Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions

Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has about 20th place upside, so make sure you’re not too bullish on him. Stenhouse finished right around 20th in both races last year (21st place average finish) and in 8 of the last 9 races in the desert he’s finished 19th or worse. Last year at shorter-flat tracks minus Richmond #1 and Gateway where he had problems, Stenhouse went 4 for 4 at finishing between 17th to 23rd, had a 19.25 average finish and his Speed Ranking over the combined races ranked 23rd.
Phoenix Track History – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is capable of running well at Phoenix, he just hasn’t done so for an extended period of time. In the Next Gen over the combined races, Stenhouse ranks 26th in Total Speed Rankings. Last year, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t do much in the desert and was around 20th place good in both races. Last fall, Stenhouse was a low-twenties performer. In the race, Stenhouse finished 23rd, had a 22.4 average running position and had the 27th best Speed Ranking. Last spring, Stenhouse never ran well and finished 19th. I’ll note, Stenhouse did brush the wall on lap 55, but he was in 25th at that time anyways so I don’t think it hurt him too much. Additionally, Stenhouse had a 25.6 average running position and ranked 22nd for Green Flag Speed and Total Speed Rankings. With 14 to go before late mayhem ensued, Stenhouse was back in 24th. In the three Phoenix races prior to that, Stenhouse had clunker results of 32nd, 28th and 36th.

Zane Smith
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, I think Zane Smith is a quality roll of the dice prospect, assuming Trackhouse steps up to the plate for him. Don’t forget, Ross Chastain raced his way to victory lane here last fall and Suarez finished 11th, so there’s potential good things could happen for him if you’re willing to roll the dice.
Phoenix Track History – Last spring at Phoenix in the #38, Zane Smith had an afternoon to forget, and personally I wouldn’t really read into it. In the race, Smith finished 31st and had a 30.8 average running position.

John Hunter Nemechek
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – John Hunter Nemechek will be an enticing mid-tier prospect at Phoenix but ultimately, I would be in “Watch and learn” mode this weekend with him. Last fall, Legacy cars showed potential despite what you’ll see in the results column. On Sunday, I would view Nemechek as about a 20th place driver heading into the weekend just to play it safe.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix on the Cup level, John Hunter Nemechek has a track record you don’t want to see. Nemechek last raced here in fall 2020 and over his last three Cup races which were in the #38 he’s recorded results of 25th, 26th and 27th.

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