Richmond Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch is a super-elite performer at Richmond who’ll be tough to beat. On Saturday night I would look for him to finish in the top five and be a serious threat to win. This year at shorter-flat tracks he’s been phenomenal. Over the three races he has 1 win and has finished in the top 2 every race. This spring at Richmond, Busch had a great car and raced his way to victory lane from the 32nd place starting position. In addition to winning he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 6th place average running position, led 32 laps and finished 6th in both Stage #1 and Stage #2. When he climbed up to the lead late nobody was going to get around him. Last fall, Busch had a solid showing and came home with a 9th place result. In the race he won Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #2, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. Performance wise he was really about 6th place good, but the late cautions cost him positions. In spring 2017, Busch had a great car but walked away with a misleading 16th place finish. Performance wise he was likely 2nd place good but late in the race while he was running in 2nd he got a commitment cone violation. In fall 2016 he had a strong car and finished 9th. It should be noted he was better than his result. He used pit strategy late that wasn’t to his benefit. Until the final caution came out he was running in 3rd. Additionally, in the race he earned the 5th best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. In spring 2016 he had a great car and if Carl Edwards didn’t nudge him out of the way he would’ve won. In addition to his second place result he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 78 laps.

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Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick is always a factor at Richmond. He’s a three-time winner who’s finished 5th in 4 of the last 5 races. With championship implications on the line, I think he’ll step up his game and be even more competitive than usual. On Saturday night I would look for Harvick to finish in the top five and be a serious factor to win. Earlier this year at Richmond he had a very solid performance. He finished 5th, earned the 6th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. In both Stage #1 and Stage #2 he finished 10th. Last fall he didn’t have an incident free race and made a time-consuming pit stop at the end of Stage #2 to repair some damage to his nose. Prior to getting that damage “Performance Wise” he looked about 8th place good. When the checkered flag waved he finished 15th and had a 13th place average running position. In the three races prior to that he finished 5th. In spring 2017 he was a consistent front runner. He earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and finished 5th. Additionally, he finished 4th in Stage #1 and 3rd in Stage #2. In 2016 he finished 5th in both races. This year at shorter-flat tracks (Richmond, New Hampshire and Phoenix) nobody has been better than Harvick. He’s won 2 of the 3 races, has a 2.3 average finish and a 5.3 average running position.

Brad Keselowski– Brad Keselowski is a strong performer at Richmond who should be counted on for a good finish. He’s a former winner who has six straight results in the top 11. Over that six race stretch he has a 7.3 average finish, a 7.8 average running position and the 5th best driver rating. This spring, Keselowski started in 28th and raced his way up to an 8th place finish. Additionally, he earned the 10th best driver rating, had an 11th place average running position and finished 8th in Stage #2. Last fall, Keselowski had a good car and finished 11th. It should be noted he was better than his result. With 14 laps to go prior to the late caution coming out he was in 3rd. Additionally, he earned the 6th best driver rating, had an 8th place average running position and finished 5th in Stage #2. In spring 2017, Keselowski had a great car and a strong case could be made that he was the best. He earned the best driver rating, finished 2nd, had a 4th place average running position and led 110 laps. In fall 2016 he was fast. He finished 4th, earned the 4th best driver rating and had an 8th place average running position. In spring 2016 he ran fairly well but it should be noted Penske Racing was a little off as an organization. In the race he earned the 9th best driver rating, had a 10th place average running position and finished 11th. On Saturday night I would look for Keselowski to finish in the top ten and compete for a top five.

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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier