William Byron 2018 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
In 2018 Xfinity Series champion, William Byron will be driving the Hendrick #24. This team was previously the #5. In fantasy leagues this upcoming season I expect Byron to be a high-impact difference maker. He’s extremely talented, he’ll have a great car underneath him, and he has a good head on his shoulders. In terms of talent level I fully expect Byron to have a “Chase Elliott” type rookie season. He’ll get a good amount of top tens, a couple top fives and even potentially compete for a win.
Strengths – In 2018 I would look for William Byron to be at his best at intermediate tracks, big flat tracks and shorter flat tracks.
Weaknesses – I think like most rookies Martinsville, road courses and plate tracks might be a little tough on him.
Track Type Fantasy Value Key = Elite > High > Medium-High > Medium > Low
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – High
In 2018 I expect William Byron to be a strong performer at intermediate tracks. He’ll have a fast Camaro, and he has the talent to come home with good finishes. Performance Wise at intermediate tracks this upcoming season I expect to see him contend for a top ten almost every weekend. I think his rookie season at these venues will likely be very similar to Chase Elliott’s first year. He’ll get a good number of top tens and even a few top fives if things go really well.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – High
William Byron should be competitive at both the big and smaller flat tracks in 2018. Performance wise I would look for him to typically be low-double digits good and sneak in a few top tens.
At big flat tracks Hendrick cars should always be on your short list of favorites. Last year in the Xfinity Series on this track type Byron won at Indy and finished 12th at Pocono.
At smaller flat tracks Byron was pretty good last year, he finished in the top 4 every race and won at Phoenix in the fall. When you include Richmond in this sub-track type minus the spring race that he wrecked he had a 3.75 average finish for the season.
Short Track Fantasy Value – Medium-High
William Byron had a respectable Xfinity season in 2017 at short tracks. He won at Iowa, and in 4 of the 6 races he finished 12th or better. Minus the two races he had problems his average finish was 7.25.
His best of the three short tracks in the lower series was Iowa where he finished 1st and 7th. Iowa obviously isn’t raced at in NASCAR’s top series, but it shows he’s a talent driver. At both Bristol and Richmond he had one good finish, and one not so good finish for the season.
At Martinsville in 2016 in the Truck Series Byron had results of 3rd and 8th.
In 2018 at short tracks I think Byron will have some good finishes but also have some rookie moments.
Restrictor Plate Track Fantasy Value – Medium-High
William Byron will have a great car underneath him at plate tracks. Equipment on this track type is starting to come into play more now since both Daytona and Talladega are losing grip as they age.
Last year in the Xfinity Series Byron was pretty good on this track type. He won at Daytona in July, finished 9th at Daytona in February, but was swept up in an early wreck at Talladega.
In leagues where qualifying points are on the line don’t count him out for getting you some of those points.
Road Course Track Fantasy Value – Medium-High
William Byron doesn’t have much track time at road courses, but he’s a talented smart driver who puts a lot of time into simulators so I expect him to be ready. Last year in the Xfinity Series on this track type he had results of 10th (Watkins Glen), 25th (Mid-Ohio) and 6th (Elkhart Lake). In 2018 the Charlotte Road Course will be introduced into the schedule and at that track he’ll be a rookie just like everybody else, so I think that’s a plus for him on this track type.
On 2018 on this track type I think he might be able to come home with good results at Watkins Glen and at Charlotte, but Sonoma will likely be a tad bit trickier since it’s such a technical track and has historically been tougher for rookies .
