This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at Texas Motor Speedway for the second race of the Eliminator Round.
A week ago at Martinsville it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. earning the victory which means that no one earned a free pass to the finale at Homestead. There will be eight drivers aware of that as they seek to win the Sprint Cup this year.
Of course while there are eight drivers in the Chase, there are 35 others who will also be on the track.
Tireball Sports’ will take a look at the Fantasy Picks you should be making and avoiding this week.
Five to Pick
Matt Kenseth – If best average finish means anything to you then Matt Kenesth is your man this weekend as the driver of the No. 20 Toyota owns a 8.2 average finish at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in 24 starts. A total of 17 of Kenseth’s finishes at Texas have been in the top-10.
Kevin Harvick – Mr. Harvick was not happy after Martinsville and he enters this weekend badly needing to make up points or earn a win if he wants to advance to the next round. Harvick lost an engine at Texas in the Sprint but prior to that had finished 13th or better in his five races before that.
Jeff Gordon – He was second here in the spring snapping a two race streak of 38th place runs at Texas.Gordon has four wins this year and is coming off a second place run at Martinsville. Aside from that poor run at Talladega, Gordon remains as good a bet as anyone to win the championship this year.
Joey Logano – In his last three races Logano has finished fifth, third and first at Texas. Already with five wins on the season Logano still remains a favorite to claim the cup this year. And by now you have noticed a pattern, these guys are all in the Chase.
Tony Stewart – Perhaps we can start to pick Stewart again. He was 10th at Texas in the spring and is coming off a fourth place run at Martinsville. Odds are you still have picks left or Stewart is cheap enough that you can add him in your league.
Three to Avoid
Jimmie Johnson – It is not often that Johnson appears on this list but this week is one. Johnson has finished 17th or worst the last four weeks and is out of championship contention.
Marcos Ambrose – The swan song for the Aussie has been disappointing. Things will not get any better at Texas where he has just one finish inside the top-ten in 12 career starts. You can also avoid teammate Aric Almirola who has one finish in the top-ten in seven starts.
Austin Dillon – In three starts at Texas the rookie of the year candidate has finished 33rd, 22nd and 21st. It is hard to envision those numbers improving this week. Dillon has just one top-ten run since Daytona in July.
