Fantasy NASCAR at New Hampshire 2014: Picks, Top Drivers for Sylvania 300
The Sprint Cup Series travels to Loudon, New Hampshire, this week for the Osram Sylvania 300. The second race in the Chase is one of the shortest left on the schedule. Track position will be the key to winning Sunday’s race.
The Cup Series raced at New Hampshire just two months ago. Kyle Busch won the pole and led 62 laps on his way to a second-place finish. Kevin Harvick ran up front but ran out of gas with only three laps left in the race. Brad Keselowski took the lead on the restart and won his third race of the season. Keselowski also won the Nationwide race at New Hampshire that weekend.
The story of the race Sunday will be fuel mileage and tire strategy. Teams will run the risks of running out of fuel or taking fewer tires to gain track position. This strategy always puts fantasy teams on the edge of their seats. The cream usually rises to the top at the end of the race, so expect the drivers in the Chase to finish up front this week.
Here are my picks for the Osram Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire...
Yahoo Group A Picks
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There are many good Group A options in Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing this week.
Matt Kenseth is one of the safest picks in the field this week. He won this race last year and finished fourth in the July race.
Kevin Harvick is more of a risk this week. He has been fast at every race track this season, but his results at New Hampshire haven't been great. He finished the last two races at the track as No. 30 and No. 20.
Kyle Busch has finished second in the last three races at New Hampshire. If Busch is going to win a race in the Chase, this will be his best chance.
If you want a sleeper pick this week, Clint Bowyer is your driver. He ran well here in July. Bowyer qualified eighth and finished sixth. Do not be surprised to see Bowyer in the top 10 this week.
Here are the two drivers I selected for Group A, with the number of allocations I have left with each driver in parentheses.
Jimmie Johnson (4)
Johnson had one of the best cars at the beginning of the July race at New Hampshire. He started second and was running up front when he was involved in an accident. Johnson finished 12 of the last 15 races at the race track in the top 10 and has been to Victory Lane three times at New Hampshire in his career. Johnson is a safe pick for your team this week.
Jeff Gordon (1)
Gordon has been the hottest driver this season but hasn't had a lot of luck at New Hampshire. He has finished three of the last four races at the track outside the top 10. Gordon is too hot right now to not select for your team. He has finished four of the last six races either first or second. Gordon's my pick to win Sunday.
Other good choices: Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Clint Bowyer
Yahoo Group B Picks
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The winner of the race Sunday may come from Group B.
Brad Keselowski won the July race at New Hampshire, and Denny Hamlin had the second-best driver rating in the race. Both drivers should be considered this week.
Tony Stewart has good stats at New Hampshire and ran well here in July. Stewart started fourth and finished seventh. Stewart is a bit of a risk, but he should also be considered for your team.
Carl Edwards has been better on the smaller race tracks than he has been on the intermediate tracks this season. New Hampshire is a one-mile oval, so he should be a good pick this week.
Here are the four drivers I selected for Group B.
Brad Keselowski (2)
Keselowski has the second-best driver rating and the second-best average finishing position in the last five races at New Hampshire. His stats at this track and his success this season suggest that Keselowski should dominate the race Sunday. He led 138 laps and won the race here in July.
Joey Logano (1)
Logano has been the best driver in the series at the short race tracks this season. He is also on an incredible hot streak. Logano has finished seven of the last eight races in the top six. I only have one start left with Logano, but I plan to use it before the hot streak ends.
Ryan Newman (4)
This is the fourth week in a row that Newman has been on my team. It is not because I am a fan of the No. 31 team, but because these race tracks set up nicely for Newman. In July Newman qualified No. 24 and finished fifth. Expect another top-10 finish from Newman on Sunday.
Jamie McMurray (9)
If I had more than one start left with Denny Hamlin, he would have this spot on my team. Instead I decided to go with McMurray. He has been running as well as most of the Chase drivers lately. McMurray has finished the last seven races inside the top 15. He is a safe pick if you want to save an allocation with another driver this week.
Other good choices: Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart
Yahoo Group C Picks
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The story of Group C is Kyle Larson. This will be his best chance to win his first race of the 2014 season. What driver to pair with Larson is the question most fantasy teams will have to answer this week.
Danica Patrick seems to be figuring out the Sprint Cup Series. She is not a top-10 driver each week, but she can now be considered for a top-20 finish. That is what fantasy teams should expect from their Group C driver unless they are using Kyle Larson.
Here are the two drivers I selected for Group C.
Kyle Larson (1)
Larson had a great first race at New Hampshire. He qualified No. 13 and finished third. He also led 14 laps in the race. This type of race track sets up nicely for Larson’s driving style. He should easily finish in the top 10 Sunday.
Austin Dillon (3)
Dillon ran well in his first race at New Hampshire. He started No. 23 and finished No. 14. Dillon seems to be getting better each time the series visits a race track for the second time. If he can improve upon his No. 14 finish in July, he will be a great pick for your team this week.
Other Good Choices: Danica Patrick and Justin Allgaier
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Fantasy Live Picks
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Fantasy Live Picks: Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Landon Cassill, Reed Sorenson
The advice for Fantasy Live is to select drivers who start up front in the race Sunday. Track position will be important, and passing was not easy in the last race at New Hampshire. Since there are 300 laps in the race, there will be 150 available bonus points for leading laps. Fantasy teams who can lead the most laps will outscore their competition this week.
Fox Fantasy Racing
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There are many good choices for Fox Fantasy Racing Sunday. It will be risky to select a team consisting of drivers primarily starting from the back of the field because track position is so important this week. Finding the drivers who start inside the top 20 who finish near the front will win you your league this week.
Here are my selections for Fox Fantasy Racing for the race at New Hampshire:
Captain: Kyle Busch
Driver 2: Matt Kenseth
Driver 3: Clint Bowyer
Driver 4: Denny Hamlin
Driver 5: Kyle Larson
*Stats from DriverAverages.com and career stats from Racing-Reference.Info.
If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR
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