It’s still early in the Sprint Cup Series season, but it’s already shaping up to be a good one. Three players are neck-and-neck at the top of the standings with Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch just an arm’s reach away from one another. While Harvick, the Sprint Cup Series leader with 220 points, keeps his eyes on his two main adversaries, he may miss out on a handful of contenders who could steal the trio’s thunder.
There are plenty of amazing racers in the Sprint Cup Series, making it difficult to get a good read on the field of competitors. Read on as we take a look at what the experts have to say on who visits victory lane this coming Sunday.
Your Sunday race day wouldn’t be complete without our in-depth preview. Bust out your reading engines as we take a look at our entire Duck Commander 500 race preview.
2016 Duck Commander 500 Experts Picks and Predictions
Sports Chat Place
Expert
Pick
Randy Chambers
Austin Dillon
Randy Chambers gives his readers five racers he thinks could make waves at the upcoming Duck Commander 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. The usual suspect is there with Jimmie Johnson, who has been stellar with three wins in his last three races at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson is among the favorites heading into Sunday’s race, but Chambers makes his picks even more exciting by picking a couple of dark horses to make a visit to victory lane.
Brian Vickers hasn’t raced in Texas since 2014, but his last three appearances have resulted in eight, fourth and 16th place finishes. He has had some of his best performances at the track, and will be coming off his first top 10 finish since 2014 last week in Martinsville. He carries plenty of momentum as a sleeper for this race.
Austin Dillon is an up-and-comer who has yet to find victory lane in the Sprint Cup. But he’s about due for a win after finishing in the top 10 in three of his last four races. Dillon is starting to find his footing this season, and he returns to the track where he broke through last year. Dillon impressed at the AAA Texas 500 last year. He’s since built on that performance to reach greater heights in 2016.
Chambers is bold with his prediction, picking Dillon to win it all. He may have some ammunition especially after correctly picking Kyle Busch to win Martinsville last week.
Bleacher Report
Expert
Pick
Brendan O’Meara
Jimmie Johnson
It’s no surprise who Bleacher Report’s Brendan O’Meara is picking for the Duck Commander 500. He’s has Jimmie Johnson popping champagne after winning yet another title at Texas.
Why’s he so high on Johnson? Well, the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet SS has been absolutely unstoppable at this track. He has won six times at Texas, including five since 2012. O’Meara notes that it’s pretty much futile to pick against Johnson. As mentioned above, he’s won six races at Texas and also has six Sprint Cups to show.
Lock in on Johnson to win another Texas race, O’Meara urges.
Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Expert
Picks
Jeff Gutowski
Jimmie Johnson*, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth
*denotes winner
Jeff Gutowski of Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet is pegging Jimmie Johnson to win this race at Texas. He notes that Johnson has six wins at Texas, including winning three of the past four races here. He’s also been hot this season with a win earlier at Atlanta. The Texas Motor Speedway is quite similar to the track in Atlanta, so Johnson may once again be able to storm away for the win.
While Gutowski is picking Johnson to win yet another Texas race, he does offer alternatives. Let’s take a look at the top three drivers other than Johnson he’s pegging for a good outing at Texas.
He notes that Kevin Harvick is hunting for his first ever win at this track. The Sprint Cup Series leader has a fast car every week. He could be up to win his first ever Texas race considering how well he’s driven this year with already two wins.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is another value pick considering he finished second to Johnson in Atlanta. He already has one win at Texas and has finished in the top ten in nine of his last 10 starts at this track.
Matt Kenseth has picked up two wins at Texas in his career. He has finished in the top five 13 times in 26 starts at the track. Gutowski notes that any time a driver finishes in the top five in half of his starts at any track, that driver must be considered for an impressive outing.
