Michigan Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Kyle Larson – Kyle Larson is primed for a strong showing at Michigan. It’s been a good track for him and minus an August 2014 wreck he has a 12.7 average finish and a 13.3 average running position. I view Kansas as a mini-Michigan and at that venue this spring he had top five potential until he was wrecked late. I think the new rules package should help him. It will open up more lines around Michigan and he typically performs at his best when that’s the case. Last August at Michigan when a high-downforce package was used he started deep in the field (34th) and raced his way to a 13th place finish. In spring 2015 he had about a 10th place car and late in the race he was vying for the win on fuel mileage with approaching rain but it didn’t work out for him. If the rain would’ve arrived a little sooner he would’ve won, instead he finished 17th. In August 2014 he had a tough race. He had pit road contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. which knocked out his cars toe and then later on lap 97 he got into the wall hard. In spring 2014 he adversity and spun which damaged his car but fortunately for him the damage actually gave him an aerodynamic advantage. When that race reached its conclusion he finished 8th. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Austin Dillon – Austin Dillon should run really well at Michigan. This year at intermediate tracks he’s been close to being a fantasy ace. Performance wise on this track type in 2016 he’s just one notch below the elite performers. At the two intermediate tracks that carry the most fantasy weight he’s performed well at this season. At Auto Club he easily had top ten potential until he had problems on pit road late. Kansas is the other track I would really study for Michigan and at that venue he worked on his car all evening and at the end he rallied to a 6th place finish. Last August at MIS using the high-downforce package Dillon had a strong showing. He started in the back but used pit strategy which got him up towards the front of the field. Eventually he got back into sync with the field and was then a consistent front runner. When that race reached its conclusion he finished 4th and led 19 laps. In the two Michigan races prior to that he had “blah” showings and finished 20th and 22nd. (Yahoo B Driver)

Ryan Newman – Ryan Newman should have a solid afternoon at Michigan. It’s been a good track for him and over the last 8 races he’s finished between 8th and 18th. Over this stretch it should be noted that he’s been better in the August event. Over the last four spring races he’s finished in either 15th or 18th. Last fall when NASCAR used a high-downforce rules package Newman finished 8th. You can largely overlook that race because the rules package is radically different now. In spring 2015 he was about 12th place good but was slightly burned by how the race ended when the rain fell. When the checkered flag waved he finished 18th. In August 2014 he had a solid afternoon and utilized pit strategy throughout the race. In the event he started 12th, finished 11th and led 14 laps. Because of his pit strategy he had an up and down day in the running order all race long. At Michigan in June 2014 he had a quiet race. He started in 24th, had a 15th place average running position and finished 15th. At intermediate tracks that correlate to success for Michigan, Newman has had some success. Kansas is a mini-Michigan and at that venue he finished 7th and earned the 7th best driver rating. Auto Club is a big 2.0 mile oval like Michigan and he finished 14th there. (Yahoo B Driver)

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our 2016 Michigan Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

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