COTA Echopark Texas Grand Prix Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

William Byron
COTA Fantasy Outlook – At COTA, look for defending race winner, William Byron to unload fast and be a factor. Byron smoked the field last spring, was arguably the 2nd best in 2023 and he ranks among the best road course racers in NASCAR. In 2024 at road courses, Byron had problems at Sonoma and Watkins Glen but minus those two races his average finish was 4th. Overall, in the Next Gen at COTA in terms of Speed Rankings, Byron ranks 4th.
COTA Track History – At COTA, William Byron has been strong and over the last two races you could argue he’s been the best, with him having won last year, having a 3.0 average finish (tied for the best), having the best average running position (2.7), the best Driver Rating and having the best Total Speed Ranking (1.5). Last year, Byron was the class of the field. In the race, Byron started first, led 42 laps, earned the best Driver Rating by a wide margin, had the best average running position (2.3) and had the best Total Speed Ranking, having ranked 1st, 1st, 1st and 4th across the four segments in terms of speed. In 2023, Reddick had the field covered, but William Byron gave him a run for his money. In the race, Byron won the pole, had a race best 3.0 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, led the 2nd most laps (28) and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking, the 3rd best Green Flag Speed and then ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In the two races prior to that, Byron had results of 12th and 11th.

Shane van Gisbergen 
COTA Fantasy Outlook – Shane van Gisbergen is a super-elite road course racer and at COTA, look for him to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. SVG had a race to forget last year but in his own Trackhouse ride, he’ll be a handful for the competition and take them to the limit. Last year at road courses, SVG had some problems along the way but to end the year, he nearly won at Watkins Glen (2nd, best Speed Ranking) and then won the pole and finished 7th at the Charlotte Roval.
COTA Track History – Last year at COTA, Shane van Gisbergen finished 21st but I wouldn’t read into that result since his race wasn’t incident free. In the race, SVG was caught speeding on pit road on lap 26 while running in 9th and then later when he rebounded back up to 13th on lap 41, he lost first gear. Despite his problems, he still managed to have the 13th best Total Speed Ranking.

Tyler Reddick
COTA Fantasy Outlook – At COTA, Tyler Reddick the 2023 winner will be a favorite. Reddick’s an elite road course racer and his COTA track record has been impeccable. In the Next Gen, Reddick has a 3.7 average finish, the best Driver Rating, the best Average Running Position (4.6) and the best Next Gen Speed Ranking. Over all four combined races, Reddick’s average finish is 5.0 and he’s one of three drivers who have finished in the top ten every race. Last year at road courses, Reddick was fast and in the three races prior to the 2024 Playoffs where things just didn’t go well, his average finish was 5.0.
COTA Track History – The road to victory lane might likely go thru Tyler Reddick. Reddick smoked the field in 2023 and in the Next Gen specifically, Reddick has the best COTA Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Next Gen average finish (3.7) and he’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top five. Last year, Reddick was stout en route to a 5th. In the race, Reddick started 3rd, had the 3rd best average running position (5.5), earned the 4th best Driver Rating and had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2023, Reddick smoked the field en route to victory lane, despite doing a three pit stop strategy which turned out to be inferior. In the race, Reddick earned the best Driver Rating, led the most laps (41) and had a 3.7 average running position, despite pitting an extra time compared to much of the field. In terms of speed stats, Reddick ranked #1 for Total Speed Rankings, #1 for Green Flag Speed and then ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Reddick was one of the best and consistently ran near the front. In the race, Reddick had a 4.6 average running position, led 2 laps and then finished 5th. Take note, those 2 laps led were laps 66 and 67 of the 69-lap race. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Reddick ranked 2nd. In 2021, Reddick finished 9th.

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