Texas 2 Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions
Races at 1.5-mile tracks are generally thought of as boring events, but this weekend’s AAA Texas 500 has potential to be pretty good. First, we have four very good drivers–Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, and Trevor Bayne–starting in the back because they couldn’t get through qualifying inspection on Friday. Additionally, Kurt Busch is on the pole for Sunday’s race, and only three playoff contenders in the top six. And finally, the question that’s on everyone’s mind: will Chase Elliott get any sort of payback on Denny Hamlin for wrecking him at Martinsville last weekend? We’ll find out soon enough…
The full starting lineup for Sunday’s race can be found by clicking here. As far as practice goes, the speeds from those two sessions can be found here: Practice #2 — Happy Hour, and, as always, our in-depth practice notes can be found here: Practice #2 — Happy Hour.
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Final Top 25 Rankings for the AAA Texas 500
1. Kevin Harvick – Starts 3rd – DraftKings Price: $9,800 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kevin Harvick seriously contend for the win here at Texas on Sunday. It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to confidently say that but let’s look at the recent intermediate track races: Harvick led 59 laps and finished 3rd at Chicagoland, led 149 laps and finished 3rd at Charlotte, and led 37 laps and finished 8th at Kansas. Additionally, the last time we were here at Texas, Harvick started on the pole and led 77 laps before ultimately finishing 4th. He’ll roll off the grid from 3rd here on Sunday and I expect the #4 Ford to be up front pretty much all day during the AAA Texas 500. Harvick was 12th-fastest in Practice #2 on Saturday and then wound up 8th-fastest in Happy Hour.
2. Martin Truex, Jr. – Starts 7th – DraftKings Price: $11,000 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
There’s not a lot to say about Martin Truex, Jr. this weekend. The #78 Toyota is the king of 1.5-mile tracks, and there’s no doubt that he’s going to be up front for most of the AAA Texas 500 on Sunday. Back in the April race here, Truex started 7th, led 49 laps, and finished 8th, which is actually a “bad” day for him on this track type. As far as the championship picture goes, this #78 team simply needs to avoid any problems and they’ll be in the fight at Homestead. Does that mean they’re going to lay back at Texas this weekend? Absolutely not, but at the same time, they’re not going to be overly aggressive either. As far as practice speeds go, Truex was 7th-fastest in Practice #2 on Saturday and ranked 5th-fastest in Happy Hour.
3. Kyle Larson – Starts 11th – DraftKings Price: $9,700 – Yahoo! B Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Back here in the April Texas race, Kyle Larson was one of those drivers that started in the back, but when it was all said and done, he almost won the race, as he finished 2nd to Jimmie Johnson. And believe it or not, that was Larson’s first top 5 at Texas Motor Speedway since the 2014 season. With that being said, we can’t forget that this is essentially a “new” Texas track after the repave and reconfiguration, and it’s a good sign that Larson performed so well here back in April. Additionally, Kentucky is considered the most similar track to Texas now and Kyle had one of the best cars in that race this year. As far as this weekend goes, Larson didn’t have a great qualifying effort on Friday, but he was fast on Saturday, posting the 4th-fastest time in Practice #2 and the 6th-fastest time in Happy Hour. Kyle is a solid play in all Fantasy NASCAR formats this weekend.
