2 months agoIn qualifying for the Shriners Children's 500, Bubba Wallace collected a starting position of 22nd. This marks Wallace's second starting position outside of the Top 20 going into the fourth race of the year. In 12 Phoenix starts, Wallace has six top-20 finishes, including top-15 finishes in both races at the site last year. The driver of the No. 23 Toyota also obtained two top-5 finishes this season and led in two different Cup events. In practice, Wallace's speeds were among the Top 5 fastest in most categories, and he had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average. Despite the mediocre qualifying effort, Wallace has one of the fastest cars set for longer green flag runs. As a result, Wallace is one driver who is easy to recommend as a DFS start for Phoenix despite the track history not being as strong as others in the same salary tier.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoFor the Shriners Children's 500, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start from the 20th position. In 22 Phoenix starts, Stenhouse has 11 top-20 finishes but only placed inside the Top 10 twice. The driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet has been inconsistent recently, with two top-20 finishes in his last eight Cup races at PR. Through three races this season, Stenhouse has two top-20 finishes, both acquired during the previous two Cup events. In practice, Stenhouse's speeds were ranked in the Top 20 in the single, five, and 10-consecutive lap average categories. Stenhouse's middle-of-the-pack start position makes him usable for DFS lineups, but his practice speeds and Phoenix history suggest he's not the best option for the salary range.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months ago23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick obtained a starting position of sixth after qualifying for Phoenix. In eight starts at the Arizona track, Reddick has two top-5 finishes, both of which were scored in the last two March races. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota also has four finishes with positive Place Differential in his Cup career at PR. Outside of five consecutive lap averages, Reddick was among the top 10 fastest drivers in all categories in terms of speed in practice. With plenty of momentum from finishing as the runner-up last week at Las Vegas, fantasy players should feel comfortable taking a chance on Reddick at Phoenix despite little PD upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoDerek Kraus is returning to the No. 16 Chevrolet this week for Phoenix after finishing 28th in his Cup Series debut last week at Las Vegas. As a result of his qualifying run, he will start Sunday's race at PR from 26th position. Most of Kraus' previous NASCAR experience at Phoenix is from the Truck Series where he has three top-15 finishes in six starts. Kraus also has one Xfinity start at the site, where he ran 84 laps before crashing and placing 37th in November 2023. The No. 16 Chevrolet was one of the slowest cars in practice, being among the Top 3 slowest in every category on speed. With Kraus' inexperience in a Cup car, mediocre results in lower Series, and a slow car in pre-race events, fantasy players should fade him this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoWilliam Byron obtained a starting position of fifth in qualifying for the Shriners Children's 500, his second top-5 start position of the year after starting fourth at Las Vegas. In 12 starts at Phoenix, Byron has seven top-10 finishes, including each of the last three Cup events there, and is the defending race winner in Sunday's race. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has the best average finish of all drivers (9.6) and scored two top-10 finishes through three races so far this year. Despite his car not showing as much speed in pre-race events as some, Byron still had the seventh-best overall lap average in practice. Byron's comprehensive history at Phoenix, his 2024 performance so far through three races, and top-notch Hendrick Motorsports equipment make him a favorite to consider this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoStewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe will start this week's Cup race at Phoenix Raceway from the eighth position. With his starting position this week, Briscoe continues his streak of top-10 starts, with his third in a row this year going into the fourth race of the year. Historically, Phoenix is one of Briscoe's best tracks. It is the site of his only Cup win so far, and he also captured three top-10 finishes and led 114 laps there. The driver of the No. 14 Ford also has five finishes with positive place differential in six starts at PR. In practice, Briscoe showcased a car that is fastest on longer green flag runs as he ranked among the Top 10 in 20,25, and 30-consecutive lap averages. Although his strong history at Phoenix points to a favorable run, Briscoe's high starting position and inconsistent results through three races this year make him a risky tournament play for DFS.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoIn this week's qualifying session for Phoenix, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell scored a starting position of 13th. This will be Bell's second consecutive race at Phoenix, starting from the 13th position after he failed to finish due to an incident last November. In eight starts at PR, the driver of the No. 20 Toyota has four top-10 finishes, all of which were gained in his previous six races at the Arizona track. Bell's practice times bode well for another top-10 finish as he ranked second in the five and 10-consecutive lap averages, while he had the fastest 15,20,25, and 30-consecutive lap averages. Despite no lead lap finishes in the last two races this year and no prior top-5 finishes at Phoenix in his career, Bell's car through pre-race events indicates that he will be one of the favorites competing for the win.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
2 months agoThe last time the NASCAR Cup Series raced at Phoenix Raceway, Ross Chastain led 157 of the 312 laps en route to his fourth career victory in the sport's top series. Chastain was able to do this after qualifying eighth and having a great long-run race car. This weekend, for the Shriners Children's 500, Chastain qualified 12th and once again has a great long-run car, as the No. 1 Chevrolet continued to be fast as the laps ticked off in practice, winding up inside the top five when it came to 15-, 20-, and 25-lap average. Even better for DFS players is the fact that DraftKings put the Trackhouse Racing driver's salary at just $9,000 this weekend, making Chastain one of the best plays on the slate with his race-winning potential upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoJoey Logano's No. 22 Ford was the fastest car in practice at Phoenix on Friday afternoon, but the Penske Racing driver wasn't able to replicate that speed during qualifying on Saturday. When the Shriners Children's 500 goes green on Sunday, Logano will roll off the starting grid from 23rd-place. Although that is not the worst thing in the world, it is definitely a bit of a disadvantage, as track position is very important when it comes to the racing at Phoenix Raceway. Still, Logano had one of the fastest cars on the track during practice this weekend, ranking second-fastest in both 15- and 20-lap average on Friday. At Phoenix, Joey is a three-time winner, but he struggled in the two races here last season, coming home with finishes of 11th- and 18th-place. It looks like the No. 22 Ford will be faster than that this weekend, though, and Logano should be able to contend for a top-10 result (if not better).
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
2 months agoKyle Larson has an incredible track record at Phoenix Raceway, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has posted top-10 finishes in nine of his last 10 starts at this track, and four of those were when he was driving mid-tier Chip Ganassi Racing equipment. However, Larson has always benefitted from qualifying near the front at Phoenix, as it has been since 2019 since he started worse than seventh in the desert. That's why it is a bit surprising that Larson qualified 17th for this weekend's Shriners Children's 500. With that being said, this is still Kyle Larson that we're talking about, and he should be fine on race day. The No. 5 Chevrolet ranked 7th-fastest in 20-lap average during practice, so the place differential upside is definitely there for DFS players on Sunday. However, Larson is priced at $11,500 on DraftKings, so while there is place differential upside, the lack of dominator potential probably won't make him a great daily fantasy pick this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
2 months agoThere is no such thing as a "sure thing" in NASCAR, but Ryan Blaney is close to that at Phoenix Raceway. Over the last five races in the desert, the Penske Racing driver hasn't finished worse than fourth, and he walked away with the Cup Series Championship after the fall race here last season despite starting back in 15th. He will have a similar hole to dig out of in this weekend's Shriners Children's 500, as the No. 12 Ford will roll off the grid from 16th when the race goes green on Sunday. Blaney had the sixth-fastest 20-lap average during practice here on Friday, though, so fantasy owners shouldn't be concerned for a good finish, but The Champ's $11,200 price tag on DraftKings may be a little too high for him to get into the optimal lineup unless he grabs some dominator points.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Digest
2 months agoIt has already been a long weekend for Kyle Busch and the race hasn't even started yet. Busch struggled to find speed during practice at Phoenix Raceway on Friday afternoon, winding up 31st-fastest out of 36 cars and just 26th-best when it came to ten-lap average. Then, during qualifying on Saturday, the No. 8 Chevrolet was still slow, and Busch will roll off the starting grid from 31st-place when the Shriners Children's 500 goes green. Busch used to be a constant race-winning contender at Phoenix Raceway, as he led 100+ laps in four of the five races here from 2017 through 2019. Over the last seven races here, though, Rowdy has led zero laps total and hasn't had a driver rating above 99.5 in any race. Don't expect Busch to contend for the win at Phoenix this weekend, and he may struggle to even crack the top 15.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoChris Buescher won't be the most popular pick on DraftKings this weekend, but he deserves your consideration when building your lineup for Phoenix. In the three NextGen races at this track, Buescher has posted two top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place finish here last fall. Buescher's No. 17 Ford was arguably the second-fastest car in that race and he led 16 laps while winning Stage 2 as well. This weekend, Buescher qualified 14th for the Shriners Children's 500, so there is some place differential upside there--but is he worth the $8,300 price tag on DraftKings? He will likely need a similar result as last fall to end up in the optimal lineup this weekend, and the No. 17 Ford didn't show as much speed in practice, and Buescher was just 10th-fastest in 15-lap average during practice. Still, there is definitely potential there, as Buescher won at Richmond last season--another short, flat track.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Win The Race
2 months agoHendrick Motorsports has found plenty of success at Phoenix Raceway, but that hasn't come through Alex Bowman. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet did post a top-10 result here last spring, but that is his only result better than 13th in his last 12 attempts at this race track. Bowman wound up finishing 17th in the fall finale here last November. This weekend, the No. 48 has looked to have decent speed, but not front-runner speed. Bowman was 12th-fastest in 10- and 15-lap average during practice, and then he qualified 25th for Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix. There is some place differential upside there as a DFS pick, but a mid-teens finish is the most likely outcome for Bowman on Sunday, so temper your expectations.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoIt's no secret that Zane Smith has struggled to start out the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. The 2022 Truck Series Champion did finish 13th in the Daytona 500 a few weeks ago, but since then he has posted finishes of 35th and 36th. This weekend at Phoenix, it's not looking a lot better. Smith's No. 71 Chevrolet was just 35th-fastest out of 36 cars, and he ended up qualifying 28th for this weekend's Shriners Children's 500. In the Truck Series at Phoenix, Smith has a win and three top-five finishes over four career starts, but those results aren't boosting his confidence this weekend. "The Cup Series is so different than the Truck Series," Zane said during media availability earlier this week. A top-20 finish would be a very good day out of Smith and his No. 71 Chevrolet this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Digest
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