NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA

 

Well, one thing is for sure:  Atlanta Motor Speedway has entered a new era of racing. Whether it was a combination of the repave and changes to the elevation in the turns or the New Gen car or all of the above, last week's racing was amazingly competitive. After 46 lead changes from 20 different drivers, it was William Byron who raced his way into Victory Lane. It was Byron's third career Cup win, and his first at Atlanta. Byron became the fifth different driver to win this season, and the third from Hendrick Motorsports. Coincidentally, last year's winner here (in a rain-shorted race just shy of 14 laps completion) was Chase Elliott, the only driver in the Hendrick camp who hasn't won a race yet this season. Just sayin'.

This Week's Pick Strategy:  

Keep it simple this week. Look at the drivers who ran well here last year and zero in on the teams who seem to have a handle on this new car, which supposedly is much more attuned to road course racing than the previous car.

Active Road Course Winners in the NASCAR Cup Series

Active Road Course Winners	Total Wins	Sonoma	WGI	Charlotte	Daytona	Indy	COTA	Road America
Chase Elliott	7	0	2	2	1	0	1	1
Kyle Busch	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0
Martin Truex Jr	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0
Kyle Larson	3	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
Kevin Harvick	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
AJ Allmendinger	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
Joey Logano	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Kurt Busch	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Blaney	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Christopher Bell	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Denny Hamlin	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Top 12 in the Driver Standings at Circuit of The Americas

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Chase Elliott	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	121.0
2	Joey Logano	1	0	0	1	1	0	3	124.6
3	Chase Briscoe	1	0	0	0	1	0	6	92.8
4	William Byron	1	0	0	0	0	0	11	82.5
5	Kurt Busch	1	0	0	0	0	0	27	76.5
6	Ryan Blaney	1	0	0	0	0	0	17	63.2
7	Aric Almirola	1	0	0	0	0	0	26	50.8
8	Martin Truex Jr	1	0	0	0	0	1	35	74.3
9	Alex Bowman	1	0	0	0	1	0	8	87.2
10	Ross Chastain	1	0	0	1	1	0	4	110.0
11	Kyle Busch	1	0	0	0	1	0	10	114.7
12	Kyle Larson	1	0	0	1	1	0	2	122.8

 

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

 

Last Year's Pole Winner: Tyler Reddick

 

Last Year's Race Winner: Chase Elliott

 

The Likely Suspects:  These drivers are great road racers who did well at last year's race: Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, A.J. Allmendinger, Chase Briscoe, Michael McDowell, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick,and Kyle Busch.

 
My 2 Cents: Keep an eye on Chris Buescher this week. He is running well this season, ran well in last year's race, and after the blistering penalties handed down to his teammate and co-owner of RFK Racing, has some extra incentive to give the fans some good news to talk about. My no-brainer pick is Chase Elliott. My next choices are Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain. I will complete my team with Michael McDowell and A.J.Allmendinger.

                                                         
My Final Four: Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, and Michael McDowell

Second-look driver: This week's sleeper is Tyler Reddick. Tyler started on the pole last year and finished ninth. This season he has earned with one Top 5 and two Top 10s, two stage wins, and has led 95 laps. He currently is 15 in the standings, two points behind Daniel Suarez and Kevin Harvick who are tied with 2,000 points. For Tyler it's not a matter of if he'll win in the Cup Series, but when, and we just might get that answer this Sunday.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your initial picks by 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 26th, and your final picks by 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 27th.

Enjoy the race!
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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 16 years. She launched  NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet.

When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.