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Fantasy Nascar Update -
1. Kyle Busch - I don't think Kyle Busch had the car to beat in final practice or antyhing. But I also put a lot of other factors into my rankings of these drivers. Kyle Busch has an average finish of 5.0 on 1.5 mile tracks this season. That's 2nd-best in the series. He is also ranked 2nd in average running position (5.5) and driver rating (114.1). He is ranked 2nd to of course, Kevin Harvick. Kyle is starting on the pole and his teammate (Erik Jones) was blistering fast on Saturday. Another thing I heavily put into my rankings is how proven a driver is. Some drivers just have a knack for winning. Kyle is a winner. He lives for it! Also, I don't think there will be a dominant car for the 600. I think that has to favor the man with the best pit stall. Get out front and you could be there for awhile, if you have a winning hand. He had the best-20 lap average in final practice, of the 6 drivers who was eligible for it.
2. Joey Logano - Logano week in and week out has been there and not much has changed this weekend at Charlotte. I personally think he is a little better than usual. Maybe the most speed, we seen out of the No.22 this season on 1.5 mile track. Pretty impressive considering that he has 5.5 average finish on the season on 1.5 mile tracks. He also has the 3rd-best average running position and driver rating. Logano will start 2nd and ran more laps than any other driver did on Saturday. Usually that is a great sign. Drivers who are on track often and runs a lot of laps, are typically more towards the happy side. He was 5th on the best-15 lap average and 2nd on the best-20 lap average. I would say that he is in the ballpark!
3. Martin Truex Jr - Two years ago, Truex Jr put a beating on the field that nobody will ever forget for a long time. Two weeks prior, he used that same car to dominate at Kansas. But unlike the Kansas' race, he sealed the deal at the 600. This year, we haven't seen the same kind of speed out of the 78 car. But I was impressed by him on Saturday. He is under the radar, but that first run of the session was stout though. He started off practice with 19 laps run and he was very consistent. His lap times during that run were rock-solid. I thought few other cars had better runs on their 2nd and 3rd runs. But Truex Jr is no slouch though. Aside from Texas, he has compiled 3.7 average finish with 7.3 average running position. However, he has only led 20 laps this season on the 1.5 mile tracks. Still, he has been one of the most dominant drivers on 1.5 mile tracks for the last couple seasons. You would be a fool to write him off. He has top 5 material written all over him!
4. Kyle Larson - Two weeks ago at Kansas, I thought that was Kyle Larson's race to lose. And that kinda what happened. The 42 team failed to keep up with adjustments and then he got in a wreck with Ryan Blaney. After a pit stop, they got him back to where he needed to be. Sadly, it was too late and he had to finish 4th. This weekend, he has another fast racecar. He was 2nd in the best-15 lap average and his lap times were really good throughout the session. It was reported that his car was ''super tight'' after the 3rd or 4th lap of a run though. He will start from 11th, but I think Kyle Larson is close to his first win of the season. I want to go on a limb and say it happens in the next 6 races.
5. Erik Jones - My fellow Timerssports' writer, Garry Briggs, pinned Erik Jones as one of his top dark horse's pick on Wednesday. I think he nailed that one! Because Erik Jones looked awesome on Saturday. He had the best 5, 10 and 15 lap averages. And would have had the best-20 lap average, if he ran another lap or two on his longest run. On the season, he has posted 7.5 average finish on 1.5 mile tracks. I think it is kinda crazy that Jones was kinda under the radar this week. I honestly was little surprise to learn that he had that good of average finish on them. That rarely happens! I believe this is his best shot to win a race in his career. I cannot remember the last time that he had this good of a car. Maybe back in last August at Bristol? I am very high on Erik Jones!
6. Kevin Harvick - Harvick will start dead last and will have to make it through the field the hard way. I don't think he is doomed though. He has a car with top 5 speed, but I don't think it is anywhere near where it was earlier in the season. More races go by, I believe these other teams are catching up to him. The last two 1.5 mile tracks, it seems like he not quite as dominant as the first two 1.5 mile tracks. He had limited track time, but I didn't get the feeling he has a car capable of dominating the race on Sunday. Of course, the track conditions will be WAY difference, too. But still it means something. I think he will be better than what he shown in practice. Which wasn't bad at all, he was right up there with the contenders, in my opinion.
7. Brad Keselowski - I am not big on Keselowski this weekend at Charlotte. I don't hate him and I am sure he will have potential to challenge for the top 10 and maybe more. However, he has really fallen off this season. He started the season with top 10 finishes in first 4 of 6 races. And Top 6 finishes in first 3 of 5 races. Very good, right? Right. Bad news? He has just two top 10 finishes in his last 6 races. While finishing 3 of his last 6 races in 23rd or worse. Clearly, he has some bad luck going on. But it is funny what momentum can do to you as a driver. It can be your best friend or a complete nightmare. Charlotte is a great track for Keselowski, since joining the #2 team. However, this season it feels like he is in that 4th-7th place more often than not in terms of potential.
8. Kurt Busch - I am probably putting Kurt a little higher than people have him, but I have a good feeling about the #41 team this weekend. I think Kurt is someone who has ran well this season, but the results don't always show it. He finished 35th at Las Vegas. But his other three finishes on 1.5 mile tracks? 8th, 7th and 8th. So he's in the range, where I am ranking him. He may not always stay in the top 10, but he usually find himself around this position at the checkers. I love consistent drivers and he got some speed in his car, too. 8th on best-15 lap average chart and 2nd on the best-20 lap average chart. He's a good bet a latter finish in the top 10!
9. Ryan Blaney - I am not really on the Blaney's bandwagon this weekend. He was kinda struggling to me in practice. For most of practice, he ran a lot of short runs. His lone long run wasn't very good at end of practice. I guess, it wasn't terrible but nothing to write about though. I believe Blaney runs very well at intermediate tracks, but I also believe there are some where he doesn't excel the expectations. I think Charlotte is one of them. It has never been a track where he has had an impressive performance. Just good enough for us to overlook him. It is not like two weeks ago at Kansas, where we expected him to be strong. He is starting in 8th, but I don't think he finish much better than that.
10. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is always meh to me for some reason this season. Unless, we are at a place like Martinsville or something, I always have a low opinion on him. And I am not trying to be a jackass towards him. But he haven't really had a standout race, since last season. In 2017, he went on that tear of races where he finished top 5 every week. I am waiting on that, before hyping Denny up. The truth of the matter is, Hamlin isn't that good right now. He is not bad, but only good enough to contend for top 10 finishes. For a driver like Hamlin, he needs to be better than that. We know what he is capable of. He has had some solid finishes, no question. He has been more consistent to start the season off than last few seasons. However, he still need to take it in another gear. I also ranking him low because of his pit road problems. That is a huge liability! If Hamlin doesn't have top 5 potential, then really he is worthless to consider. Risk does not outweigh the reward, in my opinion!!
Just Missed -
Chase Elliott
Jimmie Johnson
Aric Almirola
Daniel Suarez
Clint Bowyer
Ryan Newman
***All stats are from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
Fantasy Nascar Update -
1. Kyle Busch - I don't think Kyle Busch had the car to beat in final practice or antyhing. But I also put a lot of other factors into my rankings of these drivers. Kyle Busch has an average finish of 5.0 on 1.5 mile tracks this season. That's 2nd-best in the series. He is also ranked 2nd in average running position (5.5) and driver rating (114.1). He is ranked 2nd to of course, Kevin Harvick. Kyle is starting on the pole and his teammate (Erik Jones) was blistering fast on Saturday. Another thing I heavily put into my rankings is how proven a driver is. Some drivers just have a knack for winning. Kyle is a winner. He lives for it! Also, I don't think there will be a dominant car for the 600. I think that has to favor the man with the best pit stall. Get out front and you could be there for awhile, if you have a winning hand. He had the best-20 lap average in final practice, of the 6 drivers who was eligible for it.
2. Joey Logano - Logano week in and week out has been there and not much has changed this weekend at Charlotte. I personally think he is a little better than usual. Maybe the most speed, we seen out of the No.22 this season on 1.5 mile track. Pretty impressive considering that he has 5.5 average finish on the season on 1.5 mile tracks. He also has the 3rd-best average running position and driver rating. Logano will start 2nd and ran more laps than any other driver did on Saturday. Usually that is a great sign. Drivers who are on track often and runs a lot of laps, are typically more towards the happy side. He was 5th on the best-15 lap average and 2nd on the best-20 lap average. I would say that he is in the ballpark!
3. Martin Truex Jr - Two years ago, Truex Jr put a beating on the field that nobody will ever forget for a long time. Two weeks prior, he used that same car to dominate at Kansas. But unlike the Kansas' race, he sealed the deal at the 600. This year, we haven't seen the same kind of speed out of the 78 car. But I was impressed by him on Saturday. He is under the radar, but that first run of the session was stout though. He started off practice with 19 laps run and he was very consistent. His lap times during that run were rock-solid. I thought few other cars had better runs on their 2nd and 3rd runs. But Truex Jr is no slouch though. Aside from Texas, he has compiled 3.7 average finish with 7.3 average running position. However, he has only led 20 laps this season on the 1.5 mile tracks. Still, he has been one of the most dominant drivers on 1.5 mile tracks for the last couple seasons. You would be a fool to write him off. He has top 5 material written all over him!
4. Kyle Larson - Two weeks ago at Kansas, I thought that was Kyle Larson's race to lose. And that kinda what happened. The 42 team failed to keep up with adjustments and then he got in a wreck with Ryan Blaney. After a pit stop, they got him back to where he needed to be. Sadly, it was too late and he had to finish 4th. This weekend, he has another fast racecar. He was 2nd in the best-15 lap average and his lap times were really good throughout the session. It was reported that his car was ''super tight'' after the 3rd or 4th lap of a run though. He will start from 11th, but I think Kyle Larson is close to his first win of the season. I want to go on a limb and say it happens in the next 6 races.
5. Erik Jones - My fellow Timerssports' writer, Garry Briggs, pinned Erik Jones as one of his top dark horse's pick on Wednesday. I think he nailed that one! Because Erik Jones looked awesome on Saturday. He had the best 5, 10 and 15 lap averages. And would have had the best-20 lap average, if he ran another lap or two on his longest run. On the season, he has posted 7.5 average finish on 1.5 mile tracks. I think it is kinda crazy that Jones was kinda under the radar this week. I honestly was little surprise to learn that he had that good of average finish on them. That rarely happens! I believe this is his best shot to win a race in his career. I cannot remember the last time that he had this good of a car. Maybe back in last August at Bristol? I am very high on Erik Jones!
6. Kevin Harvick - Harvick will start dead last and will have to make it through the field the hard way. I don't think he is doomed though. He has a car with top 5 speed, but I don't think it is anywhere near where it was earlier in the season. More races go by, I believe these other teams are catching up to him. The last two 1.5 mile tracks, it seems like he not quite as dominant as the first two 1.5 mile tracks. He had limited track time, but I didn't get the feeling he has a car capable of dominating the race on Sunday. Of course, the track conditions will be WAY difference, too. But still it means something. I think he will be better than what he shown in practice. Which wasn't bad at all, he was right up there with the contenders, in my opinion.
7. Brad Keselowski - I am not big on Keselowski this weekend at Charlotte. I don't hate him and I am sure he will have potential to challenge for the top 10 and maybe more. However, he has really fallen off this season. He started the season with top 10 finishes in first 4 of 6 races. And Top 6 finishes in first 3 of 5 races. Very good, right? Right. Bad news? He has just two top 10 finishes in his last 6 races. While finishing 3 of his last 6 races in 23rd or worse. Clearly, he has some bad luck going on. But it is funny what momentum can do to you as a driver. It can be your best friend or a complete nightmare. Charlotte is a great track for Keselowski, since joining the #2 team. However, this season it feels like he is in that 4th-7th place more often than not in terms of potential.
8. Kurt Busch - I am probably putting Kurt a little higher than people have him, but I have a good feeling about the #41 team this weekend. I think Kurt is someone who has ran well this season, but the results don't always show it. He finished 35th at Las Vegas. But his other three finishes on 1.5 mile tracks? 8th, 7th and 8th. So he's in the range, where I am ranking him. He may not always stay in the top 10, but he usually find himself around this position at the checkers. I love consistent drivers and he got some speed in his car, too. 8th on best-15 lap average chart and 2nd on the best-20 lap average chart. He's a good bet a latter finish in the top 10!
9. Ryan Blaney - I am not really on the Blaney's bandwagon this weekend. He was kinda struggling to me in practice. For most of practice, he ran a lot of short runs. His lone long run wasn't very good at end of practice. I guess, it wasn't terrible but nothing to write about though. I believe Blaney runs very well at intermediate tracks, but I also believe there are some where he doesn't excel the expectations. I think Charlotte is one of them. It has never been a track where he has had an impressive performance. Just good enough for us to overlook him. It is not like two weeks ago at Kansas, where we expected him to be strong. He is starting in 8th, but I don't think he finish much better than that.
10. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin is always meh to me for some reason this season. Unless, we are at a place like Martinsville or something, I always have a low opinion on him. And I am not trying to be a jackass towards him. But he haven't really had a standout race, since last season. In 2017, he went on that tear of races where he finished top 5 every week. I am waiting on that, before hyping Denny up. The truth of the matter is, Hamlin isn't that good right now. He is not bad, but only good enough to contend for top 10 finishes. For a driver like Hamlin, he needs to be better than that. We know what he is capable of. He has had some solid finishes, no question. He has been more consistent to start the season off than last few seasons. However, he still need to take it in another gear. I also ranking him low because of his pit road problems. That is a huge liability! If Hamlin doesn't have top 5 potential, then really he is worthless to consider. Risk does not outweigh the reward, in my opinion!!
Just Missed -
Chase Elliott
Jimmie Johnson
Aric Almirola
Daniel Suarez
Clint Bowyer
Ryan Newman
***All stats are from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
