This weekend started out wild at ISM Raceway in Phoenix Arizona as two drivers got into it heavy during qualifying. Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell threw hands after McDowell got in Suarez's way during the first round of qualifying. This move by McDowell caused Suarez to not make it past the first round and his emotions turned into rage aimed at McDowell.
I'm honestly excited to see what may be the start of a new Wild Wild West in NASCAR that we haven't had since the nineties. Whatever happens Sunday at 3PM ET will be exciting for fans and fantasy players alike. This will be the first flat track race of the season lead by pole winner Ryan Blaney (#12). With this new rules package coming into its own we could be gearing up for the first high tempered event between drivers this season.
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TicketGuardian 500 - Starting Lineup
- (#12) Ryan Blaney - Ford
- (#9) Chase Elliott - Chevrolet
- (#11) Denny Hamlin - Toyota
- (#18) Kyle Bush - Toyota
- (#2) Brad Keselowski - Ford
- (#88) Alex Bowman - Chevrolet
- (#24) William Byron - Chevrolet
- (#4) Kevin Harvick - Ford
- (#19) Martin Truex Jr. - Toyota
- (#20) Eric Jones - Toyota
- (#8) Daniel Hemric - Chevrolet
- (#22) Joey Logano - Ford
- (#3) Austin Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#10) Aric Almirola - Ford
- (#48) Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet
- (#1) Kurt Bush - Chevrolet
- (#21) Paul Menard - Ford
- (#6) Ryan Newman - Ford
- (#17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - Ford
- (#13) Ty Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#47) Ryan Preece - Chevrolet
- (#37) Chris Buescher - Chevrolet
- (#43) Bubba Wallace - Chevrolet
- (#32) Corey Lajoie - Ford
- (#95) Matt DiBenedetto - Toyota
- (#14) Clint Bowyer - Ford
- (#34) Michael McDowell - Ford
- (#41) Daniel Suarez- Ford
- (#38) David Ragan - Ford
- (#36) Matt Tifft - Ford
- (#42) Kyle Larson - Chevrolet
- (#00) Landon Cassill - Chevrolet
- (#15) Ross Chastain - Chevrolet
- (#51) Cody Ware - Ford
- (#77) Quin Houff - Chevrolet
- (#52) Bayley Currey - Chevrolet
DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Kyle Larson #42 (DraftKings $9,900 | FanDuel $11,000)
Kyle Larson hit the track hot at the first practice finishing third and putting up a legit speed of 140.406. Once it came time to qualify that speed was a bit different. Larson qualified 31st with a speed of 134.786. This officially makes him the hottest play of the weekend in my book. Larson's spot isn't the only reason to play him. He has a pretty solid history at this track with four top 10 finishes. Chalk play of the week? Absolutely!
Kyle Bush #18 (DraftKings $12,200 | FanDuel $14,200)
If you wanted to name someone King of ISM Kyle Bush would be a great man for the job. Bush has one of the sexiest stat lines at this track with a win, three top fives and leading 359 laps in recent years. Bush is expensive but very worth it this week. He will be starting fourth from the pole with a speed of 139.855.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 (DraftKings $7,500 | FanDuel $9,800)
RSJ is my sneaky sleeper play of the week. We've seen a pretty outspoken and unapologetic personality from him so far this season which shows me that he's packing confidence in his team and car. Even though he's driving around repping juice harder than Juice WRLD, he had a great finish last week in Vegas bagging sixth. Stenhouse Jr. is packing two top 10's and a top five at ISM in recent races and by playing him you can really open up your lineup to some heavier players this week.
Ryan Newman #6 (DraftKings $7,100 | FanDuel $8,200)
Newman has had success at ISM in the past putting up two wins since 2010 and finished 11th in his last two races here driving for Richard Childress Racing. Newman is now with Rousch Fenway Racing and has yet to hit the Top 10 but there's no doubt that this is one of his favorite tracks and you can get that energy for a great price. Newman qualified with a speed of 138.696 and ran 13th in the first practice.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase. Good luck RotoBallers!
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