Indianapolis Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions
There’s lots of storylines going on at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, but when it comes to Fantasy NASCAR there’s really only one strategy: picking the best teams. The cream rises to the top at this race track every time, and I really mean rise: typically only two of the five top qualifiers here end up finishing inside the top 10 at the checkered flag. Kyle Busch won the pole for Sunday’s Crown Royal Presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400, and the full starting lineup can be found here. There were two practice sessions on Friday, and those results can be found here: Practice #1 — Happy Hour. Be sure to check out our notes for each session as well: Practice #1 — Happy Hour.
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Final Top 15 Ranking For Indy
1. Kyle Busch – Starts 1st – DraftKings Price: $10,400 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Some may say that this #18 team is struggling right now, but I disagree. They’re just finding their footing once again. Kyle Busch had that streak of four straight finishes of 30th or worse back in May and June, but since then he has posted four straight finishes of 12th or better while showing quite a bit of speed as well. The #18 Toyota was the best car in the race last week at Loudon but faded in the second half. So I think they’re close, and I’m not too worried about it. Rowdy is the defending winner of this Brickyard race and is currently on a six-race streak of top 10 finishes here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Also, three of the last four races here have ended with him in either 1st or 2nd, so that’s not too shabby. I’ve said all week long that the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas are going to be the ones to beat this weekend at The Brickyard, and Kyle Busch might be the best of that fleet. In Practice #1 on Friday, the #18 Toyota posted the 12th-best lap but spun out in the middle of it, bringing out the red flag. Luckily Kyle didn’t hit anything. In Happy Hour, he was at the top of the speed chart and had the 2nd-best ten-lap average behind teammate Denny Hamlin. Rowdy’s career average finish of 9.7 at Indianapolis is 3rd-best among active drivers and it actually makes this track the 3rd-best on the circuit (statistic-wise) for Kyle, right behind Kentucky and Richmond.
2. Jimmie Johnson – Starts 13th – DraftKings Price: $9,700 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**
It’s not very often that I say this, but Jimmie Johnson is actually pretty hit or miss here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s a four-time winner here but has a career average finish of 15.4. Those are the type of statistics you typically see at a restrictor plate track. In fourteen career starts here, Jimmie has posted six top 10s and four top 5s, and those numbers include those four wins. Now obviously we can’t discount those victories, but at the same time, Johnson is nowhere near an elite Fantasy NASCAR pick this weekend–and for more reasons than one. Not only is his history here at The Brickyard unstable, but once again that #48 Chevrolet finished outside of the top 10 at Loudon last weekend. We’re now looking at six straight Sprint Cup races that have ended without Jimmie Johnson inside the top 10, and nine of the last ten overall. I don’t think there’s anything majorly wrong with this team, but this is starting to really catch my attention. Are they experimenting that much? Indianapolis isn’t a Chase race so they have nothing to be testing this weekend (if that’s what’s going on). The #48 Chevrolet was fastest in Friday’s first practice session and then laid down the 7th-best lap in Happy Hour with the 4th-best ten-lap average. Without considering his string of bad finishes lately, I would say say Jimmie Johnson is one of the contenders heading into Sunday. He definitely has the car to do so, and also a badass paint scheme I might add. I’m starting to think this is the week he turns things around, but I have my reservations…
3. Kevin Harvick – Starts 7th – DraftKings Price: $10,500 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Hopefully Kevin Harvick’s comments about his pit crew after last week’s race at Loudon lit a fire under their ass because he’s absolutely right. That #4 car would probably have four or five wins this year if Harvick had a Gibbs pit crew, and that’s not even an exaggeration. The #4 Chevrolet has been one of the best cars here at Indianapolis over the last couple of years and that is the case once again this weekend. During Friday’s practice sessions, the #4 Chevrolet was 4th-fastest in Practice #1 and ended up 2nd-fastest in Happy Hour. Harvick led 75 of the 164 laps in this race one year ago before ultimately finishing 3rd, and he wound up 8th in the 2014 Brickyard race. Additionally, his career average finish of 10.2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 4th-best among active drivers, and Harvick came home 9th in the Pocono race last month. He may not win this race on Sunday (pit stops are going to be pretty important) but “The Closer” should definitely be a contender, like he is most other weeks. He’s a viable fantasy option in most leagues.
