Articles
Kurt Busch Likely To Finish Near Top Ten But Not Contend
Kurt Busch starts in the 12th position and will likely move into the top-ten early on Sunday at the Instacart 500. The question becomes can he contend in Phoenix. This answer appears to be no. Busch's best finish since 2010 is 5th. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has led just eight laps since coming over […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoRyan Newman Could Lurk Around Top-Ten Sunday
Ryan Newman is a longtime veteran and has raced at the Phoenix track for 21 years. Even without the best of cars, the Jack Roush Racing driver can improve his position by at least several spots on Sunday. The 2017 winner of this race has the know-how to get some points on place differential alone. […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoNASCAR DFS Prop Picks: Instacart 500 - Monkey Knife Fight
Sunday features the Instacart 500 presented by Instacart from Phoenix. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex Jr. will make up the top five to start the race. Monkey Knife Fight has an extremely easy fantasy point system: 0.1 points for each lap led and then a set amount of points […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoRyan Blaney Getting Overlooked At Phoenix A Bit
One driver that could deliver a steady result is Ryan Blaney. He has only led one lap the entire season but did race to a top-five finish last week in Vegas. His car is getting better and better. The Team Penske driver starts from the eighth spot on Sunday for the Instacart 500. There is […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoJoey Logano Should Be Excellent DFS Choice Sunday
Joey Logano is just inside the top 10 for his start on Sunday in the Instacart 500. That may suit him rather well. Logano and this raceway set up well together. Last year, the Team Penske driver finished on the podium both times and won the spring race with ease. He had led at least […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKyle Busch Has Track Record To Contend At Phoenix
Kyle Busch has shown the ability to win races at Phoenix. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won three times in 31 appearances. That includes a string of nine top-five finishes in his previous 11 results. Last season, Busch had a few issues but still managed a third in the Spring race. The Instacart 500 […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoChristopher Bell Has Little Upside At Phoenix
The good news is that Christopher Bell gets a top-five start on Sunday for the Instacart 500. The bad news is that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver just may not fare quite as well. He finished outside the top-15 in both races last season. The expectation is that Bell will fall out of the top-five […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoMartin Truex Jr. Enjoys Some DFS Upside Sunday
Martin Truex Jr. represents a risky DFS pick for the Instacart 500. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has had some car issues throughout the season. It has kept him from winning at least one race and maybe two. Starting fifth this week may be helpful. He has been in contention in six of the previous […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDon't Expect Kyle Larson To Win In Phoenix
Kyle Larson does start from the second spot on Sunday for the Instacart 500. Last week, the Hendrick Motorsports driver found a way to not only win in Vegas but he won convincingly at the end. Could he do it again this week? The answer seems to be no based on the numbers but a […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoChase Elliott Another Favorite At Phoenix on Sunday
Can Chase Elliott put it all together? The Hendrick Motorsports driver had a nice run going in Vegas until a spin-out ruined his day. Elliott has +600 odds to win the Instacart 500 on Sunday and one of the big reasons is he can rack up laps led. Elliott led a total of 246 laps […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKevin Harvick Should Improve Track Position At Phoenix
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick should be able to improve position-wise at Phoenix. Harvick starts from the 18th spot for the Instacart 500. This is a track he excels at, winning nine times in 36 races. He has ended up in the top 10 15 consecutive times, including a dozen top-five results. Does he have […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDenny Hamlin The Favorite To Win In Phoenix
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin is a very slight favorite (+500) to grab the checkered flag on Sunday in Phoenix. Hamlin starts in the third position and has enjoyed a mostly solid car all season. With four different winners on the season, could Hamlin be the fifth? He has the finishes at the track […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoBrad Keselowski Expected To Contend In Phoenix
Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski raced very well at Phoenix last year. In the spring race, Keselowski led 82 laps before a self-inflicted error got in the way. Keselowski nearly won the fall edition, as he finished in second after starting in third place. This time around, he starts from the pole. That means he […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoCBB DFS Prop Picks for Saturday (3/13/21) - Monkey Knife Fight
With the college basketball slate featuring some afternoon games of note, naturally, the Monkey Knife Fight column again takes a look at two more Saturday evening games. Remember, Selection Sunday is tomorrow. With the evening games, there are a few that were just destined to get some coverage. The Conference Tournament games are ones to […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoCBB DFS Prop Picks for Friday (3/12/21) - Monkey Knife Fight
With the college basketball slate featuring some afternoon games of note, naturally, the Monkey Knife Fight column again takes a look at two more Friday evening games. With the evening games, there are a few that were just destined to get some coverage. The Conference Tournament games are ones to get prepped and get ready […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoCBB DFS Prop Picks for Thursday (3/11/21) - Monkey Knife Fight
With the college basketball slate featuring some afternoon games of note, naturally, the Monkey Knife Fight column takes a look at two evening games. With the evening games, there are a few that were just destined to get some coverage. The Conference Tournament games are ones to get prepped and get ready for when March […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoNHL DFS Lineup Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings (3/10): Value Plays, Goalies, Stacks
Welcome, RotoBallers. Hockey season is back and I am thrilled to be covering this sport over at RotoBaller! As always, I will do my best to give you the stats and info you need to build the best lineups possible for your GPP and cash game NHL contests on DraftKings and FanDuel. If you are […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoCBB DFS Prop Picks for Wednesday (3/10/21) - Monkey Knife Fight
With the college basketball slate featuring some afternoon games of note, naturally, the Monkey Knife Fight column takes a look at two evening games. With the evening games, there are a few that were just destined to get some coverage. The Conference Tournament games are ones to get prepped and get ready for when March […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoChase Elliott Spin Out Leads To Disappointing Vegas Result
Chase Elliott kept winding up near or at the front early on Sunday. He led three times for a total of 22 laps. However, his car had neither the lift nor speed to stay there. He finished second in Stage 1. Disaster struck 99 laps from the end when the Hendrick Motorsports driver spun out […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoRyan Blaney Climbs Into Contention, Nails Top Five Vegas Finish
Ryan Blaney was mired in the middle of the pack at the beginning of the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday (26th place). His Team Penske Ford ran fast early and he was able to quickly roar up the standings. Blaney finished third in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2. He even led a lap briefly […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKevin Harvick Runs Into Trouble Often, Finishes 20th At Vegas
The pole was Kevin Harvick's on Sunday afternoon for the Pennzoil 400. That was the highlight of his race day. His crew missed out on aerodynamics adjustments. The result was the Stewart-Haas Racing driver fell quickly out of the top-ten early and never fully recovered. Just when he adjusted handling-wise, a blown tire and fender […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDenny Hamlin Lurked All Day, Ends Up Fourth In Pennzoil 400
Denny Hamlin was in a good position starting at sixth on Sunday in Vegas. When Kevin Harvick slid backwards quickly, Hamlin seized the opportunity. He finished fourth in Stage 1 then third in Stage 2. It seemed like he was set up to challenge for the win on Sunday. Unfortunately, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKyle Busch Rides Momentum And Nabs Podium Finish At Vegas
It is how you finish and not how you start. Kyle Busch started 14th, was outside the top-ten after Stage 1, and barely in the top-ten after Stage 2. However, the final 62 laps told a different story for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. He was able to stay near the front. His car was […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoBrad Keselowski Nearly Pulls Off Win In Vegas
Brad Keselowski may have started in tenth on Sunday but quickly got up near the front on the 1.5-mile track. He would be in contention most of the evening. The Team Penske Ford driver won Stage 1 and led 27 laps. He wound up battling with Kyle Larson for the lead several times the rest […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoKyle Larson Astonishing Run Culminates In Win At Vegas
It is not that Kyle Larson led some laps or did wind up contending that surprised people. It is how he led so many laps and then pulled away at the end of the Pennzoil 400. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver led 103 of the 267 laps en route to his first Cup series win […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoStay Away From Christopher Bell Again On Sunday
Christopher Bell has not enjoyed the Vegas track in his few encounters there. He has made minimal impact in both races and not improved on his starting position. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver did finish on the lead lap the last time out but only improved two spots (26th to 24th). Bell starts 16th on […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoErik Jones May Be Cheap DFS Choice On Sunday
Erik Jones could be worth a chance on Sunday as he starts 29th for the Richard Petty Motorsports team. The driver did finished 8th in the last race here and was near the top-five for good segments of the race. Now, there is a risk. While Jones' DFS price is cheap, there are slight negative […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoDaniel Suarez Not A Factor DFS Wise in Vegas
Daniel Suarez has not fared well on the Vegas track and this Pennzoil 400 expects to be much the same. The Trackhouse Racing Team driver has not even seen the top-ten in his previous four races and has finished outside the top-15 as well. Suarez even finished 20th in one of the races despite starting […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoMatt DiBenedetto Is A Great Play At Vegas
Do not look at Matt DiBenedetto's 30th place position and immediately turn away. Last year, the Wood Brothers Racing driver showed the ability to make his way through the field twice in Vegas. Once might have been deemed a fluke but twice did get people's attention. Even that second race saw DiBenedetto nearly win after […]
Chris Wassel 4 years agoAustin Dillon Not the Best of Options on Sunday in Vegas
Austin Dillon does start 12th for the Richard Childress Racing team on Sunday at the Pennzoil 400. The driver has a solid average starting position this year of 9,7 in the first three races. However, he has just two top-ten finishes in 11 races at the 1.5-mile track. Dillon in his last race at Vegas […]
Chris Wassel 4 years ago