Pocono Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks

1) Kyle Busch (Starting – 5th)
Pocono Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch is a super-elite performer at Pocono who’ll be the driver to beat. At Pocono, he’s won 3 of the last 4 races and currently has 6 straight top tens. Over the last four Pocono races, Busch has the best driver rating by a wide margin, a 1.5 mile average finish, a 4.5 average running position and he’s averaged leading 54.5 laps per race. This spring at Pocono, Busch was the class of the field and thoroughly thumped the competition. In Happy Hour, Busch was fast and his ten lap average ranked as the 3rd best. On Sunday, look for Busch to finish in the top five and be a serious threat to win.
Pocono Track History – Kyle Busch has thrived at Pocono and on Sunday he’ll be vying for his 3rd straight win. This spring, nobody was better than Busch and he easily raced his way to victory lane. In addition to winning he earned the best driver rating, had the best average running position (4.0) and led the most laps (79). Last summer at Pocono, Kyle Busch had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. In the race he earned the best driver rating, led the most laps (52) and had a 7th place average running position. In spring 2018, Busch finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position, earned the 3rd best driver rating and led 13 laps. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and 2nd in Stage #2. In 2017, Busch led 74 laps and raced his way to victory in the summer, and in the spring he led 100 laps and would’ve won if there wasn’t a late caution (finished 9th).
DraftKings $12,300/ FanDuel $15,000

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2) Kevin Harvick (Starting – 1st)
Pocono Fantasy Spin – Kevin Harvick is fresh off his first win of the season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go back to back at Pocono. He’s never won here, but he’s performed at an extremely high-level and has come close to victory lane. In 5 of the last 6 races at “The Tricky Triangle” he’s finished between 2nd to 4th. Now that Harvick has a win under his belt this season, I think future victories are going to come a lot easier for him and the #4 crew. In final practice, Harvick’s ten lap average ranked as the 6th best. On Sunday, look for Harvick to finish in the top five and compete for the win.
Pocono Track History – Pocono has been a great track for Kevin Harvick. He had a misleading result this spring, but in the five races prior to that he had a 3.5 average finish and a 5.3 average running position. Earlier this year, Harvick had a great car but finished a misleading 22nd. While he was running in 2nd with 36 laps to go he had an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop and after that it was mentioned he had a cracked steering box. In the five Pocono races prior to that Harvick had the best driver rating, the best average finish (3.5) and the 2nd best average running position (5.3). In 2018 at Pocono, Harvick had a pair of 4th place finishes. Last summer, he likely had the best car, but his afternoon wasn’t incident free. In the race he started in the rear of the field but that wasn’t a problem. In Stage #1 he finished 2nd, and in Stage #2 he won. Unfortunately, his race wasn’t incident free. With about 40 laps to go during a caution he had contact with Aric Almirola on pit road which caused him to make a second pit stop. When the checkered flag waved he finished 4th, earned the 3rd best driver rating and led 30 laps. In spring 2018, Harvick had an extremely strong showing and finished 4th. In the race earned the best driver rating, had a 1.8 average running position, led a race high 89 laps, finished 2nd in Stage #1 and won Stage #2. In 2017, Harvick finished 2nd in both races.
DraftKings $11,700/ FanDuel $13,500

3) Martin Truex Jr. (Starting – 8th)
Pocono Fantasy Spin – Martin Truex Jr. is an elite performer at Pocono who’ll be a contender to win. He’s a two-time winner who ranks as one of the best drivers despite a few recent misleading results. Among “Elite” performers, I think he has a good amount of “Out of sync potential.” On Sunday, look for Truex Jr. to compete for a top five and potentially be a factor to win.
Pocono Track History – This spring at Pocono, Martin Truex Jr. looked strong, but finished a misleading 35th because of engine problems. Last summer at Pocono, Truex Jr. finished 15th, but he was better than his result. He earned the 10th best driver rating and had an 11th place average running position. In spring 2018, Truex Jr. had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. In addition to winning he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position, led 31 laps, won Stage #1 and finished 4th in Stage #2. What makes his win a little more impressive is that his race wasn’t incident free. Just after he won Stage #1 he had an extremely slow pit stop which dropped him from 1st to 14th. In 2017, Truex had results of 3rd and 6th.
DraftKings $10,500/ FanDuel $14,000