NASCAR All-Star Race Top 5 Fantasy Picks

Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick is a good fantasy NASCAR pick to win the All-Star race. He’s a clutch performer who shines in the biggest moments. In the 2007 All-Star event he raced his way to victory lane. What I really like about Harvick is how strong he’s performed on high-speed intermediate tracks this season. He’s had durability issues but this is a short race so he can throw caution to the wind and really tune up his car. If Harvick would’ve been able to avoid problems all together on high-speed intermediate tracks this season he likely would’ve finished in the top five every race. The only other driver who you can make a statement like that about is Joey Logano. On 1.5 mile tracks this season he’s run the highest total number of “Fastest Laps” so that makes it clear he’s not lacking speed. Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a great track for Harvick. He’s won two out of the last three Coca Cola 600’s and over the last 8 races his 7.1 average finish ranks as the best in the series.

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Joey Logano – A win in the All-Star race would be huge for Joey Logano at this point in his career. I think he has a good chance to accomplish that task Saturday night. Last year in the All-Star race he came up one position short and finished 2nd. In his three All-Star races he has the best average finish among active drivers (4.3). What makes Joey Logano such a viable option is that he’s thrived on 1.5 mile tracks this season. In the three races on these venues he’s the only driver who’s finished in the top five every race. Also in these races he has a 3.0 average finish, 5.7 average running position and led 215 laps. In each of those categories he ranks as the best in the series. One aspect you have to remember about the All-Star race is that it’s not a long event. That makes starting up front crucial. On 1.5 mile tracks this season he has two front row starts and a 4.3 average starting position.

Sprint Showdown Contender or Pretender

Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson has been off his game this season (read The Regression of Jimmie Johnson in 2014) but he’s thrived in the All-Star race. He’s won this race a record four times and currently he has back to back wins. Last years race was really quirky with the rules but taking advantage of situations is a strength of this teams that can’t be overlooked. Last fall at Charlotte Jimmie Johnson looked great on the track. He finished 4th, had a 3rd place average running position, earned the 2nd best driver rating and led 130 laps. In last years Coca Cola 600 he had a top 6 car but he was burned by an untimely caution and then got caught up in a wreck while being stuck in mid pack. This season on high-speed intermediate tracks Johnson has shown speed but he seems to be missing something that will push him over the hump.