late in the first run and then stay in the 6th-10th place range. That is the most likely thing to happen to Kurt Busch on Sunday afternoon. Still, he is one of the better fantasy options in leagues such as Yahoo Fantasy Racing. In leagues that depend on position differential? Not so much.
8. Matt Kenseth - I cannot sit here and tell you that I love Matt Kenseth, but I certianly don't hate him, either. This season, Kenseth haven't gone to victory lane. He has been close, but he has gone south since the playoffs started. That usually a bad sign as the year comes to a close. No momentum means less chance that he will challenge for a top 5 finish or a win. In 7 races during the playoffs, he has just one finish better than 9th place. Even though 3 of the last four races has ended in 9th-14th. Still, that's not very good overall. Kenseth is a big time driver and you expect top 5 finishes from him. In most formats, you probably cannot afford to use him otherwise. I think he will be top 10 good, at least based on what I have seen.
9. Jimmie Johnson - I haven't been high on Jimmie Johnson for most of the year. Why should I start now? He will be good like usual, but that's it. Nothing over the top and most likely finish somewhere in the top 10. He's a 7-time winner at this track, but he has just 2 Top 5 finishes in his LAST 25 RACES. Both of those top 5 finishes came at Dover. On the 1.5 mile tracks, he doesn't have a finish better than 7th place since winning here at Texas back in April. And he wasn't a top 5 car for that event, either. They got him really good late in the race. He led 18 laps on his way to victory lane. On the season, Johnson only has 2 top 10 finishes on the 1.5 mile tracks. Both of them has been in the playoffs though. I think he will be a top 10 driver in the race!
10. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski like usually haven't stood out that much this weekend. It has been a common theme to see Keselowski just being decent on the 1.5 mile intermediate tracks this season. That is the same sense I have gotten from him on Saturday. You know he will be good, but you also know that he has a limited ceiling, too. Consistency and finishing out races well is what really has carried him this far in the season. For whatever reason, Penske haven't ever recovered from that strong start that suddenly disappeared. Since finishing 2nd at Kansas, he has only one finish better than 15th on the 1.5 mile tracks. There's some bad luck involved, but you get my point.
Just Missed
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Joey Logano
Jamie Mac
Twitter - @JeffNathans18