Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks
Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick has been dominant at Phoenix and will once again be viewed as the favorite. At Phoenix he has he has 8 wins and has only once finished outside the top 4 since 2012. Over the last six Phoenix races Harvick has 4 wins, a 1.7 average finish, a 3.3 average running position and has led nearly a thousand laps (994). Last fall at Phoenix Harvick had a strong car, but he wasn’t his typical self and wasn’t a factor to win. He finished 4th and led zero laps. For much of the race he looked about 10th place good but he started to run a little better at the end. Prior to that event he was an absolute fantasy ace. In spring 2016 he started mid pack but raced his way to victory lane and led 139 laps along the way. Coming to the finish line he inched Carl Edwards who was on fresh tires. In fall 2015 he had the car to beat but finished 2nd. That race was ended by a late caution during the pit cycle and if that didn’t happen he was a near lock to win. In that race he led 143 laps. In the next four Phoenix races he emerged victorious and led 224 laps, 264 laps, 224 laps and 70 laps. Last year at shorter flat tracks Harvick scored the most points, had a 3.3 average result and was the only driver who finished in the top five every race. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Joey Logano – Joey Logano is the most recent winner at Phoenix and on Sunday he’ll be looking to get back to back wins. I think he has a decent chance to accomplish that task. He had a great car last fall and in 6 of the last 7 races in the desert he’s finished in the top ten. He should be a perfect 7 for 7 but you’ll read about that below. Last fall at Phoenix Logano had a great car. In addition to finishing 1st he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 58 laps. It should be noted that if it wasn’t for a late caution he likely would’ve finished 4th. Last spring he finished a misleading 18th. Performance wise he was top ten good but a 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 fall 2015 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. In the four Phoenix races prior to that he had a 6.75 average finish and led every race for an average of 39 laps. (Yahoo A Driver)
Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch has been an elite performer at Phoenix and in 5 of the last 6 races he’s finished in the top ten. In the last three he’s finished in the top 4, the only other driver you can say that about is Kevin Harvick. Also over the last three races he has a 3.3 average finish and a 6.7 average running position. Last fall at Phoenix he had a strong car and finished runner-up. Additionally in the race he earned the 6th best driver rating and had a 10th place average running position. Kenseth wishes he wasn’t quite that strong because Busch caused an accident that wrecked his teammate. Last 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). In fall 2015 he finished 4th, 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. In the two races prior to that he finished 7th and 9th. Last year at shorter flat tracks Busch scored the 2nd most points, had a 4.7 average finish and was one of just two drivers who finished in the top ten every race. (Yahoo A Driver)
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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier
