Auto Club Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Auto Club Bottom Line – At Auto Club, keep your expectations low with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and I think you can pencil him in for a high-teens to low-twenties finish. That said, if things go really well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sneaks in a mid-teens finish.
Auto Club Track History – At Auto Club, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has finished between 18th to 22nd in 3 of the last 4 races. Over the last three combined races, Stenhouse sports a 17.3 average finish and a 19.7 average running position. In 2020 in his lone race in the #47 at Auto Club, Stenhouse finished 20th and had a 21.6 average running position. I’ll note, Stenhouse started in the back, but that wasn’t really much of a problem because he was up to 19th on lap 7. In 2019 in the #17, Stenhouse Jr. had a great car and easily looked like a top ten contender, but on lap 59 he spun and had minor contact with other cars while running near the top five and he never ran as well after that. When the race reached its conclusion, Stenhouse finished 14th and had a 15th place average running position. In the two Auto Club races prior to that, Stenhouse had results of 18th (2018) and 22nd (2017).
Recent Similar Track Success – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wasn’t really all that bad last year at high-wear intermediate tracks. In 2021 on this sub-track type minus Atlanta #2 where he crashed early, Stenhouse had a 15.5 average finish and went 4 for 4 at finishing between 12th and 20th.
Harrison Burton
Auto Club Bottom Line – At Auto Club, I would encourage you to be in “Watch and learn” mode with Harrison Burton. This will be Burton’s Cup debut at an intermediate track, so it will be interesting to see how he stacks up against the competition. Personally, I would just view him as about a 20th place driver and hope for the best.
Auto Club Track History – Harrison Burton is likely a huge fan of Auto Club Speedway. In 2020 in his lone lower series start, Burton raced his way to victory lane and led 40 laps. That was of course in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, and you really can’t do better than that in the lower series.
Recent Similar Track Success – Last year in the lower series at worn out intermediates minus Homestead where he had an engine failure, Burton had a 10th place average finish and had a result in the top 11 every race.
Cole Custer
Auto Club Bottom Line – At Auto Club, look for Cole Custer to likely finish within a few deviations of 20th. That stacks up with how he’s performed at high-wear intermediates, and his lone Auto Club race on his resume.
Auto Club Track History – Cole Custer has one start under his belt at Auto Club. Back in 2020 during his rookie year, Custer started 18th, finished 18th, had a 20.8 average running position, was the 21st Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 22nd best Total Speed Ranking.
Recent Similar Track Success – Last year at high-wear intermediates minus Darlington #1 where he pounded the wall, Cole Custer had a 17.3 average finish and a 17.9 average running position. I’ll note at Darlington #2, the final high-wear intermediate visited for the season he had his best race on this track type and finished 11th.
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