The Monster Energy Cup Series will compete at Dover International Speedway this week in the Gander RV 400. Most drivers say the Monster Mile feels like the fastest track on the circuit. The cars dive into the corners with a lot of speed and feel like they are in a plane tacking off on the exit. Drivers think it is a fun track to drive and it is a fun race to watch. The Gander RV 400 can be seen Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
One of the changes this season for the Driver Group Game is that your league commissioner has the ability to change to number of allocations for each driver and can place drivers into any group they choose. My picks will be based on the default settings (8 allocations per driver and the original group settings).
* NASCAR will inspect the cars Sunday morning. Any car that fails will start in the back and be scored in Fantasy NASCAR from his qualifying position. If I need to update my picks I will post a message on my Twitter account (@MrFantasyNASCAR) and my Fantasy NASCAR FB Page.
Here are my picks for Dover…
Driver Group Game A Picks
Martin Truex Jr. (8): Truex is my pick to win this Sunday. He is flying under the radar since no one talked about him in practice. Last year he qualified 3rd and finished 4th in this race. Joe Gibbs Racing has been the best team using the current aero package. Truex was 2nd fastest in final practice with the 3rd-best 10-lap speed. After the rain tonight, the track conditions should change a lot. Cole Pearn is one of the best crew chiefs at adapting to a changing race track.
Group A Driver Rankings: 1) Martin Truex Jr. 2) Kyle Larson 3) Chase Elliott 4) Kevin Harvick 5) Kyle Busch 6) Brad Keselowski 7) Joey Logano
Driver Group Game B Picks
Daniel Suarez (8): Dover is the best track for Suarez. He has competed in 4 races at the Monster Mile and he has never finished outside the top 10. His average starting position at the track is 8.5 and his average finishing position is 6.75. Suarez was 6th fastest in final practice with the 6th best 10-lap average speed. Suarez seemed happy with his car in practice so I will use the No. 41 car this Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson (7): We only get 8 allocations with driver so why not take a chance with Johnson? He has 11 wins, 3,105 laps led and finished 70% of his races at Dover in the top 10. Johnson had the fastest car in final practice. He told his team on the radio, “I would not change anything. It is almost perfect.” I will use an allocation with Johnson and save my top drivers for the 1.5-mile tracks.
Group B Driver Rankings: 1) Erik Jones 2) Daniel Suarez 3) Jimmie Johnson 4) Aric Almirola 5) Clint Bowyer 6) Ryan Blaney 7) Denny Hamlin 8) Kurt Busch 9) Aric Almirola 10) Paul Menard
Driver Group Game C Picks
Ty Dillon (6): Dillon was complaining about his car bouncing too much in final practice. At the end of practice he said it was “much better” and the team seemed to like their car. The No. 13 Chevy is outperforming their previous stats at almost every track in 2019. Dillon finished 15th at Phoenix, 13th at Martinsville, 15th at Bristol and 21st at Richmond in the 750 HP aero package. He should finish inside the top 20 Sunday.
Group C Driver Rankings: 1) Ty Dillon 2) Chris Buescher 3) Daniel Hemric 4) Matt DiBendetto 5) Bubba Wallace Jr.
Driver Group Game Team
Group A: Martin Truex Jr. (8)
Group B: Daniel Suarez (8), Jimmie Johnson (7)
Group C: Ty Dillon (6)
*Stats from Driveraverages.com and career stats from Racing-Reference.Info…
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Good luck this week!
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