Phoenix Shriners Children’s 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Christopher Bell
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Christopher Bell is a shorter-flat track ace who’ll be a favorite at Phoenix. Bell smoked the field last spring en route to victory lane, was stout last fall and you could also argue he’s the premiere performer at shorter-flat tracks. Last year at shorter-flat tracks, Bell was consistently the driver to beat and quite often, the only driver who could beat him was himself. In 2024 at shorter-flat tracks, Bell had the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking, the best average finish (4.3), the best average running position and earned the best Driver Rating by a wide margin.
Phoenix Track History – At Phoenix, Christopher Bell has been strong. Bell’s the defending spring winner and in the Next Gen, Bell has the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking and a 5.5 average finish over his four incident free races. Last fall, Bell looked great, but I also think he kind of eased up at the end, letting the title contenders battle it out. In the race, Bell finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had a race best 2.8 average running position, led the most laps (143), had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 5th overall. Last 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. In fall 2023, Bell looked great but 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. Over the three races prior to that, Bell had results of 6th, 10th and 26th (top ten performer, flat tire and spun).

Ryan Blaney
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney is a super-elite performer at Phoenix who’ll be tough to beat. Blaney’s yet to win in the desert, but he’s consistently been a top threat. In the Next Gen at Phoenix, Blaney has the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best average finish (2.8), the best driver rating, he’s finished 2nd in 4 of the last 5 races and currently has seven straight top 5’s. Last year at shorter-flat tracks, Blaney ranked among the premiere performers, having the 2nd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking and the 2nd best Driver Rating. On Sunday, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Phoenix Track History – Ryan Blaney has performed at a super-elite level at Phoenix, and he’s done everything but win! Currently, Blaney has 7-straight top fives and in 11 of the last 12 races he’s finished in the top ten. Going back to 2019 minus spring 2020, Blaney’s average finish is 3.9! As you read above in the Next Gen, Blaney ranks #1 for Total Speed Rankings, Average Finish (2.8) and Driver Rating. Last fall when he was up for title contention, Blaney was stout but came up short. In the race, Blaney started 17th, finished 6th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 12 laps, had a 4.1 average running position, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd. In terms of speed stats, Blaney ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and then 4th for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Blaney had a similar performance. In that 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. In fall 2023 en route to taking home the title, Blaney started 15th, finished 10th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, earned the 5th best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd overall. Over the three races prior to that, Blaney had results of 2nd, 2nd and 4th.

William Byron
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, look for William Byron to be a factor. Byron’s a recent winner (spring 2023) and he ranks among the premiere performers. In the Next Gen, Byron has the 2nd best Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Average Finish (8.3) and the 2nd best Driver Rating. In 2024 at shorter-flat tracks over the combined races, Byron ranked 8th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings.
Phoenix Track History – William Byron has been one of the premiere performers at Phoenix. Byron raced his way to victory lane in spring 2023 and over the combined races in the Next Gen, he ranks among the best as you read above. In 4 of the last 5 races in the desert, Byron’s finished in the top 6. Last fall when he was battling it out for the title, Byron looked great but ultimately had nothing for the Penske big two. In the race, Byron finished 4th over the two opening Stages, had a 3.7 average running position, led 19 laps and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 4th. Last 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. In fall 2023, 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. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 2nd. 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 likely poised to finish in 4th before late cautions/mayhem ensued.

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