Darlington Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ross Chastain
Darlington Fantasy Spin – At Darlington, look for Ross Chastain to perform at a high-level and be a factor. Last fall, Chastain came close to victory lane and when you factor in how much better he’s running this year, there’s no doubt this high-line runner is poised to have a great evening. Heading into the weekend, you have to love how well he’s running. Since March minus Bristol Dirt and Richmond, he’s won twice, finished in the top five every race and has a 2.3 average finish. On Sunday, look for Chastain to finish in the top five and compete for the win.
Darlington Track History – Last year at Darlington in the #42, Ross Chastain had a great season and had a 9th place average finish between the combined events. Last fall, Chastain was extremely competitive. In the race he finished 9th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2 and then 3rd when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Chastain started 23rd, had an 8.8 average running position, was the 2nd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking. Over the final segment when the trophy was on the line, Chastain was the fastest driver on the track. In spring 2021, Chastain finished 15th, had a 15.3 average running position and had the 23rd best Total Speed Ranking. That said, his speed over the segments were 28th, 31st, 16th and 11th. Early pit strategy where he stayed out on old tires longer then anyone else hurt him because his car was pretty good.

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Kyle Larson
Darlington Fantasy Spin – At Darlington, Kyle Larson will be tough to beat. Larson’s never won here, but he’s performed at a super-elite level and has consistently knocked on the door to victory lane. Last year, Larson had a pair of runner-up’s, and in 5 of his last 6 races he’s finished in the top 3. When it comes to managing tire wear, Larson is one of the best in the business and at the lone high-tire wear venue visited this year (Auto Club), Larson raced his way to victory lane. On Sunday, look for Larson to finish in the top five and compete for the win.
Darlington Track History – Kyle Larson has thrived at Darlington, and he’s consistently finished near the front. Over Larson’s last four Darlington starts, he has a 2.3 average finish, a 4.0 average running position and he’s averaged leading 121 laps per race. Last fall, Larson was stellar. In the race he finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 156 laps, had a 3rd place average running position and then finished 2nd hot on Denny Hamlin’s wheels when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed analytics, Larson was the 3rd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and his Total Speed Ranking was the best. Over the segments, Larson had speed rankings of 6th, 1st, 1st and 2nd. In spring 2021, Larson had a great car and late in the race he gave Martin Truex Jr. a run for his money. In the race, Larson started 14th, finished 4th in Stage #1, 5th in Stage #2, ranked as the 2nd fastest driver late in a run and had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking. What makes Larson’s good run more impressive is that his race wasn’t incident free. During the Stage #1 caution after he just finished 4th he was caught speeding on pit road. In 2020, Larson obviously missed all three races. In fall 2019 in his next most recent race, Larson finished 3rd in Stage #1, 5th in Stage #2, led 44 laps and finished 2nd. In fall 2018, Larson dominated, but poor restarts at the end cost him what looked like a certain victory. In the race he won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 284 laps and finished 3rd when the checkered flag waved.

Martin Truex Jr.
Darlington Fantasy Spin – At Darlington, two-time winner, Martin Truex Jr. will be tough to beat. Truex is the defending spring winner, and last year “Performance Wise”, nobody was better than him at “The Lady In Black.” If Truex didn’t have problems last fall, and problems in fall 2020, there’s a great chance Truex would have 3 straight Darlington wins, because he’s been that good. On Sunday, look for Truex to be a top five contender who’ll potentially be a factor to win.
Darlington Track History – At Darlington, Martin Truex Jr. has been a fantasy ace and over the combined events since 2020, Truex is tied for having the best driver rating (among drivers who competed in every race), despite having a few asterisk mark results. Last fall, Truex had a great car and finished 4th. In the race he finished 6th in Stage #1, but then in Stage #2 he made an unexpected pit stop on lap 162, which was shortly followed by a caution, but that trapped him a lap down and in the 20’s. Truex battled back though and was up to 2nd on lap 311, but then during a caution around lap 319 he was caught speeding on pit road. In terms of speed analytics, Truex was the Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking. In spring 2021, Truex put on a display of domination. In the race he won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 248 laps, earned a rare perfect driver rating, was the fastest driver late in a run and across the four segments he had the fastest car on the track. Until Kyle Larson made a run on him in the closing laps, he was unchallenged. In fall 2020, Truex was the class of the field. In the race he won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 196 laps, ran the most fastest laps (90) but finished a misleading 22nd. Late in the race, Truex was reeling in leader Chase Elliott, but as he was passing him they had contact which led to both of them slamming into the wall. That led to an unexpected pit stop for Truex which doomed him to his poor result. In terms of speed analytics from that event, Truex was the fastest driver early in a run, had the best green flag speed, the best Total Speed Ranking and was the 4th fastest driver late in a run. In Darlington #2 2020, Truex finished 2nd in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2, was the 2nd fastest driver late in a run, had a 6.7 average running position and finished 10th. In race #1 2020, Truex finished 3rd in Stage #2, 6th overall and ranked as the 6th Fastest Driver Late In A Run.

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