Richmond eNASCAR Fantasy Rankings

Tier 1 – eLite

William Byron – William Byron is the premiere eNASCAR performer in the series and at Richmond, he’s the driver to beat. There’s not many eNASCAR stats available, but we do know that Byron is the only driver who’s led laps in all three races, and in all three he’s led the most! At Bristol, the last eNASCAR official race held he led 116 laps and easily raced his way to victory lane. If you include the NBC Short Track Challenge, Byron would be entering the weekend with four straight wins. Yes, I’m crediting him with the win at Martinsville because only a bogus “Too Good At The Game” penalty kept him out of victory lane. At Rockingham, which was a great tune-up track for Richmond he won Stage #1 and Stage #2 despite the field getting inverted. One attribute I like about Byron is that he’s been a qualifying machine. On Sunday, look for Byron to start up front, lead a lot of laps and then finish there.

NOTE: Drivers in red must advance from the “Last Chance Qualifier” race which will happen on Sunday morning a few hours before the main event. Two drivers will race their way in, and two will get a provisional. That event won’t be televised or streamed.

Timmy Hill – Timmy Hill is a strong eNASCAR performer who should be on your short list of favorites. In eNASCAR, Hill has a series best 2.3 average finish and in all three races he’s finished in the top 3. Timmy Hill puts in the practice time with his 12 year old steering wheel, so you can be confident he’ll be prepared for Richmond. I will note, I wish Hill performed better in the NBC Short Track Challenge. In that event at Myrtle Beach he finished 5th in Stage #1 and 2nd in Stage #2.

Further Recommended Reading: eNASCAR Stats After Race #3, eNASCAR Average Finishes After Race #3, eNASCAR Laps Led After Race #3

Tier 1.5 – eLite

Ryan Preece – Ryan Preece is a stout performer in eNASCAR who’s likely flying under the radar, despite his 5.3 average finish which ranks as the 2nd best. In eNASCAR, Preece has one runner-up result (Texas) to his name and in all three races he’s finished in the top 8. In the NBC Short Track Challenge, Preece raced his way to the championship after winning one of the qualifying races at Myrtle Beach.

Garrett Smithley – Garrett Smithley ranks as one of the best eNASCAR performers and at Richmond he’ll be a favorite. In the virtual world of eNASCAR, Smithley has the 3rd best average finish (5.7) and he’s one of just three drivers who have finished in the top ten every race. On Sunday, you can pick Smithley with confidence.

John Hunter Nemechek – John Hunter Nemechek is proving to be one of the  better eNASCAR drivers and at Richmond he’ll be a factor. Over the last two eNASCAR races he’s come home with results of 2nd (Bristol) and 8th (Texas). At Richmond, I would look for the good times to continue.

Parker Kligerman – Parker Kligerman is a dedicated iRacer who’s proven to be one of the more solid performers. In eNASCAR he has a 10.7 average finish and in all three races he’s finished between 7th to 13th. One notable trend I like a bout him is that in each new race he’s finished better than the race before. In the NBC Short Track Challenge at Rockingham which is a great tune-up race for Richmond, Kligerman finished 2nd in Race #1 and was leading on the final lap in Race #2 until Byron nudged him (finished 2nd).

Denny Hamlin – Denny Hamlin will be a popular pick at Richmond. In the “real world” at Richmond, Hamlin is a super-elite performer who’s finished in the top six in 8 of the last 9 races. “Real World” NASCAR success counts for little if anything though. In eNASCAR, Hamlin won at Homestead and in his other two races he has results of 24th (Texas) and 4th (Bristol). Look for Hamlin to have a solid showing at Richmond.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Pencil Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get into the main event on Sunday. If he doesn’t race his way in, NASCAR invented an eNASCAR provisional to get him in. In eNASCAR minus Bristol where he had trouble, Earnhardt Jr. has a 4th place average finish. One notable strength about Dale Earnhardt Jr. is that he’s good over long runs. The new rules should play to that strength.

Landon Cassill – Landon Cassill is a capable eNASCAR driver and I think he has a great chance to race his way into the main event. In eNASCAR minus Bristol where he had trouble he has an 8th place average finish. In the NBC Short Track Challenge at Myrtle Beach, Cassill won the 2nd heat race in convincing fashion. Cassill is a serious iRacer and if he advances his way to the main event, look for him to be solid.

Tier 2 – Contenders

Alex Bowman – Alex Bowman may make a lot of jokes about his eNASCAR efforts, but make no mistake he’s proven to be one of the better performers in the series. His 8.3 average finish ranks as the 4th best, and in 2 of the 3 races he’s finished in the top 6.

Matt DiBenedetto – Matt DiBenedetto has a cool calm demeanor when it comes to eNASCAR, and it’s worked great for him. In the series his average finish is 10.3 and he’s fresh off his best finish of 5th at Bristol. On Sunday, look for Matt DiBenedetto to finish in the top third of the field.

Christopher Bell – Christopher Bell is a dark horse driver who you don’t want to overlook at Richmond. In official eNASCAR, his average finish is 24.0 and in 2 of the 3 races he’s finished outside the top 25. That said, I really think his iRacing experience on dirt is a big plus for this weekends race. That led to me ranking him #1 at IRP for the NBC Short Track Challenge, and he didn’t let me down since he raced his way to victory lane.

Kyle Busch  – Don’t overlook Kyle Busch. He’s been burning the midnight oil putting in eNASCAR seat time and if any driver is hungry for success, it’s him. He doesn’t want to make a fool of himself. At Rockingham in the short track challenge, Busch finished 3rd of 6 cars in both races. That’s the most comparable track that we’ve seen him compete in eNASCAR. I think he’s improved as a driver since that race occurred two weeks ago. In eNASCAR, his average finish is 21.3 so it’s fair to say he’s a dark horse.

Bobby Labonte – Bobby Labonte is an OK iRacer. He doesn’t do anything flashy and he’s 3 for 3 in terms of finishing in the teens. At Homestead he finished 18th, in the last two races he has back to back 13th place finishes. Bobby Labonte isn’t locked into the main event, but I think he has a good chance to advance.

Tier 2.5 – Contenders

Bubba Wallace – Bubba Wallace is a capable eNASCAR driver, but he’s underperformed on Sunday’s. In the first eNASCAR race he finished 7th, but in the next two he’s come home with results of 25th and 32nd. In the “Replacement Series” against a more seasoned field he’s run a lot better. When people think of Bubba Wallace in eNASCAR the first thing that comes to mind is him rage quitting. This weekend, I would view him as a dark horse driver who has upside.

Clint Bowyer – Clint Bowyer drives like a bulldozer because of his in studio benefits, and that’s a plus for him. If that wasn’t the case, he probably would’ve been parked at Bristol. In eNASCAR, Bowyer has been a steady performer. His average finish is 12.7 and in the last two races he has back to back 11th place results.

Chase Elliott – Chase Elliott has shown some potential at times in eNASCAR, but ultimately the results aren’t there. Among drivers who competed in every race his 24.7 average finish ranks as the worst. Also, all of Elliott’s results are between 20th to 30th . I think Elliott is capable of sneaking in a good result, but so far he’s proven to be a dud.

Tier 3 – Mid Pack Performers

Chris Buescher – Chris Buescher hasn’t shown much in eNASCAR, but he’s led the second most laps after leading 30 at Bristol after using pit strategy. In eNASCAR, Buescher’s last two results are 18th and 23rd.

Ross Chastian – Ross Chastian has a 17.3 average finish in eNASCAR and in 2 of his 3 races he’s finished between 14th to 16th. I like that potential and I think he’s worthy of a roll of the dice.

Joey Logano – Joey Logano has been a solid casual eNASCAR driver. He hasn’t done anything flashy, but in his two races he’s been steady and has results of 15th and 17th. I’m really hoping Logano is putting in seat time, but I sense he’s likely in the bottom half of the field in that respect.

Jimmie Johnson – I really do think Jimmie Johnson has a desire to get better at eNASCAR. Things haven’t been pretty for him, but with two weeks to prepare for Richmond maybe he’s hit on something. In the last two eNASCAR races, Johnson has results of 19th (Texas) and 21st (Bristol).

Ryan Blaney – I’ve expected more out of Ryan Blaney at eNASCAR, but after results of 26th and 27th, perhaps it just isn’t his thing yet. Unless he got a rig of his own within the last two weeks, Blaney has to go to his spotters house to race. That’s certainly not a favorable situation in terms of getting seat time to get better. If he has a rig of his own, lets cross our fingers he got better internet  because that’s why he served as Chase Elliott’s crew chief at Homestead.

Tyler Reddick – Tyler Reddick has two official eNASCAR starts under his belt and the last time we seen him he finished 8th at Bristol. In his one other start, he finished 28th at Texas. At Rockingham in the NBC Short Track Challenge, Reddick had results of 4th and 6th, keep in mind the field was 6 cars in both of those races.

Erik Jones – I hope Erik Jones goes back to his VR setup, because his Bristol setup where he used a conventional monitor was a complete bust, and I wonder if it was related to his login issues. Perhaps it’s just a preparation issue, but that’s pretty troubling too. In eNASCAR, Jones has a 20.7 average finish and in each new race he’s finished about 10 positions worse than the race before (Homestead – 10th, Texas – 21st, Bristol – 31st). That’s a troubling trend, but with a small field it’s a guarantee it will end.

Kurt Busch – I feel like Kurt Busch has a casual approach to eNASCAR. I may be wrong,  but that’s what I sense. It’s hard to be a contender among a field of drivers where many are ramping up their efforts. In eNASCAR minus Homestead where he crashed his average finish is 14.5.

Ty Dillon – Ty Dillon has proven to be a mid-pack eNASCAR driver. His average finish is 20.0 and in all three races he’s finished between 16th to 25th. At Richmond, I think there’s a good chance Dillon will once again finish around that range.

Tier 4 – Back Runners

Austin Dillon – Austin Dillon just isn’t a good eNASCAR driver. His average finish is 23.7 and in 2 of the 3 races he’s finished 27th or worse. Rockingham is the most similar track where we’ve seen Dillon compete (NBC Short Track Challenge) and at that venue he finished 5th of 6 cars in both races.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. isn’t one of the more promising eNASCAR prospects in the field. He’s yet to crack the top twenty and his combined average finish is 24.0. One trend I don’t like about Stenhouse in eNASCAR is that he’s finished worse in every new race.

Brad Keselowski – I really don’t think eNASCAR is Brad Keselowski’s thing. He’s a family man, and I can’t fault him for likely not putting in the time others have for eNASCAR. There is some hope for Keselowski though. This week he got a new rig, and people love to spend time with their new toys. In eNASCAR, Keselowski’s 24.5 average finish ranks as the 4th worst.

Daniel Suarez – Daniel Suarez will need to qualify his way into the main event on Sunday. Do you think that will happen 😂 (UPDATE, it did!)? Yeah, probably not. As a driver who’s gone 2 for 2 at getting disqualified I don’t think NASCAR is going to give him a provisional. In eNASCAR, Suarez has a 30.0 average finish.