Saturday, March 31, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Preview (Texas)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Preview -

1-JMac: When we compare Jamie from 2017 to this season, I think the difference is pretty noticeable. Sure, he has had a few races where he has had bad luck. But for the most part, he haven't sniffed the top 10 or been able to stay in the top 15. If you watch the #1 car in 2018, you will notice that he has hung hovering around the 18th-20th place mark. In 5 races (minus Daytona), he has 17.8 average running position and 24.6 average finish. Those numbers speak for themselves. On the two 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 27.5 average finish with 20.0 average running position and 62.8 driver rating. I think with Chevy being behind the curve, the 1 team is struggle to produce the consistent low-teens/top 10 runs they had the last few seasons. He is looking more like the driver he was awhile back. Inconsistent, unpredictable and untrustworthy. Over the last few seasons, his biggest and probbaly only asset was his ability to get solid finishes on a weekly basis. That trait seemed to be gone. I would say away from him for now!

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is off to a great start his season overall. He has been fast week in and week out, consistently contending for top 5 finishes. In 5 races this season (minus Daytona), he has the 2nd-best average finish (7.4), 3rd-best average running position (6.0) and 4th-best driver rating (107.3). On the two 1.5 mile tracks, he has been a top 3 driver with ease. At those two races, he has compiled 4.0 average finish with 4.5 average running position and 113.1 driver rating. He ranked 2nd in all three categorizes to only Kevin Harvick. At Texas in the past two seasons, he has compiled 10.3 average finish with 12.5 average running position. In 5 of his last 7 races at Texas, he has finished 6th or better. He had finishes of 5th and 6th in 2017. Keselowski should be easily one of the best picks this week. 

3-Austin Dillon: Outside of Daytona, Austin Dillon haven't been okay I guess.. In his last 5 races, he has compiled 16.8 average finish with 17.8 average running position. With that said, he has finished 14th or better in all three intermediate tracks. On the two 1.5 mile tracks, he posted finishes of 14th and 13th. He also finished 10th at Cali. On the two 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 13.5 average finish with 15.0 average running position and 71.6 driver rating. Overall, he haven't been bad this season on the intermediate tracks. I think he is good enough to be a decent flier on a low-teen finisher. But I wouldn't expect a top 10 finish out of him, his upside is probably somewhere between 12th-15th. That also the most likely range he will run in, too.

4-Kevin Harvick: Harvick has been the most dominate driver on the 1.5 mile tracks this season and it haven't been close. Keselowski has been the 2nd-best driver and their numbers has a sizable gap. On the two 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 1.0 average finish with 2.5 average running position and 148.1 driver rating. If you are not familiar with how driver rating works, anything above 140 is simply near flawless. He was flirting with 150.0, which is the highest driver rating you can achieve in a Nascar event. He has been incredible this season. And this is the type of track that he has performed best on, which is kinda saying something,too.

9-Chase Elliott: Elliott has had his moments this season, but I don't think he quite ready for his first cup win yet. His best race of the season was when he finished 3rd at Phoenix and honestly I don't think he has came close to be that competitive in any other race. On the intermediate tracks, he has mainly just been top 10 good. I cannot recall any race where he showed top 5 ''potential''. Texas has been one of his best tracks so far in his cup career. In four career starts, he has finished 9th or better in all four races as well. In those 4 races, he has compiled 6.5 average finish with 9.8 average running position and 97.1 driver rating. Elliott still has question marks about him, but I do think his upside is way higher than the small risks that comes with him.

11-Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has started off 2018, much better than he has in recent seasons. I kinda was wondering how he would look out of the gate. If history is any indication, he will be a force later in the season. So with Hamlin's solid start, he could be for a very strong season. Any time will tell, if that actually holds true though. In 5 races (excluding Daytona), he has compiled 8.6 average finish with 8.6 average running position. That's solid. At the two races on 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 10.5 average finish with 10.5 average running position If there was a real concern about Hamlin, then it would be this: Hamlin last top 10 finish in the spring time at Texas was in April 2010. He has had a lot more success in the fall races than the spring races. Can he break that trend this weekend?

12-Ryan Blaney: Entering the season, this was one of the places where I really thought that Blaney would contend for the win. I still believe that, after all he has looked pretty good on the other two 1.5 milers already this season. In 2 races on 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 8.5 average finish with 8.5 average running position and 97.1 driver rating. At Las Vegas, he stood out and I expected him to. I would consider it the most comparable track to Texas. Earlier this season, he started on the pole, held a driver of 114.1 and finished 5th. In his last four races this season, he had finished 3 times in 8th or better. Including 8th place at Cali and 3rd at Martinsville. He has a lot of momentum entering the weekend. On top of that, he led 148 laps in last spring race here.

14-Clint Bowyer: Bowyer is coming off a win at Martinsville, his first win since the 2013 season. It was a long time coming. It started to sink in that he was about to dominate at Martinsville, when he was consistently catching the 12 car on the long green flag run, before end of stage 2. I was just watching his lap times and watching him chewing into the #12 car lead. I was like, ''Yeah that 14 car is hooked up''. After he took the lead, he never really gave it back.He also has been solid on the intermediate tracks in 2018 so far. In two races on 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 10.5 average finish with 10.5 average running position.

18-Kyle Busch: Rowdy has been awesome this season and has already collected 4 top 5 finishes and a series-best 3.2 average finish since Atlanta. In that span, he also leads the series in average running position (4.0), series-best driver rating (122.1), 2nd-most laps led (233) and 2nd-most fast laps (212). Yeah that's pretty stout and his numbers on the 1.5 mile tracks are top 3, too. He has compiled 4.5 average finish with 6.0 average running position and 110.0 driver rating. Rowdy has a strong record at Texas, too. However, last season was not very strong by the 18 team. He had finishes of 19th and 15th. Prior to last season, he had 5 straight top 5 finishes at Texas, dating back to the 2014 season. From 2013 to 2016 spring races, he had no finishes worse than 4th. He had wins in 2013 and 2016. Why is that important? He missed the 2015 race. Which means, he won in 2013, didn't win in 2014, won in 2016, didn't win in 2017. Trends suggest that he will be back into victory lane in this season's spring race. Question is will the trend hold up? I wouldn't bet against it!

19-Daniel Suarez: I haven't been too impressed with the young JGR driver so far this season. He haven't really contended for any top 10 finishes, kinda like he started off his rookie season. I figured after a year of experience, he would start the season off better. He haven't, as he has posted 18.0 average finish with 17.0 average running position and 70.5 driver rating. Those are bad numbers, considering what kind of equipment that he is in. In the two 1.5 mile races, he has compiled 20.5 average finish with 16.0 average running position. He does have one top 10 finish to his credit and that was at Phoenix. He finished 15th at Atlanta, 26th at Las Vegas and 23rd at Cali. This weekend, I would expect a finish somewhere between 12th-16th most likely. He had things not go his way at Atlanta and Cali, so I will give him a pass at both races. He is capable of finishing in the top 15 at Texas. But I would cap him there though.

20-Erik Jones: Jones is having a nice season so far. He is not doing anything special, but he has remained consistent. In his last 5 races (since Atlanta), he has compiled 10.4 average finish with 12.6 average running position and 85.7 driver rating. Not great, but respectable in the early stages of the season. On the 1.5 mile tracks this season, he has compiled 9.5 average finish with 13.0 average running position. Between Atlanta and Cali (races no.2 through 5), he did not finish worse than 11th. He finished 17th at Martinsville. So like I said, it has been a solid start to the season for driver of the no.20 car. I would say that Jones will contend for another top 10 finish, but I am not expecting a breaking out party for him though. I think the 20 team is still working on their way to be race winning contenders with their new driver. He will get wins, but I think that will happen a little later in the season. He's still a solid fantasy pick!

22-Joey Logano: Heading into the season, I expect Joey to bounce back from that dreadful 2017 season. It looks like he is on his way to doing that, at least in the early going. I think some of that has to do with the strength of the Ford cars, in general. Joey has been very solid on these 1.5 mile tracks in 2018, too. He has compiled 6.5 average finish with 7.0 average running position and 100.2 driver rating. And his record at Texas is pretty awesome, as well. In his last 4 races at Texas, he has compiled 3.8 average finish with 7.0 average running position and 110.6 driver rating. Over the past two seasons, no driver in the series has a better average finish than Joey Logano does at Texas. In 10 career starts with Penske, he has posted 7 Top 5 finishes. His other three finishes are 12th, 40th and his recent finish of 7th.

41-Kurt Busch: With how strong SHR has been and how well it seemed often that the 41 has ran, I am kinda surprise that Kurt haven't scored a top 5 finish yet. That's weird to me, as he been up near the front just like his teammates been. Yet, he has no finishes better than 8th. And 5 of his 6 races this season has ended in 10th or worse. He started off the season strong in Atlanta and actually led 52 laps on his way to a season-high 8th place finish. He wrecked out at Las Vegas and finished 14th at Cali. Then there's Martinsville, where he once again did not finish in the top 10. Texas haven't been bad place for him, but he haven't overachieved at it, either. In his last 4 races at Texas, he has compiled 12.0 average finish with 13.0 average running position and 86.9 driver rating. Not bad numbers at all, but I think he can do better though. For this weekend, I wouldn't be shocked if he finished anywhere between 10th-15th. He obviously have the speed to contend for a spot in the top 10, but he haven't proven that he can close the deal this season.

42-Kyle Larson: Some people are asking, ''what's wrong with Kyle Larson?'' If you are worried about Kyle Larson, you have ridiculous high standards. There was a very good chance that Larson would decline in numbers from a year ago. And he haven't been bad at all. Martinsville (his worst track, in my opinion) was by far his worst performance of the season. He has been solid everywhere else. I think Chevy's slow start has also held Larson back some. But it haven't stopped him from contending for top 5 finishes. In 5 races (excluding Daytona), he has compiled 9.6 average finish with 9.2 average running position and 97.1 driver rating. Those numbers are miles better than any other driver from CGR, RCR or HMS. At Atlanta, he finished 9th. Then he had top 3 finishes at both Las Vegas and Cali. Three top 10 finishes in three races on intermediate tracks. He will be fine this weekend and has enough upside to contend for a top 5 finish.

48-Jimmie Johnson: The jury is probably still out on Johnson, but honestly I am not expecting much from him. I mean, look how he has performed so far this season. It haven't been terrible, but that is the best thing I can say about him. He has no finishes better than 9th. While 5 of his 6 races this season has ended in 12th or worse. In his last 5 races (excluding Daytona), he has compiled 15.4 average finish with 16.4 average running position. You don't need numbers to tell you that Johnson has been at best average. He doesn't look like a top 10 driver right now and sometimes he barely looks like a top 15 driver. Some of this may be because of the new car, they are using. But you cannot sit here and tell me that he is a good pick this week. He isn't until he shows something legit on the track. All I see is a driver whom ceiling is at best high-single digit finish.

78-Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr haven't quite gotten the love that he did last season, but he is nobody to underestimate though. Currently, he is on a 3-race top 5 finish streak. He have not finish worse than 5th place since the opening race at Daytona. He finished 5th at Atlanta, 4th at Las Vegas and won at Cali. He was so impressive at Cali. The strength of that car was impressive. He led 125 laps on his way to victory lane. He also has started on the pole in three straight races now. All three races, of course, led to top 5 finishes. And Texas is one of his best tracks, too. Over past two seasons, no driver has been better. He has compiled 4.8 average finish with 4.0 average running position and 125.9 driver rating. He has the best average running position and driver rating in the last two seasons. He also has led the most laps over the past two seasons. Truex Jr's strength on the intermediate tracks in recent seasons should not be overlooked. He is a top 3 driver entering the race.

88-Alex Bowman: There is not a lot to really say about Bowman yet, he is a young driver still. He is learning as the season goes on. He been off to a good start overall, I would have to say. In 2 races on 1.5 mile tracks, he has compiled 18.0 average finish with 17.5 average running position and 66.3 driver rating. So far (minus Daytona), Bowman has posted 13.4 average finish with 16.4 average running position in his last 5 races. Based on what I have seen this season, he will probably be somewhere in the teens. Personally I would say that he finishes somewhere 13th-17th range. That where most of his finishes has came this season. With that said, he haven't finished outside of the top 20 this season.

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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

Saturday, March 24, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (MVille)

Welcome to timerssports

Final Rankings -

1. Kyle Busch
2. Martin Truex Jr
3. Brad Keselowksi
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Joey Logano
6. Kyle Larson
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Chase Elliott
10. Jimmie Johnson
11. Ryan Newman
12. Ryan Blaney
13. Jamie Mac
14. Aric Almirola
15. Daniel Suarez 
16. Kurt Busch
17. Erik Jones
18. Paul Menard
19. Alex Bowman
20. Austin Dillon
21. AJ Dinger
22. Trevor Bayne
23. William Byron
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
25. Kasey Kahne
26. Darrell Wallace Jr
27. Chris Buescher
28. Ty Dillon
29 Michael McDowell
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (MVille)

Welcome to TimersSports

Early Rankings -

1. Kyle Busch
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Chase Elliott
6. Martin Truex Jr
7. Joey Logano
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Clint Bowyer
10. Ryan Blaney
11. Kurt Busch
12. Kyle Larson
13. Erik Jones
14. Aric Almirola
15. Jamie Mac
16. Ryan Newman
17. Paul Meanrd
18. Austin Dilllon
19. Daniel Suarez
20. Alex Bowman
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
22. AJ Dinger
23. Trevor Bayne
24. Ty Dillon
25. William Byron 
26. Kasey Kahne
27. Chris Buescher
28. Darrell Wallace Jr
29. Micheal McDowell
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza

Sunday, March 18, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Preview (Mville)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Preview -

1-JMac: Martinsville has been a tough place for JMac over the past couple seasons. In 3 of his last 4 races here, he has finished 23rd or worse. In 6 of his last 10 races overall here, he has finished 16th or better. With 5 of those 6 races ending in the top 10. His last top 10 finish was back in 2016 though. He finished 8th in fall 2016. Prior to finishing 29th in last fall's race, he has finished 3 of his last 4 fall's races in the top 10. The lone non-top 10 finish was 16th place back in 2014. Jamie Mac haven't finished worse than 17th since the 2011 season in the fall-time, where he finished 35th. He has been a lot better in the fall races than the spring races.

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is easily one of the best drivers in the series at Martinsville. Since 2015, he has been simply a machine. In his last 6 races at MVille, he has posted 5 top 5 finishes. Over his last four races, he has compiled 3.0 average finish with 5.8 average running position and 120.7 driver rating. Those are only second-best to Kyle Busch. Nobody has been on Kyle Busch's level, but Keselowski has been as close as anyone else. In 8 of his last 11 races overall, he has finished in the top 6. Since entering the top level in 2012, he has only posted 3 finishes outside of the top 10. Problem is? His three bad finishes all has ended outside of the top 30. When he finishes out races, he usually contends for the win and finishes up front. When he doesn't, he will probably be a very regretful fantasy option. He's boom or bust, folks. But history says he is a lot more boom than bust. The risk isn't really that high. In fact, he is one of the safest options in the filed to choose.

3-Austin Dillon: Dillon isn't exactly the kind of driver that you would expect to find the success he has at Martinsville, but his numbers are quite good over his career. In 7 of his 8 career starts, he has finished in 18th or better. Over his last 4 races (2 seasons) at MVille, he has compiled 9.8 average finish with 14.3 average running position and 83.3 driver rating. Dillon has performed well during that 4-race span as you can tell. During that span, he has posted 3 top 13 finishes in 4 races. His lone non-top 13 finish was of 17th place back in fall 2016.

4-Kevin Harvick: Week in and week out, he is one of the fastest drivers in the series by far. He has been a good performer at Martinsville over the years, but he never quite get the finishes that he deserve though. Over the last 4 races at this track, he has compiled 15.5 average finish with 12.5 average running position and 88.6 driver rating. In 3 of his last 6 races, he has finished 8th or better. His other three races ended in 17th or 20th. In 5 of his last 9 races overall, he has finished 8th or better. Harvick is one of those drivers that you expect to perform consistently and to contend for the win. Regardless of what his track record says. He will from time to time have those bad finishes, but the speed of the No.4 car is undeniable this season. If he isn't contending for a win, then I would be shocked. He has ran very well here in the past. Very well!

9-Chase Elliott: Heading into the season, I thought Elliott's first win would come on one of three tracks: Phoenix (he finished 3rd - few weeks ago), Michigan or this weekend's race at Martinsville. Last fall's race at Martinsville, he was just a few laps from going to victory. He crash late in the event, which led to a feud with JGR driver Denny Hamlin. He was strong in that event. He compiled 4.0 average running position with 106.6 driver rating and spent 98% of the race in the top 15. His 4.0 average running position was ranked 3rd-best only behind Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. I have to believe his 27th place finish affected that stat, too. In last spring's race, he was strong again. Very strong as he was a top 5 driver for the entire race and led 20 laps. In that event, he held 3.0 average running position and 122.1 driver rating. He started 2nd for the event and pretty much was a top 3 all race long. He was impressive at Martinsville in 2017 and may just go to victory this time around. It is only matter of time now! 

11-Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has always been very good at Martinsville and that haven't changed, either. For his career, he holds 10.0 average finish in 24 career starts. He is a five-time winner at this place, but four of his wins came between 2008 and 2010. That the time period where he owned this place. Since, his numbers have came back down to earth though. Still, pretty good though. In 5 of his last 8 races at Martinsville, he has finished 8th or better. Bad news? 3 of his last 4 spring races at Martinsville has ended in 19th or worse. His most recent win has came in the spring time though. That was back in 2015. In his last two spring races, he has finished 39th and 30th. This is his chance to turn things around and get a quality finish this weekend.

12-Ryan Blaney: Blaney is not a great driver here at Martinsville, in fact I would advise avoiding him here altogether. He had a great finish of 8th place back in last fall's race. That is his only career top 10 finish though. Prior to that, he has no finishes better than 19th place. Of course, he only made three career starts. Still, Blaney isn't the type of driver that I would expect him to exceed at Martinsville, at least this early in his career. I think it may be difficult for him to repeat his success from last fall. I wouldn't be shocked, if he did. Considering he is a pretty talented driver, but I am not expecting it either though. 

17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr: Stenhouse Jr is not a very good driver here at Martinsville. This has been long considered one of Ricky's worst tracks on the schedule. However, he finished 10th twice last season. That was very shocking since, from 2013 to 2016, he posted just one finish better than 25th. His 6 other races previously were 31st or worst. His best career finish up to end of 2016 was 15th in 2014. I am not sure if last season's success was a fluke or a sign of things to come for Ricky and the 17 team. I am gonna proabbly play the wait and see card and hope for the best. If he looks legit, then I say take the gamble with him. If not, there are plenty of other underrated drivers to look at. Ricky will have better days ahead, I am sure. Personally, I am not expecting him to back up his top 10 finishes from 2017!

18-Kyle Busch: Rowdy is the man here at Martinsville. Nobody is on his level when you look at the numbers overall. He is a stud at this track. Over his last 4 races here, he has compiled 2.3 average finish with 3.0 average running position and 134.6 driver rating. All three of those stats ranked no.1 and by a pretty large margin, too. He has nearly nearly 600 more laps than any other driver in the series in the past two seasons as well. In 7 of his last 10 races here, he has finished in the top 5. Including 5 straight top 5 finishes in his last 5 races at this place. In his last four races at this track, he has led over 180 laps three times. Busch is simply owning this place lately and I am not sure if anyone can step up. Kyle Busch is my early pick to win this weekend!

19-Daniel Suarez: A lot of young drivers will struggle at a place like Martinsville. That is just how it is, this is a tough place to master. No shocker that Daniel struggled in his first career start back in April. He wasn't very good and finished 32nd, 11 laps down. In his second career start, he was much better and finished 15th. Biggest take away? He completed all of the laps and finished 15th. That is the best thing you can do as a young driver. Get experience and avoid any issues. With more track time, I fully expect Daniel to improve and keep getting better. For this weekend, I would say that he is the low teen to middle teen range most likely. Pretty much what we been seeing out of him on a weekly basis in 2018. I don't think this will be one of those races where he exceed his expectations. If anything, he might finish worse than usual. I say his upside is the top 15 for the weekend, he isn't someone that screams ''potential''. At least not in this stage of his career.

20-Erik Jones: In 2017, Jones had mix final results. In the spring's race, he ran decent enough and finished 12th. He held 15.0 average running position with 75.6 driver rating. He spent just under half of the race in the top 15. So yeah, he ran respectable enough to say that he earned that 12th place finish. In the fall's race, he didn't get as a good of a finish. He ended up with 26th place finish, after compiling 19.0 average running position and completing just 33% of the laps in the top 15 for the event. His numbers weren't significant worse than the spring race. But yes, they were worse in the end. Whatever way you want to slice, he was nothing special at Martinsville. I would probably put him in the same range as Daniel Suarez honestly.

22-Joey Logano: Logano is a very good driver here at Martinsville overall and a lot of time underrated. Even in last fall's race, where he finished 24th, he was still strong. He posted a driver rating above 100 and led 59 laps on his way to a disappointing 24th place finish. 5 of his last 8 races overall, he has finished in the top 9. Prior to finishing 24th in last fall's race, he had three straight finishes of 11th or better. In his last 4 races at this track, he has compiled 12.0 average finish with 9.3 average running position and 100.1 driver rating. Logano is off to a solid start to the season, too. I think Penske is lacking a little speed to SHR and JGR, so a place like Martinsville could help off-set that.

31-Ryan Newman: Newman will be his consistent usual self and probably contend for a finish somewhere in the low teens. That is Newman for you! Over the last four races here, he has compiled 12.0 average finish with 14.3 average running position and 82.1 driver rating. His in-race performance and final finishing position are almost on point with one another. In 3 of his last 5 races, Newman has finished in the top 10 at Martinsville. Newman won't lead any laps or contend for a top 5 finish, but he knows a thing or two how to get around this place. And it only take a few cars to have issues and he has a legit shot at finishing in the top 10. He is really one of those safe drivers that you can pretty much depend for a solid finish regardless. Not much to hate about an experienced driver like Newman.

41-Kurt Busch: Kurt's numbers at Martinsville aren't that good and he has never been that good here. He is two-time winner, but he is pretty much all or nothing here. In 35 career starts, he has posted 12 top 15 finishes. Yes, 12 top 15 finishes in 35 career starts. That is well below 50% of the time. Since his last win in 2014, he haven't been very good. In 5 of his last 7 races here, he has finished 22nd or worse. You don't have to dig far to see that Kurt has had a lot of problems at this racetrack. However, he is off to a great start this season as SHR as a whole has been strong in pretty much every race. It is hard to overlook the success of SHR in 2018, but at the same time it is hard to overlook his lack of success at Martinsville. We are gonna find out which trend will hold true soon enough.

42-Kyle Larson: Kyle Larson had his breakthrough performance back in spring 2016 at Martinsville. That reamins his sole good performance of his career at Martinsville. In fall 2016, he was on the boarder line of another top 10 finish. But he was running 11th late in the event and smashed the wall. He finished 14th in that race. In spring 2017, he started on the pole. He looked good early on, both of the CGR cars did. But they eventually tapered off as the race went on. Larson would finished 17th in that race. Then last fall's race, he did not finish the event and finished 17th. Other than the 2016 season, Larson does not have a finish better than 17th since becoming a full-time driver at the top level. History says that Larson shouldn't be trusted to repeat his 2016 success.

48-Jimmie Johnson: Johnson use to be a great driver here at Martinsville and has more wins than any active driver, but that was then and this is now. Johnson is not the same driver he was a few years ago. And he isn't driver for the best team in Nascar at the moment, either. I think that is another factor in the Johnson's equation. His numbers over the last four races aren't bad by any means overall. In his last four races, he has compiled 9.3 average finish with 9.5 average running position and 101.6 driver rating. He won here in fall 2016 and finished 9th earlier in the spring race. In 2017 (last season), he compiled 13.5 average finish with 11.0 average running position and 93.5 driver rating. Not bad at all, but obviously not quite on the Jimmie Johnson's standards that we are use to here. If Johnson gonna go to victory lane or challenge for a top 5 in the foreseeable future, I would imagine that it will be here.

78-Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr usually only get the respect he deserves on the intermediate tracks and I think that is such bullshit. He is a guy that can contend for wins on any type of track. His recent numbers at Martinsville will back that up. His last four races at this track, he has compiled 10.8 average finish with 7.5 average running position and 100.9 driver rating. Only two driver has a better average running position and only three drivers has a better driver rating. That's elite company right there over the past two seasons. Since 2015 (6 races), he has posted 4 top 7 finishes in 6 races. He is legit driver here at Martinsville and he has ran very well all season long. There is no reason to not think that he won't contend for another top 5 finish on Sunday!

88-Alex Bowman: Bowman does not have a lot of experience here at Martinsville, so it will be interesting how well he does this weekend. There is no real comparable track to Martinsville, so it will make it difficult to say how well the 88 car does this weekend. I would have to say somewhere between 14th-20th seems likely. If he doesn't do well, you can expect a finish in the low-20s. Personally, I wouldn't expect anything better than the middle to high teens out of him. I am not really that confident in Alex Bowman. I think he will be a lot better in the fall race than the spring time.


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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

2018 Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts (Cali)

Welcome to TimersSports

RaceDay Thoughts -

Jeff Nathans (@JeffNathans18)

- Harvick is the man to beat again

- Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch are two guys that will give Harvick a challenge

- There are a lot of drivers starting outside of the top 20. Two guys I really like are Elliott and Hamlin.

-Erik Jones is a very solid pick today. He has been fast all weekend. Showing a lot of speed in his No.20 car.

Garry Briggs (@Garryy12):

-Bowyer is starting outside of the top 25, but I really like what I saw from him on Saturday.

-Harvick, Larson, Busch and Truex Jr are the top 4. Then there is everyone else

-Watch out for Brad Keselowski. He seemed pretty confident about his chance in his cup car

-The last two seasons, Austin Dillon has been a legit top 10 or top 12 driver here at ACS. He got screwed last year on a late pit stop. He had the 2nd-best 15 lap average in final practice. Sleeper alert

Driver Game lineup -

Jeff's lineup - 4,20,41,88

Garry's lineup - 4,41,14,37

Dark Horses -

Jeff's Pick - Erik Jones

Garry's Pick - Erik Jones

Winner -

Jeff's Pick - Kevin Harvick

Garry's Pick - Kevin Harvick

Saturday, March 17, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Cali)

Welcome to TimersSports

Final Rankings -

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Busch
3. Kyle Larson
4. Martin Truex Jr
5. Joey Logano
6. Kurt Busch
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Erik Jones
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Chase Elliott
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Clint Bowyer
13. Aric Almirola
14. Jimmie Johnosn
15. Austin Dillon
16. Ryan Newman
17. Jamie Mac
18. Daniel Suarez
19. Alex Bowman
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
21. Paul Menard
22. Darrell Wallace Jr
23. Kasey Kahne
24. William Byron
25. Trevor Bayne
26. Chris Buescher
27. AJ Dinger
28. Ty Dillon
29. Michael McDowell
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza

2018 Fantasy Nascar Picks (Cali)

Welcome to Timerssports

Fantasy Nascar Picks -

A:

Start- Kevin Harvick

Bench - Martin Truex Jr

Reasons - I am gonna be out of starts with Harvick soon and I don't really care. The best appraoch in this game is to use them while they are hot. Harvick is stupid hot right now. You are not benching him. Now, I usually don't recommend benching the polesitter, but that is what I am saying you should do. However, I would not be against using Truex Jr, if you are looking to get off-sequence.

B:

Start - Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer

Bench - Aric Almirola and Jamie Mac

Reasons - The SHR cars are hot right now. Who knows how long that will last. Busch has a great track record here and starting from 5th. Bowyer looked fast since unloading, but starting mid-pack. Not ideal, but I am okay with that. He will make his way up to the top 10 or top 15 eventually.

Erik Jones is probably the best pick for this week out of this grouping tier, if you were wondering. If I could repick my picks, I would start Jones and probably pair him with either Blaney or one of the SHR cars.

C:

Start - Chris Buescher

Bench - William Byron

Reasons - I know a lot of people are gonna use either Byron, Bowman or Wallace. And that's fine, but this week I noticed that Buescher had an 20.0 average finish at Vegas/Atlanta. I jumped on him. And ended up qualifying 12th. He won't stay there. He will probably be good enough for a top 25 finish. The glad this week is to stay within 2-3 spots of the top 3 in this grouping tier. And with the way they been so unpredictable, I think it is a good gamble to take.

Dark Horse - Erik Jones

Winner - Kevin Harvick

*****Note - Due to the lack time I have this weekend, I will not be posting my picks for Slingshot Game and Fantasy Live . If you really want my picks for those games, email me or message me on twitter.

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12


2018 Fantasy Nascar Update (Cali)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Update -

1. Kevin Harvick - Harvick is starting 10th, but he has the car to beat for a 4th straight week. Not only does, he have the car to beat but he also has led the most laps in the last three races. Of course, he won each of those races, too. Last week at Phoenix, it was much more challenging for Harvick to win than the previous two races. This weekend, I think it will be a lot like last weekend. I think Harvick will get to the front, but believe me those guys will make it tough on him. I do believe that he will end up winning. However, once he get to the lead, I do think it is Harvick's race. The question is how long can they hold him off?

2. Kyle Busch - Rowdy will start 2nd and not too long ago he was considered ''the man'' here at Cali. This weekend, he is fast again. He topped final practice and was ranked 3rd in terms of best 15-lap average. He only trailed Harvick, and Dillon according to FS1. Rowdy always shows up fast to these intermediate tracks and has been top 3 good in every race this season. No reason why the 18 car won't challenge for the win. If there is a driver that can knock off Kevin Harvick, then the driver of the No.18 car is my first choice.

3. Kyle Larson - Larson has won the last four races at Michigan and Cali, so he is definitely someone you have to watch out for. He had a tough go around last weekend at Phoenix, but I have faith that he will rebound here at his hometown racetrack. He has been fast on the intermediate tracks this season (and last season). This weekend, Larson has been pretty happy with his car and has displayed legit speed on both days. He will start 3rd and had the 4th-best 15 lap average in final practice. Larson was one of the heavy favorite entering the weekend and nothing has changed after on-track activities.

4. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr will start on the pole, but he didn't sound too confident after final practice about his car on the long run. That is typically a bad sign when it comes to the race, you need good long run speed at a place like Cali. He hinted around that they some work to do with that. I kinda felt like the 78 team has been missing a step this year and that is the vibe I am getting this weekend. He is good enough to be a top 5 driver, but not good enough to be included in possible winner discussion. Of course, he could easily improve throughout the race and change all of that. So, we will see!

5. Erik Jones - Jones has been very fast all weekend and has been near top of the charts all weekend long. I could drop him down a few spots, but I think this is the best he has looked during a race weekend this year. We all know what he is capable of when he can put together a whole weekend. He has half of it down already. He qualified 4th and looked pretty fast in practice. The question is now can he translate that practice speed into race speed. We will see about that! I am very high on him here at Cali.

6. Joey Logano - I don't know if Joey has great long run speed this weekend, but he is off to a great start this season. He has finished well at the other two intermediate tracks this season and has some really strong finishes of late at this track. For whatever reason, the Penske cars just don't look as strong as the other Ford teams. But in the race, they are usually close to the top 5 or at the very least somewhere in middle of the top 10. They won't jump off the page with their speed throughout the weekend, but they will get the job done. Expect, Joey to be a top 10 driver on Sunday afternoon.

7. Brad Keselowski - I don't really love Keselowski or anything, but he has a habit of getting the results. He looks top 10 good this weekend and he will roll off from the 11th position. Cali use to be a terrible track for Keselowski, but he has posted back-to-back top 10 finishes in the last two seasons. I think Keselowski is one of those drivers that hang around and then take advatnage of other misfortunes. He is so good at that, he is someone who does not make many mistakes. On top of that, he is very good at getting off-sequence and taking advantage that way, too. On pure speed, expect Keselowski to be anywhere from 5th to 9th place range. I see him running most of the race in that area. 

8. Chase Elliott - Elliott has been good this weekend overall, but he will start from well outside of the top 20. He is one of the drivers that I fully expect to move forward and contend for at least a top 10 finish. He has been awesome here so far in his young career and has ran very well on other two intermediate tracks this season. I thought he looked really strong in the earlier session on Saturday, but in the later session he didn't make any strong long runs during final practice. I am not too worried about. Maybe the 9 team was just trying something. Elliott is one of those drivers that you can count on to be top 10 good pretty much every time we come to this type of track. He will be just fine on Sunday afternoon.

9. Ryan Blaney - I am just not super high on Blaney, but I am not down on him, either. To me, Blaney haven't blown me away this season or this weekend. But at the same time, he haven't been terrible. He has been good enough, but not to the point where I am convinced that he will be special. For this weekend, he is probably good enough to be in the latter part of the top 10 with some upside. He started on the pole at Vegas and finished 5th. He started 25th and finished 12th at Atalanta. I will split the difference and put him in the top 10. He is solid choice to go with as a fantasy pick.

10. Denny Hamlin - I think outside of Harvick, I think the JGR cars are gonna be really strong. Both of Denny's teammates has been fast. And so has he. Hamlin is starting outside of the top 25, but he has legit top 10 speed with obvious upside to do some serious damage. I don't think he will have many problems getting to the front (top 10), but after that it is hard to say. On pure speed, I thought at least 5 or 6 drivers were better than him. That would include Harvick, Larson, Busch, Jones, Truex Jr, etc off top of my head. And there may be more. It will be interesting when he get to the top 10 on Sunday.

Other options -

Kurt Busch
Clint Bowyer
Ryan Newman
Jamie Mac
Austin Dillon

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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (Cali)

Welcome to TimersSports

Early Rankings -

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Larson
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Kyle Busch
5. Joey Logano
6. Kurt Busch
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Chase Elliott
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Erik Jones
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Ryan Newman
13. Clint Bowyer
14. Aric Almirola
15. Jimmie Johnson 
16. Jamie Mac
17. Paul Menard
18. Daniel Suarez
19. Alex Bowman
20. Austin Dillon
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
22. William Byron
23. Kasey Kahne
24. Trevor Bayne
25. Darrell Wallace Jr
26. Ty Dillon
27. AJ Dinger
28. David Ragan
29. Chris Buescher
30. Michael McDowell

Twitter - @MattAleza



Sunday, March 11, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Preview (Cali)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Preview -

1-JMac: The Driver of the No.1 car is very underrated here at Cali, especially over the past couple seasons. In the past four seasons at Cali, he has finished in the top 10 three times. In the past two seasons, he has compiled 8.0 average finish with 11.0 average running position and 89.3 driver rating. During those two seasons, he also has completed 73% of the laps inside the top 15. In 2017, he was very strong. Statistically in that race, he had his best performance on record. In that event, he finished 6th, posted 6.0 average running position and 105.7 driver rating. Earlier this season, he struggled at Atlanta. He had a bad race at Las Vegas, but he was top 15 good before smashing into the wall.

2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski has three straight top 10 finishes, including one win in the 2015 season. In his first 6 (and previous) starts, he had no finishes better than 18th. So obviously, he has made some serious gains. However, outside of his win, he has underperformed the past couple seasons. He has top 10 finishes in each of his last two seasons, but his in-race numbers are down though. In his last two races at Cali, he has compiled 5.5 average finish with 14.0 average running position with 87.5 driver rating. He finished better than he ran in each race. In the other two intermediate tracks this season, he was very strong at Atlanta. He had the second-best car and led 38 laps. At Las Vegas, I thought he was top 5 good overall and contended for a top 5 for most of the event. He hung around 3rd-6th for majority of the event.

3-Austin Dillon: Dillon isn't bad at Cali, but he isn't that great, either. In four career starts at Cali, he has compiled 3 top 16 finishes. All three finishes has ended in 11th-16th. Over the past two seasons, he has compiled 17.5 average finish with 12.0 average running position and 84.5 driver rating. Those stats could be even better, if it wasn't for the 2016 race. He started on the pole and was running top 10 with under 10 to go. On the final pit stop with just few laps to go, his pit gun broke in middle of a pit stop. His chances at a good finish pretty much was over right there. Tough finish after a solid weekend for the No.3 car. On the intermediate tracks this season, he has been consistent. At Atlanta and Las Vegas, he had finishes of 14th and 13th. He wasn't anything special in either race, but he got good finishes in both finishes. Things are lining p for him to finish in the top 15 once again this weekend at Cali!

4-Kevin Harvick: Harvick had a tough race in 2017 at Cali. He got nose damage at start of the race and had to pit to fix it. He would restart at tail end of the field and have to charge through the field. Just before halfway through the race, he cut a tire and had to pit again. He would eventually get back on the lead lap late in the race and save his day with 13th place finish. Needless to say that it was a long and rough day at the track for the 4 team. In 2015 and 2016, he finished 2nd in both race. He led 142 laps in 2016 and he led 34 in 2015. I thought that in 2016, he had the car to beat and should had won that race. He didn't, but I still thought that was one of his best performances of the season. He had such a hotrod that day. At both Atlanta and Las Vegas, he led the most laps and won both races. He has three straight wins with his win at Phoenix last weekend. Can anyone stop him? Harvick is a great fantasy option at Cali!

9-Chase Elliott: Elliott has been great at Cali in two career starts so far. Over the past two seasons at Cali, he has compiled 8.0 average finish with 6.5 average running position and 109.0 driver rating. In those two races, he completed 97% of the laps inside the top 15. In 2016, he led one lap and finished 6th. He was very good on the long runs and was running top 5 in second half of the event. In 2017, he was even better. He finished 12th, but he was top 5 good for the race. He held 5.0 average running position and 112.8 driver rating for the event. Only Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr performed better for the entire event.

11-Denny Hamlin: Hamlin doesn't have great finishes here, but he has led in 6 straight races now. Problem is? In half of those races, he has finished outside of the top 20. In fact, 4 of his last 5 races at Cali, he has finished outside of the top 10. He has performed very well in the races recently though. Over the past two seasons, he has compiled 8.5 average finish with 10.5 average running position and 96.3 driver rating. In 2017, he finished 14th. During the race, he led 92.5 driver rating with 8.0 average running position. He finished 3rd in 2016. In 2015, he was in a position to win late but he had a pit road penalty that caused him to finish 28th Prior to that, he led 56 laps and running top 3 before the caution.

12-Ryan Blaney: Blaney haven't been that good at Cali so far in his career. He finished 9th in last season's race, but that was only his second career start at the track in the cup series. In that event, he compiled 12.0 average running position and 92.2 driver rating. In that event, he completed 73% of the laps inside the top 15. He was top 12 good at both Atlanta and Las Vegas. So while there isn't much data to go on with his track history, he also offer good seasonal data. And as much as people want to believe that track history is ''huge'', it is really not. Current season data a lot of times is a lot more important because it is more relevant. In Blaney's situation, I think it is even more important. I believe he will set a new career-best finish this weekend at Cali.

17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr: The Driver of the No.17 car haven't been bad at Cali, but he haven't been great, either. In 5 career starts, he has 4 finishes in the top 20. In 2016, he had his best car ever at Cali. He not only finished 5th, but he was legit. That was by far his best finish and in-race performance. He wasn't top 5 good or close to it, but he was much better than anyone ever gives him credit for. I thought he was pretty underrated in 2017 race as well. He finished 16th, but he was a top 15 driver for most of the event. He completed 89% of the laps in the top 15 and held 14.0 average running position for the race. Over the past two seasons, Ricky has completed 87% of the laps and held 13.0 average running position. That's very solid!

18-Kyle Busch: Rowdy is very good at this large intermediate track and he should be considered one of the best picks in the field for this weekend. In 5 of his last 6 races at Cali, he has finished 8th or better. From 2011 to 2014, he had four straight top 3 finishes. Including finishing in the top 3 and led 80+ laps in three straight races between 2011 and 2013. He won back-to-back races in 2013 and 2014. Over the past two seasons, he has compiled 16.5 average finish with 7.5 average running position and 97.5 driver rating. His average finish is so far down because of the 2016 race. He was running in the top 10 late in the race and then a tire went down and he smashed into the wall. He didn't have a great day, but it was a pretty good up to that point. He finished 8th in the 2017 race.

19-Daniel Suarez: Suarez haven't been off to a good start to the 2018 season, but he has performed well at times during the first four races. I think Suarez and rest of the JGR cars will only get better as the season goes on in 2018. In last season's event at Cali, Daniel scored his first career top 10 finish. It should be noted that he only held 17.0 average running position and 77.2 driver rating. Like for much of Daniel's first handful of races, most of his good finishes weren't on par with his performances for the event. But as the season went on, he performing closer to the top 10 than not. I think that could be the case once again here in 2018 as well.

20-Erik Jones: Erik Jones has gotten off to a solid start to the season. The driver of the No.20 car has been solid everywhere we had gone. He will look to keep it going at Cali. Earlier this season, he had finishes of 8th and 11th at the other two intermediate tracks. It is not great or anything like that, but it is certainly better than what a lot of drivers out there can say though. In his lone start at Cali, he was very good here in 2017. In that event, he held 7.0 (!) average running position and 100.7 driver rating. He completed 99% of the laps inside the top 15, while finishing 12th. If you cannot already tell, he was better than that 12th place finish. He was legit top 10 driver and probably a lot closer to a top 5 guy, too.

22-Joey Logano: It may be a bit early to say that Logano is back, but I think he's back from that ugly 2017 season that he had. And his record here at Cali is impressive. In 4 of his last 5 races at Cali, he has finished 7th or better. Over the past two seasons, he has finished in the top 5 both seasons. In the past two seasons at Cali, he has compiled 4.5 average finish with 7.5 average running position and 107.0 driver rating. On other intermediate tracks this season, he has compiled finishes of 6th and 7th at Las Vegas and Atlanta. He had 6.5 average finish with 7.0 average running position in those two races here in 2018. He is ranked as the 6th-best driver in the series in those two races.

31-Ryan Newman: Newman has shown some really good speed on the intermediate tracks here in 2018. He started on the pole at Atlanta and was top 10 before his long day started. At Las Vegas, he started 25th but showed good speed throughout the weekend. He eventually finished 11th for the event. Not bad at all, especially since he has shown some potential. He's very good at Cali, too. Since 2010 season (8 races), he haven't finished worse than 20th. During that span, he has posted top 10 finishes in 5 of his last 8 races. Over the past two seasons, he has compiled finishes of 15th and 14th. He finished 5th back in 2015. He is capable of finishing in or near the top 10 this weekend. But headed into the weekend, I would say he is low-teens worthy driver overall.

41-Kurt Busch: Like teammate Kevin Harvick, the driver of the No.41 car has been very fast at the intermediate tracks this season. He was fast at both Atlanta and Las Vegas. He just didn't get the finishes in either race though. He finished 7th at Atlanta, after leading 52 laps and having a top 5 car. At Las Vegas, he was running top 10 day until wrecking into Chase Elliott. That ended his day. And Cali is a very good track for him, he just have had bad luck over the past couple seasons. A couple years ago, I would had considered this as one of his best tracks. Don't be fooled by his 24th and 30th places finishes over the past two seasons. In his prior 9 races (to 2016), he had 7 Top 10 finishes in those 9 races. Including 4 straight top 9 finishes between 2012 and 2015. He had 3 straight top 5 finishes in 2013 and 2015. I still think this one of his best tracks!

42-Kyle Larson: Mr. 2-mile himself will be tough to beat. Over the past two seasons, Kyle Larson has been very tough. Last season, he won every 2-mile race. He won at Michigan twice and at Cali. In fact, he has won the last 4 races at the 2-mile tracks. He finished 2nd in the first Michigan in 2016. This kid is stud. How well he has ran on the intermediate tracks over the past year and a half has been impressive. In last season's race, he led the most laps and held 2.0 average running position on his way to victory lane. He is looking for his 5 straight win at either Michigan or Cali. This is the odds-on favorite to win this weekend. Don't overlook the driver of the No.42 car!

48-Jimmie Johnson: Cali is a good track for Jimmie Johnson overall. He is not nearly as good as he once was, but still pretty good. He finished 21st in last season's race, but prior to that he had finishes of 1st and 9th. I still believe that the 48 team is missing something heading into the weekend, but I think HMS is gaining on it and all of the cars are getting better. You should probably expect Johnson to have top 10 potential this weekend, but he is not ready to challenge for the top 5 or wins yet. I will say that he really surprised me how hard he battled back at Las Vegas. After going 2 laps down early at Las Vegas. I will be honest, I pinned him as a goner after that. Then again, you don't become a 7-time championship for nothing. Nevertheless, I think this 48 team has some work to do. Especially based on last weekend at Phoenix. He never ran better than 10th place. That all you need to know, where the 48 team actually is

78-Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr haven't been as dominant or even close to what he was last season or the season before. On intermediate tracks here in 2018, he haven't been bad at all. At Las Vegas and Atlanta, he held 4.5 average finish with 6.5 average running position and 108.2 driver rating. He finished 5th at Atlanta, after starting 35th. At Las Vegas, he finished 4th and led 6 laps. So two top 5 finishes in 2 races on intermediate tracks here in 2018. By Truex Jr's standards, he is having a down year. But make no mistake: those are phenomenal numbers. Not many other drivers can say that finished top 5 in both races. Over the past two seasons at Cali, he has compiled 18.0 average finish with 6.5 average running position and 114.9 driver rating. In last season's race, he finished 4th and led the 2nd-most laps to race winner's Kyle Larson. In the event, he had the second-best average running position (3.0) and second-best driver rating (130.8) as well. He also had the second-most fast laps (35) as well. He was pretty much 2nd in everything in last season's race. Not bad, considering how strong the 42 car was in that event.

88-Alex Bowman: Bowman haven't been bad this season and has performed decent on the intermediate tracks so far. He have two top 20 finishes and looking for a 3rd this weekend at Cali. He finished 20 at Atlanta and 16th at Las Vegas. In those two races, he has compiled 18.0 average finish with 16.5 average running position and 66.3 driver rating. Again, he haven't been awesome or anything. But I think the HMS cars will only get better as the season goes on. From a fantasy nascar point of view, we will have to take it slow with Bowman. I think he will be closer to the front consistently as they make progress with these cars. For now, it is the waiting game. This weekend, I think he is capable of another top 20 finish with upside in the top 15.

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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

2018 Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

RaceDay Thoughts -

Jeff Nathans (@JeffNathans18):

-Harvick has the car to beat again

- Hamlin strong again like he was in last fall's race. He said they unloaded Friday ''close''

-Elliott could score his first win of the season

-Erik Jones is fast, but he has been dealing with power steering problems all day on Friday

Matt Aleza(@MattAleza):

-Aric Almirola will start mid-pack, but he can challenge for a top 10

- Jamie Mac has posted 8 straight top 16 finishes at this track. He could make it 9 straight today

-I am not high on Blaney this weekend. He haven't really done anything to impress me

-My personal top 5 for race is Harvick, Truex Jr, Hamlin, Elliott and Larson

Driver Group Game's lineups -

Jeff's lineup - 4,20,10,88

Matt's lineup - 4,20,41,88

Dark Horse -

Jeff's Pick - Elliott

Matt's Pick - Jones

Race Winner -

Jeff's Pick - Harvick

Matt's Pick - Harvick

Saturday, March 10, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Picks (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Picks -

Driver Group Game -

A:

Start - Kevin Harvick

Bench - Brad Keselowski

Reasons - I really wanted to use Keselowski, but Harvick starts about 15 spots closer to the front and he has the car to beat, too. If I felt that Harvick didn't have a domiant car, I would probably take the gamble. I just don't see the upside in benching him. He's too hot to bench anyhow!

B:

Start - Chase Elliott, Jamie Mac

Bench - Erik Jones, Kurt Busch

Reasons - Overall, I feel good about my choices. I regret not having someone like Aric Almirola, but that's okay. I plan to use Chase Elliott, as he looks really strong this weekend. Then to use or not to use Erik Jones. I think Jones could be special on Sunday, but I also see red flags with him. More specifically, he has been having power steering issues. As much as I want to overlook that, I cannot. On the other hand, Jamie Mac is in Erik Jones' range. He is rostered by a much lower % and offer some nice value.

C:

Start - Alex Bowman

Bench - Darrell Wallace Jr

Reasons - If you have Alex Bowman, you are not gonna bench him. He looks that damn good. End of story. William Byron is also looking very good. HMS in general has improved a lot over the last couple weeks. Are they onto something? Only time will time.

Fantasy Live -

Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman and Erik Jones (Garage driver)

Reasons - Harvick is the man to beat, so I am gonna use him again. Hamlin and Elliott should finish in the top 5 and I haven't used either driver yet. Seems like a good time to employ them. Aric Almirola looked solid in final practice and Bowman seems to be really good, too. I am pretty happy with his kind of roster. It will be interesting how good Jones is, because I would love to use him!

SlingShot Fantasy Auto -

Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and William Byron

Reasons - I think Harvick is gonna lead a lot of laps and him starting 10th makes him an easy pick. So now, I want some drivers starting mid-pack. First guy jumped out? Brad Keselowski. He has a heavy price tag, but he will be worth from 25th place. Kurt Busch from 23rd should be another nice pick. He will move up somewhere between 10 to 12 spots. Stenhouse Jr is questionable call, but he will be scored from 29th. He has a good history of finishing in the top 20. I will take my chances. After all of that, I have $7,700 so I am going with William Byron. He is starting 11th, so there is chance he will cost us points. But I will gamble on him.

Truthfully, I could had created a little more stable roster but then I would had switched my entire lineup around. Including some picks that I really love. 

Dark Horse - Chase Elliott

Winner - Kevin Harvick

Have a question or want to chat?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2018 Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Final Rankings -

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Martin Truex Jr
3. Kyle Larson
4. Chase Elliott
5. Kyle Busch
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Joey Logano
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Erik Jones
10. Jimmie Johnson
11. Ryan Newman
12. Clint Bowyer
13. Alex Bowman
14. Aric Almirola
15. Jamie Mac
16. Kurt Busch
17. Daniel Saurez
18. Ryan Blaney
19. William Byron
20. Austin Dillon
21. Paul Menard
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
23. Kasey Kahne
24. Trevor Bayne
25. Darrell Wallace
26. Ty Dillon
27. Chris Buescher
28. AJ Dinger
29. Michael McDowell
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza
 

2018 Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Dark Horses (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Sleepers -

Jamie Mac - I love Jamie Mac for this race and I loved him all week long. He opened final practice with a long 28-lap run. Tried with Denny Hamlin as the longest opening run of the session. And his lap times were good overall. Obviously he isn't up there with the fastest drivers. But Jamie is a very underrated driver for this weekend. In general, he get no credit at all. He is always overlook and he could be a very nice chess piece for any lineup. He has finished 16th or better in 8 straight races now at Phoenix. He will make it 9 straight races on Sunday with ease. He is also running the NXS race on Saturday as well. If you need a good sleeper, then there isn't many better options than Jamie Mac!

Ryan Newman - Newman has been pleased with his car all weekend and he qualified well in the top 10. In last season's race, he went to victory. In fact, he has went to victory lane multiple times in his career at this racetrack. All season long, the No.31 car has been fast. They made some big gains from last season overall. They weren't this competitive. The speed of the 31 car reminds me a lot of the 2015 season. At least early in the season it is. The 31 car will probably have low-teen potential with upside to challenge for a top 10 finish. There will not be many safer options!

Other options - Alex Bowman (not really a sleeper - he's legit here), Paul Menard, Aric Almirola

Dark Horses -

Erik Jones - I really like Jones here, I think it is one of his best tracks on the schedule. He runs well at this track and he has a lot of speed in his car. The biggest problem with him is the power steering issue. I won't lie that worrisome to me and it is the main reason why I might sway away from him. From pure potential vantage point, I really like him. Weather they fixed his issues or not, I am excited about what he could do in the race. If I had to make a decision to use him in Fantasy Nascar or not, I would probably gamble on him. Just because I think his upside outweigh the risk. Especially if you don't have many good options.

Chase Elliott - Elliott is my top dark horse choice to challenge for the win. I really like Jones, but I just love Chase Elliott. I don't like him at all (as a fan), but I won't let that affect my judgement. He has a top 3 car for the race and he is legit someone who can take down Kevin Harvick. He unloaded with a lot of speed and has been near top of the charts ever since. He was impressive in both races in 2017 and almost won in the fall's race. If we are gonna see a first-time winner this weekend, I would put my money on Elliott. He has a great chance to go to victory lane!

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

Have a question or want to chat?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2018 Fantasy Nascar Update (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Update -

1. Kevin Harvick - The 4 car is the man to beat once again this weekend. He had the car to beat on the short run and the long run in final practice. He was very happy with his car and nobody posted constantly fast time like Harvick did. I don't think he is as dominant as past few races, but he gonna come damn close to it though. He is starting 10th, but he will be very tough to beat when he get to the lead. Personally, I don't think it is a question that he does. I think the question is when. Don't bet against the 4 car. I think Kevin Harvick wins his third straight race this weekend.

2. Martin Truex Jr - I don't think the 78 car is nearly as good as the 4 car is, but Truex Jr has a lot going for him this weekend. He is starting on the pole, he has a fast car and he has a fast pit crew. I think his starting position is what stands out the most to me. He get the pole, so he will have the best pit stall for the race. Why is that important? I don't think any other track in the series where track position is more important. It is huge here. Truex Jr will likely be in a good spot all afternoon long to stay in contention, just because of how good of a pit stall. I think Truex Jr will be a player for the top 5 and then some.

3.  Denny Hamlin - Hamlin has been mentioned as one of the cars to beat this weekend and that seems to be the case. The 11 car is fast and his lap times are right there with Harvick for the first 15 or 20 laps, I think it closer to 30 laps is when he start to fall-off a lot more. Nevertheless, I think Hamlin has a top 5 car and on pure speed probably have the 3rd-best car on Saturday. Behind Harvick and Elliott. There's not a lot to say about Hamlin, other than he has a very good car. Don't forget that he had one of the best cars in the field in last fall's race. He had the car to beat in that race. After final practice, he said that they unloaded pretty close on Friday. What does that tell you about his car?

4. Chase Elliott - Elliott was amazing in two races here in 2017 and HMS in general seem to be a lot better than the last few weeks. Elliott almost won here in last fall's race and looks top 5 good on the speed charts this weekend. And he was mentioned in both practice sessions by the guys on FS1 as one of the best cars in the field. I believe that as his lap times looked great throughout the weekend. He qualified in the top 5 and there is a good chance that the 9 car will have something for them on Sunday. I think Chase Elliott will have a very nice rebound race from last week. Will he win? That's the question, but I been circling this place as one of his possible first wins tracks.

5.  Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson was strong in both races in 2017 here at Phoenix and looks very good once again. In last spring's race, he finished 2nd and could had won, if Newman didn't gamble. In the fall's race, he was strong but had a mechanical issue. He went on record saying that he thought that he was one of the few guys who had something for Denny Hamlin. As for this weekend, he has been good once again. He was reportedly ''very happy'' with his racecar to start off the final practice. Later in the session, he kept complaining about wheel-hopping too much and making car uncomfortable.With all of that said, I would view him as a top 5 driver entering the race. Larson's upside for the weekend is limitless, I think. Especially if they get that car more comfortable for him.

6. Kyle Busch -  Rowdy doesn't have the best car this weekend, but I highly doubt that he doesn't show up in the top 4 or 5 at some point. He wasn't outstanding in practice, but that does not mean he won't have a car capable of being at the front. Am I expecting him to win? No, but look at last week? He wasn't really that great all weekend. Sure, he was good but that's about it. What happened in the race? His team worked on his car and he finished 2nd. Point being don't overlook the No.18 car. He will have the right car when it matters most. Heading into the race, I would say that he is in that 6th or 7th place range. You know? Just on the boarder of being top 5 good. Those are the drivers you usually have to watch out for on any given race weekend. They are already pretty good and have the potential to get better.

7. Joey Logano - Logano has had a pretty quiet weekend, but he has been solid on the speed charts, too. He will start from the 5th starting position and been top 10 good in pretty much every practice session so far. I wouldn't say that he has anything for the win, but he certainly will be a factor for a top 10 finish for sure. Something that stood out to me in final practice? He ran 67 laps in that session alone. No other driver ran more than 56 laps. He made some pretty long runs in that practice session. Typically a driver won't make multiple long green flag runs, if they aren't pleased with their cars. Heck, a lot of times they won't even make one. Joey probably have better than an average racecar for the race. I think Penske in general is being overlooked. That could be a mistake!

8. Erik Jones - Erik Jones has an impressive track record here in his limited starts. He finished in the top 10 in both of his starts in 2017. He qualified in the top 10 on Friday and seemed to carried that speed over to Saturday. I wouldn't say that he had winning speed or anything, but his lap times looked on point where they need to be in final practice. Jones seemed confident in the speed of his car for the race. What else is there to say about him? All of the JGR cars are pretty damn good. A lot of people have pointed out the 20 car as one of the cars that could really shake things up. Problem is they been dealing power steering problems. That would be my main concern. Otherwise, this looks like his best week in the 20 car so far.

9. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski is starting deep in the field, but I noticed that he had a lot of speed in his car in both practice sessions on Saturday. At end of final practice, Jeff Gordon noted how good the No.2 car was. Again, like I said last week, to me it is notable when Jeff Gordon points someone out. It means it caught his eye. A 4-time champion probably knows a thing or two about racing. And I loved Keselowski heading into the week. He was one of the drivers that I thought would go under the radar and so far he has. But mark my words, if he get to the front, then some of these guys could be in the trouble. If the No.2 car get to the front, then I think he will challenge Harvick and company for the win.

10. Jimmie Johnson - Alright, I will bite and give Johnson the final spot in my top 10 drivers. He was probably top 10 good all weekend. Obviously, him and HMS are all better than they were the past couple weeks. He didn't qualified as well as his teammates, but he has had found plenty of success here in the past. Don't get your hopes for him winning, but he will probably break into the top 10 at some point and contend for finish in the latter part of the running order. If you are a Johnson's believer, this weekend has been encouraging. But I am not ready to label him as being back. This 48 team has a long ways to go. It will be interesting to see how it plays out for him!

Just missed -

Alex Bowman
Ryan Newman
Jamie Mac
Clint Bowyer
Aric Almirola
Ryan Blaney

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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18

Thursday, March 08, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Dark Horses (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Sleepers -

Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Stenhouse Jr is very underrated driver here at Phoenix. I love him as a sleeper this weekend. He has finished 7 of his career 10 starts in 18th or better. Last season, he compiled finishes of 8th and 4th in two races. But he only posted 19.5 average running position and 78.5 driver rating in those two races though. He had much better result than he finished. But the fact that he has been able to consistently finish well in the top 18 says we can at least expect a finish in the low to middle teens. In 2018 so far, he has started in the top 10 in each and every race. He finished 16th at Atlanta and 14th at Las Vegas. In each of his three races this season, his final finishing position has improved from 29th to 14th. There's room for that trend to continue this weekend at Phoenix.

Paul Menard - Menard haven't had much success over the past 2 or 3 seasons, but Phoenix has been the hightlight for him. Over the last three seasons (6 races), he has compiled 4 finishes of 15th or better. In 2 of his last three races, he has compiled 2 top 15 finishes. He is very good here and overall pretty damn consistent. Maybe not with a lot of upside in recent seasons, but he knew how to get the finishes. On top of that, he has compiled two top 10 finishes this season already. He finished 6th at Daytona and 9th at Las Vegas. Menard could make it three out of four races this weekend. The wood brothers found plenty of success with Blaney here and more of the same could be in store for Menard!

Other options - Ty Dillon, Alex Bowman, Ryan Newman 

Dark Horses -

Erik Jones - I really like Erik Jones this weekend and I think this is one of his best chances to go to victory lane. I think the No.20 car is gonna only get better as the season goes on and Phoenix is probably one of his best shots early in the season. In two starts in 2017, he had finishes of 4th and 8th. He had average driver rating of 105.5 and average running position of 7.0. Those are some very impressive numbers for a rookie. If he can back those up, I think he is due for a big weekend. So far in 2018, he had finishes of 11th at Atlanta and 8th at Las Vegas. He is trending in the right direction and certainly will have a chance to sniff the top 5. It is not set in stone, but the opportunity is obviously there.

Kurt Busch - I liked Kurt the past two weeks, but last week did not work out quite like I was expecting it. He ran top 10, until he ran into Chase Elliott and wreck with him. Then there is Phoenix, one of his best tracks. His potential for this weekend could be something special, but we will see. With the way that his teammate has ran over the last two weeks, I wouldn't bet against him, either. From November 2014 to November 2016, he had 5 straight top 7 finishes in 5 races. In 2017, he had finishes of 21st and 25th in two races at Phoenix. He wasn't really super competitive in either race. With the way he has performed over the past couple weeks, I would say that the sky is the limit for the 41 car. He won't get the love that the 4 car is getting, but he is a legit dark horse.

Other options - Ryan Blaney,  Chase Elliott

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

Have a question or want to chat?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

Tuesday, March 06, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (Phoenix)

Welcome to TimersSports

Early rankings -

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Busch
3. Brad Keselowski
4. Joey Logano
5. Martin Truex Jr
6. Kyle Larson
7. Kurt Busch
8. Chase Elliott
9. Ryan Blaney
10. Erik Jones
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Jamie Mac
14. Daniel Suarez 
15. Clint Bowyer
16. Aric Almirola
17. Alex Bowman
18. Ryan Newman
19. Paul Menard
20. Austin Dillon
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
22. Kasey Kahne
23. Darrell Wallace Jr
24. Trevor Bayne
25. Ty Dillon
26. William Byron
27. AJ Dinger
28. Chris Buescher
29. Michael McDowell
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza



Sunday, March 04, 2018

2018 Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts (Las Vegas)

Welcome to TimersSports

RaceDay Thoughts -

Jeff Nathans (@JeffNathans18):

- Harvick has the car to beat today

- Erik Jones gonna surprise some people.

- Clint Bowyer has a good long run car, just like teammate Harvick

- The Chevys are vastly improved from a week ago

Matt Aleza (@MattAleza):

- Ryan Blaney won't win today, but I think he score a strong finish

- My top 3 drivers are Harvick, Larson and Truex Jr

- Keselowski ran a lot of laps on Saturday's final practice and has a solid car on the long run

-Track position will be key

Driver Group Game Picks -

Jeff's lineup - 78,9,12,24

Matt's lineup - 78,14,12,24

Dark Horse -

Jeff's pick - Ryan Blaney

Matt's Pick - Ryan Blaney

Winner -

Jeff's Pick - Kevin Harvick

Matt's Pick - Kevin Harvick

Saturday, March 03, 2018

Fantasy Nascar Picks (Las Vegas)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Picks -

Driver Game Group -

A:

Start - Kevin Harvick

Bench - Martin Truex Jr

Reasons -Heading into the week, I planned to use Martin Truex Jr. While he has the 3rd or 4th best car so far this weekend, I cannot use him. Why? Kevin Harvick has another dominant car on the long runs. I think he is gonna eat up the field once again. If you have him, you better use him. I think he is gonna win his second race of the season.

B:

Start - Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer,

Bench - Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones

Reasons -After qualifying, there so questions on who I would start between Jones and Bowyer. Both started near each other and thought it would be a toss up. But then Bowyer looked so damn good in practice on Saturday. He's good enough where I feel good about starting him and giving the JGR cars the weekend off. Of course, I am gonna use Ryan Blaney from the pole.

Chase Elliott has a fast car this weekend, too. Ideally, Blaney and Elliott are the two guys that I would like to use. Bowyer is in the mix, too. Guys like Newman and Kurt Busch should also be considered. They are capable of top 10 finishes or at worst top 12 finishes.

C:

Start - William Byron

Bench - Alex Bowman

Reasons - I used my Alex Bowman start last week, so I will use my William Byron start this week. I feel a little better about Bryon than Bowman anyhow. The 24 car looks plenty better than he did last weekend. The 24 car been at top of the speed charts since unloading. Good to see from the rookie. In fact, the HMS cars are all looking better than they were at Atlanta.

Fantasy Live - Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr (garage driver)

Reasons - Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson are the best two drivers entering this race. I think both drivers are gonna finish in the top 5 with ease and challenge for the win. Keselowski and Blaney will also contend for the win and I haven't used either drivers yet. This should be a good place to employ them both. My 5th driver is Clint Bowyer. He has momentum and it seems likely that he do more damage at Las Vegas.

My garage driver is Martin Truex Jr. I would add him as one of my five picks, but I want to see how good he is in the race. If he get to the lead and looks awesome, then I will gladly switch him out. If not, I am fine with saving him for later in the season when he can give me max points.

SlingShot Fantasy Auto - Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, William Byron and Aric Almirola

Reasons - There are only 400 miles this week, so you will want drivers that can get you those valuable position points. I will be honest, there are not a lot of great choices that are outside of the top 10. Clint Bowyer is probably the drivers I am most excited about outside of the top 10 starts. So I will take him. Ryan Newman is starting 25th, but he looked solid in practice. Probably good enough to at least challenge for the top 15. William Bryon will be starting 17th and is a cheap price driver. He also has shown enough speed, where I feel decent about him moving forward. Then there Aric Almirola who will be starting 29th. I think he will at least get into the top 20. Even with him struggling, I would be shocked if he finished worse than 20th. His teammates are all pretty fast, so I would expect him to move forward.

Dark Horse - Clint Bowyer

Winner - Kevin Harvick

Have a question or want a chat?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2018 Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Dark Horses (Las Vegas)

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Sleepers -

Michael McDowell - He is not the first name that you think of pretty ever, but he had speed last weekend and he does again this weekend. He drove the 95 last season, before moving over to the No.34 team here in 2018. He has looked good here at Las Vegas and said on twitter that he has a pretty good racecar. He also added that he is excited for the race on Sunday. I love when a driver has positive things to say after practice. He sounded confident about his chances and I wouldn't rule out a top 20 from him.

William Byron- William Byron is a great sleeper to consider for Sunday's race. The rookie will make his 3rd career start and he looked pretty good in practice. On Saturday, he displayed speed in both practices sessions. After final practice, he sounded happy with his car. He said it was pretty good and seems excited about his chances. He also was fast in a test session at Las Vegas, too. That's a good sign for the young driver. I think he is gonna be able to score his first career top 15 finish on Sunday afternoon. If he get track position and keep it, then watch out he may nab his first career top 10. But let's keep the expectations low for now though.

Other options - Ryan Newman,Jamie Mac

Dark Horses -

Clint Bowyer - I was very high on Clint Bowyer last weekend at Atlanta and I said he was my top dark horse pick. Well, he is my top dark horse pick once again. He was fast in both practices on Saturday. His team told him that he had one of the best cars so far this weekend at end of the morning session. In final practice, his lap times looked really good. They weren't the best, but they didn't fall off too much. I think Bowyer will use last week's momentum and contend for another strong finish. This is the first time in a long time that I actually believe in Clint Bowyer. The Fords have started off the season strong and I see no reason to lay off them right now! After final practice, Darrell Waltrip (aka DW) posted the best 5, 10, 15 and 20 lap averages. He was 5th on the best-15 lap average list. Even better he got higher on each list.

Ryan Blaney - I wouldn't call him a favorite to win the race from the pole, but he is certainly in that next group of drivers. I think Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr are the top 3 drivers for the race. Blaney is in that next group and he has a very fast racecar. Blaney sounded pleased with his car overall, other than looking to be more comfortable. The Penske cars are always fast here and Blaney is a stud at this 1.5 mile track. If you are looking for a legit dark horse pick who can go to victory lane, then this could be your guy. I think Ford is gonna go to victory lane on Sunday's afternoon. Question is does he drives the #12 car?

Other options - Erik Jones, Kurt Busch

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

Have a question or want to chat?

Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com

Twitter - @Garryy12

2018 Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Las Vegas)

Welcome to TimersSports

Final Rankings -

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kyle Larson
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Kyle Busch
7. Chase Elliott
8. Joey Logano
9. Clint Bowyer
10. Erik Jones
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Kurt Busch
13. Daniel Saurez
14. Denny Hamlin 
15. Ryan Newman
16. Jamie Mac
17. Aric Almirola
18. William Byron
19. Paul Menard
20. Austin Dillon
21. Alex Bowman
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
23. Darrell Wallace Jr
24. Michael McDowell
25. Kasey Kahne
26. Trevor Bayne
27. Ty Dillon
28. AJ Dinger
29. Chris Buescher
30. David Ragan

Twitter - @MattAleza

2018 Fantasy Nascar Update (Las Vegas)

Welcome to TimersSports

Fantasy Nascar Update -

1. Kevin Harvick - Heading into the week, I probably had Harvick in my top 3 drivers. But soon as the cars hit the track this weekend at Las Vegas, he went to top of my list. He unloaded very fast this weekend and he haven't looked back, either. He qualified 2nd on Friday and has remained impressive on Saturday. In the first session, he was very happy with his car. So happy that he only made 10 laps. In the final practice session, he started off practice with an impressive opening run. I tracked his lap times with other top contenders and he was the best, in my opinion. He remained very fast for rest of final practice. On top of having a great car, he is coming off a win at Atlanta, where he completely dominated. I think the results are gonna be very similar. My pick to win this weekend is Kevin Harvick again!

2. Kyle Larson - Kyle Larson has been at top of the speed charts all weekend long at Las Vegas. He finished 2nd last season and I wouldn't be shocked at all if he won. During final practice on Saturday's afternoon, Darrell Waltrip said the spotters he spoke to said the 4 or 42 gonna win. It is DW, we are getting the information from. So take it for whatever it worth, but I would believe that. I think the 4 and 42 are both top 3 cars. Kyle Larson is starting 5th and has a lot of speed in his car. He had the best-ten lap average in final practice, but fell more than the 4 car of Kevin Harvick after 15 or 20 laps though. If anyone can knock off the 4 of Kevin Harvick, I think it will be the 42 car. He's a great pick to go with!

3. Martin Truex Jr - When we think of drivers to beat on the 1.5 mile tracks, we automatically look at the 78 car. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that much from Truex Jr at Atlanta. He was starting in the back and Atlanta is more of a driver's track. He are good or you just not. Truex Jr will be a bigger factor for the win, I think. In practice, I thought the 78 car was pretty good. He wasn't completely happy with his car on Friday, but he did qualify 4th. On Saturday, he got better as the day went on. In final practice, it was reported that Truex Jr said was happy overall with his car. I wouldn't doubt that at all. He has solid speed and that car seems to drive well, too. Not perfect, but better than most out there. His team made no major adjustments to his car in final practice. That's a good sign! I have him as a top 3 driver entering the race.

4. Brad Keselowski - I love the Penske Fords this weekend at Las Vegas, just like any other time we come to this place. They all are pretty fast, but I don't think any of them are good as the drivers mentioned above. Keselowski was awesome last week at Atlanta and I think he will keep up the momentum here at Las Vegas. On top of that, he has won every two seasons at Las Vegas since the 2014 season. The trends says he is due for another win at Las Vegas, since he didn't win here in 2016. He was strong in that race and probably had the only car that could stay with the 78 of Martin Truex Jr. He was very good on the long runs in practice this weekend, too. He also ran the most laps in final practice, which is typically a good sign. A driver who runs a lot of laps, usually pretty happy with their car. You aren't gonna run a lot of laps, if you aren't happy with the car.

5. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch is starting from 13th place and should be able to move forward well in this race. And Jeff Gordon noted that he made impressive run late in final practice. If Jeff Gordon thinks it notable, then I am gonna take his word for it. And the 18 team was one of the best on 1.5 mile tracks in 2017. The 78 car is quick this weekend, too. So if the 78 is fast, then you would have to imagine that the 18 isn't too far off then. I will be honest that I didn't watch much of the 18 car in either practice session. Mainly because I had many other drivers that I had more concerns with. I felt good about Kyle entering the weekend, I haven't heard anything to make me feel uneasy about him. He was 6th in final practice best-ten lap average.

6. Ryan Blaney - Blaney will start on the pole and he has a lot of speed in his No.12 Ford. He is quick enough to contend for a top 5 to top 10 finish, I believe. The one thing I have heard about him is he is looking to be more comfortable in his car. I wouldn't doubt if he saw him in victory lane on Sunday's afternoon though. In two races at Las Vegas in his career, he has not finished outside of the top 10. In two career starts, he has 6.5 average finish with 8.0 average running position and 102.1 driver rating. The amount of success that Penske has had in recent season should only make him a more desirable fantasy option!

7. Chase Elliott - Elliott was one of the drivers that the guys on FS1 kept mentioning as one of the more impressive drivers on Saturday. His lap times pretty much backed that up. He posted very good lap times in latter half of the first practice on Saturday and looked good in final practice, too. The 9 car looked a lot better than last weekend's race. He been good enough to easily be in the top 10 with some upside in it. In last season's race at Las Vegas, he was a top 5 driver for the event. In his rookie season, he was top 10 good and driving toward the top 10 before getting involved in a wreck. I think Elliott gonna have another solid result. His range is probably just on top of the top 5 or just outside.

8. Clint Bowyer - I think Clint Bowyer is gonna be really good again this weekend. He qualified 11th, but he is good enough to contend for a top 10. At end of the first practice session, his team told him that he had one of the best cars so far this weekend. In final practice, he didn't fall. He opened the practice with about 16-lap run and he was solid as more laps went on his tires. His lap times were legit better than some pretty big name drivers. He was told during that first run that he was running some really good laps. His teammate has the car to beat and Clint Bowyer may not be too far of that. If you need a dark horse pick, then your man may be Clint Bowyer!

9. Erik Jones - It is hard to bet against Erik Jones to challenge for a top 10 finish. He isn't quite fast enough to be challenging for a top 5 finish yet, but I would be stunned if he didn't contend for a top 10 finish. The No.20 car qualified in the top 10 and his lap times been right around there, too. He is nothing too flashy, but he will probably get a solid finish out of the weekend. He ran a lot of laps in both practice and should stay out of trouble. I don't really have much more to say about him.

10. Joey Logano - Logano will start off 10th for Sunday's race and he should be a top 10 contender for the race. I didn't really watch him or track his lap times that much, so I cannot really say how good he is. He ran well last week and I haven't heard anything bad about him yet. He isn't down on any of the speed charts. Either. Top 10 in pretty much everything so far this weekend, too. And Penske cars overall seems to be pretty good. I also find it hard to believe that Joey won't be good enough to challenge for the top 10. Especially how good the Fords are to start off the year and how good Joey has been in the past here. He isn't my first choice as a fantasy pick, but I wouldn't having him though. He could be a really sneaky pick to have.

Just missed -

Jimmie Johnson
Daniel Suarez
Ryan Newman
Denny Hamlin
Kurt Busch
Jamie Mac

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

Twitter - @JeffNathans18