Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Driver Breakdowns
1) Joey Logano (Starting – 2nd)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Joey Logano, the spring winner at Phoenix has had two weeks to focus ahead for the season finale, so you know the #22 team will be well prepared. Being able to plan ahead can be a huge advantage. In 2018 when he won the opening race in the round of #8 like he did this year, he was crowned the champion in the season finale. On Sunday, look for Logano to have a great race and be a factor to win.
Phoenix Track History – Joey Logano is a strong performer at Phoenix. He raced his way to victory lane this spring, and currently has three straight top tens. This spring in the desert, Logano had a stellar showing en route to victory lane. In the race he finished 3rd in Stage #1, 7th in Stage #2, led 60 laps, ranked as the 3rd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. I’ll note, Harvick thought he had a better car than Logano, but Logano had control of the race late. Last fall at Phoenix, Logano had a great car and was a serious threat to win but finished 9th. In the race he led 93 laps, finished 4th in Stage #1, won Stage #2 and had the 7th best Green Flag Average Speed. Some late air pressure adjustments caused him to fade in the final segment. In spring 2019, Logano was solid. He finished 10th, had a 9th place average running position and earned the 8th best driver rating. Additionally, he finished 3rd in Stage #1 and 8th in Stage #2.
Recent Similar Track Success – This year at shorter-flat tracks, Joey Logano has been a fantasy ace. He’s the only driver who’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top five and his average finish is a series best 2.7. He of course raced his way to victory lane at Phoenix, and in the other two events his results are 3rd (Richmond) and 4th (New Hampshire).
DraftKings $10,000 / FanDuel $13,300
2) Kevin Harvick (Starting – 11th)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Kevin Harvick will have a rocket ship underneath him at Phoenix and on Sunday he’ll be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. He’s obviously not competing for the championship, but make no mistake the #4 team is bringing their best piece to the table. They planned on racing for the championship at Phoenix, and now that they aren’t they can be even more aggressive since winning is the only goal now.
Phoenix Track History – Kevin Harvick is a super-elite performer at Phoenix. He’s a 9-time winner and since fall 2013 he’s only once finished lower than 6th, and that result was a 9th. Over the last five Phoenix races, Harvick has a 4.4 average finish, a 5.6 average running position and he’s averaged leading 35.6 laps per race. This spring, Harvick had a great car and finished runner-up. In a post race interview, Harvick said his car was better than the #22 that won. In the race, Harvick won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage # 2, had a 2.6 average running position, led 67 laps, had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. Last fall, Harvick had a strong performance. He finished 5th, had a 7th place average running position, finished 9th in Stage #1, 7th in Stage #2 and his Green Flag Average Speed ranked as the 6th best. In spring 2019, Harvick was viewed as the favorite following practice, but it never materialized in the race. When the checkered flag waved he finished 9th, had an 8th place average running position and earned the 5th best driver rating. In 2018, Harvick finished 1st in the spring and 5th in the fall.
Recent Similar Track Success – Kevin Harvick has been strong at shorter-flat tracks this year. He’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top 7 and his 4.7 average finish ranks as the 2nd best.
DraftKings $11,100 / FanDuel $12,300
3) Brad Keselowski (Starting – 3rd)
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Brad Keselowski will be tough to beat in the desert and he’ll be racing with a lot of confidence. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Keselowski has been the class of the field and he’s raced his way to victory lane in dominant fashion in the last two races. The #2 crew is bringing the same chassis that won those races (Richmond and New Hampshire), so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be fast. On Sunday, look for Keselowski to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Phoenix Track History – Brad Keselowski is a strong performer at Phoenix and in 3 of the last 4 races he’s finished in the top 11. This spring, Keselowski finished 11th, but he was better than his result. In the race, Keselowski was involved in an early caution while running in the top five, but he battled back and won Stage #2. Then near the end he made a horrible decision and pitted for fresh tires which was the wrong decision. With 20 laps to go he was the race leader. From the race I’ll note Keselowski led 82 laps, ranked as the 2nd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking. Last year at Phoenix, Keselowski was about 10th place good in both races. Last fall, the number you need to know about him is 10. He finished 10th, had a 10th place average running position, earned the 10th best driver rating and ranked as the 10th Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In spring 2019 he finished 19th. I’ll note that’s a misleading result because he had a parts failure. On lap 50 while he was running in 9th he started to complain that something was wrong with his car. Then on lap 64 after he had fallen back into the 20’s he slammed into the wall hard. In fall 2018, Keselowski had his best race to date at Phoenix. He finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best driver rating, had a 4th place average running position, led 32 laps, finished 5th in Stage #1 and 2nd in Stage #2.
Recent Similar Track Success – This year at shorter-flat tracks, Keselowski has been the man to beat. He put on displays of domination en route to victory lane in the last two races (New Hampshire and Richmond), and at Phoenix if he didn’t use poor pit strategy at the end he would’ve finished in the top five.
DraftKings $10,800 / FanDuel $13,500
