NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Overton's 400 at Chicagoland


By Carol D'Agostino

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):
By Race & Track
Both with 5- Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenneth
All with 4 -  Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano

Driver Rating 
Since 2005 - Factors in Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps and Lead-Lap Finish. SOURCE: MRN.com



Rank
Driver
High Rating
Avg. Rating
1
Chase Elliott
129.1
125.6
2
Jimmie Johnson
144.0
113.0
3
Kyle Busch
146.3
107.3
4
Matt Kenseth
144.6
101.8
5
Brad Keselowski
133.3
100.4
6
Kevin Harvick
127.5
98.9
7
Kyle Larson
110.1
97.1
8
Martin Truex Jr.
129.9
94.5
9
Joey Logano
111.1
91.0
10
Denny Hamlin
112.8
89.7



Recent Pole Winners:
2017 Kyle Busch
2014-2016  Rained Out
2013 Joey Logano

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

The Likely Suspects: There have been a consistent group of drivers who perform well at Chicagoland. I am keeping an eye on Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.  

My 2 Cents: The visit to Chicagoland is a little early this year, so it should be interesting to see if the steamy summer weather plays into the racing. My no-brainer pick is Martin Truex Jr. My next picks are Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott.  I will complete my team with Landon Cassill and David Ragan.

My Final Four: Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Landon Cassill.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Clint Bowyer. Clint has one top five and seven top 10s at Chicagoland. More importantly, he was super disappointed about not being in Victory Lane last week, so he has momentum on his side. Last week's second-look driver A.J. Allmendinger had a bad day at Sonoma after starting the race in fifth and earning his first stage win of the season. At Lap 33 after the restart, Allmendinger missed a shift, which created terminal damage, ending his day.

Points to Ponder:
  • Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. lead all active drivers in wins at Chicago with two each. 
  • Eleven different drivers have finished as runner-up in the Monster Energy Series at Chicago, led by Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon with three each, followed by Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards with two each.
  • A total of 32 different drivers have finished in the top five at Chicago in the MENCS, led by Kevin Harvick with nine top fives, followed by Tony Stewart with eight, and Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon with seven each.   
  • A total of 46 different drivers have finished in the top 10 at Chicago in the Cup Series, led by Jimmie Johnson with 11 top 10s, followed by Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart with 10 each.
Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 30th and your final picks by 2:30 p.m. EDT on race day Sunday, July 1st.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter at @purplecatpr.
------------------------------------
NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Overton's 400 at Chicagoland NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Overton's 400 at Chicagoland Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino on Thursday, June 28, 2018 Rating: 5