Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

William Byron
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – William Byron is the defending spring winner at Phoenix and on Sunday in the desert, look for Byron to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. At Phoenix, Byron has a 3.6 average finish over the last three races, and in 6 of the last 8 he’s finished in the top ten. In the two he failed to finish in the top ten, you can break out the asterisk marks. Last year at shorter-flat tracks, the #24 was fast and Byron had the 2nd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking. Byron had quite a few problems which hampered him in the results column but his 2.5 average finish at Phoenix in 2023 is ultimately what really counts.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix, William Byron has been one of the premiere performers. Byron raced his way to victory lane last spring and over the combined races in the Next Gen, Byron has the best Total Speed Ranking. Over the last three Phoenix races, Byron’s 3.6 average finish ranks as the 2nd best. Last fall when he was up for title contention, Byron won Stage # 1, finished 4th in Stage #2, led 95 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, had a 3.3 average running position and then finished 4th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed analytics, Byron had the 2nd best Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. In spring 2023 en route to victory lane, Byron started 3rd, won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 64 laps, had a 2.5 average running position and earned the best driver rating. I will note, Byron was poised to likely finish in 4th before late cautions/mayhem ensued. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the best Total Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Green Flag Speed and ranked 6th for Speed Late In A Run. In fall 2022, Byron finished 6th, had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking and had an 8.1 average running position. In spring 2022 in the Next Gen’s shorter-flat track debut, Byron was poised to finish in 12th before late chaos broke out but late wildness booted him back to an 18th.

Kyle Larson
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Larson is one of the premiere performers at Phoenix and on Sunday he’ll be tough to beat. Larson is a fairly recent winner (fall 2021) and in 9 of his last 10 races he’s finished in the top 9, with his only outlier being due to an engine failure in a race where he was a top five contender. Last year in the desert, Larson was stout and swept the top 4. In 2023 at shorter-flat tracks which have correlation, Larson won Richmond #1, finished in the top five in 5 of the 6 races and had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking. On Sunday, look for Larson to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix, Kyle Larson has performed at a super-elite level. Since fall 2018 minus spring 2022, Larson has a 4.5 average finish and he’s had a result in the top 9 every race. In the Next Gen in the desert, Larson has the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and minus spring 2022 his average finish is 5.3. Last fall when he was up for title contention, Larson was strong. In the race, Larson finished 5th in Stage #1, 7th in Stage #2, had a 4.9 average running position, had the 4th best Driver Rating and then finished 4th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked 6th for Total Speed Rankings and then 7th for Green Flag Speed and Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Larson was a standout performer. In the race, Larson won the pole, finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 1.4 average running position, earned the best driver rating, led 201 laps and was poised to finish in 2nd, before late “mayhem” ensued which led to his 4th. In terms of speed stats, Larson had the best Green Flag Speed and the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. In fall 2022, Larson finished 9th and had a 6.3 average running position. In spring 2022, Larson was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 34th. In the race, Larson finished 7th in Stage #1, 5th in Stage #2, but on lap 236 his engine started going south. Twenty laps prior to his problem he was running in 5th.

Ross Chastain
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, look for Ross Chastain to be a factor. Chastain raced his way to victory lane last fall in dominant fashion and in 3 of the 4 races in the Next Gen he’s finished in the top 3. Over the combined Phoenix races in the Next Gen, Chastain has the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. On Sunday, look for Chastain to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix in the Next Gen, nobody has been better than Ross Chastain. Chastain smoked the field last fall and in 3 of the 4 races he’s finished in the top 3. Last fall, Chastain was the class of the field and easily raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Chastain started 8th, finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 157 laps, had a 2.5 average running position and earned the best Driver Rating by a wide margin. In terms of speed stats, Chastain ranked #1 for Green Flag Speed, Total Speed Ranking and then 2nd for Speed Late In A Run. In spring 2023, Chastain was a top ten contender but finished an asterisk mark 24th after Hamlin had his “You’re coming with me buddy moment” in overtime. In the race, Chastain finished 7th in Stage #1, 9th in Stage #2 and had an 8.5 average running position. During overtime Chastain was up to 5th before Hamlin ruined his afternoon. In 2022, Chastain was a standout performer and swept the top 3, finishing 3rd in the fall and then 2nd in the spring.

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