Welcome back, everyone, to this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Fantasy Insider. Last Sunday (July 25) was a bit rough for my picks; the usual suspects failed us at Indy, posting finishes that were mediocre at best, disastrous at worst for our rosters. Between Jeff Gordon‘s splitter and Juan Pablo Montoya splitting in two down the stretch, everyone’s fantasy team learned a hard lesson in what happens when favorites fall apart.
So this week, we’ll try and turn things around at Pocono for the second time in less than two months. If you had a winning team in June, you’ll wanna keep that lineup again this time; trust me, not a lot changes in six weeks! And if you didn’t have a winning team, well… maybe this time you’ll listen to me! Here’s a look at who’s primed to score some major points up in PA.
Studs
This week, you‘ll wanna look at grabbing Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. Stewart posted top fives at the flat tracks of Indy and New Hampshire in 2010, and also ran third at Pocono less than two months ago. Couple that with the fact he finished top 10 here twice in 2009 – including his first win as driver/owner – and Smoke makes for a smart pick this weekend.
While Harvick doesn’t have a great history here, he did finish fourth in June – Joey Logano notwithstanding – and, like Tony, posted top fives at that Indy/New Hampshire flat-track swing. The points leader continues to run well week in and week out, carrying momentum that should make him a solid Sunday pick.
Who Will Carry You
The trio of unknowns who will score big finishes for their respective points values this week are none other than Sam Hornish Jr., AJ Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski. Now, if this sounds familiar, it’s because these are the same three I picked to run well in June. In that race, Hornish had probably his best career outing, leading late on older tires before eventually fading to 11th.
The ‘Dinger also ran well, coming home 10th, while Keselowski ran 21st. Finishes like that out of guys sitting 21st, 25th and 29th in points is a pretty good week… so why mess with a good thing and pick other drivers? These cheap picks will be perfect to fill out your roster.
Who Will Bury You
Well, I picked Kyle Busch to fail here back in June and he made me look bad by finishing second, so we’ll switch this pick the second time around. For this race, I am saying to avoid the No. 17 Ford driven by Matt Kenseth. He has just one top 10 here since 2008 and the last three years the veteran’s average finish on flat tracks is 18th. And, let’s face it; on his third crew chief and without a victory this season, he’s just not having a Kenseth kind of year. Avoid him here and next week at Watkins Glen, too (road racing has never been his forte).
So, there you have it; enough information to go out and pick yourself a winning team again this weekend. Make sure to check back next Thursday, when we’ll preview my personal favorite, Watkins Glen! And, as always, don’t forget to set your lineups in Frontstretch’s fantasy racing Game of Tomorrow.
Good luck this Sunday and we’ll see you next week!
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