Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks
1) Kyle Busch (Starting – 9th)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch is a strong performer at Phoenix who should have another successful Sunday in the desert. Kevin Harvick has been the man to beat at Phoenix, but a strong case could be made that Kyle Busch is the best of the rest. In recent Phoenix races Busch has been extremely strong. He has three straight top 4 finishes and has had a result in the top ten in 5 of the last 6 races. On Sunday look for him to compete for the win. In Happy Hour Kyle Busch was very quick. He had the best 5, 10, 15 and 20 lap averages.
Phoenix Track History – Phoenix has been a great track for Kyle Busch. Currently he has three straight top 4 finishes, the only other driver you can say that about is Kevin Harvick. Over the last three events he has a 3.3 average finish, 6.7 average running position and the 4th best driver rating. Last fall Busch had a strong showing and finished runner-up. Last spring he was very competitive. In that event 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. In fall 2015 Busch finished 4th, earned the 4th best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $10,100
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2) Joey Logano (Starting – 1st)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Last fall at Phoenix Logano raced his way to victory lane and on Sunday he’s poised for another very strong showing. In recent Phoenix races he ranks as one of the strongest performers in the series. At Phoenix he’s proven to be a very consistent performer. In 6 of the last 7 races he’s finished in the top 9. On Sunday look for him to have another strong performance and challenge for the win from the pole. In practice Logano has been very fast over short runs.
Phoenix Track History – Phoenix has been a good track for Joey Logano and as you read above he’s consistently performed at a high-level. Since 2014 at Phoenix Logano has the 2nd best driver rating, the second best average running position (5.3) and the second best average finish (6.7). Last fall Logano had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. Additionally in the race 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. In spring 2016 he had a 7th place average running position, earned the 9th best driver rating but finished misleading 18th after falling back during a late restart. In the five Phoenix races prior to that he had results of 3rd, 8th, 6th, 4th and 9th.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $10,500
Further Recommended Reading – Phoenix Speed Cheat Sheet, Phoenix Starting Lineup, Phoenix Happy Hour Speeds, Phoenix Happy Hour Notes, Phoenix Practice Notes/Practice Speeds Center, PROS Rankings, PROS Rankings Extended Edition, Scouting Report, Asterisk Mark Report, DraftKings Start Page, Yahoo Start Page
3) Brad Keselowski (Starting – 6th)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Look for Brad Keselowski to run well at Phoenix. He’s a strong performer at shorter flat tracks and he’s run extremely well here in the past. 2016 wasn’t a great year for him in the desert (ran well but didn’t have the best results), but in the 8 prior races he had 7 top tens and finished in the top 11 every race. His lack of success last year might help him fly slightly under the radar of some. The #2 team has been strong week in and week out and on Sunday look for Keselowski to finish in the top ten, and compete for a top five. In Happy Hour Keselowski had the 4th best ten lap average.
Phoenix Track History – Phoenix has been a good track for Keselowski. Last year he didn’t have a great year. Last fall he was good for the first two thirds of the race but in the final third he faded. Around the midpoint he was up to 3rd but, when the race reached its conclusion he finished 14th. Additionally in the race he earned the 8th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. Last spring he finished an asterisk mark 29th. Performance wise he was about 10th place good but while he was running in 10th with 87 laps to go he had a flat tire which dropped him five laps down to 32nd. In the four Phoenix races prior to that he finished in the top ten. Over those events he had a 5.5 average finish and a 6.3 average running position.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $10,300
