The NASCAR Cup Series will travel back to Phoenix Raceway to crown their 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Sunday. I have been playing the NASCAR One & Done games for over 20 years. I found out that you should have a good chance to win your league if your drivers can average a top-15 finish each week. That seems pretty easy, but it is tougher than you think it is. The picks this year have averaged a 17th-place finish. I did not reach my goal, but the picks have scored pretty well in my leagues. I hope you and having some success in your leagues too.
I want to say THANK YOU for giving me a chance to be “Your Fantasy NASCAR Crew Chief” this year. NASCAR is making some changes for the 2026 season with the horsepower of the car and possibly the aerodynamics of the chassis. This should make the racing closer to what it was in the past and make predicting the races closer to what it was in the past. I expect a good 2026 season for the One & Done game and I hope you decide to return to fantasyracingtips.com.
Here are the picks for the race at Phoenix Raceway…
ONE & DONE CONTESTS
This pick is for games where you can only use a driver once throughout the season.
TODD GILLILAND will be my pick in games where you can use a driver once throughout the season. Gilliland is the best driver I have left so he gets the final spot in my One & Done lineup. Gilliland finished his last three races at Phoenix in the top-20. That includes a 17th-place finish in March. He also finished 19th at New Hampshire on the tire compound that will be used this week. Gilliland should be a safe pick for a top-20 finish at Phoenix.
ONE & DONE (REGULAR SEASON/PLAYOFF GAMES)
The picks for the Regular Season / Playoff Games are rest this week. There are some One & Done Contests that reset when the playoffs start. That means you only need to use 26 Drivers for the regular season and then 10 drivers for the playoffs. We can be more aggressive in these types of One & Done Contests.
CHASE BRISCOE will be my pick in games that reset at the end of the regular season. The drivers racing for the championship typically dominate this race so I needed one of them in my One & Done lineup. I will take a chance with Briscoe. He won at Phoenix in the Gen-7 car in 2022, so he knows how to get to Victory Lane in Phoenix. Briscoe has been one of the best drivers in the playoffs this year, so I expect another solid performance from the No. 19 Team at Phoenix Sunday.
ONE & DONE (USE A DRIVER MORE THAN ONCE)
There are some One & Done games that are not really “One & Done.” I play in a league where you can use a driver twice and another league where you can use a driver three times during the season. The picks posted below are for these types of contests (I am going to base these picks on being able to use a driver twice during the 2025 season).
JOEY LOGANO will be my pick in games where you can use a driver more than once during the 2025 season. Team Penske has dominated the race championship races at Phoenix in the Gen-7 car era and they have a good chance to do it again Sunday. Goodyear brought the same tire compound that was used at New Hampshire in September. Logano led the most laps (147) and finished 4th in that race. The tire was also used at Richmond where Logano finished 4th and in the All-Star Race at North Wilksboro where Logano finished 2nd. Logano won the playoff races at Phoenix in 2022 and 2024. He should be a great pick for your One & Done lineup Sunday.
NASCAR.COM 36 FOR 36 PICK
* Cody Ware is the only driver I have left so he gets the spot Sunday.
Good luck Sunday!
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