Chad's Fantasy NASCAR Blog

After a week off, the boys are back at it.  Phoenix is a track that the 2009 chasers have done well.  Of the top 10 drivers with the best average finish here, 7 of them made the chase in 2009.  That will make it a little more difficult to pick your team this week, but there are plenty of good drivers to choose from.

This Week’s Recommendations:

Chaser: Jimmie Johnson
I know I sound like a broken record, recommending Jimmie so much, but he seems to be the best driver at every track.  He has the best average finish at Phoenix (5.1) and most wins (4) among active drivers.  He’s also won 4 of the last 5 races at the track, finished in the top ten 9 consecutive races, and top five in 7 consecutive.   He’s the man.

Alternate Chaser: Denny Hamlin
Denny has never won in Phoenix, but does have 6 top tens in 9 career races, and a 9.6 place average finish here.  He’s supporting a streak of 4 consecutive top ten finishes at the track.  Denny hasn’t had very good start to the season, but a strong running at Phoenix can help turn it around.

Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton always seems to be an overlooked driver.  He’s rarely in discussions about great drivers, but he’s a steady performer and always seems to be in position to win a race and make the chase.  He does have success in Phoenix with 2 wins, 6 top fives, 12 top tens and an average finish of 10.8 in 21 career races.  Jeff is a solid driver and would be a good driver to keep on your team all season long.  One more note, Jeff has had a top ten finish in 4 of the last 5 races in Phoenix.

Martin Truex Jr.
Martin had a 3 race stretch of finishing 20^th or worse, but has since come out of it with 12^th and 5^th place finishes in the last two races.  He does have success in Phoenix as well.  His 4 top ten finishes have come over the last 5 races here.  In his 8 race career at the track he’s averaging a 15.5 place finish.  Not too bad when you consider he was the first car out of the race in one of the 2008 races.

Dark Horse: Marcos Ambros
Marcos doesn’t have a top ten finish at the track yet in his career, but in the 3 races he has under his belt, he is averaging a 14.3 place finish.  That may not sound impressive, but it’s good enough for 9^th best among active drivers; better than Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Matt Kenseth.  He may be 29^th in points right now, but don’t count him out for a top ten finish.