Kyle Busch 2020 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
Kyle Busch 2019 Stats: Points Finish 1st, 5 Wins, 17 Top Fives, 27 Top Tens, 8.9 Average Finish, 9.0 Average Running Position, 1,582 Laps Led, 108.36 Driver Rating
Strengths:
Defending series champion, Kyle Busch is a super-elite performer who’ll be one of the drivers to beat week in and week out in 2020. Busch can win on any track on the circuit, and at 23 of the 24 venues he’s raced his way to victory lane. The Charlotte Roval is the lone track that has eluded him, and it’s just a matter of time until he wins there too.
Weaknesses:
Kyle Busch has no real notable weaknesses. He could use better luck at superspeedways, but who couldn’t?
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – A
Kyle Busch is one of the strongest performers at intermediate tracks and in 2020, he’ll rank among the elite again. On this track type he’s won at every venue on the schedule, and at most of them he has multiple wins.
In 2019 at intermediate tracks, Busch was without question one of the best. For the season minus Kansas #1, Chicagoland and Las Vegas #2 he had a 6.0 average finish, a 9.1 average running position, finished in the top five 50% percent of the time and in the top ten in every race but 1. I’ll note Kyle Busch only had 1 win on this track type last season, but it came at a pretty good time in the season finale.
In 2020 at intermediate tracks, look for Busch to win multiple races and typically be a top five contender.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – A+
Kyle Busch is an elite performer at flat tracks who should be near the top of your fantasy NASCAR radar at both the bigger and the shorter-flat tracks. In 2019 on this track type minus Indy where his engine blew up he had 2 wins, 4 top fives, finished in the top ten every race (7), had a 4.4 average finish and a 4.4 average running position. In 2018 on this track type over the combined races he had 4 wins and a 2.4 average finish. I guess you can say he’s a pretty stout performer on this track type year in and year out.
At shorter-flat tracks, Kyle Busch is arguably the best performer in the series and he should be viewed as a favorite at all three venues. In 2019 over the combined races at shorter-flat tracks he scored the most points, had 1 win, a 4.2 average finish and a 4.0 average running position.
At big-flat tracks, Kyle Busch is a very strong performer. At Indy, he’s had problems in 2 of the last 3 races, but in his trouble free races since 2010 he’s finished in the top ten every race, has 2 wins and a 5.25 average finish. Last year his engine blew up and he finished 37th. In 2018 he finished 8th. In 2017 he led 87 laps but crashed while leading. In the three races prior to that he had results of 1st, 1st and 2nd. At Pocono, Busch has 7 straight top tens and in 3 of the last 5 races he’s raced his way to victory lane. Last summer he led 56 laps and finished 9th. In spring 2019 he led 79 laps and raced his way to victory lane. In the three races prior to that he had results of 1st, 3rd and 1st.
Short Track Fantasy Value – A
Kyle Busch is arguably the best short track driver in NASCAR. At all three venues he should be viewed as a top five performer who’ll be a contender to win.
In 2019 at short tracks, Kyle Busch had 1 win, 4 top fives, 5 top tens, a 5.3 average finish and a 7.5 average running position.
At Martinsville, Kyle Busch has performed at an extremely high-level and in 8 of the last 9 races he’s finished in the top five. Last fall, Busch had an off-race and finished 14th. In spring 2019 he finished 3rd. In the four races prior to that he had results of 4th, 2nd, 1st and 2nd.
At Richmond, Busch has been a fantasy ace and in 8 of the last 9 races he’s finished in the top 9. In 3 of the last 4 he’s finished in the top 2. Last year he had results of 2nd and 8th. In 2018 he pulled out the broom and won both races.
At Bristol, Kyle Busch is always a threat to win and over the last five races he has three wins and four results in the top 4. Last year he finished 4th in the summer and in the spring he led 71 laps and raced his way to victory lane.
Superspeedway Fantasy Value – A-
Kyle Busch is a strong superspeedway driver. He’s not immune to trouble on the track, but he’s more than capable of coming home with a good result.
In 2019 at superspeedways he scored the 6th most points, had 1 top five, 2 top tens, an 11.3 average finish and a 9.3 average running position. That stats line is really about as good as can be expected on this track type.
At Daytona, Busch had a successful 2019. He finished 14th in the summer and in the season opening Daytona 500 he finished 2nd and led 37 laps. In the four Daytona races prior to that he finished 20th or worse. I will note he ran well in many of those races until trouble struck in some form or fashion.
At Talladega, Busch had results of 10th and 19th in 2019. Over the last twelve races there he has 7 results in the top 13 and 5 results of 19th or worse.
Road Course Fantasy Value – A
Kyle Busch is one of the premiere road course racers in the series and at all three tracks he should be viewed as a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
At Sonoma, Busch has performed at an extremely high-level and over the last five races he has a 4.0 average finish. Last year, Busch finished 2nd, in the two races prior to that he finished 5th. In 2015 he got his most recent track win.
I would rank Watkins Glen as his best road course in terms of performance, but he keeps having self-inflicted mistakes year after year. Last year he had a ton of problems, but still managed to finish 11th. In the four races prior to that he had a 4.5 average finish.
The Charlotte Roval seems to have Busch’s number, but I don’t think he’ll have a third bad performance in 2020. Last year Busch never ran well and had suspension issues which led to a 37th place finish. In 2018 he showed potential and was a top ten contender, but was caught up in the late “Big One” which led to his 32nd place finish.
