Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Daniel Suarez
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, don’t overlook our amigo, Daniel Suarez who’ll be vying for his 4th straight top ten in 2023. Suarez snuck in a good finish last spring, and I have no question he’s capable of repeating. Last year at shorter-flat tracks over the combined events, Suarez had a 16.7 average finish, and I’ll note that underrates him because I think he mailed in his Phoenix performance last fall, and at Gateway which is arguably the most similar track he was legit running in 6th in the final Stage until his jack broke which led to his misleading 23rd.
Phoenix Track History – Daniel Suarez is capable of delivering in the desert, but recently he’s delivered clunker after clunker results and in 5 of the last 6 races he’s finished 21st or worse. Last fall, Suarez looked like he was operating in “Early Vacation Mode”, and he never ran well. In the race he finished 24th, had the 24th best Total Speed Ranking and had a 23.3 average running position. Last spring, Suarez had his best performance in the desert in years and finished 9th. In the race, Suarez closed strong, but take note his average running position was 18.2. With 30 to go he was in 18th, with 10 to go he was in 16th, with 3 to go he was in 13th and then during the final lap following a late caution he was actually battling Austin Dillon for 7th before he dumped him. In terms of speed stats, Suarez ranked 15th for speed late in a run and 17th for best Total Speed Ranking. In 2021, Suarez had a pair of 21st place finishes for the season.

Bubba Wallace
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, I think Bubba Wallace is a teens driver. That said, I do think there’s potential he has more upside than that. Wallace finished a clunker 22nd last fall, but in the two shorter-flat track races prior to that, Wallace had results of 3rd (New Hampshire) and 13th (Richmond #2).
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix, Bubba Wallace has been a mid-teens to low-twenties driver in recent races. Since 2020 minus fall 2021 where he crashed in the opening laps, he’s 5 for 5 at finishing between 15th to 22nd and has an 18.8 average finish. In 2022 in the desert, Wallace was a dud and had a pair of 22nd place finishes. Last fall, Wallace had a forgettable performance, and I would question if he was operating in “Early Vacation Mode.” In the race he finished 22nd, had a 19.6 average running position and had the 26th best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Wallace didn’t run well and got lapped under green in Stage #2. When the checkered flag waved, Wallace finished 22nd, had a 25.6 average running position and ranked 21st for Total Speed Rankings. In fall 2021, Wallace completed 5 laps before crashing which led to his 39th place finish. In the three Phoenix races prior to that, Wallace had results of 16th, 15th and 19th.

Austin Cindric
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Austin Cindric is a strong shorter-flat track driver who should be on your radar. Among mid-tier drivers, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option for Phoenix. In 2022 at shorter-flat tracks to close out the year, Cindric’s last four results were 11th (Gateway), 13th (New Hampshire), 12th (Richmond #2) and 11th (Phoenix). For the season across all the races held at shorter-flat tracks, Cindric’s Total Speed Ranking was the 14th best. At Phoenix, I would view Cindric as a low double-digit to mid-teens driver.
Phoenix Track History – Last fall at Phoenix, Austin Cindric was solid. In the race he finished 10th in Stage #1, 10th in Stage #2, had an 11th place average running position and then finished 11th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Cindric ranked 4th for speed late in a run and 11th for Total Speed Rankings. Last spring in his first cup Phoenix start, Cindric didn’t have an afternoon to write about. In the event he started 8th, finished around 13th in Stage #1, finished around 25th in Stage #2 and then finished 24th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed analytics, Cindric had the 26th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 28th for speed late in a run.

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