RADIO
We have arrived at the final elimination race before the finale at Homestead, Miami next weekend. With non-Chase contender Jimmie Johnson winning the race at Texas, only Jeff Gordon is safe and locked in the final four. There are five of the eight remaining drivers (Truex Jr, Edwards, Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Logano) who only control their own destinies with a win at Phoenix. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch can clinch and move on without a win but will still need at least top 5 finishes. It is definitely going to get wild in the closing laps with seven drivers fighting for three spots in the final.
The track is Phoenix International Raceway, and it is a one mile, tri oval short track with 9° - 11° of banking in the corners. It will be a race where track position is key. There are very few drivers that finish inside the top 10 who started outside the first five rows.
Successful short track racers should be your target this week, and Kevin Harvick is a near lock here at Phoenix. He has won four straight races here at Phoenix and five of the last six. He has dominated so much that people forget that Jimmie Johnson is also really good here (4 wins, 14 top 5's). They both make chalk plays this week and should be highly owned. Lets take a look at few other core plays for this week.
Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks
Brad Keselowski - $10,800
He was so close to winning the race last week until Jimmie Johnson decided to steal it away at the end. He will now a near must win situation at Phoenix where he has a nice track history. In the last five races here, Brad has three top 5's, four top 10's and 5.6 average finish. Look for a strong push from the #2 team on Sunday.
Kyle Busch - $10,200
This is the furthest Kyle has been in any Chase in his career, and if he can avoid any issues and bad luck on Sunday, should advance into the final four. He has a bit of a cushion sitting in 2nd in the standings but will need at least a 4th pace finish to advance without a win. He has raced in four of the last five races at Phoenix and has two top 10's and a 18.0 average finish. It doesn't stand out by any means, but he is a great short track racer and should be extremely motivated and focused this weekend in the biggest race of his career.
Kurt Busch - $9,300
Like younger brother Kyle, he is a great short track racer. He currently sits in 7th in the standings and faces a must win scenario this weekend. Over the last five races here at Phoenix he has two top 5's, three top 10's and a 17.0 average finish due to the two finishes outside of 25th. If it comes down to a final restart Kurt will do what he needs to do to win.
Kasey Kahne - $7,900
This is a pick that should be reserved to large field tournaments. It has been a disappointing year for Kahne, and the #5 team as they missed the Chase and only recorded three top 5's and ten top 10 finishes. Four of those top 10 finishes have come in the Chase races, and he has another good shot this weekend. In his last five races at Phoenix he has two top 5's and a 11.0 average finish.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,100
After starting the Chase with six straight top 20 finishes he got into some trouble at Martinsville and finished 39th. He got back on track last week finishing 21st and now comes to a track where he has raced well in his early career. He has not finished outside the top in either of his five starts and holds a 15.0 average finish. If he qualifies outside the top 20 he is an almost must play in GPP's at this price.
Post Practice & Qualifying Update
Qualifying Top 10
- #48 Jimmie Johnson
- #41 Kurt Busch
- #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- #19 Carl Edwards
- #78 Martin Truex Jr.
- #42 Kyle Larson
- #20 Erik Jones
- #4 Kevin Harvick
- #5 Kasey Kahne
- #18 Kyle Busch
The #48, following a win last week, remained fast and won the pole for the race tomorrow. With nothing on the line look for Jimmie to contend for back to back wins. Kurt Bush looks to be a strong candidate for a win Sunday as the #41 team qualified 2nd ans was fastest in both of the final two practices. Kevin Harvick, who has won four straight races at Phoenix, qualified 8th and has a good shot to make it five in a row and would be in line for some place differential bonus points. Another strong pick for the win would be the #18 Kyle Busch. As of writing this update Kyle just finished dominating the Xfinity race and goes into Sunday sitting in 2nd in the standings and only needs a 3rd or better to advance. On the value side of things, Ryan Newman makes a nice pick as he qualified 22nd and was 12th and 15th in the final two practices.
Good luck this week everyone!
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