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Fantasy Nascar Preview -
1-Jamie Mac: The 1 car was very fast at Atlanta and showed good top 10 speed all weekend. Ended up finishing 10th. He should be able to keep the momentum going, too. On top of that, JMac has been running well at Vegas in recent seasons as well. Over his past three races here, he has compiled 14.0 average finish with 16.3 average running position and 74.0 driver rating. Jamie has been consistent with his finishes in recent seasons at Vegas. Over his past four races here, he has finished in the 13th-16th place range. In his past 5 races here (back to 2012), he has finished 16th or better in every race. In his past two races (2015 and 2016), he has finishes of 16th and 11th. He wasn't very compeittive in last season's event. Both CGR cars struggled to do much, but the organization seemed off until like June anyways. Both Chip Ganassi Racing cars showed a lot of speed in the first two races. Can they make it three straight? Guess we will find out this weekend!
2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is coming off his first win at Atlanta Motor Speedway and will look for some more at Vegas! He has a lot of momentum after his win last weekend and has ran incredibly well at Vegas in recent seasons. Over the past three Vegas races, he has compiled 3.0 average finish with 7.0 average running position and 119.8 driver rating. In his past 4 races, he has compiled 4 straight top 7 finishes. While, he has won the past two of three races at Vegas. Including win this race just last season. I consider Vegas as one of Brad's best tracks on the schedule in terms of pure stats. I also believe that the Penske Fords are little ahead of the competition this season. The HMS cars and JGR cars as a whole were a little off last weekend at Atlanta. While the Penske cars were on point in terms of speed. It will be interesting to see, if that will continue this weekend.
3-Austin Dillon: Austin Dillon was having a strong run last weekend at Atlanta, until he had batteries issues late in the event. He would end finishing the race 6 laps down, which was extremely disappointing honestly. As Dillon had a great race going, I thought he was going to finish inside the top 5. He's also ran well on this type of track in 2016, so not really surprising. I like him even more at Vegas. Austin Dillon ran his best at places like Vegas, Kansas and Michigan last season. Finished 3 of those 4 races in 6th or better. What does those track in common? They don't see a lot of fall-off. He finished 5th in last season's race. He started 5th, finished 5th and posted 104.4 driver rating. He was a top 7 driver for almost that entire race from what I remember. After last weekend's run, I am very optimistic about his chances at Vegas and rebound from his bad luck last week. Headed into the weekend, I think he is close to a top 10 fantasy option.
4-Kevin Harvick: There were some concerned about Harvick switching from Chevy to Ford in the offseason, but those worries were rested to bed after he qualified on the pole. Not only did he do that, but he went on to dominate the race. Harvick was untouchable throughout Sunday's race. Then he got a pit road penalty, some things never changes for him it seems. He will now turn his attention to Las Vegas. This place has been another good track for him, since joining SHR. In the past four races, he has compiled 3 Top 10 finishes. While leading in the past three races here. In 2015, he was nearly unstoppable and led 142 laps on his way to victory lane. In last season's event, he was pretty good overall. He started 6th, finished 7th and posted 106.6 drive rating. Not bad at all, but not his best race either though. I wouldn't call Vegas his best track by any means, but this is quality track for him. After last week, it is hard to overlook him right now. He is one of the few driver that we can feel good about this early in the season!
5-Kasey Kahne: I wasn't impressed by HMS in general, but I will give some credit to Kasey though. He started deep in the field, moved up to top 15 or top 20 and lost a lap (twice). Eventually was able to finish on the lead lap late and finish inside the top 5 somehow. Not something I really expect out of the No.5 car. As he didn't really sound too positive about his chances on PRN before the race. Still, he has finishes of 4th and 7th to start the 2017 season! That's pretty good for him! How will he do at Vegas? Hard to say, but he should be a top 10 to top 15 fantasy option though. Over his past three races at Vegas, he has compiled 11.7 average finish with 10.3 average running position and 93.2 driver rating. In 3 of his past 4 Vegas races, he has finished inside the top 10. In 5 races with HMS, he has 8.6 average running position and 102.2 driver rating. He had his worst race last season in terms of race performance and he was still solid. In last season's race, he's started 8th, finished 10th, posted a career-low driver rating with the #5 of 86.5 driver rating and 11.0 average running position. Yes, performance-wise this was his worst race with the #5 team. Even though, he was pretty strong still. I really like Kahne, especially since he is coming off solid finishes in the first two races in 2017.
11-Denny Hamlin: The big question I had about Hamlin in my preview last week was how would he start the season? Would he get off to a fast start or a slow start? Well so far it has been a slow start for Hamlin. Much like the past two seasons, but except much worse. He's finished outside of the top 15 at Daytona and finished in the garage at Atlanta. Not good at all. He will try to rebound at Vegas now. Joe Gibbs Racing just weren't themsvles at Atlanta. Kenseth was the only drive to finish on the lead lap. So JGR needs to have a big weekend, for sure. However, the numbers haven't been that good for Hamlin at Vegas recently. In his past 5 races at Vegas, he has finished 12th-20th place. He has only one finish inside the top 10 and that was in 2015. All four of those finishes, he had a driver below 100 as well. So not like he had bad luck. Hamlin just haven't really performed like he should had been. Hard to say what to expect out of him, but I don't much beyond a top 10 finish from him though.
18-Kyle Busch: Atlanta just was terrible for Kyle Busch. He's started 3rd but quickly faded through the field and ended up finishing off the lead lap. That was the worst race I seen out of Kyle Busch since probably like 2014. Yeah it was pretty bad overall. He just wasn't his day honestly. That happens sometimes, didn't help that the 4 car was on an insane pace, either. Busch will try to put that behind him and get back to running up front. Either way, he needs a good run because this hasn't been a good start for him to 2017. Kyle has ran extremely well at Vegas in his past three races though. In his past three Vegas races, he has compiled 6.3 average finish with 6.3 average running position and 110.0 driver rating. In 2 of those 3 races, he's posted two top 4 finishes. I will be very interested in how the 18 team does this weekend.
19-Daniel Suarez: Suarez was just bad at Atlanta and struggled pretty bad, while finishing outside of the top 25. Like I said in the Fantasy Nascar update on Saturday's evening, he is no Carl Edwards and he proved that. Suarez is a young driver, so he will need a lot more seat time before he becomes anything really good. Remember when Austin Dillon entered Cup a few years ago? He started out by running in the 20s. Not everyone can be Elliott, Larson or Blaney right off the bat. Not much to say about him, other than he's should be a mid to low 20 driver at Vegas. Maybe more, since Atlanta is a super difficult track to master as a young driver. And Vegas is more kind overall, as there is very little fall-off at this place.
20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth lost a lap early in last weekend's race and it took until under 70 laps to go, in order for him to get caught back up. When he did, then the 20 car quickly moved to the front. with about 40 to go, he's restarted 9th and drove up to 5th. He would end up finishing 3rd for the event. Not something I thought we would see out of him. I had a good feeling about him entering last weekend, but didn't expect a top 5 finish after he got multiple penalties. He will try to get another good finish at Vegas. I cannot say that this is his best track though. Still a pretty good one overall. He's a former three-time winner here and won back in 2013 in his first start with JGR. In 4 starts with #20 team, he has compiled 3 top 10 finishes. With finishes of 9th and 10th in 2014 and 2015. On the positive side, he's led in 6 of his past 7 races at Vegas. Hard to say what Kenseth will offer this weekend, but I do like him as a top 10 finisher though. Knowing Kenseth, he will likely find a way to be a top 5 player before it is over though. I don't hate him by any means!
21-Ryan Blaney: Blaney had a tough race at Atlanta, he just wasn't that good in the race. He had to make a couple unscheduled stops that really put him behind. Never more than a few laps, but still it took him out of contention. Even if that didn't happen, I got the feeling he didn't have much for anything more than a top 15 regardless. I wasn't super high on him last week, anyhow. However, I am much more optimistic for him at Vegas. Last season, he was very good here. He's finished 6th and was a legit top 10 contender. In that event, he's started 14th, finished 6th, had 8.0 average running position and 102.2 driver rating. For whatever reason, Blaney seems to perform better on tracks that see limited fall-off. It was a trend that I noticed last season, I am hoping that is the case once again. He is capable of running and finishing inside the top 10 or top 12. If anything goes according to plan for him.
22-Joey Logano: Logano was fast all weekend at Atlanta, but things just didn't line up for him though. He lost a lap and never really got back on the lead lap. Just before end of segment 2, he had a shot. However, Ricky Stenhouse Jr was lapped with 3 laps to go in that segment. Stenhouse Jr got the lucky dog. Logano settled in around 16th or 17th for reminder of the event. Tough race for him, but he will try to get back on track. Penske cars always seems to run well here. Logano been running well here since joining the 22 team. Especially over his past three races. In his past three races, he has compiled 5.3 average finish with 6.7 average running position and 114.3 driver rating. He's qualified inside the top 2 in all three of those races. While leading 44 or more laps each time. Part of his success has been because of his great starting position. He had his best race in last season's event. He's started 2nd, finished 2nd, led 74 laps (career-high) and posted 130.6 driver rating. That 130.6 driver rating is also a career-high by far. I think the Penske cars will be strong once again this weekend and both be top 5 contenders!
24-Chase Elliott: Elliott was awesome last weekend at Atlanta and he probably would had won, if he didn't have that pit road penalty and that bad restart. He was strong all race long and finished inside the top 5 still. I like him at Vegas, there isn't a lot to go on here though. He was running inside the top 10 here last season before getting involved in a wreck though. Elliott's biggest asset will be his strength on the 1.5 mile tracks this season, I think. So, I see no reason to believe that the 24 won't be good here. I cannot recall a race on this type of track so far in his career, where he hasn't contended for a top 10 finish. Or at least have top 10 speed.
41-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch won at Daytona and backed that up with a top 10 finish at Atlanta, as well. But I don't know if you will like his numbers this weekend though. His record here is not very promising at all! Over his past 10 races at Vegas, he has only two top 10 finishes. Yes, two top 10 finishes and his best finish is 9th (twice). In his past 9 races, he has finished 20th or worse in 7 of those races. Yes, 7 times he's finished 20th or worse. He did finish 9th in last season's race, after starting on the pole. But for the entire event, I don't know if he had a top 10 car. He had a 93.3 driver rating and 11.0 average running position. Also spent less than 70% of the laps inside the top 15 as well. At best you can expect a top 10 finish out of him, but his record really scare me away honestly. I need to see him practice, before I say anything else about him.
42-Kyle Larson: Kyle Larson really throw away that race at Atlanta. He in my opinion would had won, if he stood on the bottom. However, Larson wanted to take away the top from Keselowski. That was the wrong move though. His car was better on the bottom, I think his chances were better winning down there. This is the third straight races here Larson lost the lead with under 10 laps to go. That's great for him though, as it shows that he is taking the next step towards being a top driver. So far, he hasn't had a lot of success at this place overall. He's finished 8th back in 2015, but also has finishes of 34th and 19th. Last season, he's finished 34th for that event. He ran in the teens mainly for the first couple runs and was moving forward. However, he got a pit road penalty on a pit stop. Which put him outside of the top 20, then he got put in the wall a little while after that. I cannot say that I know what to expect from him this weekend. Atlanta fit his style so last week it was logic to think that he would do well. This weekend not so much. If the 42 car can run well inside the top 5 this weekend, I think the CGR cars are legit. Regardless, Larson is off to his best start of his career.
48-Jimmie Johnson: Johnson had a tough race at Atlanta and should be primed to rebound at Vegas. For some reason, people might back off of Johnson. I love that, if it does happen. We rarely see Johnson have back-to-back bad races, especially early in the season. Vegas is a great track for him and he has proven in the past that he is a great driver here. Johnson's career numbers are amazing here. In 15 career starts, he has compiled 9 Top 6 finishes overall. In his past 5 races, he's finished 6th or better four times. While 5 of his past 7 races here, he has finished 6th or better. He did finish 41st back in 2015. If you just look at the past two seasons' average finish, then there's a good chance you will overlook him. I think a lot of people do that in general. Especially the ''average'' fantasy players out there. And don't be fooled by his poor finish last week, as he was running inside the top 10, before the speeding penalties occurred. I really do like Johnson this weekend!
77-Erik Jones: I was very high on Erik Jones heading into the season and now do you understand why? He was just awesome at Atlanta and showed us all why he is the next big thing in Nascar! He has a ways to go still as driver, before contending for race wins. But he was a legit top 10 driver this past weekend. I think he can keep it up at Atlanta. Personally, I believe that he will be able to run better at Vegas than Atlanta. I have high hopes for the 77 car this weekend once again, much like I had in last week's preview!
78-Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr didn't exactly set the world on fire at Atlanta, but he was in contention for a top 10 finish all day long and finish 8th. The 78 team did a good job of keeping up with adjustments and did what they needed to. How will he do at Vegas? Hard to say honestly. The Toyotas seemed to be behind overall in the first real test of the season. But Truex Jr was the bright spot overall though. He has good numbers at Vegas. In his past three Vegas races, he has compiled 9.0 average finish with 8.3 average running position and 100.9 driver rating. He wasn't that great at Vegas last season. He's started 10th , finished 11th and posted 88.9 driver rating. Not great, but I think he will be better this time around though. I find it hard that the 78 car won't be a top 10 performer.
88-Dale Jr: Dale Jr is coming off a pitiful start to the season so far. Not a great way to start, but he can rebound. And Vegas would be a great place for him to do, too. In his past three races at Vegas, he has compiled 4.7 average finish with 6.3 average running position and 111.9 driver rating. He's ranked 2nd in terms of average finish in the past three seasons to only Brad Keselowski! Currently, Dale Jr has knocked off 6 straight top 10 finishes at Vegas. Including 4 straight top 8 finishes in his past 4 races. He's finished 8th in last season's race. I don't really love Dale Jr, after seeing him last week. But we have very limited data to go on, we cannot based everything on last week. This week could be a complete 360. Different type of 1.5 mile tracks, too. I think the 88 will be fine and possibly challenge for a top 10 finish. We will see, I would like to see some speed out of him in practice though.
**All stats are from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
Fantasy Nascar Preview -
1-Jamie Mac: The 1 car was very fast at Atlanta and showed good top 10 speed all weekend. Ended up finishing 10th. He should be able to keep the momentum going, too. On top of that, JMac has been running well at Vegas in recent seasons as well. Over his past three races here, he has compiled 14.0 average finish with 16.3 average running position and 74.0 driver rating. Jamie has been consistent with his finishes in recent seasons at Vegas. Over his past four races here, he has finished in the 13th-16th place range. In his past 5 races here (back to 2012), he has finished 16th or better in every race. In his past two races (2015 and 2016), he has finishes of 16th and 11th. He wasn't very compeittive in last season's event. Both CGR cars struggled to do much, but the organization seemed off until like June anyways. Both Chip Ganassi Racing cars showed a lot of speed in the first two races. Can they make it three straight? Guess we will find out this weekend!
2-Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is coming off his first win at Atlanta Motor Speedway and will look for some more at Vegas! He has a lot of momentum after his win last weekend and has ran incredibly well at Vegas in recent seasons. Over the past three Vegas races, he has compiled 3.0 average finish with 7.0 average running position and 119.8 driver rating. In his past 4 races, he has compiled 4 straight top 7 finishes. While, he has won the past two of three races at Vegas. Including win this race just last season. I consider Vegas as one of Brad's best tracks on the schedule in terms of pure stats. I also believe that the Penske Fords are little ahead of the competition this season. The HMS cars and JGR cars as a whole were a little off last weekend at Atlanta. While the Penske cars were on point in terms of speed. It will be interesting to see, if that will continue this weekend.
3-Austin Dillon: Austin Dillon was having a strong run last weekend at Atlanta, until he had batteries issues late in the event. He would end finishing the race 6 laps down, which was extremely disappointing honestly. As Dillon had a great race going, I thought he was going to finish inside the top 5. He's also ran well on this type of track in 2016, so not really surprising. I like him even more at Vegas. Austin Dillon ran his best at places like Vegas, Kansas and Michigan last season. Finished 3 of those 4 races in 6th or better. What does those track in common? They don't see a lot of fall-off. He finished 5th in last season's race. He started 5th, finished 5th and posted 104.4 driver rating. He was a top 7 driver for almost that entire race from what I remember. After last weekend's run, I am very optimistic about his chances at Vegas and rebound from his bad luck last week. Headed into the weekend, I think he is close to a top 10 fantasy option.
4-Kevin Harvick: There were some concerned about Harvick switching from Chevy to Ford in the offseason, but those worries were rested to bed after he qualified on the pole. Not only did he do that, but he went on to dominate the race. Harvick was untouchable throughout Sunday's race. Then he got a pit road penalty, some things never changes for him it seems. He will now turn his attention to Las Vegas. This place has been another good track for him, since joining SHR. In the past four races, he has compiled 3 Top 10 finishes. While leading in the past three races here. In 2015, he was nearly unstoppable and led 142 laps on his way to victory lane. In last season's event, he was pretty good overall. He started 6th, finished 7th and posted 106.6 drive rating. Not bad at all, but not his best race either though. I wouldn't call Vegas his best track by any means, but this is quality track for him. After last week, it is hard to overlook him right now. He is one of the few driver that we can feel good about this early in the season!
5-Kasey Kahne: I wasn't impressed by HMS in general, but I will give some credit to Kasey though. He started deep in the field, moved up to top 15 or top 20 and lost a lap (twice). Eventually was able to finish on the lead lap late and finish inside the top 5 somehow. Not something I really expect out of the No.5 car. As he didn't really sound too positive about his chances on PRN before the race. Still, he has finishes of 4th and 7th to start the 2017 season! That's pretty good for him! How will he do at Vegas? Hard to say, but he should be a top 10 to top 15 fantasy option though. Over his past three races at Vegas, he has compiled 11.7 average finish with 10.3 average running position and 93.2 driver rating. In 3 of his past 4 Vegas races, he has finished inside the top 10. In 5 races with HMS, he has 8.6 average running position and 102.2 driver rating. He had his worst race last season in terms of race performance and he was still solid. In last season's race, he's started 8th, finished 10th, posted a career-low driver rating with the #5 of 86.5 driver rating and 11.0 average running position. Yes, performance-wise this was his worst race with the #5 team. Even though, he was pretty strong still. I really like Kahne, especially since he is coming off solid finishes in the first two races in 2017.
11-Denny Hamlin: The big question I had about Hamlin in my preview last week was how would he start the season? Would he get off to a fast start or a slow start? Well so far it has been a slow start for Hamlin. Much like the past two seasons, but except much worse. He's finished outside of the top 15 at Daytona and finished in the garage at Atlanta. Not good at all. He will try to rebound at Vegas now. Joe Gibbs Racing just weren't themsvles at Atlanta. Kenseth was the only drive to finish on the lead lap. So JGR needs to have a big weekend, for sure. However, the numbers haven't been that good for Hamlin at Vegas recently. In his past 5 races at Vegas, he has finished 12th-20th place. He has only one finish inside the top 10 and that was in 2015. All four of those finishes, he had a driver below 100 as well. So not like he had bad luck. Hamlin just haven't really performed like he should had been. Hard to say what to expect out of him, but I don't much beyond a top 10 finish from him though.
18-Kyle Busch: Atlanta just was terrible for Kyle Busch. He's started 3rd but quickly faded through the field and ended up finishing off the lead lap. That was the worst race I seen out of Kyle Busch since probably like 2014. Yeah it was pretty bad overall. He just wasn't his day honestly. That happens sometimes, didn't help that the 4 car was on an insane pace, either. Busch will try to put that behind him and get back to running up front. Either way, he needs a good run because this hasn't been a good start for him to 2017. Kyle has ran extremely well at Vegas in his past three races though. In his past three Vegas races, he has compiled 6.3 average finish with 6.3 average running position and 110.0 driver rating. In 2 of those 3 races, he's posted two top 4 finishes. I will be very interested in how the 18 team does this weekend.
19-Daniel Suarez: Suarez was just bad at Atlanta and struggled pretty bad, while finishing outside of the top 25. Like I said in the Fantasy Nascar update on Saturday's evening, he is no Carl Edwards and he proved that. Suarez is a young driver, so he will need a lot more seat time before he becomes anything really good. Remember when Austin Dillon entered Cup a few years ago? He started out by running in the 20s. Not everyone can be Elliott, Larson or Blaney right off the bat. Not much to say about him, other than he's should be a mid to low 20 driver at Vegas. Maybe more, since Atlanta is a super difficult track to master as a young driver. And Vegas is more kind overall, as there is very little fall-off at this place.
20-Matt Kenseth: Kenseth lost a lap early in last weekend's race and it took until under 70 laps to go, in order for him to get caught back up. When he did, then the 20 car quickly moved to the front. with about 40 to go, he's restarted 9th and drove up to 5th. He would end up finishing 3rd for the event. Not something I thought we would see out of him. I had a good feeling about him entering last weekend, but didn't expect a top 5 finish after he got multiple penalties. He will try to get another good finish at Vegas. I cannot say that this is his best track though. Still a pretty good one overall. He's a former three-time winner here and won back in 2013 in his first start with JGR. In 4 starts with #20 team, he has compiled 3 top 10 finishes. With finishes of 9th and 10th in 2014 and 2015. On the positive side, he's led in 6 of his past 7 races at Vegas. Hard to say what Kenseth will offer this weekend, but I do like him as a top 10 finisher though. Knowing Kenseth, he will likely find a way to be a top 5 player before it is over though. I don't hate him by any means!
21-Ryan Blaney: Blaney had a tough race at Atlanta, he just wasn't that good in the race. He had to make a couple unscheduled stops that really put him behind. Never more than a few laps, but still it took him out of contention. Even if that didn't happen, I got the feeling he didn't have much for anything more than a top 15 regardless. I wasn't super high on him last week, anyhow. However, I am much more optimistic for him at Vegas. Last season, he was very good here. He's finished 6th and was a legit top 10 contender. In that event, he's started 14th, finished 6th, had 8.0 average running position and 102.2 driver rating. For whatever reason, Blaney seems to perform better on tracks that see limited fall-off. It was a trend that I noticed last season, I am hoping that is the case once again. He is capable of running and finishing inside the top 10 or top 12. If anything goes according to plan for him.
22-Joey Logano: Logano was fast all weekend at Atlanta, but things just didn't line up for him though. He lost a lap and never really got back on the lead lap. Just before end of segment 2, he had a shot. However, Ricky Stenhouse Jr was lapped with 3 laps to go in that segment. Stenhouse Jr got the lucky dog. Logano settled in around 16th or 17th for reminder of the event. Tough race for him, but he will try to get back on track. Penske cars always seems to run well here. Logano been running well here since joining the 22 team. Especially over his past three races. In his past three races, he has compiled 5.3 average finish with 6.7 average running position and 114.3 driver rating. He's qualified inside the top 2 in all three of those races. While leading 44 or more laps each time. Part of his success has been because of his great starting position. He had his best race in last season's event. He's started 2nd, finished 2nd, led 74 laps (career-high) and posted 130.6 driver rating. That 130.6 driver rating is also a career-high by far. I think the Penske cars will be strong once again this weekend and both be top 5 contenders!
24-Chase Elliott: Elliott was awesome last weekend at Atlanta and he probably would had won, if he didn't have that pit road penalty and that bad restart. He was strong all race long and finished inside the top 5 still. I like him at Vegas, there isn't a lot to go on here though. He was running inside the top 10 here last season before getting involved in a wreck though. Elliott's biggest asset will be his strength on the 1.5 mile tracks this season, I think. So, I see no reason to believe that the 24 won't be good here. I cannot recall a race on this type of track so far in his career, where he hasn't contended for a top 10 finish. Or at least have top 10 speed.
41-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch won at Daytona and backed that up with a top 10 finish at Atlanta, as well. But I don't know if you will like his numbers this weekend though. His record here is not very promising at all! Over his past 10 races at Vegas, he has only two top 10 finishes. Yes, two top 10 finishes and his best finish is 9th (twice). In his past 9 races, he has finished 20th or worse in 7 of those races. Yes, 7 times he's finished 20th or worse. He did finish 9th in last season's race, after starting on the pole. But for the entire event, I don't know if he had a top 10 car. He had a 93.3 driver rating and 11.0 average running position. Also spent less than 70% of the laps inside the top 15 as well. At best you can expect a top 10 finish out of him, but his record really scare me away honestly. I need to see him practice, before I say anything else about him.
42-Kyle Larson: Kyle Larson really throw away that race at Atlanta. He in my opinion would had won, if he stood on the bottom. However, Larson wanted to take away the top from Keselowski. That was the wrong move though. His car was better on the bottom, I think his chances were better winning down there. This is the third straight races here Larson lost the lead with under 10 laps to go. That's great for him though, as it shows that he is taking the next step towards being a top driver. So far, he hasn't had a lot of success at this place overall. He's finished 8th back in 2015, but also has finishes of 34th and 19th. Last season, he's finished 34th for that event. He ran in the teens mainly for the first couple runs and was moving forward. However, he got a pit road penalty on a pit stop. Which put him outside of the top 20, then he got put in the wall a little while after that. I cannot say that I know what to expect from him this weekend. Atlanta fit his style so last week it was logic to think that he would do well. This weekend not so much. If the 42 car can run well inside the top 5 this weekend, I think the CGR cars are legit. Regardless, Larson is off to his best start of his career.
48-Jimmie Johnson: Johnson had a tough race at Atlanta and should be primed to rebound at Vegas. For some reason, people might back off of Johnson. I love that, if it does happen. We rarely see Johnson have back-to-back bad races, especially early in the season. Vegas is a great track for him and he has proven in the past that he is a great driver here. Johnson's career numbers are amazing here. In 15 career starts, he has compiled 9 Top 6 finishes overall. In his past 5 races, he's finished 6th or better four times. While 5 of his past 7 races here, he has finished 6th or better. He did finish 41st back in 2015. If you just look at the past two seasons' average finish, then there's a good chance you will overlook him. I think a lot of people do that in general. Especially the ''average'' fantasy players out there. And don't be fooled by his poor finish last week, as he was running inside the top 10, before the speeding penalties occurred. I really do like Johnson this weekend!
77-Erik Jones: I was very high on Erik Jones heading into the season and now do you understand why? He was just awesome at Atlanta and showed us all why he is the next big thing in Nascar! He has a ways to go still as driver, before contending for race wins. But he was a legit top 10 driver this past weekend. I think he can keep it up at Atlanta. Personally, I believe that he will be able to run better at Vegas than Atlanta. I have high hopes for the 77 car this weekend once again, much like I had in last week's preview!
78-Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr didn't exactly set the world on fire at Atlanta, but he was in contention for a top 10 finish all day long and finish 8th. The 78 team did a good job of keeping up with adjustments and did what they needed to. How will he do at Vegas? Hard to say honestly. The Toyotas seemed to be behind overall in the first real test of the season. But Truex Jr was the bright spot overall though. He has good numbers at Vegas. In his past three Vegas races, he has compiled 9.0 average finish with 8.3 average running position and 100.9 driver rating. He wasn't that great at Vegas last season. He's started 10th , finished 11th and posted 88.9 driver rating. Not great, but I think he will be better this time around though. I find it hard that the 78 car won't be a top 10 performer.
88-Dale Jr: Dale Jr is coming off a pitiful start to the season so far. Not a great way to start, but he can rebound. And Vegas would be a great place for him to do, too. In his past three races at Vegas, he has compiled 4.7 average finish with 6.3 average running position and 111.9 driver rating. He's ranked 2nd in terms of average finish in the past three seasons to only Brad Keselowski! Currently, Dale Jr has knocked off 6 straight top 10 finishes at Vegas. Including 4 straight top 8 finishes in his past 4 races. He's finished 8th in last season's race. I don't really love Dale Jr, after seeing him last week. But we have very limited data to go on, we cannot based everything on last week. This week could be a complete 360. Different type of 1.5 mile tracks, too. I think the 88 will be fine and possibly challenge for a top 10 finish. We will see, I would like to see some speed out of him in practice though.
**All stats are from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
