Welcome to TimersSports
After a pretty lopsided Las Vegas race , we turn our attention to Phoenix. Phoenix is one of 4 flat-short racetracks. The other three are: Richmond , Martinsville and New Hampshire. We will use data from last season at those flats and recent data at Phoenix. Also we will take into consideration current 2015 data as well.
Lets roll!
1-Jamie Mac: JMac will always have the potential to run well , but he is inconsistent. To be honest , I feel more confident about using Jamie at a flat track. Least early in the season. Looking at his results on this type track , Jamie could be a decent sleeper. Surprisingly Jamie have a 14.0 average finish and a 15.0 average running position over his previous 3 Phoenix races. He shown nice speed this season so far.
2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski and Team Penske is a little behind so far this season. Especially once we get about 50 laps or so in. The hendrick power cars seem to take control and all flock to the front. From fantasy point of view , its kills Brad Keselowski value. Penske need to find more speed and they'll eventually. Phoenix a good track for Brad though. Over past 6 races , BK have 5 finishes of 6th or better. Last season he finished 4th and 3rd.
3-Austin Dillon: Dillon last season found relatively solid success on the flats. He makes a strong argument to be considered in certain formats. Unfortunately his Phoenix record is much like his Sprint Cup trophy case. Last season he raced twice at Phoenix and had 31.0 average finish.
4-Kevin Harvick: I am puzzled how good Kevin Harvick is! Crazy how switching organizations can re-energize your career. At Phoenix , he is the top pick and it isn't debatable either! Over past 4 races at PIR , Kevin have 3 wins , 4.5 average finish and 139.7 driver rating. Including 3 straight wins and with driver rating above 140.0 in all 3 those race. Last season he sweep Phoenix and led 488 of 624 (78%) laps.
5. Kasey Kahne: Kahne isn't someone I necessary want to use at a track like Phoenix. Especially in limited starts league. He will be more beneficial at more required downforce tracks. So far in his career with Hendrick , Kahne have been hit or miss. In past 6 races at PIR , Kahne have 3 finishes in the top 11 (2 finishes of 4th or better) and 3 finishes of 19th or worse. Kahne will contend if HMS gives him a fast car. If HMS doesn't then it could be a long weekend. If the 2015 trend continues , then he should least be in contention for a top 10 this week.
10-Danica Patrick: Patrick typically will run her worst on this type track. I believe she will find more success on the faster and bigger tracks. In 4 starts , she only have 1 Top 30. I look across the board and her short-flat track record is petty weak overall. Starting Danica on a shorter track , never seems like a good idea in the first place. Especially if there better options available.
11-Denny Hamlin: The JGR cars are lacking speed (compared to HMS) , but Hamlin actually been able stay with the chevys for the most part. I been impressed to tell you the truth. Phoenix and short flats been a strong spot for Hamlin. Over the past 6 races at PIR , DH have 3 finishes of 5th or better. Excluding 2013 fall race (irreverent data) , he been among one of the best in the series.
16-Greg Biffle: Expect the Biff best results to come on some of these shorter flats. Last season he was very reliable. Over past 4 races at PIR , Biff been at best a top 15 option. His 14.0 average finish and 15.3 average running position resembles that. So far in 2015 , RFR have shown little improvements from last season.
18-David Ragan: Ragan will pilot the 18 Toyota in place of Kyle Busch once again. I kinda feel like the 18 team at disadvantage right now. Not because Kyle Busch is out , but because the Crew Chief experience at the top level. And missing a experience vet like Busch makes matters worse. Overall I think we have to continue to ride David Ragan until he rejoins the 34 team. Especially in Yahoo Fantasy Racing.
19-Carl Edwards: Edwards have shown potential the past two weeks , but haven't been able to capitalize on either opportunity unfortunately. We head to another Carl track. Hard to imagine he have another disappointing finish. Kinda feel like he have the jitter from switching teams. His record here is pretty solid though. 7 of the past 10 races have ended in 15th or better. JGR showed a lot of speed on this type track in 2014. Especially after the first Richmond race.
20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth is like the posterboy for reliability. He is the guy you want when you want a solid top 10 - Top 15. Unfortunately he is probably nothing beyond that. From career point of view , MK have finished 15th or better 17 times in 25 races. Last two season on this type track , Kenseth been one of the best in the series.
22-Joey Logano: Logano have shown he can run up front at PIR since joining Team Penske. He actually have stellar stats! Over past 3 races here , JoLo have compiled 6.3 average finish and 3 Top 10s with an 7.3 average running position (4th-best). Also have led 121 laps (2nd-most) , 112.3 driver rating (3rd-best) and 55 Fast laps (4th-most). In 2014 , Logano was the best driver on this type track! In 8 races he had an 8.4 average finish with a series-best 6.4 average running position. Including 2 wins and 7 Top 10s.
24-Jeff Gordon: Gordon is coming off another bad luck performance! I personally cannot roster him or recommend him to anyone. So far he have yet to put together a complete race in my opinion. His 18th at Las Vegas was far from perfect. That bad luck continue to tarnish the 24 team. Gordon does have decent stats at Phoenix though. Over past 4 races , Gordon have compiled 7.5 average finish , 3 Top 10s and 8.5 average running position. Still don't trust him though.
27-Paul Menard: Would you believe that Menard had an 12.5 average finish at Atlanta and Las Vegas? I am certain only the people who started him in their lineups knew that. He so good at finding ways to finish well , despite being non-relevant all day long. Phoenix will be no different. He will likely start mid-pack and find himself in top 15 at the checkers. He reminds a lot of a lesser Matt Kenseth. I wouldn't recommend him to your fantasy team. Too many better options with much more upside.
31-Ryan Newman: Newman actually been one of the better drivers in the series at Phoenix the past few races here. Over the past 3 races , RN have an 9.3 average finish (6th-best) and 11.7 average running position. Last season Newman was very underrated on this type track! In 8 races , Newman held an 10.3 average finish with 5 Top 10s. Same number of Top 10s as Gordon and Harvick. Newman was actually one of 3 drivers (Dale Jr and Biffle) to sweep the top 20 the shorter flats.
41-Regan Smith: Smith have been very successful in filling in for Kurt Busch and it looks like it will continue as Nascar don't look to be backing down from the suspension of Kurt. Regan is coming off an 16th place run at Vegas and will likely make for another top 20 run at Phoenix. He will be a very useable options in most formats.
42-Kyle Larson: Larson is coming off his first top 10 of the 2015 season! Got to admire this kid talent. His car was a handful with 100 laps to go. Most guys probably would've been in the wall. At Phoenix there really not much to go on stat wise. In 2014 , Larson had finishes of 13th and 20th. I expect another top 10 out of Larson on Sunday. Personally I think there are better places to use him though.
47-AJ Dinger: Whatever RCR did in the offseason , I love it! Martin Truex Jr , Casey Mears and AJ Dinger all have gotten off to nice starts. What do they have in common? An alliance with the RCR stable. The Dinger is someone to watch out for in the upcoming weeks. I am not willing to jump on the bandwagon , but I am close it. First I want to see what the Dinger has on the flats. We know they're fast on the high-speed Intermediate tracks.
48-Jimmie Johnson: Johnson is coming off a bad finish at Vegas. The 48 team was embarrassed in the state of Nevada. I believe the 48 team is pissed off! Don't think they won't bring a ridiculous fast piece to the track. If there a team can can snap Harvick's Phoenix streak , then look no further! His stats are very good. In 23 career starts , Johnson have a staggering 18 Top 7 finishes! Including 4 wins and 14 Top 5s. In the past 3 races (excluding 2014 fall race) , Johnson have an 3.7 average finish and 6.0 running position. More races we run here on this new surface , more this track is turning back to the 48 favor.
78-Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr is just having an awesome start! Unbelievable really , he has three top 10s in 3 races. While his stats aren't great at Phoenix , I personally don't think it matter. When a driver is hot , you best run them until you see a red flag. And after last week I say run the 78 into the ground! In Yahoo Fantasy Racing , my plan is to use Martin much as possible early and often. Especially since I suspect some of the tog guys will take awhile to get rolling.
88-Dale Jr: Dale Jr 2-tire stop may had cost him a win at Vegas (maybe). Anyhow he is someone I really like at Phoenix. Last season he was the one guy who could stay with the 4 car. If I had to lock one pick in right now and Harvick wasn't available , Dale Jr is my man. Multiple reason I really like Dale potential: 1) Excellent track record 2) Tons of momentum 3) Reliability. 3 Things you want in a fantasy pick. Over past 2 seasons (4 races) , Dale Jr have an 4.7 average finish.
***All stats from Driver averages and FantasyRacingCheatsheet
Email - JeffNathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
Monday, March 09, 2015
Sunday, March 08, 2015
Fantasy Nascar RaceDay Thoughts
Welcome to TimersSports
Happy Raceday. Setting your fantasy team can be difficult , especially with everything being
factored in. Below our group of experts give their thoughts on today race (Including their final
picks).
Kate Roswell (@CrazyKateNascar):
-Passing will be easy , so don't take a driver because of starting position. And don't pass up someone because of poor starting position either.
-Guy to watch is Martin Truex Jr. He gonna win soon and it could be at Vegas.
-Jimmie Johnson is the man to beat from what I saw.
- Can Jeff Gordon make back to the lead? We will see.
Garry Briggs Jr (@Garryy12):
-Dale Jr is someone I love this weekend and not everyone realize what a steal he could be.
-I been saying it since Last September that Martin Truex Jr gonna get the results sooner or later and when he does , everyone gonna be on the bandwagon. Was I wrong? He a top 10 play in every format.
-Paul Menard was a popular sleeper , but a typical Paul Menard never show his hand during practice nor qualifying. A lot of people seems to be abandoning ship. As I predicted on Wednesday would happen.
-After a disappointing finish at Atlanta , can Larson rebound at Las Vegas? I think he will be least a top 10 play.
Matt Aleza (@MattAleza):
-Someone I like is Ryan Newman. Haven't been talked about much , but he quietly having a stellar weekend on the speed charts.
-How about Smoke? I think he could be a nice value if everything works out in his favor.
-Kevin Harvick is the man I will be watching. Starts 18th and have 4 straight top 2 finishes.
- My sleeper is the 20 car. MK getting overlooked. Bad idea since he is Mr. Consistency. I think he could contend for a win.
Yahoo Picks -
Kate's Picks: 4,78,5,18
Garry's Picks: 48,78,27,41
Matt's: 48,78,19,18
Sleeper Pick -
Kate's Pick: Jamie Mac
Garry's Pick: Ryan Newman
Matt's Pick: Matt Kenseth
Race Winner:
Kate's Pick: Jimmie Johnson
Garry's Pick: Dale Jr
Matt's Pick: Jimmie Johnson
Happy Raceday. Setting your fantasy team can be difficult , especially with everything being
factored in. Below our group of experts give their thoughts on today race (Including their final
picks).
Kate Roswell (@CrazyKateNascar):
-Passing will be easy , so don't take a driver because of starting position. And don't pass up someone because of poor starting position either.
-Guy to watch is Martin Truex Jr. He gonna win soon and it could be at Vegas.
-Jimmie Johnson is the man to beat from what I saw.
- Can Jeff Gordon make back to the lead? We will see.
Garry Briggs Jr (@Garryy12):
-Dale Jr is someone I love this weekend and not everyone realize what a steal he could be.
-I been saying it since Last September that Martin Truex Jr gonna get the results sooner or later and when he does , everyone gonna be on the bandwagon. Was I wrong? He a top 10 play in every format.
-Paul Menard was a popular sleeper , but a typical Paul Menard never show his hand during practice nor qualifying. A lot of people seems to be abandoning ship. As I predicted on Wednesday would happen.
-After a disappointing finish at Atlanta , can Larson rebound at Las Vegas? I think he will be least a top 10 play.
Matt Aleza (@MattAleza):
-Someone I like is Ryan Newman. Haven't been talked about much , but he quietly having a stellar weekend on the speed charts.
-How about Smoke? I think he could be a nice value if everything works out in his favor.
-Kevin Harvick is the man I will be watching. Starts 18th and have 4 straight top 2 finishes.
- My sleeper is the 20 car. MK getting overlooked. Bad idea since he is Mr. Consistency. I think he could contend for a win.
Yahoo Picks -
Kate's Picks: 4,78,5,18
Garry's Picks: 48,78,27,41
Matt's: 48,78,19,18
Sleeper Pick -
Kate's Pick: Jamie Mac
Garry's Pick: Ryan Newman
Matt's Pick: Matt Kenseth
Race Winner:
Kate's Pick: Jimmie Johnson
Garry's Pick: Dale Jr
Matt's Pick: Jimmie Johnson
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Fantasy Nascar Final Rankings (Las Vegas)
Welcome to TimersSports
Final Rankings -
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Dale Jr
4. Joey Logano
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Kyle Larson
8. Ryan Newman
9. Martin Truex Jr
10. Kasey Kahne
11. Tony Stewart
12. Carl Edwards
13. Jeff Gordon
14. Denny Hamlin
15. Jamie McMurray
16. Clint Bowyer
17. Paul Menard
18. Brian Vickers
18. Brian Vickers
19. AJ Dinger
20. Greg Biffle
21. Austin Dillon
22. Aric Alimorla
23. Danica Patrick
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
25. David Ragan
26. Sam Hornish Jr
27. Regan Smith
28. Casey Mears
29. Ryan Blaney
30. Trevor Bayne
Twitter - @CrazyKateNascar
Fantasy Nascar Update (Las Vegas)
Welcome to TimersSports
Usually I have extra time to give a recap of the weekend activities and outline what to look for. Unfortunately I am short on time this weekend. So I am gonna get straight to the relevant information.
A:
1. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson been among the best in the field. Typically when Johnson have a car capable of winning , he usually does. Hard to pick against him in any format. His track record and top picked driver in Yahoo A-Grouping by large margin makes for strong supporting details.
Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick - Harvick starts 18th , but he have a very fast car. His car was arguably the best on long runs on Saturday. Not saying he gonna win , but don't be shocked if he does. I really like what value he brings overall. Don't worry about Harvick starting position , he should easily slash his way to the front fairly quick. Harvick had one of the best 5 & 10 lap averages on Saturday in both sessions.
Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Dale Jr- Junior looking really good this weekend which could be very bad news for competition on Sunday. He will start 4th and have a very good car. Especially on the long runs. Dale Jr drove this chassis to victory lane at Pocono (twice) and had stellar performance at Kansas. What not to like? Not a damn thing.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4. Joey Logano - Logano starts 2nd and will likely lead some laps early , but I feel like Logano won't be able to keep up with the Hendrick powered cars. I love the speed he has though. I say he makes a great top 5 option in any format. If he can get to lead early , then watch out!
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth was best among JGR. He showed decent speed in every session and starts up front. Two things I like about Kenseth: He reliable and he doesn't abuse his equipment. Kenseth is your man , if you like playing it relatively safe. I see him finishing in the 5th - 8th place range.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
6. Brad Keselowski - Brad isn't super fast this weekend , but I am sure the 2 car will contend for a top 10 Sunday. Brad will start from 12th and will be his strongest on the longer runs. Least that what practice suggests. Honestly I bumped up his rankings a bit because of his equipment and recent track history. Both of those things I consider when finalizing my overall ranking.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
7. Jeff Gordon - Let me be VERY clear , I didn't rank Gordon where I did because of him starting in the back. Its easy to make passes here. I am not convinced Gordon had a top 5 car even before going to backup. He was in the 6th - 10th range in my opinion. Also his recent track record been sluggish (especially as a major driver.) From fantasy vantage point , I want to see him actually finish a race. Its like a black cloud is following the 24 team. Top it all off , he doesn't have any laps in his backup car this weekend. There some red flags in there folks.
My Overall Ranking: 9th
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - A lot to love about Truex Jr and the 78 car. He was heavily on everyone radar before he qualified inside the top 10. Now he pretty much an automatic start in my opinion. Truex loves his car and I think he is very capable of winning and pulling off the upset. Great speed in every session out of the 78 team. Truex said he was good as the best.
My Overall Ranking: 7th
2. Kasey Kahne - Kahne is someone to watch. He starts 3rd and could easily be a heavy contender for the win. Kahne will have the potential to finish well , but Kahne problem have been his bad luck. Last week we saw it , when he screwed up on pitroad. I see him finishing in the 6th - 15th range. If he stays mistake free (mostly) , I expect a top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Kyle Larson - I am not convinced that CGR cars are legit , but they have qualifying figured out. Based off practice Larson is a top 15 option in my opinion. Last week he was about that after the rubber built up. He shown nice speed on the long run , but I am not so sure he can stick with the Penske , Hendrick powered cars and few JGR cars. Some of it is to do with lack of experience though.
My Overall Ranking: 11th
4. Carl Edwards - The JGR cars still behind the Hendrick powered cars its seems. The good news? There is no Hendrick power cars (minus CGR) in this grouping tier. Las Vegas is considered Edwards best racetrack (or least one of them). Edwards will start from 14th. I believe he is capable of a top 10 on Sunday. Unfortunately two things he was missing in practice: 1) More speed 2) Long run. I thought overall Edwards was decent , but didn't exactly have the speed overall to run with most of the cars in top 10. Which leads us the second part of the equation. No long runs by Edwards (no surprise) on Saturday. Its kinda make us scratch our heads. Nobody knows how good the 19 is.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Tony Stewart - I don't hate Smoke this weekend. Boy been awhile since I said that. Las Vegas is a good place for Smoke to get his season turned around at. He qualified 12th and showed some speed on a few short runs. I am guessing he was trying to get a better hold on the handling mostly. I like the value Smoke is at currently. In most games , he is considered a steal due his price tag. I see a potential top 10 , but giving he have no momentum. I will give him a high ceiling instead.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
6. Jamie Mac - Like I said earlier with Larson , I am not sold on the CGR cars. Jamie didn't exactly kill it in practice , but I like JMac to run competitively in the top 15 most of day and maybe a possible top 10. My Overall ranking is 15th because of his well-known bad. I believe he will just around 12th on Sunday though. Jamie is a decent sleeper option who goes unnoticed a lot. Same goes for Vegas.
My Overall Ranking: 15th
C:
1. Regan Smith - Smith had a terrible qualifying session , but I think he can score a top 25 or better. Love that he will be racing in XRS on Saturday. That will definitely help him for Sunday race. To be honestly I think it will be close between Smith , Ragan and Patrick.
My Overall Ranking: 24th
2. David Ragan - Grouping tier C is a mess right now. A good mess though. Realistically there are 4 options who can be considered useable at Las Vegas. Ragan looked the best among the 4 drivers. Before smashing into the wall during final practice. Despite starting dead last , I think he can make it through the field without much problems at all. I thought he had top 20 potential overall. Now probably more like top 25.
My Overall Ranking: 25th
3. Danica Patrick - I like Danica to run competitively with Smith and Ragan. I definitely could see her finishing ahead of both of them. But I just think there better places to unload her at. Realistically best case possible would be for the Danica taker , is for Smith and Ragan to have issues on Sunday. Otherwise it pretty pointless (especially in Yahoo).
My Overall Ranking: 26th
Other good options - Ryan Blaney
Email - Jeffnathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
Usually I have extra time to give a recap of the weekend activities and outline what to look for. Unfortunately I am short on time this weekend. So I am gonna get straight to the relevant information.
A:
1. Jimmie Johnson - Johnson been among the best in the field. Typically when Johnson have a car capable of winning , he usually does. Hard to pick against him in any format. His track record and top picked driver in Yahoo A-Grouping by large margin makes for strong supporting details.
Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick - Harvick starts 18th , but he have a very fast car. His car was arguably the best on long runs on Saturday. Not saying he gonna win , but don't be shocked if he does. I really like what value he brings overall. Don't worry about Harvick starting position , he should easily slash his way to the front fairly quick. Harvick had one of the best 5 & 10 lap averages on Saturday in both sessions.
Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Dale Jr- Junior looking really good this weekend which could be very bad news for competition on Sunday. He will start 4th and have a very good car. Especially on the long runs. Dale Jr drove this chassis to victory lane at Pocono (twice) and had stellar performance at Kansas. What not to like? Not a damn thing.
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4. Joey Logano - Logano starts 2nd and will likely lead some laps early , but I feel like Logano won't be able to keep up with the Hendrick powered cars. I love the speed he has though. I say he makes a great top 5 option in any format. If he can get to lead early , then watch out!
My Overall Ranking: 4th
5. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth was best among JGR. He showed decent speed in every session and starts up front. Two things I like about Kenseth: He reliable and he doesn't abuse his equipment. Kenseth is your man , if you like playing it relatively safe. I see him finishing in the 5th - 8th place range.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
6. Brad Keselowski - Brad isn't super fast this weekend , but I am sure the 2 car will contend for a top 10 Sunday. Brad will start from 12th and will be his strongest on the longer runs. Least that what practice suggests. Honestly I bumped up his rankings a bit because of his equipment and recent track history. Both of those things I consider when finalizing my overall ranking.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
7. Jeff Gordon - Let me be VERY clear , I didn't rank Gordon where I did because of him starting in the back. Its easy to make passes here. I am not convinced Gordon had a top 5 car even before going to backup. He was in the 6th - 10th range in my opinion. Also his recent track record been sluggish (especially as a major driver.) From fantasy vantage point , I want to see him actually finish a race. Its like a black cloud is following the 24 team. Top it all off , he doesn't have any laps in his backup car this weekend. There some red flags in there folks.
My Overall Ranking: 9th
B:
1. Martin Truex Jr - A lot to love about Truex Jr and the 78 car. He was heavily on everyone radar before he qualified inside the top 10. Now he pretty much an automatic start in my opinion. Truex loves his car and I think he is very capable of winning and pulling off the upset. Great speed in every session out of the 78 team. Truex said he was good as the best.
My Overall Ranking: 7th
2. Kasey Kahne - Kahne is someone to watch. He starts 3rd and could easily be a heavy contender for the win. Kahne will have the potential to finish well , but Kahne problem have been his bad luck. Last week we saw it , when he screwed up on pitroad. I see him finishing in the 6th - 15th range. If he stays mistake free (mostly) , I expect a top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 8th
3. Kyle Larson - I am not convinced that CGR cars are legit , but they have qualifying figured out. Based off practice Larson is a top 15 option in my opinion. Last week he was about that after the rubber built up. He shown nice speed on the long run , but I am not so sure he can stick with the Penske , Hendrick powered cars and few JGR cars. Some of it is to do with lack of experience though.
My Overall Ranking: 11th
4. Carl Edwards - The JGR cars still behind the Hendrick powered cars its seems. The good news? There is no Hendrick power cars (minus CGR) in this grouping tier. Las Vegas is considered Edwards best racetrack (or least one of them). Edwards will start from 14th. I believe he is capable of a top 10 on Sunday. Unfortunately two things he was missing in practice: 1) More speed 2) Long run. I thought overall Edwards was decent , but didn't exactly have the speed overall to run with most of the cars in top 10. Which leads us the second part of the equation. No long runs by Edwards (no surprise) on Saturday. Its kinda make us scratch our heads. Nobody knows how good the 19 is.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
5. Tony Stewart - I don't hate Smoke this weekend. Boy been awhile since I said that. Las Vegas is a good place for Smoke to get his season turned around at. He qualified 12th and showed some speed on a few short runs. I am guessing he was trying to get a better hold on the handling mostly. I like the value Smoke is at currently. In most games , he is considered a steal due his price tag. I see a potential top 10 , but giving he have no momentum. I will give him a high ceiling instead.
My Overall Ranking: 14th
6. Jamie Mac - Like I said earlier with Larson , I am not sold on the CGR cars. Jamie didn't exactly kill it in practice , but I like JMac to run competitively in the top 15 most of day and maybe a possible top 10. My Overall ranking is 15th because of his well-known bad. I believe he will just around 12th on Sunday though. Jamie is a decent sleeper option who goes unnoticed a lot. Same goes for Vegas.
My Overall Ranking: 15th
C:
1. Regan Smith - Smith had a terrible qualifying session , but I think he can score a top 25 or better. Love that he will be racing in XRS on Saturday. That will definitely help him for Sunday race. To be honestly I think it will be close between Smith , Ragan and Patrick.
My Overall Ranking: 24th
2. David Ragan - Grouping tier C is a mess right now. A good mess though. Realistically there are 4 options who can be considered useable at Las Vegas. Ragan looked the best among the 4 drivers. Before smashing into the wall during final practice. Despite starting dead last , I think he can make it through the field without much problems at all. I thought he had top 20 potential overall. Now probably more like top 25.
My Overall Ranking: 25th
3. Danica Patrick - I like Danica to run competitively with Smith and Ragan. I definitely could see her finishing ahead of both of them. But I just think there better places to unload her at. Realistically best case possible would be for the Danica taker , is for Smith and Ragan to have issues on Sunday. Otherwise it pretty pointless (especially in Yahoo).
My Overall Ranking: 26th
Other good options - Ryan Blaney
Email - Jeffnathan74@yahoo.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
Fantasy Nascar Picks (Vegas)
Welcome to TimersSports
Atlanta Recap: Last week was tail of two coins. In Yahoo Fantasy Racing , we struck out with Gordon , Larson and Kahne. Which ended in an 178 points day. Fantasy Live was a completely different story though. After a late minute change , we escaped with 253. Swapping the 48 & 22 for 24 & 11 was genius! Also gambling on the 4 was also a sweet move. All and all , it could've been much worse, right?
Look ahead to Las Vegas: Folks its Vegas week! Where the gambling is big and action is crazy! How do we attack a place like Las Vegas? Typically you want your drivers to start up front and hope the competition get a unlucky roll. Also there are several sleepers in the field this week with significant value. And remember what happens in Vegas , stays in Vegas (winks)!
Yahoo Picks-
A:
Start: Jimmie Johnson (9)
Bench: Kevin Harvick (9)
Reason: It came down to who was better on Saturday? It was Johnson. Harvick was right there though. With Phoenix coming up , it hard to use Harvick. Especially if you already used one at Daytona or Atlanta.
B:
Start: Martin Truex Jr (9) , Carl Edwards (9)
Bench: Paul Menard (9) , Kasey Kahne (8)
Reason: Truex Jr was fast every practice session and seems to love his car. Edwards get the nod because I don't feel like using a 2nd Kahne start. Menard seems way off to be honest.
C:
Start: Regan Smith (9)
Bench: David Ragan (8)
Reason: I am using Smith because I want to get few start out of Smith , especially since the Busch news broke. Even though I think he still quite awhile from being reinstated.
Fantasy Live - 48,4,78,41 and 19
Sleeper Pick - Martin Truex Jr
Race Winner - Jimmie Johnson
Email - MattAleza@yahoo.com
Twitter - @MattAleza
Atlanta Recap: Last week was tail of two coins. In Yahoo Fantasy Racing , we struck out with Gordon , Larson and Kahne. Which ended in an 178 points day. Fantasy Live was a completely different story though. After a late minute change , we escaped with 253. Swapping the 48 & 22 for 24 & 11 was genius! Also gambling on the 4 was also a sweet move. All and all , it could've been much worse, right?
Look ahead to Las Vegas: Folks its Vegas week! Where the gambling is big and action is crazy! How do we attack a place like Las Vegas? Typically you want your drivers to start up front and hope the competition get a unlucky roll. Also there are several sleepers in the field this week with significant value. And remember what happens in Vegas , stays in Vegas (winks)!
Yahoo Picks-
A:
Start: Jimmie Johnson (9)
Bench: Kevin Harvick (9)
Reason: It came down to who was better on Saturday? It was Johnson. Harvick was right there though. With Phoenix coming up , it hard to use Harvick. Especially if you already used one at Daytona or Atlanta.
B:
Start: Martin Truex Jr (9) , Carl Edwards (9)
Bench: Paul Menard (9) , Kasey Kahne (8)
Reason: Truex Jr was fast every practice session and seems to love his car. Edwards get the nod because I don't feel like using a 2nd Kahne start. Menard seems way off to be honest.
C:
Start: Regan Smith (9)
Bench: David Ragan (8)
Reason: I am using Smith because I want to get few start out of Smith , especially since the Busch news broke. Even though I think he still quite awhile from being reinstated.
Fantasy Live - 48,4,78,41 and 19
Sleeper Pick - Martin Truex Jr
Race Winner - Jimmie Johnson
Email - MattAleza@yahoo.com
Twitter - @MattAleza
Fantasy Nascar Sleepers & Busts (Las Vegas)
Welcome to TimersSports
After our first stop on the 1.5 mile racetrack , we head to another one out west in Las Vegas! This works out perfectly though since we have solid track data already from 500 miles at Atlanta. We will look at last week data and using relevant stats from past few seasons at Vegas. Who to sneaky on your fantasy roster? Who to leave off? Lets fine out!
Sleepers:
Paul Menard- Well..well look who lands on my sleeper list for second straight week? Yep Menard and it pretty obvious too. Over the past 3 seasons , Menard have 3 Top 10 and a 11.7 average running position. His 11.7 average running position ranks him 9th best in the past 3 Las Vegas races. I expect him to be a popular sleeper , but he will likely scare most away due to poor starting position. His average starting position is 21.3. Last week Menard finish 13th at Atlanta. Even though he came out of nowhere to score a top 15.
Martin Truex Jr - After finishing 6th last week at Atlanta , Truex is primed to be a excellent option. Last season Truex finished 14th here. Over past 4 seasons , Truex Jr have an 10.5 average finish and 7.0 average running position. Deeper we dig the more he impresses me! Like for example , over the past 4 seasons no driver have completed more laps inside the top 15 than Martin at 97.7%. Also Truex holds the 5th best driver rating. You could make the argument that only last season have any relevant impact. You could , but you shouldn't! Why? Truex finished 14th last season with an 7.0 average running position and 96.6 driver rating (very impressive). That was last season with FFR in 78 car. I don't think people truly understand how good Truex is at Vegas!
Dale Jr: Would you believe me if I said , Dale Jr have been realistically the best driver at Vegas over the past 4 seasons? Oh it true and not many realize it either! In past 4 seasons , Dale Jr have an 6.8 average finish (2nd-best), 8.5 average running position (2nd-best) , 89.2% laps completed in the top 15 (2nd-best) , and 107.8 driver rating (2nd-best). Over the past 8 Las Vegas races , Dale Jr is the only driver who holds an average finish better than 10.0 (8.3). Dale also have more Top 10(6) than anyone else in that 8 race span.
Busts:
Tony Stewart- Smoke looked lost at Atlanta and finished around 30th. He was worse in 2014 at Las Vegas and that's saying something. He finished 34th , but was slightly better with 33.0 average running position and 40.3 driver rating! Last season data or not , there are red flags popping up all over the place. To be honest I wasn't totally shocked by last week performance. I felt like he wasn't a fan of the new rules package during testing Thursday. I am not touching Smoke until least June.
Jeff Gordon- I am a big Gordon fan , but he have to be on my bust list unfortunately for Las Vegas. Looking back over the past 3 seasons , Gordon have struggled. The thing that jumps out at me is the time spent in top 15 which is only 52.7% of the time during the past 3 races. Last season was a major improvement though. He finished 9th after spending majority of the race in the top 10. Its encouraging , but then I think back to last week. Gordon wasn't very competitive and never had a car capable of top 10 once the track built up rubber. Now I know it was only 1 race , so hard saying why Gordon wasn't himself at Atlanta. But that the unknown and usually its best to stay away until we have some answers.
Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
After our first stop on the 1.5 mile racetrack , we head to another one out west in Las Vegas! This works out perfectly though since we have solid track data already from 500 miles at Atlanta. We will look at last week data and using relevant stats from past few seasons at Vegas. Who to sneaky on your fantasy roster? Who to leave off? Lets fine out!
Sleepers:
Paul Menard- Well..well look who lands on my sleeper list for second straight week? Yep Menard and it pretty obvious too. Over the past 3 seasons , Menard have 3 Top 10 and a 11.7 average running position. His 11.7 average running position ranks him 9th best in the past 3 Las Vegas races. I expect him to be a popular sleeper , but he will likely scare most away due to poor starting position. His average starting position is 21.3. Last week Menard finish 13th at Atlanta. Even though he came out of nowhere to score a top 15.
Martin Truex Jr - After finishing 6th last week at Atlanta , Truex is primed to be a excellent option. Last season Truex finished 14th here. Over past 4 seasons , Truex Jr have an 10.5 average finish and 7.0 average running position. Deeper we dig the more he impresses me! Like for example , over the past 4 seasons no driver have completed more laps inside the top 15 than Martin at 97.7%. Also Truex holds the 5th best driver rating. You could make the argument that only last season have any relevant impact. You could , but you shouldn't! Why? Truex finished 14th last season with an 7.0 average running position and 96.6 driver rating (very impressive). That was last season with FFR in 78 car. I don't think people truly understand how good Truex is at Vegas!
Dale Jr: Would you believe me if I said , Dale Jr have been realistically the best driver at Vegas over the past 4 seasons? Oh it true and not many realize it either! In past 4 seasons , Dale Jr have an 6.8 average finish (2nd-best), 8.5 average running position (2nd-best) , 89.2% laps completed in the top 15 (2nd-best) , and 107.8 driver rating (2nd-best). Over the past 8 Las Vegas races , Dale Jr is the only driver who holds an average finish better than 10.0 (8.3). Dale also have more Top 10(6) than anyone else in that 8 race span.
Busts:
Tony Stewart- Smoke looked lost at Atlanta and finished around 30th. He was worse in 2014 at Las Vegas and that's saying something. He finished 34th , but was slightly better with 33.0 average running position and 40.3 driver rating! Last season data or not , there are red flags popping up all over the place. To be honest I wasn't totally shocked by last week performance. I felt like he wasn't a fan of the new rules package during testing Thursday. I am not touching Smoke until least June.
Jeff Gordon- I am a big Gordon fan , but he have to be on my bust list unfortunately for Las Vegas. Looking back over the past 3 seasons , Gordon have struggled. The thing that jumps out at me is the time spent in top 15 which is only 52.7% of the time during the past 3 races. Last season was a major improvement though. He finished 9th after spending majority of the race in the top 10. Its encouraging , but then I think back to last week. Gordon wasn't very competitive and never had a car capable of top 10 once the track built up rubber. Now I know it was only 1 race , so hard saying why Gordon wasn't himself at Atlanta. But that the unknown and usually its best to stay away until we have some answers.
Email - briggs_garry48@yahoo.com
Twitter - @Garryy12
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
Fantasy Nascar Early Rankings (Las Vegas)
Welcome to TimersSports
Early Rankings -
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Joey Logano
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Dale Jr
6. Carl Edwards
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Jeff Gordon
10. Paul Menard
11. Ryan Newman
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Kyle Larson
14. Martin Truex Jr
15. Clint Bowyer
16. Brian Vickers
17. Jamie Mac
18. AJ Dinger
19. Greg Biffle
20. Austin Dillon
21. David Ragan
22. Tony Stewart
23. Ryan Blaney
24. Regan Smith
25. Aric Almirola
26. Sam Hornish Jr
27. Danica Patrick
28. Justin Allagier
29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
30. Casey Mears
Twitter - @CrazyKateNascar
Early Rankings -
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Joey Logano
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Dale Jr
6. Carl Edwards
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Jeff Gordon
10. Paul Menard
11. Ryan Newman
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Kyle Larson
14. Martin Truex Jr
15. Clint Bowyer
16. Brian Vickers
17. Jamie Mac
18. AJ Dinger
19. Greg Biffle
20. Austin Dillon
21. David Ragan
22. Tony Stewart
23. Ryan Blaney
24. Regan Smith
25. Aric Almirola
26. Sam Hornish Jr
27. Danica Patrick
28. Justin Allagier
29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
30. Casey Mears
Twitter - @CrazyKateNascar
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