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We are at Charlotte for Saturday's night race! Qualifying and one lone practice session was held on Thursday afternoon. That was followed up on Friday with two more additional practice sessions. I personally think it very tough to judge practice when it held during the day for a night race. One of the reasons I hate night races anymore. They use to be special because there was so few of them, now they are getting to be a pain!
Let get started!
A:
1. Kyle Busch - Rowdy is atop of my list this weekend? You darn right he is! There are many good reasons to consider him as one of the favorites for Saturday's race. Not only does Kyle start up front, but Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole been running very well. Just three races ago, Kyle Busch dominated the most recent 1.5 mile racetrack at Chicagoland. Not to mention, he have a impressive record here dating back to the 2007 season. In that span, he have finished worse than 10th in 3 races! So he have 13 Top 10 finishes in his past 16 starts at Charlotte. That's insane folks! He was pretty strong in both practice sessions on Friday and looked top notch on the long runs. I think he will get to the lead early and often and finish up front as well.
My Overall Ranking: 1st
2. Kevin Harvick: He looked real
solid in final practice and showed some long run speed, so don't worry about his starting position. I am sure he will drive through the field and contend
for a top 5 finish. Charlotte have been a very good venue for Harvick
since joining SHR and there no reason why that should change. I have him
across line somewhere in the top 3 when the checkers wave.
My Overall Ranking: 2nd
3. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth will start on the pole, alongside teammate Kyle Busch! Kenseth wasn't quite as good as Busch, but I think he will pull away early in the race though. He showed good speed in both sessions and should make a solid fantasy option in most formats. He is even more useful in Yahoo Fantasy Racing since you get rewarded 10 bonus points for leading a lap. He showed solid long run speed, so he should be able to stay up front with the leaders. He have a strong track record here like his teammates, so that definitely helps him in terms of the trustworthy department. He also have won 4 races over the past 7 Cup races, dating all the way back to Michigan where he absolutely dominated. More importantly he have won 3 of his 5 races from the pole position or the 2nd starting position!
My Overall Ranking: 3rd
4. Joey Logano: Logano will roll off from 3rd, but he is very much under the radar after a lackluster 10th place finish at Dover. He been a non-factor in the chase so far, even though he have finishes of 6th, 3rd and 10th. I think Penske is a little behind lately, but Logano looked strong on the long runs in both practices. Logano is the one of two drivers in the field to never have a DNF at Charlotte with least 10 starts. The other driver is Martin Truex Jr. Logano have made 13 starts with a 10.2 average finish. In those 13 starts, he have put together 7 top 10 finishes and 12 top 20 finishes. He also been one of the most consistent drivers in the series this season. 14 of the past 16 races have ended in 10th or better. In fact, 23 of the 29 races this season have ended inside the top 10 for Logano. Yeah he been pretty solid. I think he get back on track with a top 5 finish on Saturday.
My Overall Ranking: 5th
5. Dale Jr: There were a few drivers I considered for the final spot in this tier, but i decided to go with Dale Jr. I don't usually list Dale Jr, unless he is fast. He was exactly that on Thursday and contained that speed on Friday as well. He will roll off from 12th and looked to be one of the quickest cars on the track at times in the three practice sessions! I thought he struggled at end of final practice though. His track record since joining HMS is inconsistent, but I don't think that will matter too much. I feel like he is close to a top 5 fantasy option headed into Saturday's race. The 88 team seems to be able to improve throughout the race, so don't be shocked to see him finish in the top 5 when the checkers wave.
My Overall Ranking: 6th
Other Options - Jimmie Johnson (7th), Brad Keselowski (8th), Denny Hamlin (10th), Jeff Gordon (11th) and Ryan Newman (12th)
B:
1. Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch was arguably the best driver on Friday! At times he was, and I think he is a top 5 driver headed into the race. Earlier this season he led 118 laps to a 10th place run. So I am not all too shocked to see Busch near top of the speed charts in practice. Can he deliver the product? I don't know to be honest. He always seems to have the speed, but he haven't been able to finish out races and that been a issue for him all season. I have him across the line in 4th, but I see him finish somewhere from 3rd-8th place range though. He is the best fantasy option in this tier and I think he is one of the few legitmate contenders headed to the race.
My Overall Ranking: 4th
2. Carl Edwards: Edwards looked pretty good in both sessions on Saturday. He will roll off from 8th starting position on Saturday night! He wasn't as good as teammate Kyle Busch, but he was a top 10 driver though. A lot of people forget that Edwards won earlier this season at Charlotte with fuel mileage. Unfortunately I don't think he will get that lucky again. I think he will run and finish in the latter part of the top 10.
My Overall Ranking: 9th
3. Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr was good I guess in both sessions on Friday, but I wouldn't call him great though. He had top 10 speed at times, but don't think he have the car where he wants it though. He should be a top 15 driver with top 10 potential. Anytime Truex comes to the track, he will have the chance to finish in the top 10. However I wouldn't bank on it based off of practice. I have him finishing inside the top 15, but I would say it closer to the top 12 though. The one thing I dislike about him is he seems to fade late in races and not be able to finish them out. Reminds me a lot of Kurt Busch this season. I have him across the line in 13th, but I say he finishes 2-3 positions of that spot.
My Overall Ranking: 13th
4. Kasey Kahne: I am probably ranking Kahne too high, as I fully know that Kahne is one of the most inconsistent drivers in Nascar. However I think it very hard to overlook his record here. He wasn't too good in either practice sessions on Friday, but I am banking on him to improve during the race. I think Kahne will finish somewhere in the top 15, but I don't think he knocks off a top 10. When Hendrick gives him a fast car, he will run very well (like last week.) If they give him a car that is a little off, then he'll struggle and finish around 15th. So far I haven't seen anything that indicate he will run near the front!
My Overall Ranking: 14th
5. Jamie Mac: I could have put a few drivers in this spot, but I went with JMac. He showed speed in both practice sessions on Friday and should be able to find his way through the field. Both the CGR cars struggled in qualifying, but it seems like JMac have a solid car though. He starts all the way back in 30th, but I don't think that will be a problem. Even though it pretty risky to use him considering both CGR cars struggled back in the 600 as well. Regardless I think there a lot of upside to selecting him, as he could be a powerful punch in certain fantasy formats!
My Overall Ranking: 15th
Other Options - Clint Bowyer (16th), Kyle Larson (17th), Aric Almirola (18th) and Austin Dillon (20th)
C:
1. Ryan Blaney: Blaney looks to be the best driver in this tier and will roll off from 16th starting position. He posted the 4th-best ten lap average in final practice and had the 17th fastest lap overall. He run right around there as well. I don't know if he will be able to break into the top 15 for the race (wouldn't be shocking), but I think he is a lock for a top 20 finish. I have across the line in 19th, but I see him finishing closer to the top 15 than top 20 though.
My Overall Ranking: 19th
2. David Ragan: Ragan looked to be worthy of top 20 potential, but I think he finishes somewhere just outside of that. It wouldn't be crazy for him to finish ahead of Blaney, but I don't think it happens unless Blaney screw up in the race. I have him across the line in 20th-ish, but I am not sure what to expect from him. He been crazy inconsistent all season long, even more so since joining MWR.
My Overall Ranking: 22nd
3. Danica Patrick: Patrick have struggled since unloading overall and I am not expecting too much from her. I wasn't too impressed by her in final practice. Before that I thought she was about a top 25 driver headed into the race. I just don't like her too much. At this point of the season, she isn't in my good graces after bad finish after bad finish. So I am pretty much trying to avoid if possible in almost every single format. This isn't exactly a Danica either. She haven't really had a breakout race yet. At best, she will finish in the low to mid 20s.
My Overall Ranking: 26th
Other Options - Justin Allgaier (29th)
Twitter - @JeffNathans
