Richmond Toyota Owners 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick will be a good fantasy NASCAR pick at Richmond. He’s an elite talent at shorter flat tracks and this has been a great venue for him. In 30 races at Richmond he has 3 wins, 9 top fives, 18 top tens and 27 top twenties. Recently at Richmond he’s been extremely strong. Over the last six Richmond races he has a 7.3 average finish, 7.3 average running position and the 4th best driver rating. Last fall I think his team was experimenting and his car wasn’t to his liking. In the race he started in 6th and through the first 100 laps he showed top five potential. Shortly after lap 100 he had problems during a pit stop that dropped him back to about 13th. For the remainder of the race from that point he typically ran within 2 deviations of 13th. When the race reached its conclusion he finished 14th, had an 11th place average running position and earned the 11th best driver rating. Last spring he had a great car but didn’t have anything for teammate Kurt Busch. In the race Harvick finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating and had a 4th place average running position. In fall 2014 at Richmond Brad Keselowski dominated the race but Harvick was likely his biggest competition. He’s the only driver not named Keselowski who led. Harvick’s strength in the race was running the high-line and being good over long runs. Unfortunately in the closing segments he lost his handling a little bit and his car dropped off. Also his dedication to running the high-line was a weakness at times because when he had to run the low-line to get around cars the #4 looked average. In spring 2014 his team used the race as a test session. In that race he finished 11th, had a 5th place average running position, earned the 5th best driver rating and led 23 laps. In fall 2013 he had one of the strongest cars and walked away with an asterisk mark 11th place finish. With 58 laps to go there was a caution during the pit cycle and at that time he was running in 2nd. That caution burned him because it came out at an unfavorable time and it dropped him back to the teens. In spring 2013 at Richmond Kevin Harvick drove the 29 car to victory lane following a late restart. Phoenix is the most similar track on the schedule and this spring Harvick led 139 laps and raced his way to victory lane. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch will be a very popular fantasy NASCAR pick this weekend. At Richmond he’s an elite talent and it ranks as one of his very best tracks. In 21 races he has 4 wins, 14 top fives, 20 top twenties and a 7.1 average finish. Historically at Richmond Busch has been at his best in the spring event where he’s earned all four of his victories. Last fall he had a great car and ran well throughout the race. When the checkered flag waved he finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and led 9 laps. The #18 car was fast over both long runs and short runs. In spring 2015 he missed the race due to injury. In fall 2014 he was OK and finished 14th. In the event he earned the 12th best driver rating and had a 14th place average running position. In that race his team was doing some experimenting. In spring 2014 he finished 3rd, but it’s important to note his car wasn’t that good. He was a driver who benefited from being on four fresh tires at the end. In the event he likely had about a 10th place car. In the race he started in 19th, had a 12th place average running position and earned the 9th best driver rating. At Phoenix this spring Kyle Busch finished 4th, had a 4th place average running position and led 75 laps. (Yahoo A Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Richmond Scouting Report, DraftKings Points Richmond Fall 2015, DraftKings Points Richmond Spring 2015, Richmond Fall 2015 Speed Stats, Richmond Fall 2015 Loop Data Box Score

Joey Logano – Joey Logano will be a good fantasy NASCAR pick at Richmond. Recently at Richmond he’s ranked as one of the strongest performers. Over the last four Richmond races he has the best average finish (3.8), second best average running position (5.0), second best driver rating and has led 165 laps. In 2015 one notable strength was his qualifying prowess. In both events he started on the pole. Last September he had a great car but had nothing for race winner Matt Kenseth. He led 25 laps, finished 3rd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 4th place average running position. Over the final 100 laps I would estimate he ran 90% percent of the laps in 2nd place. If it wasn’t for a late caution he would’ve finished in that position. Last spring he was also a standout performer. He started on the pole, earned the 3rd best driver rating and finished 5th. In the race Logano led the first 94 laps but after that he never paced the field again. In September 2014 he ran well but was never a threat to win. He started 5th, finished 6th, had a 6th place average running position and earned the 6th best driver rating. In spring 2014 he had one of the best cars and reached victory lane. In the event he started in 17th and raced his way up through the pack quickly. Around lap 100 he reached the top 5 and from that point to the conclusion of the event he essentially ran in the top 5. In the race he had a 4th place average running position, earned the 3rd best driver rating and led 46 laps. Where his car really shined was over short runs. At Phoenix this spring Logano was about 9th place good until he had problems in the closing laps. (Yahoo A Driver)

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