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Fantasy Nascar Update -
1. Kyle Busch - Kyle Busch is starting on the pole and looked very good on Saturday. He opened final practice with a 20-lap run and eventually topped the charts with the fastest single-lap overall. He was good throughout the session. I wouldn't say that he have a dominant car, but he was definitely among the best sine unloading. Kyle have started on the pole in 2 of the last 3 races here and have pair of 7th and 8th place finishes. Currently, he have 5 straight top 10 finishes at this track. On the season, he have been a top 5 contender at almost every 1.5 mile tracks this season.
2. Martin Truex Jr - Truex Jr has consistency been the driver to beat on the 1.5 mile tracks this season. Including 3 wins this season at Las Vegas, Kentucky and Kansas. He will start from 3rd on Sunday afternoon. There haven't been many races this season, where Truex Jr haven't led any laps. So there is a great chance that Truex will lead at some point at Chicago. History says that the polesitter will fade after lead portion of the early laps. If that hold true, then you can expect Truex Jr to be the favorite to dominate in the latter stages of the event. Again, that is just a trend. Nothing is set in stone right now. However, everything is pointing to Truex Jr to be a top 2 driver entering the race on Sunday afternoon!
3. Kevin Harvick - It is hard to overlook Kevin Harvick this weekend. He always run well here at Chicago and he looked very good on Saturday. He posted the best ten-lap average in final practice and was posted really good laps late in runs. That is a great sign for Harvick as long green flag runs are usual here. Harvick has been pretty good on the 1.5 mile tracks this season and seems to be finding more speed over the past month or so. With the additional speed, good track record and starting up front, that should add up to something pretty awesome. I say he is a top 5 guy headed into the race.
4. Kyle Larson - Larson will start from the 6th position on Sunday afternoon and he should be have something for win, too. He opened Saturday's final practice with a 25-lap run. He was only ranked 10th on the best-ten lap average. But not many drivers on their opening-run (from the drivers who I tracked) looked as good as Larson did after 20 laps, in my opinion. He remained fast throughout the session and seems to be top 5 good. Larson has been in the top 3 at every 1.5 mile race this season, not named Charlotte. And remember, he starting deep in the field in that race and then had issues in middle of the race.
5. Brad Keselowski - Keselowski been in the news a lot this weekend, and most of it has to do with his comments on Friday. He said the Toyota have a unfair advantage over everyone else. I respect the hell out of Brad, but I didn't hear the Toyota camp complaining when the Fords were quick out of the gate at start of the year. Brad would be smart to shut up and work harder to find more speed. That's my thoughts on that issue. The #2 looks good this weekend though. He has one of the better cars on the long run it seems and will likely challenge for a top 5 finish, especially if we get some long run flag runs. History has also treated him pretty well here, too.
6. Denny Hamlin - Hamlin was terrible last week at Richmond, he struggled throughout the race, after that first run. But somehow and someway, he made it back to the front of the pack. Problem is? He wrecked Martin Truex Jr while running 3rd. In the process, he dropped to 5th in the final finishing order. Hamlin doesn't have a great car, but I say he is more than capable of challenging for a top 10 finish and a chance he flirt with the top 5 for awhile, too. The Toyota cars are by far outrunning everyone else on a consistent basis. That alone should give you confident that Hamlin can be a factor in the race on Sunday's afternoon.
7. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth isn't lack speed, he is good enough to win on any given weekend. I have no doubt in my mind, but goes back to Matt Kenseth being himself. What I mean by that? Over the years, Kenseth has had a habit of finding bad luck. And not during the bad races, but the good races. Races where he is in a position to win. We have seen this time and time again over the past couple seasons. He should be good this weekend, but can he finish it out? I think he certainly can. He has enough speed to challenge for a solid top 10 finish and plus some.
8. Jimmie Johnson - I have heard it all about Jimmie Johnson over the past few weeks. ''Oh, he's gonna turn it soon!'' or ''The 48 team is sandbagging it!'' or whatever crazy story the media comes up with. Sorry, people but I don't believe fairytales like that. The best drivers will still be the best drivers, even more so during the playoffs. The 48 team have been average for most of the year. I don't see him suddenly turning it up this year. It is just not in the cards. The 48 car has struggled this weekend, just as I expected him to. He is terrible? No, but he isn't a guy I see contending for the win on Sunday afternoon. I say his ceiling is top 10.
9. Chase Elliott - Elliott haven't been too bad this weekend. He looked top 10 good since unloading, in my opinion. He was great here last season and was strong on the 1.5 mile tracks in general during the chase. This season, he haven't been quite good. He is consistency a top 10 driver, but he haven't taken that step to the next level though. There is not much to say about Elliott. He will start in the top 10 and he will likely finish in that same range. I say he finish 1-2 position of his starting position of 8th place.
10. Jamie Mac - There were a couple drivers I considered here, but I went with the driver who I think is the most consistent and most reliable. That's easy in Jamie Mac. He is starting deeper in the field than I like, but I think he can move up and be at least a top 15 driver with upside. I have a feeling, he will flirt with the top 10 more than likely. He does not have speed of his teammate, but I am not concerned about it. He haven't finished worse than 12th on the 1.5 mile tracks this season. I like that stuff right there! I would expect him to finish between 10th-14th when the checkers wave.
Just missed -
Joey Logano
Ryan Blaney
Kurt Busch
Clint Bowyer
Ryan Newman
***All stats from DriverAverages.com and FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Twitter - @JeffNathans18
