The MENCS competes at Chicagoland Speedway this week in the Overton’s 400. There are 10 races left in the regular season to get to the top of the overall standings. My chances of winning the prize took a serious hit after the horrible results at Sonoma. I am not holding anything back this week. It is time to get the points I lost in California back and continue my march to the top of the standings.
* Garage Driver: Fantasy players can put a driver (Garage Driver) into their lineup at any time before the end of Stage 2. You will lose the Stage points from the driver you take out of your lineup though. I only plan to make a change if one of my driver crashes and that is likely to happen this week. If I make a change I will post a message on my Twitter account: @MrFantasyNASCAR
Here are my picks for the Chicago…
I have been saving Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch for the 1.5-mile tracks. These three drivers have won the last 11 races on tracks of this size and shape. I will save allocations in the final races at the non-intermediate tracks. This week I am trying to capture as many Stage Points and Finishing Points as possible. Harvick, Truex and Busch give me the best opportunity to do that.
Denny Hamlin has been one of the most consistent drivers at Chicagoland Speedway. He has finished every race since 2013 in the top 6. Hamlin has finished 3 of the 5 races on the 1.5-mile tracks in the top 5 this season. He also won this race in 2015. This will be a good race to use an allocation with the No. 11 car.
Brad Keselowski had the fastest speed in final practice. He qualified 8th and he should be able to finish in the top 10 Sunday. Tires wear out quickly at Chicagoland Speedway so strategy often comes into play. The No. 2 team needs a win to secure their spot in the playoffs so do not be surprised to see Keselowski and Paul Wolfe gamble to win this race Sunday.
Garage Driver: Chase Elliott is my Garage Driver this week. Chicagoland Speedway is his best track. I would have Elliott in my starting lineup but I am worried about the speed of the Hendrick Motorsports car. He liked his car in practice and he qualified 3rd so he should be fast. Elliott should be a good insurance policy to have this week.
Driver 1: Kevin Harvick (3)
Driver 2: Martin Truex Jr. (3)
Driver 3: Kyle Busch (3)
Driver 4: Brad Keselowski (5)
Driver 5: Denny Hamlin (4)
Garage Driver: Chase Elliott (7)
STAGE 1 WINNER: Ryan Blaney
STAGE 2 WINNER: Kevin Harvick
PICK TO WIN: Kevin Harvick
MANUFACTURER: Ford
Good luck this week!
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