Phoenix (ISM Raceway) Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick is a super-elite performer at Phoenix who’ll be the driver to beat. He’s a 9-time winner who has ten straight results in the top 6. Over this ten race stretch he has a 2.3 average finish, a 4.3 average running position and has led 1,102 laps. Harvick was a little off his dominant self in recent races, but he returned to form this spring and raced his way to victory lane. In addition to winning he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 38 laps. Last fall at Phoenix, Harvick was a solid top five performer. He finished 5th, had a 6th place average running position, finished 5th in Stage #1 and 6th in Stage #2. If there wasn’t a late caution in Stage #2 he would’ve finished 3rd in that segment. In spring 2017 Harvick started in 23rd and raced his way up to a 6th place finish. I will note he was slightly better than his result and if the end of the race stayed green he was on pace to finish 3rd. In fall 2016 Harvick had a strong car and finished 4th. For much of the race, Harvick looked about 10th place good but he started to run a little better at the end. In the six Phoenix races prior to that he had 5 wins and averaged leading 177 laps per race. This year at shorter-flat tracks Harvick ranks as one of the best. He’s scored the most points, he’s won half the races (2), has a 2.3 average finish and a 4.5 average running position. On Sunday, look for Harvick to compete for a top five and be a factor to win.

[themify_box]Don’t be a fantasy NASCAR pretender, become a contender and get the ifantasyrace advantage to read all of our full exclusive week to weekend content. Join Now![/themify_box]

Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch will be a favorite to win at Phoenix. He runs extremely well here and is arguably the best driver at shorter flat tracks. This year at shorter flat tracks he’s won half the races, has a 1.5 average finish, a 6.0 average running position and has finished in the top 2 every race. At Phoenix, Busch has performed at a very high-level and currently has six straight results in the top 7. In 6 of those 7 races he’s finished in the top 4. Over that seven race stretch he has a 3.7 average finish and a 5.5 average running position. Earlier this year at Phoenix, Busch had a great car. He finished 2nd, earned the best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led a race high 128 laps. Also in the race he won Stage #1 and would’ve won Stage #2 if there wasn’t a late caution in that segment. Last fall at Phoenix he was already locked into the Homestead season finale so it’s hard to say he raced with full effort. When the checkered flag waved he finished 7th, had a 7th place average running position and earned the 7th best driver rating. Additionally, he finished 6th in Stage #1 and 5th in Stage #2. Last spring, Kyle Busch was the class of the field but the late caution took away a certain victory. In the race he earned the best driver rating, finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position and led a race high 114 laps. With 6 laps to go he had a 3.25 second lead over second place Kyle Larson. In the three races prior to that he had results of 2nd, 4th and 4th.

Chase Elliott – Chase Elliott should be high on your fantasy NASCAR radar at Phoenix. This year at shorter flat tracks he’s been a fantasy ace. Over the four combined races on this sub-track type he’s finished in the top five every race, has a 3.5 average finish and a 6.0 average running position. At Phoenix, Chase Elliott has been a very competitive performer. Over his five combined starts he has a 6.8 average finish, a 6.8 average running position and has finished in the top 12 every race. Earlier this year at Phoenix, Elliott had a strong showing. He started 3rd, finished 3rd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. In the race he was happy with his car and it was mentioned that the longer he ran, the better his car got. Last fall at Phoenix he was impressive. He finished 2nd, had a 5th place average running position and led 34 laps. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and 9th in Stage #2. At the end of the race he drove very aggressively and took the lead, but at the very end Kenseth reeled him in and took home the trophy. In spring 2017 he had a great car and was one of the strongest competitors despite finishing 12th. In the race he earned the 4th best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position, led 106 laps, finished 4th in Stage #1 and won Stage #2. I will note he faded late and if there wasn’t a Green-White-Checker caution he likely would’ve finished 8th. In 2016 he swept the top ten and had results of 8th and 9th. On Sunday I would look for Elliott to compete for a top five.

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

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier