Phoenix (ISM Raceway) Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks

1) Kevin Harvick (Starting – 1st)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Kevin Harvick is 9-time winner at Phoenix who’ll be the driver to beat. He’s without his crew chief, and is no longer locked into the Homestead season finale, but I don’t think that will be a problem. I think it will motivate him and he’ll now be out to put on a display of domination. In Happy Hour his car was the class of the field. At Phoenix, Harvick has performed exceptionally well and currently has 10 straight results in the top six. Over this ten race stretch he has a 2.3 average finish, a 4.3 average running position and has led 1,102 laps. This year at shorter-flat tracks he’s been a stellar performer. Over the four races he’s scored the most points, has 2 wins, a 2.3 average finish and a 4.5 average running position. On Sunday look for Harvick to compete for the win.
Phoenix Track History – Picking Kevin Harvick at Phoenix is one of the surest things in fantasy NASCAR. Earlier this year he had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. In addition to finishing first he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 38 laps. Last fall he was a solid top five performer. He finished 5th, had a 6th place average running position, finished 5th in Stage #1 and 6th in Stage #2. If there wasn’t a late caution in Stage #2 he would’ve finished 3rd in that segment. In spring 2017 he started mid-pack and raced his way to a 6th place finish. I will note he was slightly better than his result and if the end of the race stayed green he was on pace to finish 3rd. In fall 2016 he finished 4th. In the six Phoenix races prior to that he had 5 wins and averaged leading 177 laps per race.
DraftKings Price – $12,300  / Fan Duel Price – $14,500

2) Kyle Busch (Starting – 6th)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch will be a favorite at Phoenix. He’s been a great driver in the desert and this year at shorter-flat tracks he’s been a super elite performer. At Phoenix over the last seven races he has a 3.7 average finish and a 5.5 average running position. This year at shorter-flat tracks which correlate to success his level of performance has been extremely high. Over the four combined races on this track type he has 2 wins, a 1.5 average finish, a 6.0 average running position and has finished in the top 2 every race. On Sunday I would look for him to finish in the top five and compete for the win. I will note because of his points situation there is a risk he might opt to become a points racer if things look wild.
Phoenix Track History – Kyle Busch has been a great performer at Phoenix. This spring he had a strong showing. He finished 2nd, earned the best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led a race high 128 laps. Additionally, he won Stage #1 and would’ve won Stage #2 if there wasn’t a late caution. Last fall at Phoenix he was locked into the Playoffs so its hard to say if he raced with full effort. In that event he finished 7th, had a 7th place average running position, earned the 7th best driver rating, finished 6th in Stage #1 and 5th in Stage #2. Last spring, Kyle Busch was the class of the field but the late caution took away a certain victory. In the race he earned the best driver rating, finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position and led a race high 114 laps. With 6 laps to go he had a 3.25 second lead over second place Kyle Larson. In the three races prior to that he had results of 2nd, 4th and 4th.
DraftKings Price – $11,600  / Fan Duel Price – $13,500

3) Chase Elliott (Starting – 2nd)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Chase Elliott will be one of the drivers to beat at Phoenix. He’s run well here, and he’s been an elite performer at shorter-flat tracks. This year over the four combined races on this track type he’s finished in the top five every race, has a 3.5 average finish and a 6.0 average running position. At Phoenix, Elliott has been a competitive performer and on Sunday I would look for him to compete for a top five.
Phoenix Track History – Chase Elliott has been a strong performer at Phoenix. Over his five combined races he has a 6.8 average finish, a 6.8 average running position and has finished in the top 12 every race. This spring at Phoenix he was fast. He finished 3rd, earned the 3rd best driver rating and had a 6th place average running position. In the race he was happy with his car and was fast over long runs. Last fall he was impressive. He finished 2nd, had a 5th place average running position and led 34 laps. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and 9th in Stage #2. Near the end he was leading but a savvy veteran Matt Kenseth got around him. In spring 2017 he had a great car and was one of the strongest competitors despite finishing 12th. In the race he earned the 4th best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position, led 106 laps, finished 4th in Stage #1 and won Stage #2. I will note he faded late and if there wasn’t a Green-White-Checker caution he likely would’ve finished 8th. In 2016 during his rookie year he had results of 8th and 9th.
DraftKings Price – $9,900  / Fan Duel Price – $13,000