Phoenix Freeway Insurance 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney’s a super-elite performer at Phoenix who’ll be tough to beat. Blaney has back-to-back Phoenix wins and in the Next Gen era, Blaney ranks #1 across the board for Speed, Driver Rating and Average Finish (5.2). In 8 of the 9 Phoenix races, he’s finished in the top 5, and the lone outlier was due to an engine failure. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Blaney’s been the driver to beat and over the combined races he ranks #1 for Speed and has a 5.8 average finish minus Gateway.
Phoenix History – Ryan Blaney has been the driver to beat at Phoenix, ranking #1 in the Next Gen for Speed, Driver Rating and Average Finish, despite having an engine failure. Minus that engine failure, Blaney’s Next Gen average finish drops to 2.8. This spring, Blaney had an eventful afternoon, but raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Blaney started 5th, won Stage #1 but then in Stage #2, problems started. During a caution just after lap 94 while running in 2nd, he had to pit twice to tighten a wheel which dropped him back to the high 20’s. Then later in Stage #2 just after lap 131 when he rebounded back up to 9th, Blaney had to pit in Logano’s pit box to get his wheel’s tightened which dropped him to the back again. To begin the last Stage, Blaney restarted about 10th and he then raced his way back to the front from there. Despite his laundry list of problems, Blaney still had a 7.4 average running position, led 28 laps and earned the best Driver Rating. In terms of Speed Stats, Blaney had the 2nd fastest car and ranked 4th for Total Speed Rankings, despite spending much of his afternoon back in traffic. Last fall, Blaney had a rocket and then snuck in a win at the end. In the race, Blaney finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, had the 3rd best average running position (3.8), led 20 laps and then of course finished 1st when the checkered flag waved. I’ll quickly note, before overtime came out and he opted for 2-tires, Blaney was running in 3rd. In terms of speed stats, Blaney ranked #1 for Speed Late In A Run and had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Blaney was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 28th. In the race, Blaney finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2 but then early in the last Stage he started to develop engine issues and then eventually on lap 289 while running in 8th, his engine blew up. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 3rd. Over the six races prior to that, Blaney had results of 2nd, 5th, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd and 4th.

Christopher Bell
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – Christopher Bell is a shorter-flat track ace who’ll be a favorite at Phoenix. Bell was the class of the field this spring and over the last five Phoenix races, Bell has 2-wins, 3 results in the top 2 and a 4.0 average finish. Overall in the Next Gen in the desert, Bell ranks 3rd for Speed, 5th for Driver Rating and then 6th for Average Finish (10.9). This year at shorter-flat tracks, Bell has the 3rd best average finish (8.8) and ranks 4th for Speed.
Phoenix History – At Phoenix, Christopher Bell has performed at a super-elite level. Over the last five races since 2024, Bell’s won twice, has the best average finish (4.0), the best average running position (4.9), the best Driver Rating and the best average Speed Ranking (2.8). This spring, Bell was the class of the field but pit strategy when he took 4-tires from the lead during a late caution which dropped him back to 8th cost him the win. In the race, Bell finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 176 laps, had a 2.7 average running position and earned the best Driver Rating. In terms of Speed Stats, Bell ranked 1st for both Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. Last fall, Bell was strong. In the race, Bell started 20th, finished 11th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, was running in 8th before the GWC caution and then finished 11th overall. Additionally, Bell earned the 7th best Driver Rating and had an 8.2 average running position. In terms of speed stats, Bell ranked 5th in terms of speed late in a run and had the 7th best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Bell had a rocket and raced his way to victory lane with a last lap pass for the win. In the race, Bell finished 4th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a race best 2.6 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating and led the most laps (105). If it wasn’t for option tire funny business, he would’ve been even more dominant. In terms of speed analytics, Bell ranked #1 for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. In fall 2024, 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. In spring 2024, Bell raced his way to victory lane.

Denny Hamlin
Phoenix Fantasy Outlook – At Phoenix, look for Denny Hamlin to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. The #11 was the class of the field last fall and whenever the series visits a shorter-flat track, Hamlin’s always a factor. In the Next Gen in the desert, Hamlin ranks 3rd for average finish (9.7), 4th for Speed and then 4th for Driver Rating. Over the last three, Hamlin’s average finish is 4.3. This year at shorter-flat tracks, Hamlin has the best average finish in the series (5.3), he’s the only driver who’s finished in the top ten every race and in terms of Speed he ranks 3rd.
Phoenix History – Denny Hamlin is a 2-time winner at Phoenix and in the Next Gen, Hamlin ranks 3rd for average finish (9.7) and then 4th for Speed. This spring, Hamlin finished 5th, had the 2nd best average running position (5.5) and earned the 3rd best Driver Rating. In terms of Speed Stats, Hamlin ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and then 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2025, Hamlin was good enough to pull out the broom but was denied late in both races. Last fall, Hamlin was the class of the field, but a late caution brought out overtime while leading with a +3 second lead. Then Hamlin opted for 4-tires during the caution which dropped him back to 10th to begin the GWC. In the race, Hamlin won the pole, finished 3rd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a race best 2.3 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating, led 208 laps but then finished 6th as a product of overtime. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 3rd in terms of speed late in a run. Last spring, Hamlin nearly raced his way to victory lane 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.

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