Phoenix NASCAR Cup Series Championship Fantasy Top Tier Elite Picks

Denny Hamlin
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, Denny Hamlin could be a man of destiny and finally win his first championship. The #11 team has had weeks to focus ahead to Phoenix, so you better believe he’ll be dialed in and ready to deliver. Whenever the series visits shorter-flat tracks, Hamlin should always be on your short list. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Hamlin won at Gateway which many view to be the best comp track, nearly won at Phoenix this spring and for the season over the combined races minus Iowa his average finish is 6.3. At Phoenix in the Next Gen, Hamlin has the 5th best Speed Ranking and an 8.8 average finish minus spring 2023 (Chastain’ed Chastain race).
Phoenix History – Denny Hamlin is a 2-time winner at Phoenix and in the Next Gen, Hamlin ranks 5th in terms of Speed Rankings and his Next Gen Average Finish is tied for being the 6th best (10.9) but take note that underrates him. This spring, Hamlin nearly notched his 3rd win but on the final lap in the final turn, Bell passed him which led to his runner-up. In the race, Hamlin started 10th, finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and had the 4th best average running position (7.3). In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking. Last fall, Hamlin finished 11th but that result doesn’t reflect his performance. For whatever reason, Hamlin just wasn’t at his best to close out. In the race, Hamlin finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, had the 10th best Total Speed Ranking and had a 10.0 average running position. Last spring, Hamlin was a standout performer but finished an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Hamlin won the pole, finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, had a 6.0 average running position, earned the 5th best Driver Rating, was tied for leading the most laps (68) but finished 11th. In the last Stage while battling for the lead, Hamlin spun out which led to his misleading finish. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 4th.

William Byron
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Look for William Byron to be a factor at Phoenix as he battles it out for the championship. Byron’s a recent winner (spring 2023) and ranks among the premiere performers. In the Next Gen, Byron has the Best Driver Rating, the best Average Running Position (5.2), the 2nd best Speed Ranking and the 2nd best Average Finish (8.0). This year at shorter-flat tracks, Byron has an Iowa win, the best average finish (6.6), the 2nd best Driver Rating and ranks 2nd in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings.
Phoenix 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’s 5 for 7 at finishing in the top 6, with his two results outside of that mark needing asterisk marks. Overall in the Next Gen, Byron has the 2nd best average finish (8.0) and the 2nd best Speed Ranking (3.7). This spring, Byron won the pole, won Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 83 laps, had the 2nd best average running position (3.8), earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 6th. I’ll note, there’s a very real chance Byron was better than his result. In the last Stage, Byron was in 5th on lap 262 but then shortly after that he was burned by a caution during the pit cycle which dropped him back to 20th. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the 2nd best Total Speed Rankings and ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run. Last fall, 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 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.

Ryan Blaney
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney is a super-elite performer at Phoenix who’ll be tough to beat even though he’s not battling it out for the championship. Blaney’s yet to win at Phoenix, but he’s consistently been a top threat. In the Next Gen, Blaney has the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best average finish (6.4), the 2nd best driver rating, he’s finished 2nd in 4 of the last 6 races and if he didn’t have engine problems this spring, he would likely have 8-straight top 5’s and 10 straight top tens. I’ll also note in Phoenix Next Gen fall races, he’s 3 for 3 at finishing 2nd. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Blaney’s been elite, having the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking and minus Phoenix he has 1-win (New Hampshire), a 3.0 average finish and he’s had a result in the top 8 every race.
Phoenix History – Ryan Blaney has performed at a super-elite level at Phoenix, and he’s done everything but win. Going back to 2020 #2 minus this spring, Blaney’s had a result in the top ten every race and his average finish is 3.9. This spring, Blaney looked great but finished an asterisk mark 28th. In the race, Blaney started 12th, finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2 but then early in the last Stage he started to develop engine issues and lost speed down the straightaways and then eventually on lap 289 while running in 8th, his engine blew up. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 3rd. Last fall, Blaney was stout but came up short and finished runner-up. 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 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 finished 2nd, had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and earned the 5th best Driver Rating. Over the three races prior to that, Blaney had results of 2nd, 2nd and 4th.

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