A condensed schedule–such as the one the Sprint Cup teams had at Kansas Speedway this weekend–typically means that the teams that are fastest off the truck are going to be the best Fantasy NASCAR picks for that race. However, we have to remember that both practice sessions on Friday were in the middle of the afternoon, while the GoBowling.com 400 isn’t going to even start until later Saturday evening. Our recommendation is to put a little more weight than normal into how teams have performed on the intermediate tracks this season, and don’t really worry about where your drivers start: the best ones will make their way to the front eventually.
Yahoo! A Group Pick and Final Rankings for Kansas
Well as far as the overall A Group goes, Matt Kenseth looks like he has a rocket ship this weekend…but then again, he has been fast all season long and time and time again we have seen that #20 team fall apart during the race. Denny Hamlin once again qualified up front but he rarely backs up his qualifying effort. Both of those JGR cars are a risky pick right now, to be honest. Kurt Busch should be a solid top 10 car while Kyle Busch should be in the top 5. As far as our two A Group picks go–Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano–they start back in 14th and 15th and looked pretty similar on the speed charts during the practices on Friday. Johnson’s team had that engine scare during Happy Hour but they swear nothing is wrong with the car. Still, with the way our luck has been this season, Johnson will probably blow up on Saturday night. So, as of now, we’re going on the safe side and taking Joey Logano. He may not be a top 5 threat going into the race but he’s a relatively safe pick and has finished inside the top 5 in each of the last five Kansas races.
Final A Group Rankings: (1) Kyle Busch (2) Jimmie Johnson, (3) Joey Logano, (4) Kurt Busch, (5) Kevin Harvick, (6) Matt Kenseth, (7) Dale Earnhardt, Jr., (8) Brad Keselowski, (9) Denny Hamlin
Yahoo! B Group Picks and Final Rankings for Kansas
If you remember back to our earlier Yahoo! post this week (click here to read that), you’ll know that we put Carl Edwards, Martin Truex, Jr., Kasey Kahne, and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. on our roster this weekend for the GoBowling.com 400. We might as well start with an elimination right off of the bat, and that honor goes to Kasey Kahne. This track has been a nice venue for Kahne over the years but that #5 Chevrolet just doesn’t have the speed we need to see to start him. Kasey wasn’t even able to crack the top 25 in either practice session on Friday, so he’s out. Now we have a decision to make: do we want to continue start saving? We have 7 starts remaining with Carl Edwards and 8 remaining with Martin Truex, Jr.
Truex got the pole and was one of the fastest cars in both practice sessions on Friday. We know that it is impossible to trust him this season but it honestly looks like the #78 Toyota could dominate this race here on Saturday night. Looking at the past two years here at Kansas, the four pole winners ended up finishing 9th, 5th, 12th, and 2nd. We like those results, so we’re going to go ahead and lock Truex in no matter what. Looking at it from a pure speed perspective, he’s without a doubt a top 5 pick. So it comes down to Carl Edwards or Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
The #19 Toyota will roll off the grid from the 12th-place starting spot, but we think Carl will be a top 5 threat before it’s all said and done. Typically you can tell when he has a good car at these bigger tracks if he shows up on the ten-lap average chart–which he did in Happy Hour, ranking 9th. However, Stenhouse might have something this weekend, and while you can’t confidently say that he will finish inside the top 10, a top 15 is well within reach for this #17 team. Ricky starts 9th on Saturday night and ranked 8th in ten-lap average during Happy Hour. So, we’re going to stick with the start saving (somewhat) and start Martin Truex, Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. for the GoBowling.com 400.
Final B Group Rankings: (1) Martin Truex, Jr., (2) Carl Edwards, (3) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., (4) Ryan Newman, (5) Austin Dillon, (6) Jamie McMurray, (7) Paul Menard, (8) Aric Almirola, (9) Kyle Larson, (10) Trevor Bayne, (11) Tony Stewart, (12) Greg Biffle, (13) A.J. Allmendinger, (14) Kasey Kahne, (15) Casey Mears, (16) Danica Patrick, (17) Clint Bowyer
Yahoo! C Group Pick and Final Rankings for Kansas
We decided to go with the two best rookies this week at Kansas, so the decision is between the #24 Chevrolet with Chase Elliott and the #21 Ford with Ryan Blaney. And honestly, our mind was pretty much made up at the beginning of the week. Chase Elliott is on absolute fire right now and has the best average finish of all Sprint Cup drivers in the last six races. He had consistent speed through both practice sessions on Friday and once again looks like a surefire top 10 pick for Saturday night’s GoBowling.com 400. Chase has never made a start in the Sprint Cup Series here at Kansas but he did end up 7th here in the Xfinity Series last season. We do think Ryan Blaney has top 15 potential this weekend, but that team hasn’t quite hit their peak like this #24 crew has. We’re starting Chase Elliott on Saturday night at Kansas. Blaney (7th) starts higher than Chase (13th) but let’s not forget that the #21 Ford starting 7th and finished 29th back at Texas, the other Saturday night race. If you rostered Brian Scott this weekend and are looking to start save once again, he isn’t a terrible option. He could surprise and get a top 20 finish here on Saturday night, but that’s assuming he actually finishes the race–not exactly a guarantee.
Final C Group Rankings: (1) Chase Elliott, (2) Ryan Blaney, (3) Brian Scott, (4) Matt DiBenedetto, (5) Regan Smith, (6) Chris Buescher, (7) Landon Cassill, (8) David Ragan, the rest
