Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick will be the driver to beat at Phoenix. He’s been dominant in the desert and right now in fantasy NASCASR there isn’t a more “sure thing” then picking him at Phoenix. Since 2012 at Phoenix he’s only once finished lower than 2nd. Over the last six Phoenix races he has five wins and one 2nd place result. He should be a perfect 6 for 6 in the win column, but you’ll read about that below. Additionally over this six race stretch it should be noted he has the best driver rating by huge margin (35.5), a 2.7 average running position, has led 1,064 laps (908 more than second), and has run 512 fastest laps. This spring Harvick had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. He started in 18th and had no trouble racing his way up through the pack. Once he got there nobody was able to get around him. In addition to winning he led 139 laps and had a 4th place average running position. Last fall Harvick should’ve won but the race was decided by a caution for rain that came out during the pit cycle. He already completed his pit stop and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the middle of his, that is what decided the outcome. When the race reached its conclusion he earned the best driver rating, finished 2nd, had a 2nd place average running position and led 143 laps. In spring 2015 he started on the pole, earned a perfect driver rating and led 224 laps. Nobody was going to beat him in that race. In the three Phoenix races prior to that he was also able to race his way to victory lane. This year at shorter flat tracks that correlate to success Harvick has scored the most points, has a 3.2 average finish and is the only driver who’s finished in the top five every race. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch will be a tough competitor at Phoenix. He runs extremely well here and has been one of the best recent performers. In 4 of the last 5 Phoenix races he’s finished in the top ten. This spring Kyle Busch had a great car. He started on the pole, led 75 laps and finished 4th. Performance wise he likely had the second best car but near the midway point he had a devastating pit stop that dropped him from 2nd to 16th (ran over air hose, had to back up, and too close to the wall). Last fall he was a point’s racer and finished 4th. Busch ran well throughout the event. He earned the 4th best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. In spring 2015 he missed the race due to injury. In fall 2014 he finished an asterisk mark 34th. In that event he had a good car but on lap 212 while he was running in 6th he spun and collected Bowyer which resulted in heavy damage. Before he got damage he ran as high as second and consistently ran in the top ten. In the two Phoenix races prior to that he had results of 7th and 9th. This year at shorter flat tracks Busch has been strong. He’s scored the 2nd most points and had a 5.2 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver)
Joey Logano – Joey Logano should be on your short list of favorites at Phoenix. It’s a good track for him and he’s consistently performed at a high-level. This spring Logano finished 18th, but I’ll note that result deserves an asterisk mark. Performance wise he was top ten good but the late caution / restart led to his poor result. With 10 laps to go prior to the late caution he was running in 9th. Additionally in the race Logano had a 7th place average running position and earned the 9th best driver rating. In the five Phoenix races prior to that he finished in the top ten (6.0 average finish). Last fall he had a great car. When the race reached its early conclusion he finished 3rd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 4th place average running position. Last spring he had a solid showing. He started 2nd, had a 5th place average running position, finished 8th and led 35 laps. He had a solid chance to finish better but at the end he choose to pit which dropped him back to the mid-teens with only a few laps remaining. In the three Phoenix races prior to that Logano had results of 4th, 6th and 9th. This year at shorter flat tracks minus Phoenix #1 Logano has finished in the top 11 every race and has an 8.0 average finish. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier
