The Cup Series just had one of its best races in the Gen-7 car when they competed at Kansas Speedway. Can the series produce another exciting race this week? A trip to Darlington to dance with “The Lady in Black” typically puts on a good show. The track is egg-shaped, and it is tough for crew chiefs to find the perfect balance in the car. The tires wear out quickly at Darlington and that leads to some good racing too. If there is any track that can produce racing as well as what we had at Kansas, it is “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” The GoodYear 400 can be seen Sunday at 3 pm ET on FS1.
ONE & DONE CONTESTS
This pick is for games where you can only use a driver once throughout the season.
TYLER REDDICK will be my pick in games where you can use a driver once. I had a hard time deciding if I should use Reddick this week or save him for a road courses. We can use drivers like Michael McDowell, Austin Cindric or AJ Allmendinger at the road courses, so I will use Reddick this week. Riding the wall is important at Darlington and only Kyle Larson does it as well as Reddick. He finished second and third in the two races at Darlington last year. The Gen-7 car is more forgiving than the old cars, so 10+ Darlington Stripes should not slow down Reddick Sunday. I will take a chance with the No. 45 car at Darlington.
* I thought about using Erik Jones this week, but he typically runs better in the Southern 500. I also faded him because he is sick, and he starts 28th. I will save Jones for the Southern 500 when he is healthy and qualifies up front.
ONE & DONE (REGULAR SEASON/PLAYOFF GAMES)
This pick is for games where you are allowed to use a driver once in the regular season (the first 26 races) and then you can use them again in the playoffs, if your team advances in the playoffs. We only need 26 drivers in these games so we can be a bit more aggressive with our picks. Here are my picks for games that reset at the end of the regular season…
WILLIAM BYRON will be my pick in games where you can only use a driver once in the regular season. I already used Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, so the next best choice is Byron. He looked really good in the last race at Darlington. Byron led 50 laps, scored 16 Stage Points and finished eighth. The No. 24 car looks fast again this week. Byron posted the third-fastest speed in practice with the fastest 10-lap average speed. The No. 24 car also qualified fourth for the race. Winning on Mother’s Day is really important for Byron (you can read more about it here: Byron wins on Mother Day). I would not be surprised to see the No. 24 Car in Victory Lane Sunday.
ONE & DONE (USE A DRIVER MORE THAN ONCE)
I play in a game where I can use a driver three times throughout the season. I know some of you have told me you can use your drivers twice. We will only need 18 drivers in these games, so we do not need to dig too deep with our picks. Here is my pick in games where you can use a driver more than once….
MARTIN TRUE JR. will be my pick in games where you can use a driver more than once. Joe Gibbs Racing is running well right now and Truex has been one of their best drivers. He finished third at Martinsville, won at Dover and eighth last week at Kansas. He had the last race at Darlington won until his water pump broke in the car. The No. 19 car looks fast again this week. Truex did not look blazing fast in practice, but Group B was at a disadvantage and the No. 19 car waited a bit to go onto the track. Truex won the pole and has the No. 1 pit stall in a race where pit stops will be very important. Truex should be a safe pick for a top-five finish, with the upside to win the race Sunday.
Good luck Sunday!
Follow me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR
If you like Fantasy NASCAR, LIKE my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook