Auto Club Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Predictions
A new era of NASCAR racing is kicking off at Auto Club in the Wise Power 400! The Next Gen car is making its intermediate track debut, and so is the new hybrid practice/qualifying session. With just 15 minutes of practice for each team, there will be a ton of uncertainties on Sunday, but tons of lessons will be learned. Practice was WILD, Qualifying was WILD and quite a few notable things happened. Make sure you check out our Practice Notes and Practice 5,10,15 Lap Averages Speed Cheat Sheet.
Here’s the Auto Club Starting Lineup.
Auto Club Fantasy NASCAR Full Field Rankings
1) Kyle Busch / Start 3rd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Speed Rankings / 5 Lap Average 2nd / 10 Lap Average 2nd
Auto Club Final Fantasy Spin – Kyle Busch is a super-elite performer at Auto Club who’ll be a favorite. At this worn-out 2.0-mile oval, Busch is a four-time winner and since 2011 he’s finished in the top three in 7 of the 9 races. Some of Busch’s notable Auto Club wins were his first career win in 2005, and then in 2013, which was the first race the Gen6 car was raced here. Over the last three Auto Club races, Busch has results of 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Additionally over the last three races, Busch ranks #1 in terms of average finish (2.0), average running position (4.5), driver rating, laps led per race (65.3) and fastest laps per race (33.3). In both 2020 and 2019 here, Busch had the fastest car late in a run. In 2020 at Auto Club, Busch finished 2nd. In 2019, Busch won the first two Stages, finished 1st when the checkered flag waved, led 134 laps, was the Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the best Green Flag Speed. In 2018, Busch finished 3rd. One attribute you have to like about Busch is his mastery at 2.0-mile ovals. Since 2020 at tracks of this length, Busch has finished in the top 5 in 3 of the 4 races and his average finish is a series best 4.5. In 2021 at high-wear intermediates, Kyle Busch ranked as one of the best and minus Darlington #2 where he wrecked his average finish was 5.0. In practice, Kyle Busch was a stopwatch standout, and he had the 2nd best 5 lap average and the 2nd best 10 lap average.
DraftKings $ 10,400/ FanDuel $13,000 / DK Betting Odds To Win +800
2) Denny Hamlin / Start 4th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Speed Rankings / 5 Lap Average 13th / 10 Lap Average 7th
Auto Club Final Fantasy Spin – At Auto Club, look for Denny Hamlin to be a factor. Hamlin’s performed at an elite level at Auto Club, and he’s a master at maneuvering high-tire wear tracks. At Auto Club, Hamlin currently has three straight results that are either 6th or 7th. In 2020, Hamlin finished 6th, was the 7th Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking. That was a great result when you consider he crashed Larson and also got into the wall himself. In the two races prior to that his finishes were 7th (2019) and 6th (2018). Altogether at 2.0-mile ovals since 2020, Hamlin’s 4.8 average finish ranks as the 2nd best in the series. Last year at high-wear intermediates, Denny Hamlin won at Darlington #2, had a 6.8 average finish (3rd best), a 6.9 average running position (2nd best) and his Track Type Total Speed Ranking was the 3rd best.
DraftKings $10,700 / FanDuel $12,500 / DK Betting Odds To Win +850
3) Ryan Blaney / Start 6th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Speed Rankings / 5 Lap Average 12th / 10 Lap Average 9th
Auto Club Final Fantasy Spin – Ryan Blaney will be a driver to be reckoned with at Auto Club. Blaney’s been one of the best here recently, and since 2020 a solid case could be made that he’s been the premiere driver in the series at 2.0-mile ovals. In 2020 at Auto Club, Blaney finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 54 laps, had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and was poised to finish in 2nd until he had a flat tire in the closing laps. In the three Auto Club races prior to that, Blaney had results of 5th, 8th and 9th. Since 2020 at 2.0-mile ovals, Blaney has been a standout performer. Last year he finished 1st at Michigan, and then in 2020, we of course know how good he was at Auto Club, and then that season at Michigan he finished 4th in Race #1, and then was crashed in race #2 while leading. In 2021 at high-wear intermediates, Blaney had a great season. Last year on this sub-track type, Blaney won Atlanta #1, and minus Homestead and Darlington #2 where he had problems his average finish was 4.7. At Auto Club, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll potentially be a factor to win.
DraftKings $10,000 / FanDuel $11,500 / DK Betting Odds To Win +1200
