Las Vegas Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions
We’re off to Sin City for the third race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and it’s setting up to be a very good race. Unlike last weekend, where Kevin Harvick dominated the race, there isn’t a clear favorite this weekend, and we typically don’t see one driver lead over half of the race here in Sin City. This track changes a lot so it’s going to be up to the crew chief to keep up with the track as the day goes on. Brad Keselowski won the pole for this year’s Kobalt 400 and the full starting lineup can be found here. There were then two practice sessions on Saturday, and those results can be found here: Practice #2 — Happy Hour. The notes for those sessions can be found here: Practice #2 — Happy Hour.
[themify_box ]Don’t be a pretender, become a contender. Use all of ifantasyrace’s exclusive content to help dominate your league. Join Now! Membership prices are just $2 a race![/themify_box]
Final Top 25 Ranking For Las Vegas
1. Brad Keselowski – Starts 1st – DraftKings Price: $10,400 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Keselowski was my top-ranked driver heading into the Kobalt 400 race weekend and it’s hard to change that ranking after he went out and won the pole on Friday and showed some decent speed during the practice sessions on Saturday. During Practice #2, the #2 Ford was just 21st on the overall speed chart, but during Happy Hour–when track conditions were closest to what they will be during the actual race on Sunday–Keselowski jumped up to 5th-fastest with the 2nd-best ten-lap average. This weekend, Brad will be looking to make it two in a row in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (thanks to his win at Atlanta last weekend) as well as two in a row here at Las Vegas. Also, if Kez is able to get back to victory lane here on Sunday, that’ll be three wins in the last four races for him here in Sin City. Keselowski might not dominate the Kobalt 400 this weekend but he will be a contender all day long in the desert.
2. Chase Elliott – Starts 12th – DraftKings Price: $9,700 – Yahoo! B Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Chase Elliott is on the verge of getting his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win and don’t be surprised if that victory comes at Las Vegas this weekend. The #24 Chevrolet was an absolute rocketship in Practice #2 on Saturday afternoon, posting a lap that was four-tenths faster than 2nd-fastest Kyle Larson. Chase also had the best ten-lap average during that session. In Happy Hour, the #24 Chevrolet was 2nd on the overall speed chart with the 5th-best ten-lap average. Elliott disappointed fantasy owners here in Sin City last season with a 38th-place finish, but don’t forget that he was solidly inside the top 10 before getting caught up in a wreck. This #24 team is coming off of a solid top 5 finish at Atlanta last weekend and they ended up 2nd in both Michigan races last year, which ran a similar low downforce package to what the teams are running here at Las Vegas this weekend. Chase is a great option in all Fantasy NASCAR formats and leagues this weekend.
3. Kevin Harvick – Starts 19th – DraftKings Price: $10,700 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**
The #4 Ford was very tight during qualifying on Friday and because of that Harvick will start from 19th when the Kobalt 400 goes green on Sunday. In other words, in any league that awards points based on place differential, Harvick needs to be on your roster. He only has one win here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but he’s a solid Fantasy NASCAR choice each time we stop at this track, and that has been especially true lately; over the last five races here in Sin City, Harvick has just one finish worse than 11th, and that came back in the 2014 race. However, if you remember back to that event, Harvick was at least top 5 good that day but ended up heading to the garage with less than 100 laps to go with brake issues. Assuming he doesn’t have any mechanical issues (or speeding penalties) this Sunday, Kevin should be in the mix for a top 5 finish once again. The #4 Ford was 3rd-best in ten-lap average during Practice #2 and ranked 7th on that chart during Happy Hour.
