Indianapolis Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks (Pre-Qualifying)

1) Kyle Busch
Indianapolis Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch is a super-elite performer at Indianapolis and on Sunday he’ll likely be the driver to beat. He’s run extremely well at the “Brickyard” and “Performance Wise” he’s been good enough to win 3 of the last 4 races. Since 2013 minus 2017 (wrecked while battling for the lead) he has a 3.0 average finish and a 6.0 average running position. Pocono is the most similar track on the schedule and this year and Busch was strong in both races there. He dominated in June en route to victory lane, and in July if his pit strategy would’ve been better he probably would’ve won that race too. Heading into the weekend, Busch is one of the hottest drivers in NASCAR. He has back to back top 4 finishes and over the last seven races he’s scored the most points and has a 6.1 average finish. In practice, Busch was fast. In Happy Hour he had the 2nd best 5 lap average and the 7th best 10 lap average. On Sunday, look for Busch to finish in the top five and be a serious threat to win.
Indianapolis Track History – Kyle Busch has thrived at Indy and in recent races nobody has been better. Last year, Busch had a great car that may have very well been the best but multiple problems (pit penalty, slight contact with the grass and an early unexpected pit stop) led to him finishing 8th. Additionally, he earned the 7th best driver rating, led 27 laps and had a 10th place average running position. In 2017, Busch was the class of the field but he finished a misleading 34th after wrecking while battling for the lead during a restart. In the race he earned the best driver rating, led a race high 87 laps and won the first two Stages. In 2016, Busch finished 1st, earned a a perfect driver rating and led 149 laps. In 2015, Busch also emerged victorious. In the three races prior to that he had results of 2nd, 10th and 2nd.
DraftKings $ / FanDuel $15,500

NOTE: Check back on Sunday for finalized rankings after qualifying

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2) Brad Keselowski
Indianapolis Fantasy Spin – Brad Keselowski is the defending champion at Indianapolis and on Sunday he’ll be a factor. It’s been a great track for him and his team is running extremely well right now. If the end of Michigan #2 didn’t turn into a fuel mileage race he would be entering the weekend with 6 straight top tens. Over the last six races minus a misleading result at Michigan he has a 7.0 average finish and a 7.8 average running position. Pocono is the most similar track on the schedule and this year at that venue he has results of 2nd (spring) and 8th (summer). In practice, Keselowski was fast. In Happy Hour he had the 4th best 5 lap average and the 2nd best 10 lap average.  On Sunday, look for Keselowski to finish in the top five and potentially compete for the win.
Indianapolis Track History – Brad Keselowski has performed at a high-level at Indy. He’s had results of 1st and 2nd in the last two races and in 6 of his 8 events he’s finished in the top 12. Last year at Indy, Keselowski had a great car. In addition to winning he earned the 4th best driver rating, had a 9th place average running position and led 9 laps. I will note if there wasn’t a late caution he wasn’t going to win and was likely poised to finish in 3rd. In 2017, Keselowski should’ve won, but Kasey Kahne passed him during a late restart. When the race reached its conclusion he finished 2nd, led 23 laps and earned the 7th best driver rating. In 2016, his race was heavy on strategy because his team was going to attempt to run the race with one less pit stop than the competition. “Performance wise” he was on pace to finish around 7th, but he was caught up in the mass carnage over the last 10 laps that led to his 17th place finish. Additionally, he had an 8th place average running position, earned the 9th best driver rating and led 15 laps. In 4 of the 5 Indy races prior to that he finished between 9th to 12th.
DraftKings $9,800 / FanDuel $13,300

3) Erik Jones
Indianapolis Fantasy Spin – Erik Jones is fresh off a trip to victory lane and at Indy I think he’ll be a driver to be reckoned with. Momentum matters in fantasy NASCAR and he’s unquestionably one of the hottest drivers in NASCAR. In 5 of the last 7 races heading into the weekend he’s finished in the top 4. Pocono is the most similar track on the schedule and this year at that venue he has results of 2nd and 3rd. In Happy Hour, Jones had the 6th best 5 lap average and the 5th best 10 lap average. On Sunday, look for Erik Jones to compete for a top five.
Indianapolis Track History – Erik Jones has two starts on his resume at Indy and he’s run well in both races. Last year, Erik Jones closed out the race strong and when it reached its conclusion he finished 2nd. His average running position for the afternoon was 11th. In 2017, Jones was likely top ten good but finished an asterisk mark 31st after wrecking near the end. In Stage #2 he finished 4th.
DraftKings $9,400 / FanDuel $11,300