Darlington #2 2022 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings
Daniel Suarez
Darlington Fantasy Spin – Daniel Suarez will be making his Playoff debut on Sunday night, and I think he has upside at Darlington for those willing to roll the dice. His track record is anything but good, but he’s been solid in the last two races here and in the “What have you done lately” world of fantasy racing, that’s largely key. At Auto Club, the one other high-wear intermediate track visited this year, Suarez finished 4th this spring. On Sunday, I’m going to view Suarez as a teens driver who might compete for a top ten.
Darlington Track History – At Darlington over his nine starts, Daniel Suarez has six results of 23rd or worse. That said, he’s run well in the last two. This spring, Suarez had his all-time best Darlington performance. In the race, Suarez finished 10th in Stage #2, 10th when the checkered flag waved, had an 11.8 average running position, had the 11th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 10th for speed late in a run. Last September, Suarez finished 13th, had a 20th place average running position, and ranked 23rd for both Total Speed Ranking and Speed Late In A Run. Over about the final 100 laps he hovered around the low double-digits to mid-teens. In spring 2021, Suarez finished 23rd, had a 23.5 average running position and ranked as the 26th fastest driver late in a run.
Austin Dillon
Darlington Fantasy Spin – Austin Dillon is a solid mid-tier performer at Darlington who’ll be overlooked, despite making the Playoffs. Dillon currently has back-to-back top tens here and since 2019, his 11.1 average finish ranks as the 5th best. On Sunday, I would view Dillon as a teens performer who has upside.
Darlington Track History – Austin Dillon has been solid at “The Lady In Black.” Dillon has back-to-back top tens here, and he’s also proven to be a safe option with him finishing in the top 16 in 10 of his 12 starts. His career average finish here is 11.9. Over the last three Darlington races, Dillon has an 11.7 average finish. This spring, Dillon got two speeding penalties and didn’t really run that well but finished 9th when the checkered flag waved. Attrition certainly benefitted him. In the race, Dillon had a 20.7 average running position and the 23rd best Total Speed Ranking. Last fall, Dillon ran well. He finished 10th, had a 16.8 average running position and was the 14th Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In spring 2021, Dillon finished 16th, had a 17.7 average running position and was the 15th Fastest Driver Late In A Run.
Erik Jones
Darlington Fantasy Spin – Erik Jones is a former Darlington winner who should be on your radar. Jones was competitive this spring, and a strong case could be made that Darlington is his best track. Also, Jones has a knack for being really good every other week, and if that trend holds true, he’s certainly due for a good result. Auto Club is the one other high-wear intermediate track visited this year and at that venue in the spring, Jones finished 3rd. On Sunday night, I think Jones has a great chance to compete for a top ten.
Darlington Track History – At Darlington, Jones has been a fantasy ace. Jones won this event in 2019, and prior to his time in the #43 he was a perfect 6 for 6 at finishing in the top ten. This spring in his current ride, Jones was strong but finished an asterisk mark 25th. In the race, Jones finished 8th in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2, had a 10.4 average running position and had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking. On lap 260 during a restart while he was running in 12th, Jones was caught up in a multi-car wreck. In 2021 when the #43 wasn’t as competitive, Jones had results of 32nd and 18th. In 2020 in the #20, Jones had results of 4th, 5th and 8th.
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