TY DILLON (GERMAIN RACING) CHEVY
2018 DRIVER FANTASY RANKING: 26TH
2017 FANTASY NASCAR RANK: 26TH
2017 RECAP: Before the 2017 season begun I expected Ty Dillon to compete with Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez for the Rookie of the Year award. I was sure wrong. I knew Dillon was driving for Germian Racing but I figured the team would have the full support of Richard Childress Racing and Dillon would have a lot of success. He consistently qualified outside the top 25 and did not have any finishes in the top 10. Dillon ranked 24th in fantasy value and finished 24th in the point standings. Overall it was a disappointing rookie season for Dillon.
2018 Preview: Most people thought Ty Dillon would drive for Germian Racing in 2017 and take the place of Paul Menard at Richard Childress Racing in 2018 since the contract for Menard was set to expire. This was not the case. Dillon signed a multi-year deal to stay in the No. 13 car. The team decided to replace crew chief Bootie Barker with Matt Borland (Borland was the crew chief for Paul Menard last year). The team will still have full support of Richard Childress Racing in 2018.
Dillon is a good driver if he has a good car. The question for the 2018 season is how good will the cars be at Germain Racing this season? Chevy is going to debut a new chassis that is expected to be more aerodynamic then the car used last year. This should help Dillon but I expect the No. 13 team to take a while to get a handle on the new car. Dillon should have a lot more fantasy value later in the season then he will in the spring races. It takes time to get used to a new crew chief and a new car.
INTERMEDIATE TRACK VALUE
Ty Dillon did not perform very well on the Intermediate tracks (1.5-mile and 2-mile ovals) but that does not mean he did not have fantasy value in these race. Dillon ranked 27th in fantasy value at these tracks and he was usually a good pick for Fantasy Live and your DraftKings lineup. Dillon had a low salary in these games and his ability to score position differential points at these tracks made him a good driver for your team. Dillon will continue to have fantasy value at these tracks as long as his salary is low and he qualifies in the back with the ability to score position differential points.
SUPERSPEEDWAY TRACK VALUE
Ty Dillon is at his best on the Superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega). Last year Dillon ranked 22nd in fantasy value at these tracks. Talladega ranks as the best track for Dillon. He has competed in two races in the MENCS at Talladega and he finished 13th and 11th. Dillon is also pretty good at Daytona. Last year he was involved in the “big one” at the end of the Daytona 500 but he bounced back with a 16th place finish in the July race. Dillon should be considered for all fantasy teams when the MENCS competes at the Superspeedways.
FLAT TRACK VALUE
Ty Dillon is good but not great at the flat tracks (Phoenix, Richmond, Martinsville and Loudon). Dillon ranked 23rd in fantasy value at these tracks last year. Phoenix ranks as his 3rd-best track. Dillon finished 16th in the first race in the desert and 11th in the November race at Phoenix. I would consider Dillon for your Fantasy Live and DraftKings teams at Phoenix and Loudon but I would fade him at Richmond and Martinsville.
STEEP TRACK VALUE
Ty Dillon is a decent sleeper pick when the MENCS competes at the steep tracks (Bristol, Dover and Darlington). Dillon ranked 22nd in fantasy value at these tracks last year. He finished 15th in the spring race at Bristol, 14th and 22nd in the two races at Dover and 13th at Darlington. Darlington ranks as his 2nd-best track and he is really consistent at Dover. I would recommend him in salary cap games at these three tracks as long as his price is cheap.
ROAD COURSE TRACK VALUE
Ty Dillon had some success in the Xfinity Series on the road courses (Sonoma and Watkins Glen) but it did not translate into much success in the MENCS. Dillon ranked 27th in fantasy value at these tracks last year. There are better options for your team when the series competes on the road courses.
Best Tracks to for Ty Dillon: 1) Talladega, 2) Darlington, 3) Phoenix, 4) Atlanta, 5) Pocono
*Stats from Driveraverages.com and career stats from Racing-Reference.Info…
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