Jerry Lai-US Presswire
Well, it was going to happen eventually.
It only took a matter of time before Kyle Busch would find himself dominating a race, like most are accustomed to seeing.
This year has been one of Busch’s worst seasons. He’s been plagued by hard-luck, not to mention, he simply hasn’t been as fast, consistently, week in and week out.
Ever since missing the Chase, Busch has had a top five car in every race. This time around, as I predicted, he was going to be a contender for the race win. Because of this assumption, he was a sensible pick for owners in Fantasy NASCAR.
While fuel mileage cost Busch a potential victory, his seventh place finish still gave owners 224.5 points, about 130 more points than the next closest driver.
And speaking of the next closest driver, he happens to be the guy that I said should be an automatic start. Who else but Jimmie Johnson, right?
Johnson didn’t quite dominate the race like per usual, but when it mattered the most, he found himself in the lead. However, he to suffered a tad from the fuel fiasco, as he and Busch would’ve battled for the win. Instead, Johnson finished fourth, which was good for 91.5 points.
My next choice was a driver who benefited from the late-race strategy. Jeff Gordon was running top five most of the race, but with a late-race caution, he topped off for fuel, making him good to the finish. Gordon took advantage of the drivers who were conserving fuel, and wound up finishing second, which gave owners 61 points.
Would you select a filler for four dollars, knowing he would he get a 12th place finish?
That’s exactly what Ricky Stenhouse Jr. did. He picked up 37.5 points.
My other filler choice was T.J. Bell, and he finished 33rd. This was good for 19 points.
When that’s all added up, the total comes out to 433.5 fantasy points.
Since this is the lineup I used, I finished in first place. I was the only individual who eclipsed the 400 point total.
Heading into next week, it’s going to be all about luck, if anything. So much like in real life, if you can survive Talladega and still be in striking distance for the championship, then congratulations; the rest of the Chase just got easier. Round four will break more than make.
For more news and thoughts on the sports world, follow on Twitter @MidwayLC.
