Charlotte 2 Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions
For the third time in the last four weeks, rain is the big story in Charlotte. Weather from Hurricane Matthew caused NASCAR to cancel all on-track activity on Friday, which means the Sprint Cup teams lost most of their practice time. They were able to get one session in on Thursday, though, and those speeds can be found by clicking here. Also, they got qualifying in, and the full starting lineup can be found by clicking here. Kevin Harvick is on the pole for Saturday night’s (or Sunday afternoon’s, depending on the rain) Bank of America 500, and Alex Bowman will be alongside him to lead the field to the green.
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Final Top 25 Ranking For Charlotte 2
1. Kevin Harvick – Starts 1st – DraftKings Price: $10,700 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Coming into the Bank of America 500 race weekend, the two favorites were Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex, Jr. We did get qualifying on Thursday, but other than that, every other valuable data session was cancelled. Therefore, that’s going to make these two even more heavily favorited whenever this race gets going due to a lack of any reason why you should go against them. While I do think either Harvick or Truex will win the Bank of America 500, I have to give the edge to the former heading into the race. Harvick got his first “real” pole of the season on Thursday, and when you consider the fact that this #4 team isn’t very good at qualifying, that has to have the rest of the garage worried. In addition to having the fastest car on Thursday, Harvick has also finished 1st or 2nd in four of the last five races here at Charlotte, and he’s posted a single-digit result in eleven of the last twelve. He’s a viable option in all fantasy leagues this weekend.
2. Martin Truex, Jr. – Starts 7th – DraftKings Price: $10,900 – Yahoo! B Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Unless something unexpected happens or this race turns into a fuel mileage event, it’s going to be either Martin Truex, Jr. or Kevin Harvick in victory lane. The edge goes to Harvick in terms of starting position, but as far as the actual race car goes, you have to give that win to Truex; the #78 Toyota that is being run this weekend is the same one that won at Chicagoland a few weeks ago as well as here at Charlotte back in May, and I’m not sure if you remember that race, but Truex absolutely dominated it, leading 392 of the 400 laps from the pole. He starts 7th this time around but that’s not a big deal at all. Truex is currently on a three-race streak of top 5 finishes here at Charlotte and should easily add a fourth here this weekend, if not another win. The #78 Toyota has consistently been one of the fastest on the 1.5-mile race tracks this year and that’s not going to change now.
3. Kyle Busch – Starts 4th – DraftKings Price: $10,200 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**
With his 2nd-place run at Dover last weekend, Rowdy Busch now has two straight top 5 finishes in Sprint Cup action and is primed to add another one here at Charlotte in the Bank of America 500. Surprisingly enough, Kyle Busch has never won at this race track, but he does have ten top 5 finishes in 25 career starts here (40%). With that being said, he only has fourteen top 10 finishes, so he’s kind of boom or bust–and I’m expecting boom this weekend. Rowdy qualified 4th for Saturday night’s race and had the 2nd-best ten-lap average during practice on Thursday among those who actually worked on longer runs. Additionally, Busch has been strong on the 1.5-mile race tracks this season and has two wins to show for it. Will he be able to add a third and finally break through here at Charlotte? He’s going to have to find a way to get past Harvick and Truex, but it’s not an impossible feat.
