NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Quaker State 400 at Kentucky

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

Las Vegas Motor Speedway • New Hampshire Motor • Texas Motor Speedway

Distance: 1.5 Miles

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):
By Race & Track
Kevin Harvick - 5
All with 4 - Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano

Driver Rating Since 2011 - This 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. A driver can score a maximum driver rating of 150 points per race. Updated prior to the 2019 race.
SOURCE: MRN.com

Rank	Driver	High Rating	Avg. Rating
1	Kyle Busch	148.4	124.4
2	Brad Keselowski	150.0	109.6
3	Martin Truex Jr.	149.0	105.7
4	Kevin Harvick	131.3	105.5
5	Erik Jones	102.7	99.2
6	Jimmie Johnson	138.8	95.1
7	Ryan Blaney	121.4	94.7
8	Joey Logano	123.3	91.2
9	Chase Elliott	104.4	90.5
10	Kurt Busch	118.5	89.3

Recent Pole Winners:
2018 Martin Truex Jr.
2017 Kyle Busch

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

The Likely Suspects: My traditional Kentucky go-tos are: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. 

My 2 Cents: We could very well see a very different Kentucky race on Saturday night. We not only have the new package to contend with, but also for the first time here -- traction compound. I believe our best bet is to stick with the drivers who have excelled at this track and pray that there are no additional anomalies to mess up our strategy.

My no-brainer pick this week is Martin Truex Jr. My next picks are Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Jimmie Johnson, and Kurt Busch. I will complete my team with Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell.

My Final Four: Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, and Chris Buescher

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is William Byron. Although Byron finished 20th in his only Cup start at Kentucky last season, he does have a Truck Series win here. His last four races at 1.5-mile tracks haven't been too shabby either with a 10.8 average finish and a 9.8 average running position. Lasts week's second-look driver, Alex Bowman, had a disappointing day. He started ninth, but finished 21st. He unfortunately got caught up in the multi-car wreck on Lap 118.

Points to Ponder: 

• Brad Keselowski leads the series in wins at Kentucky with three; followed by Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. with two each. 
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field producing more winners (three) than any other position on the grid.
• Brad Keselowski (2014) and Martin Truex Jr. (2018) won at Kentucky in the Monster Energy Series from the Busch pole.
•  Five of the eight (62.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Kentucky have been won from the front row – Three from the first starting position (2011, 2014 and 2018) and two from the second starting position (2016, 2017). 
• Seven of the eight (87.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Kentucky have been won from a top-10 starting position.
•  A total of 21 different Monster Energy Series drivers have posted top-five finishes at Kentucky; led by Kyle Busch with six top fives; followed by Brad Keselowski with four.    
• A total of 26 different Monster Energy Series drivers have posted top-10 finishes at Kentucky; among active drivers are Kyle Busch with seven; followed by Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick with six each. 
• Kyle Busch leads the series in average finishing position at Kentucky with a 5.0.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. ET on Fri., July 12th, and your final picks by 7:30 p.m. ET on race day Sat., July 13th.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter @purplecatpr.
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Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice at NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway, and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at

Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat.