Fantasy NASCAR at Charlotte 2014: Picks and Top Drivers for Bank of America 500
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Concord, North Carolina, this week for the Bank of America 500. The series last raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
Teams should show up at the race track this week with cars that are ready to race. The Sprint Cup Series has competed at Charlotte more than any other track on the circuit this season. Most teams competed in the 60-mile Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 in May. The race track is similar to the race last week at Kansas, so that data can be used for this week as well. Expect the cream to rise to the top Saturday night.
The last race at Charlotte was dominated by Jimmie Johnson. That is nothing new. Johnson has won seven races at the race track and has finished in the top 10 in 17 of his 26 starts. In the Memorial Day weekend race, Johnson won the pole, led the most laps and won the race. Do not be surprised if Johnson dominates the race Saturday night.
Here are my picks for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte…
Yahoo Group A Picks
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Many of the drivers in Group A of Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing have very good stats at Charlotte. Even though most teams are out of allocations with some of the top drivers in this group, fantasy teams should have no problem finding a good driver for their team.
Charlotte is Kasey Kahne’s best race track. He has a series-best average finishing position and a series-high driver rating in the last five races at the track. If you are down in your league standings, it may be a smart choice to try to hit a home run with Kahne this week.
Jeff Gordon is the best choice in the field this week, and he would be on my team if I had any allocations left with him. Gordon has a series-best average finishing position this year on the intermediate race tracks. He also won two races (Michigan and Kansas). If you have any allocations left with Gordon, he should be on your team.
Jimmie Johnson has the best statistics at Charlotte, but the No. 48 team seems to be struggling this year in the Chase. They may have to win this race or next week's race at Talladega to get into the Eliminator Round of the Chase. Johnson is a risky pick for your team 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.
Kevin Harvick (1)
Harvick has been the best driver at qualifying and leading laps on the intermediate race tracks this season. He won his eighth pole of the season last week. Harvick has had a problem getting his car to Victory Lane. Harvick has four second-place finishes and has won five poles at the intermediate race tracks. He will start up front and lead many laps in the race.
Kyle Busch (7)
Without any allocations with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson struggling this season, it was hard to find a driver for the second spot in Group A. I decided to select Busch because if he can finish in the top five at Kansas, he should be able to win at Charlotte.
Busch has been horrible at Kansas in his career, and the No. 18 team seems to have found some speed. I would not be surprised to see Busch taking a bow in Victory Lane Saturday night.
Other good choices: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson
Yahoo Group B Picks
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Group B consists of many drivers who have had some success this season on the intermediate race tracks. The problem is the only two drivers to consistently finish up front are the two Penske Racing drivers. Most teams are out of allocations with Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, so finding another driver will be difficult.
Paul Menard has finished seven races at the intermediate race tracks in the top 10 this season. He qualified No. 21 and finished eighth in the Coca-Cola 600. Menard is a good sleeper pick this week.
Denny Hamlin usually runs well at Charlotte. He would be a good pick this week, but if you are low on allocations with Hamlin, there are better race tracks at the end of the season to use him.
Here are the four drivers I selected for Group B.
Brad Keselowski (1)
Once again Keselowski is the best driver in Group B. I have been using the strategy of selecting Keselowski on my team for qualifying points and using the other drivers in my starting lineup. So far the strategy has earned my team some much-needed bonus points. I plan to use the same strategy this week and start Keselowski at the end of the season.
Joey Logano (1)
Logano did not have his best race in the Coca-Cola 600. He qualified eighth and finished No. 12. Logano has run well at Charlotte in the past, and my strategy this week is to select Logano and see where he qualifies and practices. He should start up front and may earn some bonus points for your team. Since he is already locked into the Eliminator Round of the Chase, Logano may be a risk for the race.
Jamie McMurray (7)
McMurray dominated the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte. He started No. 11 and led 31 of the 90 Laps on his way to Victory Lane. McMurray has been one of the best non-Chase drivers this season. McMurray had a fast car at Kansas and should be fast again at Charlotte. Do not be surprised to see McMurray win this race Saturday night.
Ryan Newman (2)
It was difficult to decide on the last driver for Group B. The decision came down to Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Carl Edwards and Newman. I decided to select Newman because he has been one of the most consistent drivers in the Chase. He has back-to-back top-10 finishes, and Newman should make it three in a row Saturday night.
Other good choices: Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Paul Menard
Yahoo Group C Picks
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The question I get asked the most is, “What should I do if I am out of allocations with Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon?” Do not panic! There are still drivers left in Group C who can get your team to the finish.
I used my last allocation with Larson at Kansas. I was rewarded with a second-place finish. It will be tough to get through the last six races without Larson, but most of the fantasy teams are in the same situation.
Danica Patrick and Justin Allgaier have not been running in the top 10, but they have been finishing high enough to allow your team to remain competitive in the standings.
It would really help to see Trevor Bayne, Sam Hornish or Jeff Burton fill in for some of the races. If these drivers do decide to race, they would be good selections for your team.
Here are the two drivers I selected for Group C.
Austin Dillon (1)
Dillon’s top-10 finish at Kansas was his fourth top-10 finish of the season. Dillon seems to be getting better each time he competes at a race track. In May Dillon qualified at No. 32 and finished at No. 16. He could finish inside the top 10 again this week.
Danica Patrick (8)
Patrick has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy teams. She has started to figure out how to finish inside the top 20 instead of running just inside the top 30 each week. Patrick qualified fourth for the Coca-Cola 600 and was running up front when her engine let go. She will have a fast car and should finish near the top 15 Saturday night.
Other Good Choices: Kyle Larson and Justin Allgaier
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Fantasy Live Picks
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The race Saturday night is very long. A driver’s starting position will not be very important because the driver will have plenty of time to pass other cars.
The advice for Fantasy Live is to select drivers who start in the back with a chance to move to the front in the race. Since the race is only 334 Laps, there will only be 167 bonus points available for the race. It will be more important this week to have drivers who finish higher than where they begin the race.
Here are the five drivers I selected for Fantasy Live for the race at Charlotte:
Fantasy Live Picks: Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Michael Annett and Reed Sorenson
Fox Fantasy Racing
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Since so many drivers have had success at Charlotte in their careers, this may be the week to gamble in Fox Fantasy Racing. Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer have not had a lot of success this year, but both drivers are good at Charlotte. Select some of the big-name drivers who start in the back since track position is not important, and this game rewards drivers who can improve upon their position in the race.
Here are my selections for Fox Fantasy Racing for the race at Charlotte:
Captain: Kasey Kahne
Driver 2: Kyle Busch
Driver 3: Kyle Larson
Driver 4: Carl Edwards
Driver 5: Jamie McMurray
*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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