Phoenix NASCAR Cup Series Championship Fantasy Front Runner Rankings

Ryan Preece
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Look for Ryan Preece to close out 2025 with a solid showing at Phoenix and by that, I think he’s a low double-digit to mid-teens driver. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Preece has been solid and for the season minus Richmond where he had brake problems, his average finish is 11.8 and he’s had a result in the top 15 every race.
Phoenix History – At Phoenix in the Next Gen, Ryan Preece is 3 for 5 at finishing between 12th to 15th and his Next Gen Speed Ranking Ranks 16th. This spring in what is ultimately the most important race, Preece ran well in his #60. In the race, Preece started 28th, had a 10.7 average running position, earned the 8th best Driver Rating, had the 13th best Total Speed Ranking and then finished 15th overall. Additionally, Preece led 34 laps but that’s also the product of out of sync pit strategy on the option tires. Last fall, Preece looked to be a high-teens performer but on lap 218 when he was running around 19th, the #41’s toe was broken and Preece was limping around the track which led to his 37th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Preece ranked 24th. Last spring, Preece finished 23rd and had an 18.2 average running position. In 2023, Preece had solid finishes of 12th and 14th.

Bubba Wallace
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, look for Bubba Wallace to perform at a high-level and be a top ten contender. Wallace currently has back-to-back top tens here in fall races and since 2023 minus this spring his average finish is 11.8. In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings over the last seven, Wallace ranks 13th. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Wallace has shown elite speed at times and for the season he ranks 8th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings. Gateway is perhaps the most similar of them and at that venue Wallace finished 8th, led 73 laps and had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking.
Phoenix History – At Phoenix, Bubba Wallace has been pretty solid in recent races and over the last five races minus this spring, Wallace has a 12.75 average finish, a 13.3 average running position and the 12th best Driver Rating. This spring, Wallace showed potential but finished 29th. In the race, Wallace started 19th, finished Stage #2 around 17th, was in 11th on lap 262 but then just a few laps later, the brakes of the #23 blew out and Wallace got into the wall hard which marked the end of his race, leading to a DNF 29th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Wallace ranked 17th but take note his speed over the segments were 25th, 20th, 12th and then 13th.  Last fall, Wallace had his best performance to date in the desert and finished 7th, despite starting 29th. Additionally, Wallace had the 7th best Total Speed Ranking and earned the 8th best Driver Rating. Last spring, Wallace was OK. In the race, Wallace finished 16th, had a 17.5 average running position and then ranked 18th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In fall 2023, Wallace finished 4th in Stage #1, 8th in Stage #2, had a 7.6 average running position, earned the 8th best Driver Rating and then finished 10th overall. In spring 2023, Wallace finished 14th.

Josh Berry
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Josh Berry is a strong shorter-flat track performer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up big at Phoenix to end 2025 on a high-note. Berry finished 2nd in the most recent race on this sub-track type at New Hampshire and for the season minus Gateway where he crashed his average finish is 6.8. Over the combined races at these venues in 2025, Berry ranks 6th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings. Heading into the weekend, I would view Berry as a top ten contender.
Phoenix History – At Phoenix, Josh Berry is 2 for 4 at finishing in the top ten and the good news is that he had his best performance this spring. In March, Berry finished 4th, earned the 5th best Driver Rating and had the 6th best average running position (9.1). In terms of speed stats, Berry ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and 5th for Speed Late In A Run. Last fall in the SHR farewell race, Berry was just M.I.A, finishing 24th, having a 27th place average running position and his Total Speed Ranking ranked 23rd. Last spring, Berry finished 26th, had a 24.8 average running position and ranked 26th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In spring 2023 in the #9, Josh Berry snuck in a 10th, but you can get out an asterisk mark for that result. In the race, Berry had an 18.4 average running position, the 18th best Driver Rating and the 19th best Total Speed Ranking. Take note, with 17 to go before late mayhem ensued which was to his benefit, Berry was back in 16th.

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