The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will compete this week at Kansas Speedway. This is the final race of the Round of 12. The points are really close so many of the drivers need a good race this week to advance in the playoffs. I really like selecting these drivers for my team since they will do everything possible to stay upfront Sunday.
The scoring format for Fox Fantasy Auto Racing rewards drivers who improve their position in the race a lot more than the drivers who lead the most laps. Last week it was very important to select drivers who started outside the top 20. That is not the case this week. It will be harder for drivers who start in the back to make it to the front so I will be selecting some of the drivers who qualify in the top 10 Sunday.
The one exception is Ryan Blaney. His car failed post-qualifying inspection so his official starting spot will be 40th. He had one of the fastest cars in practice and the No. 21 car was one of the dominators in the last race at Kansas. Blaney must be on all teams this week.
**I talked to the person who runs the Fantasy Sports Department for Fox Sports (my old boss) and he told me they would update Ryan Blaney’s starting position in the game. So far it has not been updated.**
Kyle Larson was a half-second faster than any car in the 1st practice. He was the favorite for the pole but Larson said his team over adjusted for the track conditions in qualifying. As a result Larson will start 13th. He finished 2nd at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Texas and Kentucky. He is one of the best on the 1.5-mile tracks and I like him to move up 8-10 spots Sunday.
Kyle Busch needs to run inside the top five in order to advance to the Round of 8. I expect him to be one of the dominators Sunday. Busch was playing games in qualifying by trying to save his tires for the last round. As a result he starts 7th. He should finish in the top 3 this week.
Chase Elliott has been the best driver in the playoffs on the 1.5-mile tracks. He finished 2nd at Chicago and 2nd at Charlotte. He needs a top 10 finish this week to make it to the Round of 8. This car has had a lot of speed the last 5 races so I expect them to run well at Kansas.
Kansas is the best 1.5-mile track for Kurt Busch. His car was fast in practice and he won the first round of qualifying. He said the No. 41 team over-adjusted between the rounds of qualifying and that is why he will start 15th Sunday. Busch should easily move up 5-10 spots this week.
Here are my picks for the Kansas….
Driver 1: Kyle Larson $11,100 (Starts 13th)
Driver 2: Kyle Busch $10,800 (Starts 7th)
Driver 3: Chase Elliott $10,200 (Starts 14th)
Driver 4: Kurt Busch $9,300 (Starts 15th)
Driver 5: Ryan Blaney $8,200 (Starts 40th)
I will be using a different lineup if for some reason Fox Sports Fantasy Auto Racing does not change Ryan Blaney’s starting position. (You can check to see if they updated it by looking at the starting position next to Blaney’s name). Here is the lineup I will use if the site does not make the change to Blaney’s starting position…
Driver 1: Kevin Harvick $12,000 (Starts 2nd)
Driver 2: Kyle Larson $11,100 (Starts 13th)
Driver 3: Kyle Busch $10,800 (Starts 7th)
Driver 4: Kurt Busch $9,300 (Starts 15th)
Driver 5: Danica Patrick $6,700 (Starts 23rd)
Good luck this week!
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