Phoenix 2 Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions

Well, this is it: the final race before it’s decided who will be eligible for the 2015 Sprint Cup championship in Homestead next week. Going into Phoenix, Jeff Gordon is guaranteed a spot while Kyle Busch (+11), Kevin Harvick (+10), and Martin Truex, Jr. (+7) are sitting good. Carl Edwards is 5th in points and could get in with a great run, while Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch need a whole lot of help. Joey Logano is in an absolute must-win situation. On Friday, Chase spoiler Jimmie Johnson, fresh off his win at Texas, won the pole and the full starting lineup can be found here. There were then two practice sessions on Saturday, and the speeds can be found here: Practice #2 — Happy Hour. Don’t forget to check out our notes either: Practice #2 — Happy Hour.

[themify_box ]

FINISH THE FIGHT and get all of ifantasyrace’s exclusive content for just $3 for the rest of the season.  Join Now!

[/themify_box]

Final Top 15 Ranking For The Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500:

1. Kevin Harvick – Starts 8th – Yahoo! A Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 1st
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

Heading into this race weekend, I have never considered any driver more of a lock than Kevin Harvick. Ever. I’ve been doing this fantasy racing thing since the early 2000s, and I’ve never been more confident in a driver than I was in Kevin Harvick here at Phoenix. Before Friday, I considered the #4 crew the team to beat no matter what, and while I still believe that, my confidence has lowered just a tiny bit. The reason? It seems like crew chief Rodney Childers is being super conservative this weekend, and I don’t like that. I think it’s going to take an aggressive strategy to win here on Sunday, and with a 10 point cushion in the standings, the #4 team doesn’t necessarily have to do that. Still, Harvick is a top 3 lock no matter what. I mean, seriously, the guy is a 7-time winner at Phoenix International Raceway and has dominated the last three races here. I mean dominated. He’s also won 5 of the last 6 at this venue. Impressive is a huge understatement. On Sunday, Harvick will roll off the grid 8th. He was 4th-fastest in Practice #2 on Saturday and 5th-quick in Happy Hour. In that final session, Harvick ranked 6th in ten-lap average. Kevin Harvick is just too good at this race track. Even if you’re trying a hail mary strategy this weekend, I would not leave the #4 Chevrolet off of your rosters.

2. Kurt Busch – Starts 2nd – Yahoo! B Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 5th
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

Remember back at the beginning of the season when NASCAR tried to make an example out of Kurt Busch? I wrote an article about that (read here) and how it would be quite funny if Kurt was standing in victory lane at Homestead with the Sprint Cup championship. Well, now we’re at the second-last race of the season and this #41 team is doing everything they can to make that happen. Kurt Busch has had a rocket ship since they unloaded at the beginning of the weekend and I think he’s going to be a contender to watch here on Sunday. Kurt will start the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 in 2nd alongside pole-winner Jimmie Johnson. In the practices on Saturday, the #41 Chevrolet was quickest in Practice #2 both on the overall speed chart and in ten-lap average. In Happy Hour, Busch was once again fastest and had the 3rd-best ten-lap average. That’s what I call a solid day of practicing. Looking at the last four races here at Phoenix, Kurt Busch has done quite well, ending up 5th here back in March and posting 7th- and 5th-place finishes in the last two fall races in the desert. His one blunder was the spring race in 2014 but he finished 39th due to engine issues. Momentum-wise, Kurt has four top 10s in the last five Sprint Cup races with the lone exception being Martinsville, where he had a good run going before getting wrecked into. It’s shaping up to be a very good weekend for Kurt Busch and the #41 team, but it might take a win for them to make it to Homestead. The speed is definitely there, now they just have to have a little luck.

3. Jimmie Johnson – Starts 1st – Yahoo! A Group
Pre-Practice Rank: 4th
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

This #48 team is coming out guns blazing to end the 2015 season and are trying to play spoiler once again here in Phoenix. Don’t forget, Jimmie’s late pass around Brad Keselowski at Texas last week–and subsequent victory–probably doomed BK’s chances at fighting for the championship at Homestead. On Friday, Johnson was at the front of the field once again, just this time it was during qualifying, and the #48 Chevrolet will lead the field to the green here on Sunday. Once Saturday rolled around, Johnson was 6th on the overall speed chart in Practice #2 and 2nd-best in terms of ten-lap average. In Happy Hour, the #48 Chevrolet was 2nd in overall speed and had the best ten-lap average. As far as Phoenix itself is concerned, Jimmie was great here before the repave and reconfiguration job. He has still shown speed here as of late, though, with four finishes of 6th or better in the last seven Phoenix races. It’s also hard to bet against the pole sitter at this track, as the drivers who have started 1st in the last four races here in the desert have an average finish of 3rd. I think you’ll be hard pressed to find many people that don’t have the #48 inside the top 5 for Sunday’s race.