Phoenix Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney will be tough to beat at Phoenix as he defends his title. In the Next Gen in the desert, Blaney’s been a standout performer, having the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best average finish (3.0), the best driver rating and he’s 5 for 5 at finishing in the top five. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Blaney’s been a super-elite performer. Blaney won at Iowa, should’ve won at Gateway (ran out of gas on the last lap while leading), was wrecked while running in 2nd at New Hampshire, finished 5th at Phoenix and then had results of 11th and 19th at Richmond (I don’t like to read into Richmond with him). In terms of speed at shorter-flat tracks this year, Blaney has the 2nd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking.
Phoenix Track History – Ryan Blaney has knocked on the door to victory lane at Phoenix. Blaney currently has six straight top fives and in 10 of the last 11 races he’s finished in the top ten. Going back to 2019 minus spring 2020, Blaney’s average finish is 4.1. In the Next Gen, Blaney’s performed at a super-elite level, ranking #1 for average finish (3.0), driver rating and Next Gen Speed Rankings. This spring, Blaney had a strong showing. In the race, Blaney started 16th, finished 7th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2 and then finished 5th overall. In terms of speed stats, Blaney ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run and then 5th for Total Speed Rankings. Last fall en route to taking home the title, the #12 was fast. In the race, Blaney started 15th, finished 10th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, earned the 5th best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Blaney had the 2nd fastest car on the track over the last quarter of the race, ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking. In spring 2023, Blaney ran well throughout and then snuck in a 2nd at the end. In the race, Blaney finished 6th in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, had a 7.5 average running position and then finished 2nd overall. I’ll note, with 17 to go before late cautions came out, Blaney was poised to finish in 6th. Over the three races prior to that, Blaney had results of 2nd, 4th and 4th.

Christopher Bell
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Christopher Bell is a shorter-flat track ace who’ll be a favorite at Phoenix. Bell smoked the field this spring, easily racing his way to victory lane and at shorter-flat tracks this year, Bell’s been the driver to beat with essentially the only person who’s able to beat the #20 team, is the #20 team. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Bell has the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking, the best average finish (4.2), the best average running position and the best Driver Rating by a wide margin.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix, Christopher Bell has been strong. Bell raced his way to victory lane this spring despite not having an incident free race and in 4 of the 6 races prior to that, Bell finished between 6th to 10th. In the Next Gen at Phoenix, Bell ranks 5th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. This spring, the #20 was stout, and maneuverable in traffic which was a difference maker for him. In the race, Bell started 13th, won Stage #2, had a slow pit stop to begin the final Stage dropping him from 1st to 10th, but then down the stretch to close out, the #20 hit the afterburners and Bell drove up thru the pack and wouldn’t be denied the win. In the race, Bell led 50 laps, earned the best Driver Rating and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. Last fall, Bell looked great, but he finished an asterisk mark 36th after having a brake failure. In the race, Bell started 13th, finished 9th in Stage #1, was up to 5th on lap 102 but then on lap 110 while running in 5th, Bell had his brake failure and slammed into the wall hard which marked the end of his race. Last spring, Bell finished 6th but take note he performed better than his result. In the race, Bell finished 3rd in Stage #1, 7th in Stage #2, had a 4.8 average running position and was poised to likely finish in 3rd before late cautions broke out. In terms of speed stats, Bell ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run, 4th for Green Flag Speed and 4th for Total Speed Rankings. In fall 2022, Bell was likely a top five contender but problems on pit road late led to an asterisk mark 10th. In Stage #2 he finished 6th, but then in the final Stage around lap 267 while running in 5th, the #20 team had a slow stop that dropped him back to the teens. In terms of speed stats, Bell ranked 3rd for speed late in a run, and 8th for Total Speed Rankings. In spring 2022, Bell finished 6th in Stage #1, but then during the Stage #1 caution he had a slow stop that dropped him from 6th to 21st. Then later in Stage #2 on lap 119 while he was running around the mid-teens, he had a flat tire and spun. After that you could stick a fork in his competitive afternoon, and he went on to finish 26th.

William Byron
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – William Byron will be a factor at Phoenix as he battles it out for the title. Byron’s a recent winner (spring 2023), he gained high-pressure experience last fall competing for the championship and in the Next Gen he’s been one of the best, having the best average running position (5.8), the 2nd best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Driver Rating and the 4th best average finish (9.4). This year at shorter-flat tracks, Byron ranks 9th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings.
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 as you read above, he ranks among the best. This spring, Byron finished 18th but you can get out an asterisk mark for that result. In the race, Byron finished 6th in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2, was in 4th on lap 209 but then following that, Hamlin spun which flipped the field and that greatly impacted Byron and he just couldn’t bounce back. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 8th. 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.

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