Fantasy NASCAR Picks for Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix

The Daytona 500 is behind us, and now, fantasy NASCAR players can get to some real racing. Handicapping the Daytona 500 is almost impossible. Congratulations to those players who were able to come out of the Daytona 500 in first place in their league. It will only get easier from here.

I got off to a good start. I started Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Elliott Sadler in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game. The lineup was good enough for 292 points and put me in the top 95 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing players.

For the NASCAR Fantasy Live game, I started Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($99 Budget). The lineup scored me 208 points.

Here are my picks for the Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing game and NASCAR Fantasy Live played on Nascar.com.

Yahoo! Group “A” Drivers

There are many great choices in Group A. I would be surprised if the winner of the race did not come from this group of drivers. I am not sure which manufacturer has the advantage this season. For that reason, I decided to pick one Ford driver and one Chevy driver for my selections in Group A. I will watch practice and qualifying and pick the driver with the best results for my team.

Here are my selections for the Yahoo Group A:

Carl Edwards

Edwards looked strong on the newly-paved track last November. There are drivers with higher average finishes at Phoenix than Edwards, but none have been as hot as Edwards. He had a disappointing Daytona 500, and I predict he will have something to prove at Phoenix.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson has been in a bit of a slump. I really thought he would have performed better in the Daytona 500, but the wreck was not his fault. I am not giving up on Johnson yet. He has dominated at Phoenix over the past five seasons. Johnson has four career wins at Phoenix, and I think Sunday he may make it No. 5

Other good picks: Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth

Yahoo Group “B” Drivers

Like the picks in Group A, there are many good choices in Group B as well. I decided to use the drivers with the strongest history at Phoenix.

Here are my selections for Yahoo! Group B:

Kasey Kahne

In 2011, Kasey Kahne finished No. 6 in the spring race and won the fall race at Phoenix. Kahne is one of the best flat-track racers in NASCAR. If he can win at Phoenix in a Red Bull Racing car, I am sure he can win driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

Ryan Newman

Newman is also very good on the flat race tracks. He has seven top-10 finishes in his 19 career races at Phoenix. One reason why I like Newman is because Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing awards 10 points for starting on the pole position. Newman has four career poles at Phoenix.

Mark Martin

Martin will not run a full schedule in 2012, so I will use him whenever I can. Phoenix is a great place to get a start out of Martin. He used to dominate at Phoenix. His average career finish at Phoenix is No. 9. That is second to Jimmie Johnson.

Jeff Burton

I am going out on a limb with this pick. Burton had a good race at Phoenix in November. He finished the race at No. 4. His average career finish is No. 12, and I think Burton will be strong on Sunday.

Other good picks: A.J. Allmendinger, Marcus Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer

Yahoo Group “C” Drivers

This is where you can separate yourself from the rest of the fantasy players in your league. There is not a lot of talent in Group C, but I think two drivers stand out above the rest.

Here are my selections for Group C:

David Reutimann

Reutimann may be overlooked in Group C, but he shouldn’t be. Reutimann will be driving the No. 10 car (yes, that is Danica Patrick’s car). Reutimann finished the November race at Phoenix in the No. 7 position. He will have a lot of help from Stewart Haas and Hendrick in the No. 10 car. He is a solid pick for Sunday.

Bobby Labonte

My last selection for Group C came down to a decision between Labonte and Almirola. I went with Labonte because of his history at the track. Labonte finished both Phoenix races in 2011 in the No. 21 position. That is not too bad for a Group C driver. I will see how he qualifies before making a decision between Reutimann and Labonte.

Other good picks: Aric Almirola, Casey Mears, David Ragan

Fantasy Live Picks (nascar.com)

Last week’s team: Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($99 Budget). Total score: 208 points

This is my first year playing NASCAR Fantasy Live. I was able to get off to a good start. I realized the key to this game is trying to find a driver who will lead many laps or a driver who will be able to come from the back and finish up front.

Drivers earn .5 points for every lap led. If your driver is able to lead the most laps, that will be a huge bonus for your team.

Drivers earn a point for every place differential from the driver’s starting position. If a driver starts No. 35 and finishes the race No. 25, the driver will earn an additional 10 points.

For this game, I suggest picking at least one driver with a low salary and stocking up on the higher-priced drivers.

Here are my picks for the Daytona 500 for NASCAR Fantasy Live:

Carl Edwards $27

I had Edwards on my team last week, and I plan to use him again this week. Last season, Edwards finished second on the newly-paved track. He has 10 top-10 finishes in his 15 career starts at Phoenix. Edwards also has three career poles at Phoenix, and I think he will start up front on Sunday.  

Jeff Gordon $25

In order to obtain money for other drivers, I sold Tony Stewart for $27 and purchased Gordon for $25. Gordon won this race last season, snapping his 66-race winless streak. Gordon is very good on flat race tracks. He has 18 top-10 finishes in his 26 career starts. Gordon also has three career poles at Phoenix, and I think he will start up front.

Jimmie Johnson $25

I sold Dale Earnhardt Jr. for $25 and purchased Johnson for the same price. Johnson has been the best driver at Phoenix over the past five seasons. Johnson has 14 top-10 finishes in 17 career starts. He has 11 top-five finishes, with four race wins. He is almost a lock to finish in the top 10.

Mark Martin $18.50

I sold Greg Biffle for $20 and purchased a driver with a better history at the track. Martin used to dominate Phoenix the way Johnson does now. Martin is still good at the track. His average finish in Phoenix is No. 9.

Aric Almirola $3

I sold Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for $1 and purchased the cheapest driver with a guaranteed starting spot in the race, Almirola. He has only started two Sprint Cup races at Phoenix, and his average finish is 26.5. I will gamble with Almirola and hope it pays off.

Total budget: $99.50

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