The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series has made its way to the final race of the season. It is now time to crown the 2024 champions, but before I get into the Driver Group Game picks for the championship race, I want to say THANK YOU!!! My goal every year is to provide you the best picks and teach you a little bit about how to be a better Fantasy NASCAR player. I appreciate you giving me the chance to be your “Fantasy NASCAR Crew Chief.” The 2024 season is almost complete and I already cannot wait for the 2025 season. Now onto Phoenix…
This is Championship Weekend and that means NASCAR needs a championship schedule. The Cup Series will have a 50-minute practice session and then the teams will be able to make adjustments before qualifying Saturday. This is how the schedule used to be and it is refreshing to see this schedule back for the races at Phoenix.
STRATEGY FOR PHOENIX
The strategy for the Driver Group Game is to simply play the best drivers you have available. This is the last race of the season, so there is no need to save any drivers. It is also good idea to get as many of the playoff drivers into your lineup as possible. They typically finish up front in the championship race. I will try to give you some options for each group, since you may be out of allocations with the drivers I am using this weekend.
DRIVER GROUP GAME PICKS FOR PHOENIX
GROUP A DRIVERS
RYAN BLANEY (5): Blaney limped into the playoffs last year and then he got hot at the end of the season. He won the race at Martinsville and then won the championship at Phoenix. The 2024 season looks like a rerun for Blaney. He had a decent regular season, got hot in the playoffs and won at Martinsville to advance to the championship race. Can he win back-to-back championships? Iowa Speedway is one of the closest tracks in size and shape to Phoenix. Blaney led 201 laps and went to Victory Lane at Iowa. It looks like the No. 12 team brought the speed from Iowa to the race this weekend in Phoenix.
WILLIAM BYRON (3): There are two drivers from Group A competing for the championship. I will go ahead a play both of them this weekend. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson had a lot of speed in practice, but the championship four drivers get the top-four pit stalls and will get a lot of room on the track. Byron had the fastest playoff car in practice. He has a great chance to win the championship Sunday.
OTHER PICK: KYLE LARSON (1): Larson had the best non-playoff car in practice. If a non-playoff driver is going to win the race Sunday, it should be Larson. His stats at Phoenix are not great when he is not competing for the championship. That is the only reason I faded the No. 5 car. Larson should have a good chance to win the pole Saturday, if you want to pair him with Ryan Blaney or William Byron for qualifying points.
OTHER PICK: CHRISTOPHER BELL (6): I was all set to play Bell as one of my drivers in Group A and then the mess at Martinsville happened. I am not sure where Bell is mentally after being left out of the playoffs for a “safety violation.” Bell won the last race at Phoenix and he has been the best driver on the short, flat tracks this year. Bell was good but not great in practice. I am sure Bell was simply testing setups for Tyler Reddick.
GROUP A RANKINGS: 1.RYAN BLANEY, 2. WILLIAM BYRON, 3. KYLE LARSON, 4. CHRISTOPHER BELL, 5. DENNY HAMLIN, 6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. , 7. CHASE ELLIOTT, 8. KYLE BUSCH
GROUP B DRIVERS
JOEY LOGANO (1): “Big Race Joey” is back in the championship four. That should not surprise anyone. He has made the championship four in every even year since 2014. I looked at the stats for Logano in the Gen-7 car at Phoenix and they are not good. His average finishing position at this track in the Gen-7 car is 14th. I also looked at the stats when Logano is racing for a championship at Phoenix and they are great. He won the last two races at Phoenix when he was racing for the Bill France Trophy and he led the most laps and qualified on the front row. Logano shows up when there is a lot to race for. His team had three weeks to prepare their car for this race. Logano had the second-best car on the long-runs in practice (Ryan Blaney was slightly better).
ROSS CHASTAIN (3): Chastain broke the streak of championship four drivers winning the last race of the season when he went to Victory Lane at Phoenix last year. Chastain did not have a lot of speed early in the season at the short, flat tracks, but the No. 1 car has been improving in each race. Chastain finished 5th at Richmond in August and that race is a test for the race at Phoenix. Chastain was not fast in practice, but it is hard to tell what the team was working on. I know he will have a new spotter and crew chief Sunday. I still trust Chastain in the race at Phoenix.
CHRIS BUESCHER (4): Buescher finished 2nd at Phoenix in March and Buescher finished 5th in this race last year. Buescher looked pretty good in practice. He posted the 13th-fastest speed on the 10-lap average speed chart. That is not great, but it was the 4th-best in Group B. Phoenix is one of the best tracks for Buescher, so I will have the No. 17 car in my lineup this weekend.
BUBBA WALLACE (5): The Toyota’s dominated the race at Phoenix in March. They led 298 of the 312 laps and the played five drivers in the top-10. Wallace was not part of that party, but he should be. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) will have all of their focus on 23X1 Racing this weekend. Wallace will have the same notes and setup as Tyler Reddick. Wallace ran the 3rd-most laps in practice, so they should know a lot about their car. I will take a chance with Wallace at Phoenix.
OTHER PICK: TYLER REDDICK (0): You must play Reddick if you have any allocations left with the No. 45 car. He led the most laps, score 19 of the 20 Stage Points and finished 10th at Phoenix in March. The only reason why he did not win the race is because he got into the fender of his boss (Denny Hamlin) at the end of the race. Joe Gibbs Racing dominated that race in March. Reddick looked the worst of the championship drivers, but that probably is top-five in the race Sunday.
OTHER PICK: ALEX BOWMAN (0): I do not have any allocations left with Bowman, but I would use him if I did. The Hendrick Motorsports cars looked fast in practice and Bowman has been one of the most consistent drivers in the playoffs this year. This is the home track for Bowman. I am sure he will have some motivation to run well this weekend.
The best lineup for Group B this week would be Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs.
GROUP B RANKINGS: 1. JOEY LOGANO, 2. TYLER REDDICK, 3. ALEX BOWMAN, 4. TY GIBBS, 5. BUBBA WALLACE, 6. CHRIS BUESCHER, 7. ROSS CHASTAIN, 8. AUSTIN CINDRIC, 9. JOSH BERRY, 10. ERIK JONES
GROUP C DRIVERS
CARSON HOCEVAR (4): Hocevar sure did not make any friends at Martinsville, but I am not worried about it. This is not the 1990’. These drivers are not willing to put drivers who race like idiots in their place like Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Sr. would have. Hocevar has competed in two races in the Cup Series at Phoenix. He finished 15th at Phoenix in March and Hocevar finished 19th in this race last year. Hocevar had good speed in practice, so I will take a chance with the No. 77 car this weekend.
RYAN PREECE (5): I used Preece last week and he was pretty good in the race. He should be good again this weekend at Phoenix. Preece finished 14th in this race last year and he finished 12th in the March race at Phoenix. The No. 41 car had decent speed in practice. This race means a lot to Stewart-Haas Racing, so they will be motivated to perform well Sunday.
NOAH GRAGSON (3): Gragson had a really good race at Phoenix in March. He qualified 7th, finished 8th in Stage 2 and he finished 12th in the race. Gragson also finished 12th at Richmond and 16th at Iowa. Gragson has been good on the short, flat tracks in the Xfinity Series and in the Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the Cup Series. The only reason why I faded Gragson is because his car was not fast in practice.
OTHER PICK: CHASE BRISCOE (0): Briscoe must be in your lineup (over Noah Gragson) if you have any allocations left with the No. 14 car. Briscoe won in the Gen-7 car at Phoenix in 2022. He has finished four of the five races in the Gen-7 car at Phoenix in the top-10. Briscoe is clearly the best choice in Group C this weekend.
GROUP C RANKINGS: 1. CHASE BRISCOE, 2. CARSON HOCEVAR, 3. RYAN PREECE, 4. NOAH GRAGSON, 5. ZANE SMITH
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
XFINITY SERIES PICKS
Good Luck This Weekend!
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