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RaceDay Thoughts -
Garry Briggs (@Garryy12):
- JGR will be strong again
- I really like the SHR Fords again today
- HMS was good and bad yesterday. I wonder if the 48 and 9 can repeat and 24/88 can improve
- Kurt Busch needs to bounce today and will
DGG Lineup -
Garry's lineup - 11,14,21,41
Dark Horse pick - Clint Bowyer
Winner - Denny Hamlin
Welcome to Timerssports
Final rankings -
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Martin Truex Jr
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Chase Elliott
5. Kyle Busch
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Joey Logano
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Clint Bowyer
10. Kurt Busch
11. Erik Jones
12. Ryan Blaney
13. Austin Dillon
14. Aric Almirola
15. Matt DiBenedetto
16. Tyler Reddick
17. Alex Bowman
18. William Byron
19. Cole Custer
20. Chrisopher Bell
21. Ryan Newman
22. Chris Buescher
23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
24. Ty Dillon
25. Michael McDowell
26. Matt Kenseth
27. Bubba Wallace Jr
28. Ryan Preece
29. Corey LaJoie
30. John Hunter Nemchek
Twitter - @Garryy12
Welcome to Timerssports
The first Dover race should give us a pretty idea what to expect in today's race, but I wouldn't say that it set it in stone. Regardless, I think we have a lot better idea on who will be good and who may be serious trouble. Of course, a driver can always get worse (or better) in the second race. Anyways, I am pretty excited about what I learned from Saturday's race. I saw a couple guys that I really like for Sunday's race and I will share some of that information with you guys. Enjoy!
Likes -
Matt DiBenedetto - Matt D was a disappointment in Saturday's race and finished 20th. Good news is? He will start from the pole in today's race and has finished in the top 10 on every double weekend. He also has finished better than he finished in the first race. So that's excellent news for us DiBenedetto's believers and I also want to note that this is one of Matt's favorite tracks. Overall, there wasn't a lot of positive things to say about Matt's performance yesterday but I also believe he can be one of those guys to be a lot better on a fresh day. Him having track position to start the race will be a good start in the right direction, too.
Austin Dillon - Dillon looked really good yesterday and it wasn't just when he had the track position game, either. He was good for the entire race, but he was even better after stealing track position before end of stage 1. He not only gamble and didn't drop through the running order, but he kept the lead and led nearly 30 laps. He really made Hamlin work to get to the lead. It wasn't like Hamlin (on fresher tires) just drove through the field and took the lead right away. Dillon had a pretty decent lead (3 seconds), when he took over 2nd place. It probably took a good 15 laps or so before Hamlin could get to the No.3 car and pass him. After that, Dillon stayed in the top 10 for majority of the race. However, he did only finish 15th, which wasn't what he deserved honestly.
Dislikes -
William Byron - I wasn't very impressed by Byron and he really struggled in Saturday's race. He got better as the race went on, but he was two laps down. And when it was pretty calm race, I think that would be pretty non-ideal to be multiple laps down. He had a chance to get back on the lead lap at end of stage two. If he stood ahead of the No.11 car, he would had likely took the wave around and got back on the lead. Then needed a caution to get new tires, if that was the gameplan. But I think the two-tires call was all or nothing. At least with the 4 tires under green, he would had been two laps down and could had easily took the wave around and stood one lap down. With the two tires call, you pretty much had to stay ahead of the leader or you are screwed. So he will now start from the 28th starting position and will need a big day to gain what he lost in yesderday's race. Byron could be a good fantasy play, but I just don't see the upside in picking him. He left me wanting a lot more yesterday and I personally don't see him able to challenge for a top 10 finish. I believe his upside is somewhere around 13th or 14th and that would be a pretty good day for him.
Aric Almirola - Aric went on complete tear there for awhile and I mentioned it on a weekly basis that we needed to take advantage of it while he was avaliable to us! I also mentioned the fact that he couldn't keep up the finishes and both of those things were true. In 3 of his last 4 races, he has finished 16th or worse now and wasn't really a factor for a top 10 in yesterday's race. But Dover isn't a great track for him, anyways. He has only 3 career top 10 finishes and none since the 2015 season. He drove for RPM for most of his career, so you can't expect the world, but he also hasn't finished in the top 10 with SHR in 5 races now. Aric will be a decent finisher in the teens, but I think he has one more good run of races left in him. The question is when that will be, but I don't believe that Aric will be a top 10 finisher in Sunday's race.
***All stats are from DriverAverages.com
Email - GarryBriggs265@gmail.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
Welcome to Timerssports
The first race of the weekend is over and it was dominated by the Joe Gibbs Cars. Hamlin led the most laps and passed his JGR teammate (Truex Jr) to win the first of two races this weekend at Dover. I am really excited for the second race, after able to get a pretty solid score without using any of my studs in B. I feel like these doubles are awesome, but I also think it can play trickery on the eyes. A driver whom performs well on Saturday, doesn't always perform well on Sunday. Same can said about drivers whom don't run as good on Saturday, they could easily turn it around on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, some drivers are great on both days. The guys who are up front leading laps have commonly been great both days on these double. It the guys around 5th and back that could trick you. Needless to say, it should be pretty interesting what happens on Sunday compared to Saturday!
DGG Picks -
A:
Starter - Denny Hamlin
Bench - Martin Truex Jr
Reasons - I have four starts with Hamlin left, so I am gonna use him again. So that would give me 7 starts between Harvick, Truex Jr and Hamlin for the final 11 races. With 2 plate races, some short tracks and a road course, I think I will in great shape for the playoffs run. I loved what I saw from Truex Jr and Kyle Busch, but I gotta believe that Hamlin is the odds on favorite after the way that he dominated on Saturday!
B:
Starters - Clint Bowyer and Matt DiBendetto
Bench - Jimmie Johnson and Erik Jones
Reasons - I know a lot of people will have Jimmie Johnson on their team and I bet that number will hover around the 70% marker for DGG. He was really good yesterday, but I have never been afraid to go against the gain. The biggest reason for me going with DiBendetto is the chance that he will lead a lap from the start. Combine that with that the 21 team has finished better in second race on double weekends. In fact, he has finished in the top 10 in the second race for every double weekend. That team get better with practice it seems. Then it comes down to Bowyer or Johnson really. I think both are risky based on how they performed this season at times, but you are pretty much following the leader if you go with Johnson. I like taking risks in this game, so I am hoping Johnson has not such a stellar day tbh.
C:
Starter - Cole Custer
Bench - Tyler Reddick
Reasons - I didn't really use Custer early in the season, so I have had a lot of starts left with him. As of right now, I still have 5 starts with him. So I will keep plugging away at that number. At this point, I am not worried about c-list starts. There are so many valid options, it shouldn't even been a question if we need to start-save or not.
Dark Horse - Clint Bowyer
Winner - Denny Hamlin
***All stats are from DriverAverages.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
Welcome to Timerssports
RaceDay Thoughts -
Garry Briggs (@Garryy12):
- Fords were really strong yesterday and that should be the case again
- I wasn't impressed by the Chevys overall. A few had a good run, but there were a lot of Toyotas and Fords up front most of the day
- I really like Erik Jones today
- Austin Dillon was a disappointment yesterday
Matt Aleza (@MattAleza):
- Of drivers starting outside o the top 30, I like Custer the most
-I think Harvick get the weekend sweep
- Byron will finish better than he did in yesterday's race
-Love the Fords again
DGG Lineups -
Garry's lineup - 19,20,14,41
Matt's lineup - 4,1,20,8
Dark Horse -
Garry's pick - Blaney
Matt's pick - Blaney
Winner -
Garry's pick - Truex Jr
Matt's pick - Harvick
Welcome to Timerssports
Final Rankings -
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Ryan Blaney
5. Kyle Busch
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Joey Logano
8. Chase Elliott
9. Erik Jones
10. Kurt Busch
11. William Byron
12. Clint Bowyer
13. Aric Almirola
14. Alex Bowman
15. Jimmie Johnson
16. Matt Dibenedetto
17. Tyler Reddick
18. Austin Dillon
19. Cole Custer
20. Bubba Wallace Jr
21. Ryan Newman
22. Chrishopher Bell
23. Matt Kenseth
24. Chris Buescher
25. John Hunter Nemchek
26. Ty Dillon
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
28. Corey LaJoie
29. Michael McDowell
30. Ryan Preece
Twitter - @Garryy12
Welcome to Timerssports
Well, I warned everyone that New Hampshire hates me and boy did I bomb my picks for last weekend's race! Thanksfully, I did knock out a monster 352 points day yesterday with Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch and Tyler Reddick. All of that saving came in handy, as I was able to go all studs without worrying about starts. That what I love about these double headers, as I can go with my studs on Saturday and then look or value in the second race. As we have a pretty good idea what to expect. I did see some things that I really liked and I saw some things that gonna make me stay away from certain drivers.
Anyways, I am very excited about another race today and I really hope I can knock out another monster score! I am also bringing back the Slingshot picks this week, as requested by a few readers!
Seasonal Ranks:
Driver Group Game League - 25th (Full season)
SlingShot Game Overall - 45th (full season)
DDG -
A:
Starter - Martin Truex Jr
Bench - Kevin Harvick
Reasons - I would love to go with Harvick again, but I am down to two starts and I will save them for the playoffs. I have three starts left with Truex Jr, so I will likely be using him for the final time during the summer segment. He was really fast in yesterday's race and just came up short, after having to rebound from a flat tire.
B:
Starters - Erik Jones and Clint Bowyer
Bench - Ryan Blaney and Kurt Busch
Reasons - I have 5 starts left with both Blaney and Kurt Busch, so I could easily use them both here and have no problems with it. But I plan to have 4 starts left with them both for the playoffs, so I am going with two guys that are under the radar. Erik Jones has been running really well lately on these intermeidate tracks, so I will take another shot with him. Bowyer really doesn't excites me, but I believe the top 10 will be A-grouping heavy. So if he finishes in the top 12 or top 14, then he is likely a top 4 or top 5 scorer for the grouping tier.
I also would consider Byron (top 15 driver, been consistent over past month or so), Austin Dillon (very good at Michigan, has ran well on the intermeidate tracks. Did struggle in yesterday's race though), Johnson (ran in the low teen for much of the race) or Almirola (if you believe that he is in for big rebound race)
C:
Starter - Cole Custer
Bench - Tyler Reddick
Reasons - I am not gonna lie, I was hoping for a lot more out o Reddick in yesterday's race. But that's okay, as he still finished in the top 20. I do believe a lot of scores would had been different if Custer didn't wreck. He did run very well yesterday and caught by eye a couple times overall. I was kinda beating myself up for not taking him. He will be in a backup, but I am still high on him. We are running the same tire combo as we did at Kentucky, where he went to victory lane.
SlingShot Picks - Harvick, Blaney, Nemchek, Bowman and Custer
Reasons - My originally thinking was to go with three studs (likely in Harvick, Blaney and probably Kyle Busch), but then I realized that would be pretty top heavy. While it has the chance to net more points at the top, it would also be pretty limited if all three studs didn't pan out. Instead, I am going with a more balanced lineup. Harvick and Blaney are obviously the staple of the lineup with big chance to finish in the top 5. Nemchek is my most concerning pick, but there isn't much in his range that really excites me that much. The only other pick that I would consider is Stenhouse Jr. Both are very risky, but I think Nemchek will run better. But I also believe he is more likely to wreck. I will gamble on his upside, I suppose. Bowman also doesn't excites me, but I am hoping that he manages to finishes well. He is starting 21st, so there's some room for error to work with. Then there's Custer who should be my best value pick, as he is starting 34th. If he stays out of trouble, then he's a lock for one of the better scorers of the race
Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
Welcome to Timerssports
Sleepers -
Bubba Wallace Jr - Bubba was a noticable finisher in Saturday's race, as he ended up in 9th place when the checkers waved. He wasn't a legit top 10 driver, though. However, he was better than what you would expect. During Saturday's race, he had 15.7 average running position and 76.2 driver rating. His ARP and DR both ranked 15th for the event. I am sure that running in the top 5 and top 10 at end of the race spiked that up some. I also believe that track position was a major factor in that as well. I still say that he was a top 20 driver for the event and he posted somewhat similar numbers at Texas, where they ran a similar tire combination. I doubt if Bubba repeats a top 10 finish, but he is certainly capable of being a mid teen driver to high driver. That is realistically his range, but track position could easily come into play again!
Tyler Reddick - Reddick will start 3rd in today's race and has finished 4 of his last 6 races in the top 10. In his last 6 cup races this season, he has held 10.2 average finsih which leads all rookies by a large margin. The next closest rookie is Cole Custer at 15.7 and followed by Bell at 17.3. The difference between those three drivers? I believe Reddick is matured beyond his years and get some much more out of his ride than he should. Week in and week out, he find ways to get good finishes out of his cars and find ways to finish on the lead lap. In yesterday's race, he spent most of race playing catch up and finished 18th. I believe that he will do better in today's race and finish closer to the top 10!
Dark Horses -
Kurt Busch - Early on, I thought Kurt had a lot of speed in his car in yesterday's race. However, he did fade some as the race went on. Like always, he found a way to finish in the top 10 (10th) and will look to do more of the same in Sunday's race. Kurt has ran really well at Michigan of late and ranks among the best in the series actaully. In his last 7 races here, he has posted an average finish in the top 10. He is one of seven active cup drivers to do so. His 9.6 average finish ranked as 6th-best in the series in those 7 races.
Erik Jones - Jones was told this past week that he wasn't going to be back for the 2021 season. And he might had one of his better races of the 2020 season. He only finished 11th, but boy that car was fast. He was a legit top 5 driver, in my opinion. He ranked tied for the 4th-best average running position (6.6) and had 5th-best driver rating (108.8). Think it luck that he ran well on Saturday? Don't! He finished 5th at Texas and 6th at Kansas, his two most recent races on any intermediate tracks. In his last three intermediate tracks (including yesterday's race), he has held 7.3 average finish with 8.0 average running position and 102.1 driver rating. He ranked 7th, 6th and 6th in the series among all drivers in those three races. That No.20 team has had a lot of speed lately and I believe that they are starting to hit their stride!
Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
Welcome to Timerssports
Yesterday, I didn't have time to write any Fantasy Nascar articles as I had to work my day job until noon-time. So yeah, it was pretty much impossible. So instead, I decided to watch yesterday's race and write some content for today's race. That is typically what I do for these double-header weekends. Yesterday's race shred a lot of light on what to expect for today's race, but I am sure teams will make some adjustments to their cars'. So we will see who's fast and who's not in race number 2. I have some drivers I like and I don't like for today's race!
***Note guys like Harvick, Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Truex Jr, etc won't be listed in this post
Let's get rolling!
Drivers I like -
Clint Bowyer - I like Bowyer more than most for today's race. He finished 19th in Saturday's race, but he ran better than that for majority of the race. He wasn't great, but he was probably around 9th-15th place guy. Which again isn't great, but he actually had to restart 32nd late in the race. He had to pit for some repairs to his car and was able to gain 13 spots during those overtime laps. I am not super high on him, but I think he's someone who is very capable of finishing in the top 10 or low-teens. I also believe that he can take the lead early on from 2nd place. I would take that into consideration, if your fantasy league offer bonus points for leading laps.
Cole Custer - Custer had a tough ending to Saturday's race, but he was pretty competitive for most of the race. He also was strong with this tire combo at Kentucky, where he went to victory lane. Of course, he wasn't nearly that strong. Just a good 10th-14th place guy, but still that pretty good for a rookie. In yesterday's race, he was good for most of the race. He ran in the top 10 or just outside of it for most of the race. I remember taking notes on him during the race because he stood out to me among the non-big name drivers.
Erik Jones - I loved the speed out of the No.20 car on Saturday and he probably didn't get the finish that he should had. He was much better than a 11th place driver. He was a legit top 5 drivers early on and I was very impressed how quickly that he went to the front. We weren't even at the competition caution and he was up around 10th place. Guys, he started back in the 23rd position. He was flying and was a top 5 contender for much of the first stage and into the second stage. He never led, but he was tracking the leaders down on a couple runs there. He is on his way out at JGR, but I don't think he will be holding back.
Drivers I don't like -
Aric Almirola - I was pretty unimpressed how Aric ran in yesterday's race, as his top 10 streak came to a halt. It wasn't he snapped his top 10 streak, but how slow in general he was. During Saturday's race, he posted 67.0 driver rating and 19.3 average running position. He ranked 18th and 19th among all drivers in those two categories. And being honest, I am suprised that his numbers actaully looked that good for the race. As it seemed like every time that I looked at the leaderboard, he was back in the low to mid-20s. So him finishing 16th was probably a good finish for him, but I am not high on him for the second race. In fact, i am avoiding him in today's race.
Alex bowman - Bowman have proven two things to us this season: He can run well and he can't seal the deal. Sure, he won earlier this season at Auto Club and was stupid fast early in the season on these intermediate tracks. And I know a lot of people (including some experts) put a lot of weigh on his win back at Auto Club. Personally, he was never on my radar because what he has done since Nascar return. He had a few good runs, but most races has ended the same. And that would be in disappointment. Did he run well on Saturday? Decent enough. Had 8th-best average running position (10.5) and 11th-best driver rating (85.5). Those are solid numbers, but it wasn't enough as he still managed to finish outside of the top 20. Sounds familar? 5 of his last 7 races on intermediate tracks (all since Charlotte), has ended in 18th or worse. His two lone good finishes? 8th at Kansas and 12th back at Atlanta.
***All stats are from DriverAverages.com and FRCS.PRO
Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com
Twitter - @Garryy12