NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Phoenix Short-tracking

Track Classification: Short Track

Similar Tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway • Dover International Speedway  

Martinsville Speedway • Richmond International Raceway

Distance: 1 Mile

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Jimmie Johnson - 5

Jeff Gordon - 4

All with 3 - Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards

By Track

Both with 6 - Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman 

Both with 5 - Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch

All with 4 - Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne

Recent Pole Winners:  

2013 & 2012 Mark Martin  

The Likely Suspects: Historically Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway drivers have excelled at Phoenix International Raceway, and then there are flat and short track greats. Another good data source for this week is Richmond International Raceway. Richmond racing parallels Phoenix racing remarkably well.

Put all this together and you'll get this selection of drivers earning you maximum points during Sunday's race: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick is a tie between Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. The six-time champ may not be a surprise here, but selecting Kevin Harvick this week should not be overlooked. He tops the driver rankings for both Phoenix and Richmond. If you aren't feeling the love for Harvick, Kyle Busch is also a worthy pick.

My next choices are: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart. If you want to save your Stewart starts for the summer when he usually runs his best, then go with Greg Biffle this week. I will round out my team with Danica Patrick and Austin Dillon.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or email me at ssfantasyracing@skirtsandscuffs.com