It was another great start for my Fantasy Live picks. I was able to score 202 points at Daytona and 265 at Atlanta. My picks are currently ranked 279 overall. It is time for a 300 point day at Las Vegas and try to climb even higher in the standings.
Points for leading laps and position differential will no longer be awarded. Fantasy teams will score points for finishing the Stage in the top 10 and where they finish the race. Because of this; it is no longer important to select drivers starting in the back. Just pick the best team you can.
Picking the best drivers I can on the 1.5-mile tracks and saving allocations at the other tracks will be my strategy this season. So do not expect many “sleepers” in my lineup Sunday. We are off to a hot start so I am keeping the pedal to the medal to separate us even more from our competition.
* There is also a garage driver this year. Fantasy players can put this 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
Drivers
Martin Truex Jr. Truex Jr. dominated this race last year. He won all 3 Stages and went to Victory Lane. It would not surprise anyone if he does it again Sunday. He qualified 4th on tires that were unbalanced. Truex probably would have won the pole if his tires did not have problems. Truex has the best non-Ford car in the field and I am not afraid to use an allocation with him this week.
Kevin Harvick was not expected to be in my lineup at Las Vegas. I had Kyle Busch in this spot but Stewart-Haas Racing is running too well right now to ignore. Harvick was the class of the field at Atlanta and he could dominate this race like he did in 2015 (led 142 of 267 laps). I think it is too risky not to have Harvick in your lineup in Sin City.
Brad Keselowski is a great play this week. Las Vegas is his best track. He won two of the last four races at Las Vegas. It should have been 3 of the last 4 but his car blew up on the last lap last year. This track changes a lot throughout the 267 laps and crew chief Paul Wolfe is the best at adapting to the changing conditions. There may not be a better track to use an allocation with Keselowski than at Las Vegas.
Kyle Larson had the best car in the tire test at Las Vegas and he has looked very good in practice. The No. 42 was the fastest car in the 1st and 2nd practices this week and he was top 5 on all of the long run speed charts. It also helps that he got a practice race in the Xfinity Series this week. He should finish in the top 5 Sunday.
Ryan Blaney won the pole for the race and he looked fast in practice. He said last week during the rain delay that Las Vegas is one of his best tracks. He has finished 7th and 6th in his last two races at this track. Team Penske Racing seems to have this track figured out. It will also help that Blaney will have a practice race in the Xfinity Series Saturday. You almost have to use an allocation with Blaney Sunday.
Garage Driver: My Garage Driver this week will be Joey Joey Logano. He is off to a hot start this season and he is a good insurance policy this week. Las Vegas is the best track for Logano. He has finished four consecutive races in the top 10 in Las Vegas. He has a streak of 2 finishes in the top 4 going. I like Logano to run in the top 10 this week.
* Trust me on the allocations. I have each driver mapped out for the season so we use them at their best tracks. We will have plenty of allocations to get us through the season.
Here are my picks for the Las Vegas…
Driver 1: Martin Truex Jr.
Driver 2: Kevin Harvick
Driver 3: Brad Keselowski
Driver 4: Kyle Larson
Driver 5: Ryan Blaney
Garage Driver: Joey Logano
STAGE 1 WINNER: Martin Truex Jr.
STAGE 2 WINNER: Martin Truex Jr.
PICK TO WIN: Kevin Harvick
MANUFACTURER: Ford
Good luck this week!
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