Texas Duck Commander 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Kasey Kahne – Kasey Kahne is a driver who you might want to consider picking in the Texas Duck Commander 500. This season at 1.5 mile tracks he’s been one of the better performers but he hasn’t been able to close the deal. At Atlanta he was capable of finishing in the top seven but pit road problems led to a 14th place finish. Also in that event he earned the 7th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. At Las Vegas he also looked strong and was competing for a top five but contact with Carl Edwards damaged his car and led to a 17th place result. At Texas Kasey Kahne has experienced success. He’s a former winner and has finished in the top eleven in 5 of the last 7 races. Last fall at Texas he showed promise early and looked strong. He started in 14th and raced his way up to 2nd around lap 60. Then around lap 95 on pit road while he was running in 2nd a pit crew member slipped and it dropped him back to 8th. Following that stop he never appeared as strong but he did run around 10th for about the next 100 laps. Around lap 200 when the track conditions really started to change his handling diminished. On lap 229 while he was in 14th he had contact with Keselowski and it dropped him back a few more positions. At the end of the race Kahne was a caution machine. With 21 laps to go while he was running in 21st he spun. Then with 15 laps to go he had hard contact with the wall and brought out the caution. When the checkered flag waved he finished 38th. Last spring at Texas Kahne started in 32nd, had a 13th place average running position and finished 11th. From lap 140 to the conclusion of the race he typically ran within a few deviations of 8th. In fall 2013 Kahne started in 11th, had an 8th place average running position and finished 5th. In that uneventful race his driver rating ranked as the 6th best. In spring 2013 Kasey Kahne finished 11th, had a 12th place average running position and earned the 9th best driver rating. In the race he performed better than his result. He potentially had a top 5 car and was running in 5th but a caution during a pit cycle with about 50 laps to go dropped him back to 10th. Then during the restart for that caution he lost several positions and fell back to about 16th. In fall 2012 at Texas Kahne was involved in an accident late in the race. If that didn’t happen he likely would’ve finished right around 10th. In his next two most recent Texas races he had results of 7th and 3rd. In 2006 at Texas Kahne started on the pole and earned his only Texas win. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Carl Edwards – Texas has been a good track for Carl Edwards. He’s a three-time champion and has finished in the top ten 45% percent of the time. When he has a car that’s up to par here he’s as good as anybody. Last fall at Texas the #99 car was very slow but Edwards was a magician and somehow finished 9th. At one point in the race he was down two laps and with less than 100 laps to go he was running in the 30’s. In spring 2014 at Texas Carl Edwards didn’t look good. He started in 5th and ran well for the first 60 laps but then he started sliding back in the running order. From about lap 100 to the conclusion of the race he ran between 14th and 18th. When the checkered flag waved he finished 14th, had a 14th place average running position and earned the 16th best driver rating. In fall 2013 Edwards looked more competitive. He started on the pole, led 38 laps but finished 37th after having an engine failure on lap 188. Prior to his engine failure he was running around 11th. In spring 2013 Edwards had a successful evening and wheeled the #99 car to a 3rd place finish. In that race he had some sort of engine issue around the mid-point during a restart that dropped him to the tail end of the lead lap. In the middle portion of the race I would estimate his average running position was around 20th. Late in the race Edwards was aided by a favorable caution during the pit cycle. That got him positioned in the top ten and from there he drove up to his 3rd place result. Since 2011 at Texas minus his 2013 engine failure he has a 7.8 average finish. This season at 1.5 mile tracks Edwards has run well but hasn’t been able to end races incident free. At Atlanta he looked top five good but finished 12th after getting a flat and being forced to pit under green. At Las Vegas he was a top five contender but finished 42nd after contact with Kahne. (Yahoo B Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Texas Top Tier Elite Picks, Mid Pack Predictions, Yahoo C List Preview, Texas Scouting Report (What happened last fall), PROS Rankings (Who subjectively had the best car last fall), Who will win the Texas Duck Commander 500

Paul Menard – At high-speed intermediate tracks Paul Menard is never a flashy pick but he frequently gets the job done. At tracks of this length in 2015 he’s been consistent and has finishes of 12th (Las Vegas) and 13th (Atlanta). Auto Club Speedway isn’t a 1.5 mile track but at that intermediate track he finished 4th. Recently at Texas he’s performed moderately well. Over the last 9 Texas races he’s tied with Ryan Newman for the 12th best average finish (14.8). Also in the races over this stretch he has a 16.0 average running position and has only once finished lower than 18th. Last fall at Texas he finished 17th but it’s important to note he performed better than his result. In that event he earned the 9th best driver rating and had a 12th place average running position. With about 45 laps to go he was running in 8th and with 22 laps to go he was in 13th. The way he fell into a lackluster result was through losing positions at the end and late pit strategy. In spring 2014 Paul Menard had a successful afternoon. He started in 13th, had a 14th place average running position and finished 9th. Over the final 140 laps he typically ran 13th or better. In four of the five Texas races prior to that event he finished between 15th and 18th. In fall 2013 Menard started in 4th, had a 14th place average running position and finished 15th. In spring 2013 he finished 17th. In the race he likely had a low teen’s car but over the last run of the race he fell from 11th to his eventual finish position. (Yahoo B Driver)

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