Kyle Busch 2017 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
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Kyle Busch 2016 Stats : Points Finish 3rd, 4 Wins, 17 Top Fives, 25 Top Tens, 11.5 Average Finish, 9.4 Average Running Position, 1,379 Laps Led
Strengths – Kyle Busch is a very talented driver who can win on any given Sunday. A strong case could be made that he\’s perhaps the most versatile driver in NASCAR.
Weaknesses – Kyle Busch doesn\’t really have any key weaknesses on any track type but it should be noted picking him at plate tracks can be risky. Also tracks with newer pavement aren\’t always the kindest to him which might move Texas from being one of his best tracks to one you might want to avoid him.
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Track Type Fantasy Value Key = Elite > High > Medium High > Medium > Low
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is a very strong competitor at intermediate tracks. He\’s capable of winning at any of the 12 venues on this track type. Charlotte stands as the lone intermediate track he\’s never raced his way to victory lane.
Last season 1.5 mile tracks were a strength for him. At those venues he scored the most points and had a series best 7.6 average finish. Additionally over the 11 races at tracks of that length he won twice, finished in the top five 55% percent of the time and had a result in the top ten 82% percent of the time.
In 2017 look for Kyle Busch to have another strong season on this track type. New rules are coming into play and Joe Gibbs Racing is perhaps the best organization at adapting to NASCAR rule changes quickly.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is a strong competitor at both the big flats, and the smaller flats. Last year on this track type he scored the second most points and only once finished outside the top ten. Minus a misleading result in the spring Pocono race his average finish was 4.5.
Indy is his best flat track. He has back to back wins and has seven consecutive top tens. In 4 of the last 5 Brickyard races he\’s finished in the top two.
At Pocono last spring he had his one result outside the top ten and finished an asterisk mark 31st. While he was running in 10th with 51 laps to go he got into the wall hard. In the August event he finished 9th. In August 2015 he had the 2nd best car in our exclusive PROS Rankings but finished a misleading 21st after running out of fuel late. In spring 2015 he finished 9th.
New Hampshire has been a good track for Busch. Last year he swept the top ten with results of 3rd and 8th. In 7 of the last 8 races at the Magic Mile he finished in the top ten.
At Phoenix he\’s been strong. In 5 of the last 6 races he\’s finished in the top ten. In the last three races he\’s had results of 2nd, 4th and 4th.
Short Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is a great short track driver. He can win at any of the three venues.
Martinsville is a good track for Kyle Busch. Currently he has three straight top five results. In spring 2016 he had a dominant car and raced his way to victory lane after leading 352 laps. In the last two fall races he\’s finished 5th.
Richmond ranks as one of his very best tracks. He\’s won there 4 times, has finished in the top five 65% percent of the time and in the top ten 74% percent of the time. Also it should be noted he\’s won there four times. Historically the spring RIR race has proven to be his better event. Only once in his career in that particular race has he finished outside the top five. Last year at RIR he had results of 2nd and 9th.
At Bristol he\’s one of the best default fantasy options but he\’s had misleading results in 4 of the last 5 races. Last year in both events he was a contender to win but had results of 38th and 39th. Last August he had the dominant car but had a parts failure and wrecked. Last spring he was top five good but had multiple problems.
Plate Track Fantasy Value – High
Kyle Busch is a very strong performer at restrictor plate tracks. He\’s capable of running well and competing for wins at both venues. I would describe his fantasy value as a very high-high. I\’m keeping him short of elite because of his results in other recent seasons.
Last year on this track type he ranked as one of the strongest performers. He scored the 3rd most points and finished in the top five in 3 of the 4 races. If he didn\’t tank his performance at Talladega in the fall then he likely would\’ve scored the most points.
At Daytona he had a great 2016 and had results of 2nd and 3rd. To find his next most recent top ten you have to go back to 2011.
From a career perspective Talladega ranks as his worst track going by average finish (21.3). Recently it\’s been his better of the two plate tracks. Last fall he essentially took the race off and finished 30th. In the spring he finished 2nd. In 6 of his last 9 Talladega races he\’s finished in the top 12.
Road Course Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is a good road course racer who can win at both venues. Last year on this track type he scored the 5th most points. In 2015 he scored the most points.
Watkins Glen is a great track for him and he\’s the best default fantasy pick you can make. He\’s won there twice and has only once finished outside the top ten since 2006. Last year he finished 6th, in 2015 he finished 2nd.
At Sonoma he\’s a two-time champion. Last summer he finished 7th. In 2015 he raced his way to victory lane.
