The Low Tier – Phoenix
AJ Allmendinger – It’s hard to see a lot of good coming from picking AJ Allmendinger at Phoenix. He hasn’t run well here and since 2014 all of his results are between 16th to 26th. Last year at Phoenix he didn’t run well in either event. Last November he wasn’t competitive. He finished 23rd and had a 26th place average running position. Last spring Allmendinger didn’t run well. He finished 26th, earned the 26th best driver rating and had a 23rd place average running position. In 2016 at Phoenix he was very consistent and finished 17th both races. In fall 2016 in addition to finishing 17th he had a 16th place average running position. In spring 2016 he finished 17th, earned the 20th best driver rating and had a 20th place average running position. Last year at shorter flat tracks minus the spring Richmond race he finished between 17th to 26th every race, which matches his recent Phoenix track record. On Sunday look for him to be a high-teens to mid-twenties driver.
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Chris Buescher – Chris Buescher isn’t a good performer at shorter flat tracks. In 2017 over the six combined races at these venues he had a 26.5 average finish and a 26.0 average running position. Also over those six races he only managed to finish in the top twenty once. Phoenix has been a brutal track for Buescher and his overall average finish over his four starts is 31.5. Last fall at Phoenix he didn’t run well and finished a misleading 37th. With 61 laps to go while he was in 26th he backed his car into the wall and that marked the end of his race. In spring 2017 he didn’t run well. He finished 27th and had a 27th place average running position. In 2016 when he was in lesser equipment he finished 30th and 32nd.
Matt DiBenedetto – If you pick Matt DiBenedetto you know what you’re getting yourself into. He’ll be a high-twenties to about 30th place performer. I really think the best case scenario is a mid-twenties finish. Last year at Phoenix, DiBenedetto had results of 27th and 30th. Last year over the six combined races at shorter flat tracks DiBenedetto had a 29.3 average finish and a 30.0 average running position.
David Ragan – At Phoenix I would look for David Ragan to likely be a mid-twenties to high-twenties driver. That’s being somewhat generous because he hasn’t finished well here recently and he was really bad at shorter flat tracks in 2017. In his last three races at Phoenix he’s finished in the thirties. Performance wise I would look for him to likely be a mid to high-twenties driver. If things or really well for him he might be a low-twenties driver. Last fall he finished 33rd and had a 25th place average running position. In spring 2017 he had a tough race and finished 35th after wrecking while running in 28th. Last year at shorter flat tracks in 5 of the 6 races Ragan finished 27th or worse.
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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier
