NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire

The racing at Richmond sure put on a show for the fans. Strategy was all over the place, but Joey Logano and the No.22 team proved once again that you should never count them out. With this burst of momentum coming at the close of the regular season, the field should be very concerned. The win was Logano's second of the season, his second victory in the last four races, and his 39th NASCAR Cup Series win. Oh, and Logano also runs well at New Hampshire, his home track, so we may see another burn out in Victory Lane from the No. 22 bunch. Stay tuned.

 

This week's pick strategy: This race is typically dominated by Team Penske and JGR Racing. I will load up on these drivers, fill in with tried-and-true New Hampshire elites, and sprinkle in drivers who race well on wet-weather tires just in case rain moves into the area. After practice and qualifying I will make my final picks based on drivers in the Top 8 spots, as I expect the winner to come from that part of the field. Good luck with your roster!

Active Cup Series Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 4 Races 2022-2025):

All with 3 - Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe and Ross Chastain

 

Active Cup Series Drivers with Most Top 5s (Last 4 Races 2022-2025):
All with 2 - Josh Berry, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott

Active Cup Series Drivers with Most Top 3s (Last 4 Races 2022-2025):
Both with 2 - Josh Berry and Christopher Bell

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position Among All-Time & Active Cup Series Drivers

SOURCE: NASCAR Media.com

 

 

Last Year's Pole Winner: Joey Logano

Last Year's Race Winner: Ryan Blaney

 

The Likely Suspects: I expect these drivers to be up front and competing to take Loudon the Lobster home on Sunday: Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski and William Byron.

 

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is Christopher Bell. My next picks are Ryan Blaney, Josh Berry, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Brad Keselowski. I will complete my roster with AJ Allmendinger and Todd Gilliland.

 

My Final Four: Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, Tyler Reddick and Todd Gilliland.

 

Second-Look Driver: This week's sleeper pick is Brad Keselowski. New Hampshire is arguably one of Keselowski's best tracks with two wins, 10 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, and four poles with an 11.040 average finish, the fourth-best in the field. Keselowski is having a dismal season, so it would be great to see him run well this weekend.

Points to Ponder:

• Brad Keselowski leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with four (2010, 2013, 2014, 2019). 
• Team Penske leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 11 poles, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with 10. 
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the NASCAR Cup Series field at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, producing more winners (six) than any other starting position at the 1.058-mile track. 
• Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in wins at New Hampshire with three (2007, 2012, 2017), followed by Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano with two each, and Ryan Blaney with one win. Hamlin also leads active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runner-up finishes with six, in Top 5s with 11, in Top 10s with 19, and in laps led with 798 in 32 starts.
• Joe Gibbs Racing leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 14 victories, followed by Hendrick Motorsports with nine.
• Josh Berry leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with a 2.5 in two starts.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your initial picks by 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 22nd, and your final picks by 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 23rd.  

 

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 19 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 volunteering in or around Queen Anne's County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.