NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Duck Commander 500 at Texas

Track Classification: Intermediate

Similar Tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway • Charlotte Motor Speedway • Chicagoland Speedway  Darlington Raceway • Homestead-Miami Speedway • Kansas Speedway • Kentucky Speedway 

Las Vegas Motor Speedway • New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Distance: 1.5 Miles

By Carol D'Agostino

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

By Race

All with 4 - Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson  

All with 3 - Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

By Track

Jimmie Johnson- 7
All with 6 - Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Both with 5 - Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards  

Recent Pole Winners:  

2015 Kurt Busch
2014 Tony Stewart

Last Year's Race Winner: Jimmie Johnson

The Likely Suspects: Fantasy picks for Texas tend to be predictable, however I welcome staying in the comfort zone after a fairly unusual Martinsville race. These drivers are my Texas go-tos: Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer this week is a tie between Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Jimmie Johnson is an obvious pick, however fantasy racing is about points, and Matt Kenneth has racked up just as many top-five finishes as Johnson (13). My next picks are Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle. I will complete my team with Ryan Blaney and Brian Vickers.

My Final Four: Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers.

Points to Ponder:

• Eighteen different drivers have won at Texas Motor Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with six victories, including five of the last seven races.
• Seven drivers have multiple wins at Texas Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (six), Carl Edwards (three), Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart each have two.
• Four manufacturers have won NSCS races at Texas, led by Ford and Chevrolet (12 each); followed by Toyota (three) and Dodge (three).
• Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Texas Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2014 Chase race and 2015 sweep), Carl Edwards (2008 sweep) and Denny Hamlin (2010 sweep).
• Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in top-five finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with 13 each, followed by Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch with nine each.  
• The third-place starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Texas Motor Speedway, producing more wins than any other starting position (six). The most recent was Jimmie Johnson in the fall of 2014.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter at @purplecatpr.