Yahoo C List Preview – Pure Michigan 400
Chase Elliott – Chase Elliott was very strong this spring at Michigan and I think it’s safe to assume he’ll run well again. This spring he was a consistent front runner and was Joey Logano’s biggest competition. When the checker flag waved he finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating, led the 2nd most laps (35) and had a 5th place average running position. This season at high-speed intermediate tracks Chase Elliott has run extremely well and has been one of the better performers in the series.
Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney needs to have a strong performance at Michigan. Getting a good finish here is a must and I’m sure Penske Racing will put a lot of resources into making sure he does. At Michigan Blaney has four starts under his belt and his average finish is 21.7. This spring he had his best performance and finished 17th. It should be noted his race wasn’t incident free. With 38 laps to go while he was running in 12th he got into the wall hard. That dropped him back to the high-twenties. In 2015 he participated in both races and came home with a pair of 24th place finishes. I will note in the spring 2015 race he was mid-teens good but finished 24th because of how the race ended when it rained / fuel entered the equation.
[themify_box]Don’t be a pretender, become a contender and get the ifantasyrace advantage. [/themify_box]
Chris Buescher – Chris Buescher has solid dark horse fantasy potential at Michigan. This spring when the lower down force package was used he had one of his better performances of the season. When the checkered flag waved he finished 20th, had a 20th place average running position and earned the 23rd best driver rating. For some portions of the race he legitimately showed teens potential. You can’t say that about him most weekends. At Kentucky when the lower down force was also used he had a another strong showing having about 20th place potential, but was taken out in a wreck.
David Ragan – In the last two races at high-speed intermediate tracks David Ragan has finished 22nd. Hopefully that’s a sign his team is turning the corner and getting more competitive. It should also be noted both of those races were run using the lowest down force package. By his standards Michigan has been a good track for Ragan and he’s recently been a low twenties driver. In 7 of the last 9 races he’s finished between 18th and 25th. This spring Ragan finished 22nd and had a 30th place average running position. Last August when he drove the #55 he finished 18th.
Brian Scott – Brian Scott doesn’t have a high fantasy ceiling at Michigan. Based on how he’s run this season I expect him to be mid-twenties good as a best case scenario. Earlier this year at MIS he finished 36th after being involved in an accident. Performance wise he was really about high-twenties good.
Landon Cassill – At Michigan Landon Cassill is likely a high-twenties to low-thirties driver. In 2016 that has proven to be his typical finish range in incident free races. In his last three races on this track type he’s finished between 25th and 29th. At Michigan Cassill has a 29.2 average finish. This spring he had an OK showing by his standards. When the checkered flag waved he finished 25th, had a 28th place average running position and earned the 29th best driver rating. In the five MIS races prior to that he finished between 29th and 36th.
Regan Smith – High-speed intermediate tracks aren’t an area of strength for Regan Smith. For the season at these venues he has a 29.1 average finish and has mid-twenties potential on a good day. This spring at Michigan Smith didn’t run well and finished 35th. I will note his race wasn’t incident free. While he was running in 28th with about 51 laps to go he got into the wall hard and brought out the caution. In his two MIS races prior to that he had results of 28th and 29th.
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