The Cup Series is back after a three week break for the Olympics. We really needed a break because the Fantasy Live picks had one of their worst races at Indy in July. I took some time during the break to look at the stats and match up the best drivers with their best tracks in the final four races in the Fantasy Live regular season. We just need some better luck than what we had at the Brickyard. It will be fun to see how the rest of the season plays out. The Cook Out 400 can be seen Sunday at 6:30 pm ET on USA Network.
The Fantasy Live picks only scored 178 points at Indianapolis. I have been preaching this year that the picks need to average 200 points per race in order to have a chance to win our leagues. The Fantasy Live picks have scored 4,539 points in 22 races (an average of 206.3 points per race). The picks are ranked 73rd out of 352K entries. We still have some work to do, so I will try my best to get the picks to finish inside the top-50 this year.
CUP SERIES PRACTICE
The Cup Series had a 45-minute practice session Saturday to test out a new softer tire to improve the short track racing. The practice was a complete mess. Some teams were on the “option tires” and others were on the “primary tires.” Some drivers decided to put the faster tires (Option Tires) on when the sun was out and it skewed their lap times. I think we will learn more from qualifying, since all of the drivers were on the same tire. I will still post the practice speeds from Saturday’s bizarre session.
Here are the practice speeds for the Cook Out 400…
FANTASY LIVE STRATEGY
I was planning on using my top drivers this week, since the cream typically rises to the top at Richmond, but that changed after practice. The new “option tire” is going to bring a lot of drivers to the front of the field Sunday night and make this race unpredictable. I want to save some of my top drivers for Michigan and Darlington (two very predictable races). I will take a chance with Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, and Bubba Wallace Sunday night and save Kyle Larson, William Byron for Michigan. I am out of allocations with Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick. I would use Hamlin over Wallace and Elliott over Buescher if I had any allocations with them. The No. 11 and No. 9 cars look fast and they have two of the best crew chiefs in what should be a crew chief’s race.
FANTASY LIVE PICKS FOR RICHMOND
MARTIN TRUEX JR. (4): The Cup Series has completed 22 races and Truex has yet to find Victory Lane. That could change Sunday night. Truex lead 228 laps, scored 17 Stage Points and finished fourth at Richmond in March. His average finishing position at Richmond since joining Joe Gibbs Racing is 4.3. Truex should be a safe driver for your Fantasy Live lineup this weekend.
CHRISTOPHER BELL (1): Bell has been the best driver this year on the short, flat tracks. He won the races at Phoenix and New Hampshire and he finished sixth in the race at Richmond in March. Bell posted the third-fastest speed in practice and qualified fifth for the race. I would not be surprised to see Bell add another win to his 2024 resume Sunday night.
JOEY LOGANO (2): Richmond has been one of the best tracks for Logano. He finished second at Richmond in March and his average finishing position in the Gen-7 car at this track is 3.8. Logano was one of the drivers who put his “option tires” on late in practice when the sun was making the track slick. His car has more speed than what it looks like on the speed chart. Richmond is one of the best tracks for Logano, so I will take a chance with the No. 22 car Sunday night.
CHRIS BUESCHER (9): Buescher currently sits 15th in the Playoff Standings. He really needs a win to take the pressure off in these final four races. Buescher won this race last year and he looks fast again this weekend. Buescher posted the seventh-fastest speed in practice and qualified seventh for the race. I will take my chances with the No. 17 car Sunday night ad hope he can win again at Richmond.
JOSH BERRY (10): Berry and Crew Chief Rodney Childers will not be together next year, but I do not think this team is ready to give up (that will happen once they are eliminated from the playoffs). Childers was really good at giving Kevin Harvick a fast car at Richmond and it looks like he did the same with Berry this weekend. The No. 4 car looked like it had the fastest speed in qualifying, but Berry had an extra lap on his tires. This is a crew chief’s race so I will trust Childers Sunday night.
(GARAGE PICK) BUBBA WALLACE (7): The Toyota’s have been really good at Richmond, so I will take a chance with Wallace Sunday night. Wallace finished three of the last four races at Richmond in the top-13, so this has been a pretty good track for him. Wallace posted the second-fastest speed in practice and qualified eighth for the race. I expect the No. 23 team to gamble with the softer tire to steal some Stage Points. That will make Wallace a decent pick to have in the Garage Sunday night.
Good luck and be sure to follow me on X (Twitter) @MrFantasyNASCAR. I will send out a Tweet during the race to let you know if I plan to swap out one of my drivers for my Garage pick.