Kyle Busch 2018 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
Strengths – Kyle Busch is a very talented driver who can win on any given Sunday. A strong case could be made that he’s the most versatile driver in NASCAR. At Flat tracks, short tracks and road courses he’s arguably the best driver in the series.
Weaknesses – Kyle Busch is a strong performer at restrictor plate tracks but they haven’t been friendly to him. In 4 of the last 5 years he’s ranked 18th or worse in terms of points accumulated.
Track Type Fantasy Value Key = Elite > High > Medium-High > Medium > Low
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is a strong performer at intermediate tracks. Last year on this track type he scored the 5th most points and had a 10.8 average finish. Since 2011 minus 2015 when he missed five races his average yearly points ranking is 7.6, with him ranking in the top 11 every year.
Last year at intermediate tracks Martin Truex Jr. was the class of the field, but Kyle Busch belonged in the conversation of who was the next best driver on this track type.
In 2018 at intermediate tracks look for Busch to once again rank as one of the best drivers in the series.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Last year at flat tracks nobody scored more points than Kyle Busch. At both the bigger and the smaller flat tracks he’s an elite competitor.
Last year at the bigger flat tracks he was extremely strong. At Pocono in 2017 he won from the pole in the summer (led 74 laps), and in the spring he led 100 laps and finished 9th. He should’ve won that race but late pit strategy cost him the win. At Indy he’s been phenomenal. Last summer he had a great car but wrecked while battling for the lead (led 87 laps). In the two races prior to that he had back to back wins.
At the shorter flat tracks he’s always strong. Last year he scored the 2nd most points, had an 8.0 average result and only finished outside the top ten twice. In both the races he finished outside the top ten he got a late pit penalty.
Short Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is one of the premiere short track drivers in NASCAR. He’ll be a favorite to win at all three tracks in 2018.
At Bristol he’s always tough to beat, but trouble never seems to be far away. Last summer at Bristol he had his first incident free race since 2014 and raced his way to victory lane having led 156 laps.
Martinsville is his best short track right now. He won last fall (led 184 laps) and currently has five straight top fives. Last spring he led 274 laps and finished runner-up.
At Richmond he’s been solid and if he didn’t get a pit penalty late in the race in spring 2017 (was running in 2nd at the time) he would currently have five straight top tens. Last fall Busch led 38 laps and finished 9th.
Restrictor Plate Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is a talented restrictor plate driver, but it seems like trouble often isn’t far away from him. Last year he finished 3rd at Talladega in the spring, but in the other three races he finished 20th or worse. For the season he scored the 20th most points, in 2016 at these venues he was arguably the best driver and scored the 3rd most points.
At Daytona he should be on your short list of favorites. Last summer he got some damage in a wreck which led to his 20th place result. In the 2017 Daytona 500 he had one of the strongest cars but had a flat tire and wrecked. In 2016 he had results of 2nd and 3rd.
At Talladega last fall he wrecked like everybody else. In spring 2017 he finished 3rd. In spring 2016 Busch finished runner-up.
In 2018 on this track type he’ll get some really good finishes, but also likely walk away with a few really bad results.
Road Course Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Kyle Busch is one of the best road course racers in NASCAR. In 2018 I think he has a great chance to compete for a top five at all three tracks.
Last year on this track type he scored the 4th most points, in the two prior seasons he scored the 5th and first most points.
At Watkins Glen Kyle Busch is the best default fantasy pick you can make. He’s a two-time winner who’s finished in the top ten in 11 of the last 12 races. Last year he spun, but still managed to finish 7th. In the two prior races he finished 6th and 2nd.
At Sonoma he currently has three straight top 7 results. Last year he finished 5th. In 2015 he raced his way to victory lane following a late caution.
