Darlington Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Ryan Newman – Darlington is Ryan Newman’s favorite track and on Sunday I would look for him to have a solid showing and compete for a top ten. At Darlington his average finish is 12.1 and he’s finished in the top ten 65% percent of the time. Last year, Newman had a good chance to finish in the top ten, but while he was running in the top ten with 56 laps to go he was involved in a wreck and that led to his 19th place finish. From the race I’ll note he had an 11th place average running position and finished 7th in Stage #2. In the five Darlington races prior to that he had 4 top tens, a result in the top 13 every race and had a 9.6 average finish. In 2017, Newman had a good performance and finished 7th. Additionally, he earned the 11th best driver rating and had a 12th place average running position. In 2016 Newman was a solid performer. He finished 8th and had a 10th place average running position. One attribute you have to like about Newman is how well he’s been running recently. Over the last seven races minus Watkins Glen he’s finished in the top 14 every race and has a 9.7 average finish.

[themify_box]Full season passes are now available! Join now and read all of our full exclusive content![/themify_box]

Alex Bowman – Alex Bowman is a good dark horse pick at Darlington. He’s raced here three times, and in all three events he’s finished in the 20’s. That should do a good job allowing him to fly below the radar. I’ll note at Darlington I would only consider his 2018 race as relevant. In 2015 and 2014 he was in less than competitive equipment. Last year, Bowman started in 4th but finished a misleading 23rd. Around lap 28 while he was running around 10th he had a flat tire and that dropped him two laps down which led to his misleading result. Later on lap 254 he was penalized for having an uncontrolled tire. On Sunday, I would look for Alex Bowman to compete for a top ten.

William Byron – William Byron has one start on his resume at Darlington and his 35th place finish isn’t exactly confidence inspiring. I’ll note he actually ran quite well. With 43 laps to go which was 5 laps before his engine blew up he was running in 10th. Despite his early exit his average running position for the evening was 13th. On Sunday, I would view Byron as a low double-digits driver who’ll compete for a top ten.

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Darlington Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

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