Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Chase Briscoe
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Don’t overlook Chase Briscoe at Phoenix. Briscoe raced his way to victory lane here in spring 2022 and over the three combined races in the Next Gen, Briscoe has the 2nd best average finish (4.0), the 4th best average running position (7.0) and the 4th best Driver Rating. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Briscoe has been solid and minus Gateway, Briscoe has a 10.0 average finish and a 14.8 average running position. At Phoenix, look for Briscoe to be a top ten contender.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix in the Next Gen, Chase Briscoe has been stout and ranks among the best in the Next Gen. This spring, Briscoe started 24th, finished 10th in Stage #2 and then finished 7th when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Briscoe was running in 8th before late cautions broke out and ranked 9th for Total Speed Rankings. Last fall, Briscoe ran great and was a consistent front runner. In the race he started 3rd, had a 3.5 average running position, led 26 laps and then finished 4th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Briscoe had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 10th for speed late in a run. In spring 2022, Briscoe was stout and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Briscoe started 6th, finished 2nd in Stage #1, 8th in Stage #2, had a 4.6 average running position, led the 2nd most laps (101) and earned the 2nd best driver rating. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Briscoe ranked 3rd. In 2021, Briscoe had a pair of asterisk mark results but was running in 12th before he had problems in both races.

Martin Truex Jr.
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Martin Truex Jr. is a recent winner at Phoenix who’s been elite but with how the 2023 Playoffs have played out, buckle up if you pick him because it could be another rough weekend and I wouldn’t blame him if he’s operating in “Early Vacation Mode.” At Phoenix, Truex is a recent winner (spring 2021) who’s been elite but so far in the Next Gen, he’s 3 for 3 at finishing 15th or worse, so things haven’t exactly been smooth. This year at shorter-flat tracks, the #19 has been fast and over the last three on this sub-track type, Truex has a 4.3 average finish and the 2nd best Driver Rating. At Phoenix, I could see Truex be a top five contender just as easily as he could burn you with another buzz kill result. He’s a “Pick at your own risk” driver this weekend.
Phoenix Track History – Phoenix hasn’t been very kind to Truex in the Next Gen and he’s 3 for 3 at finishing 15th or worse. This spring, Truex didn’t run well and finished 17th, which is unfortunately legit. In the race, Truex had the 17th best Total Speed Ranking, an 18th place average running position and was running in 18th before late cautions broke out. Last fall, Truex was pretty sporty, but he finished an asterisk mark 15th. In the race, Truex finished 5th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2 but then in the final Stage during the Bowman caution around lap 267 while he was running around 8th, Truex was caught speeding on pit road. In terms of speed stats, Truex had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 6th for speed late in a run. Last spring, Truex was a top ten contender but crashed and finished 35th. In the race, Truex finished 11th in Stage #1, about 14th in Stage #2 but then in the final Stage on lap 219 while running in 12th he crashed. In 2021, Truex finished 2nd in the fall and then raced his way to victory lane in the spring.

Bubba Wallace
Phoenix Fantasy Spin – Bubba Wallace has a track record that’s nothing to brag about at Phoenix, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a top ten contender. This year at shorter-flat tracks, the #23 has been fast and over the five combined races his Track Type Total Speed Ranking ranks as the 10th best, with him ranking between 10th to 13th over the last four in terms of speed. Over the last two races held on this sub-track type, Wallace has a 10.0 average finish, an 8.8 average running position and the 7th best Total Speed Ranking. At Richmond #2 the most recent race, Wallace led 80 laps. On Sunday, I’m going to view Wallace as a teens performer who has a great chance to finish in the top ten.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix over his 11-starts, Bubba Wallace has only cracked the top ten once and a good day for him has historically been a mid-teens finish. Over the last seven races, Wallace has 4-results in the teens and then in the other three he finished 22nd or worse. This spring, Wallace finished 14th, had a 16.6 average running position and had the 16th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2022 in the desert, Wallace went 2 for 2 at finishing 22nd. 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.

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