Homestead Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks

1) Kevin Harvick (Starting – 2nd)
Homestead Fantasy Spin – Kevin Harvick is a premiere performer at Homestead who’ll unquestionably be one of the drivers to beat. At Homestead in the #4 car, Harvick’s level of performance has been extremely high. Over the last five races he has 1 win, the best average finish (2.6), the best average running position (3.4) and he’s had a result in the top 4 every race. Being consistent in the season finale has also been a strong suite for him and he currently has 11 straight top tens. This year at high tire-wear intermediate tracks, Harvick has been arguably the best. He finished 4th at Atlanta, 4th at Auto Club, 4th at Darlington and at Chicagoland he led 132 laps and arguably had the best car, but finished a misleading 14th. At Texas, the most recent 1.5 mile track visited (very different track surface), Harvick led 119 laps and easily raced his way to victory lane. In practice, the #4 car was fast and some in the broadcast booth thought he had the best car at the end of practice. On Sunday, look for Harvick to finish in the top five and be a serious threat to win.
Homestead Track History – Kevin Harvick has been a fantasy ace at Homestead and has performed at an extremely high-level. Last year in the season finale, Harvick had a great car. When the checkered flag waved he finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position, earned the 2nd best driver rating and led 58 laps. Additionally, he won Stage #1 and finished 2nd in Stage #2 (Kyle Larson passed him on the last lap). I will note if there wasn’t a late caution when Suarez had an untimely spin, he had a great chance to win. In 2017, Harvick had a strong showing. He finished 4th, had 4th place average running position and earned the 4th best driver rating. Additionally, he finished 4th in Stage #1 and 3rd in Stage #2. With 75 laps to go it was mentioned he had a small hole on his front bumper which impacted his performance. In 2016, Harvick was a consistent front runner. He finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position, earned the 2nd best driver rating and led the second most laps (79). In 2015, Harvick finished 2nd. In 2014 he raced his way to victory lane.
DraftKings $10,800 / FanDuel $14,000

2) Martin Truex Jr. (Starting – 3rd)
Homestead Fantasy Spin – Martin Truex Jr. is an elite performer at Homestead who’ll be tough to beat. His team has had two weeks to focus exclusively on this race, so you know they’ll be bringing their A-game. At Homestead, Truex Jr. has been very competitive and currently has back to back top 2 finishes. This year at high tire-wear intermediate tracks, Truex Jr. has been one of the best. He finished 2nd at Atlanta, 8th at Auto Club, 9th at Chicagoland and was a top five contender at Darlington but finished a misleading 15th. One attribute you have to like about Truex Jr. is how well his team has been running week in and week out. In the Playoffs minus Talladega his average finish is 3.8. In Happy Hour, Truex Jr. had the best 15 lap average and the 3rd best 10 lap average. On Sunday, look for Truex Jr. to finish in the top five and compete for the win.
Homestead Track History – Martin Truex Jr. has performed extremely well at Homestead. He has back to back 2nd place finishes and in 79% percent of his starts he’s finished in the top 12. Last year in the season finale, Truex Jr. had a great performance. He finished 2nd, earned the 3rd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and led 20 laps. Additionally, he finished 5th in Stage #1 and 4th in Stage #2. In 2017, Truex Jr. dominated in the darkness and raced his way to victory lane. In addition to finishing 1st he earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position, led 78 laps, finished 5th in Stage #1 and 2nd in Stage #2.
DraftKings $10,600 / FanDuel $14,000

Further Recommended Reading: Happy Hour Speed Cheat Sheet/ 5,10,15,20 and 25 lap averages

3) Kyle Busch (Starting – 4th)
Homestead Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch has thrived at Homestead and on Sunday he’ll be a contender. Homestead has been a great track for Busch and in recent races he’s been one of the best. Over the last four combined Homestead races he has 1 win, a 3.3 average finish, a 3.8 average running position and he’s finished in the top 6 every race. This year at high-tire wear intermediates, Busch has been strong. He finished 1st at Auto Club (led 134 laps), 3rd at Darlington (led 118 laps) 6th at Atlanta, and showed potential at Chicagoland but walked away with a misleading result. In Happy Hour, Kyle Busch had the 2nd best ten lap average. On Sunday, look for Busch to finish in the top five and compete for the win.
Homestead Track History – Kyle Busch ranks as one of the premiere performers at Chicagoland and his 3.3 average finish over the last four races ranks as the 2nd best. Last year in the season finale, Busch had a strong showing. He finished 4th, had a 4th place average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating and led 21 laps. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and 6th in Stage #2. In 2017, Busch had a great performance. He finished 2nd, earned the 3rd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position and led 43 laps. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and 4th in Stage #2. In 2016 he was solid. He finished 6th, had a 5th place average running position and earned the 4th best driver rating. I will note he was poised to finish 2nd and win the championship, but late cautions hurt him. In 2015, Busch had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. It should be noted however that if there wasn’t a late caution and Brad Keselowski didn’t pick the wrong lane to restart in, then he likely wouldn’t have won. “Performance wise”, he was really 3rd place good. From that race I’ll note he earned the best driver rating, had a 2nd place average running position and led 41 laps.
DraftKings $11,400 / FanDuel $14,000