Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Ty Gibbs
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, don’t overlook Ty Gibbs. Things weren’t so great last year but I think he’ll be a lot better in 2024. Last year at Shorter-Flat Tracks, Gibbs had a lot of misleading results but his Track Type Total Speed Ranking ranked 14th. On Sunday, I would view Gibbs as a teens driver who has top ten upside.
Phoenix Track History – Last year at Phoenix, Gibbs went 2 for 2 at finishing in the 20’s with his average finish being 24.5. Last fall, Gibbs finished 21st, had a 17.9 average running position and had the 18th best Total Speed Ranking. It just wasn’t a great showing. Last spring in his first Cup start in the desert, Ty Gibbs looked like about a 20th place performer, but he had multiple problems and finished an asterisk mark 28th. In the race, Gibbs started 14th, finished around 18th in Stage #1, finished 19th in Stage #2 but then during the Stage #2 caution he was caught speeding on pit road, which dropped him back to the mid-twenties to begin the final Stage. With 17 to go before late mayhem ensued, Gibbs was in 22nd. Then right near the end while running in 21st, Gibbs crashed in the caution which brought out overtime. Additionally, Gibbs had a 19.3 average running position and had the 21st best Total Speed Ranking.

Michael McDowell
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Michael McDowell was sneaky good at shorter-flat tracks in 2023, so hopefully he can keep the good times going in 2024. Last year on this sub-track type, McDowell finished in the top 13 in 5 of the 6 races and had a 12th place average finish. At Phoenix last year, McDowell had a career year and had an 11th place average finish between the combined races.
Phoenix Track History – Last year at Phoenix, Michael McDowell had a great season and swept the top 13. Last fall, McDowell closed the race strong over the closing run and finished 9th which marks his all-time best Phoenix result. Additionally, McDowell had a 17.2 average running position and the 17th best Total Speed Ranking. Over the last quarter of the race, the #34 was the 9th fastest car on the track. In spring 2023, McDowell finished 13th, had a 15.9 average running position and ranked 15th for Green Flag Speed and Total Speed Rankings. In the five Phoenix races prior to that, McDowell went 5 for 5 at finishing between 23rd to 27th.

Alex Bowman
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Last spring at Phoenix, Alex Bowman broke into the top 10 finish column for the first time since fall 2016 when he subbed for Dale Earnhardt Jr and looked like Superman. What did he do in the fall as an encore, he finished 17th. Overall in 6 of the last 8 Phoenix races, Bowman’s finished between 13th to 18th, and I think it’s wise to expect more of the same. Last year at shorter-flat tracks minus Gateway, Bowman had a 13.2 average finish and his Speed Ranking over all the combined races ranked 15th.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix since 2020 minus fall 2022, Alex Bowman has a 14.4 average finish. In terms of Phoenix Next Gen Total Speed Rankings, Bowman is tied for ranking 13th in terms of speed. Last fall, Bowman was a high-teens performer. In the race, Bowman finished 17th, had a 19.1 average running position and had the 21st best Speed Ranking. In spring 2023, Bowman snuck in a 9th. I will note, he was in 11th with 17 to go before late mayhem ensued. Additionally, Bowman had a 12.4 average running position and ranked 12th for Total Speed Rankings. In fall 2022, Bowman looked like a mid-teens performer, but he finished an asterisk mark 34th. On lap 267 while he was running in 15th, Bowman crashed. In spring 2022 in the Next Gen’s debut, Bowman finished 14th, had a 10.3 average running position and had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking. In the three Phoenix races prior to that, Bowman had results of 13th, 16th and 14th.

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