Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Christopher Bell
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Christopher “Clutch” Bell will be a contender at Phoenix. Bell has risen to the occasion twice in the Playoffs when his back is up against the wall facing “Must Win Situations”, and I have no doubt he’s capable of stepping up to the plate again. When it comes to racing at shorter-flat tracks, Bell is one of the premiere performers and in the last two races on this sub-track type, Bell has results of 1st (New Hampshire) and 2nd (Richmond #2). Overall, in 2022 on this sub-track type minus Phoenix this spring, Bell has a 4.5 average finish. Going back to 2021 on this track type minus Phoenix this spring, Bell is 9 for 9 at finishing in the top ten and his average finish is 5th. On Sunday, look for Bell to finish in the top five and potentially compete for the win.
Phoenix Track History – Christopher Bell has been strong at Phoenix and if this spring would’ve been incident free, then I think Bell would currently have three straight top tens. This spring, Bell finished 6th in Stage #1, but then during the Stage #1 caution he had a slow stop that dropped him from 6th to 21st. Then later in Stage #2 on lap 119 while he was running around the mid-teens he had a flat tire and spun. After that you could stick a fork in his competitive afternoon, and he went on to finish 26th. In 2021, Bell swept the top ten. Last fall, Bell had a solid performance. In addition to finishing 9th, Bell had a 12.6 average running position, the 14th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the 16th Fastest Driver Late In A Run. Since Bell had two teammates competing for the championship, I’m going to assume the #20 wasn’t a real core focus for JGR during the weekend. In spring 2021, Bell ran well. In the race, Bell started 4th, but then on lap 55 he was shown to have kissed the wall and that had him falling back. Bell recovered, and then finished 10th in Stage #2. When the checkered flag waved, Bell finished 9th, had an 8.6 average running position, had the 8th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the 8th fastest driver late in a run.

Joey Logano
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – 2022 started with the #22 in victory lane, and I think there’s a great chance it will end the same way. Joey Logano and the #22 crew have had weeks to focus ahead for the Phoenix Finale, so you better believe they’ll be ready to take advantage of the situation. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Logano has been one of the best. He raced his way to victory lane at Gateway, and minus Richmond #1 (pit penalty) and New Hampshire (pit strategy) where he had misleading results, Logano has a 5.0 average finish. In terms of Total Speed Rankings on this track type in 2022 over the combined events, Logano ranks as the 2nd fastest.
Phoenix Track History – Joey Logano is a two-time winner at Phoenix and currently in the desert, Logano has 7-straight top 11 results. Over the last five Phoenix races, Logano has three results in the top 3, a series best 5.0 average finish, the 2nd best average running position (6.0), he’s averaged leading the 2nd most laps per race (66.4) and his driver rating is the 2nd best. This spring, Logano had a solid showing. In the race he finished 9th in Stage #1, 10th in Stage #2, had an 8.5 average running position and then finished 8th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Logano ranked 8th. Last fall when he wasn’t up for title contention, Logano finished 11th, had a 10.8 average running position and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. There’s no question in my mind he would’ve performed better if he was competing for the championship. In spring 2021, Logano had a great car and almost raced his way to victory lane. In the race he finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved, led 143 laps and had the best driver rating. In 2020, Logano led 125 laps and finished 3rd in the fall, and in the spring, he led 60 laps and raced his way to victory lane.

Chase Elliott
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – At Phoenix, look for Chase Elliott to be a contender. The #9 team only has 2 top tens in the Playoffs which is concerning, but this is “Winner Take All” (or highest finisher), and I have no doubt he’ll unload fast and be a factor. Elliott has been one of the best in the desert, and in the last two races held at shorter-flat tracks in 2022, Elliott has results of 2nd (New Hampshire) and 5th (Richmond). For the season at shorter-flat tracks over the combined events, Elliott’s Total Speed Ranking ranks as the 3rd best.
Phoenix Track History – Chase Elliott has been a phenom at Phoenix. Elliott raced his way to victory lane in the 2020 championship finale, and over the last five races in the desert, Elliott has a 5.8 average finish, a 5.9 average running position, he’s averaged leading 78 laps per race, and he has the best driver rating. This spring, Elliott was a top 3 performer but finished an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Elliott finished 3rd in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, had a 3.9 average running position, led 50 laps and earned the 3rd best driver rating. Late cautions hurt him, and then with 9 to go while running in 7th, Elliott was a late caution and got loose and spun. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Elliott ranked #1 with his speed over the segments being 4th, 1st, 1st and then 4th. In terms of speed late in a run, he ranked 2nd. Last fall when Elliott was up for title contention, he finished 3rd in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, led 94 laps, had a 2.5 average running position and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed analytics, Elliott had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking. Take note, before there was a late caution during the pit cycle that propelled Truex to the lead, Elliott was the race leader. That’s a key moment that will be forgotten by many. In spring 2021, Elliott started in the back, finished 5th in Stage #1, 9th in Stage #2 and then 5th when the checkered flag waved. His good finish is even more impressive when you take into account, Elliott was caught speeding on pit road at the end of Stage #2. In fall 2020, Elliott started in the back and raced his way to victory lane and the championship. In addition to winning, Elliott led 153 laps, was tied for having the best Total Speed Ranking, had the 2nd best Green Flag Speed and ranked as the 2nd Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In spring 2020, Elliott had one of the best cars, but finished an asterisk mark 7th. In the race, Elliott led 93 laps, finished 2nd in Stage #1, but in Stage #2 on lap 157 while he was the leader and had a 1.4 second lead, Elliott made an unexpected pit stop which dropped him a lap down to 28th. In terms of speed analytics, Elliott had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking.

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions >The Low Tier