Las Vegas Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson should be counted on for a good finish at Las Vegas and on Sunday look for him to be a low double-digit driver who has a good chance to finish in the top ten. In 3 of the last 5 races at Las Vegas he’s finished in either 11th or 12th. Last fall, Johnson had a solid showing. When the checkered flag waved he finished 11th and had a 14th place average running position. Last spring, Johnson had a dud performance and finished 19th. I’ll note his average running position was 14th. In 2018, Johnson performed well in both races despite what his results show. In fall 2018 when Las Vegas made its playoff debut he had a solid performance, but finished a misleading 22nd. Trouble struck late which doomed him to his poor finish. With 11 laps to go his car was smoking because of a tire issue which caused him to make a late unexpected pit stop. With 25 laps to go before numerous late cautions came out he was running in 5th. From the race it should be noted he finished 4th in Stage #2 and had a 12th place average running position. In spring 2018, Johnson started in the rear of the field and raced his way up to a 12th place finish. It wasn’t pretty considering he went a lap down early, but he grinded out his good result. Kansas is arguably the most similar track on the schedule and last fall in the Playoffs he finished 10th there.

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Aric Almirola – Aric Almirola is a solid fantasy NASCAR option at Las Vegas who’ll compete for a top ten. Over his four combined Las Vegas races in the #10 car, Almirola has a 9.0 average finish and a 12.3 average running position. In all four of those races he’s finished between 6th to 13th. Last fall at Las Vegas, Almirola was solid. He finished 13th, had a 9th place average running position and earned the 8th best driver rating. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and finished just short of the top ten in Stage #2. Also I’ll note he ranked as the 11th Fastest Driver Late In A Run, and his Green Flag Average Speed also ranked as the 11th best. In spring 2019, Almirola ran well. He finished 7th and had an 11th place average running position. In fall 2018, Almirola had his best performance at Las Vegas and finished 6th. Additionally, he finished 10th in Stage #1 and finished just short of the top ten in Stage #2. At the end he was at his best, but keep in mind with 25 laps to go before lots of late mayhem ensued he was running in 12th. In spring 2018, Almirola finished 10th, earned the 10th best driver rating and had a 15th place average running position.

Christopher Bell – At Las Vegas, Christopher Bell will be making his intermediate track debut in NASCAR’s top series and I think we’ll learn a lot about the current state of the #95 team. It’s said that Leavine Family Racing will have increased support from Joe Gibbs Racing this season, and this race should be very telling. Last year when Matt DiBenedetto was behind the wheel of the #95, a mid-teens finish was the ceiling for this team. On Sunday, to play it safe I would view him as a mid to high-teens driver. Last year in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas he finished 2nd in the fall and finished 13th in the spring.

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