Jimmie Johnson is on one of his streaks once again as he’s won back-to-back races. But can No. 48 make it three in a row when the NASCAR moves on to Richmond, Virginia for the 2017 Toyota Owners 400? Let’s see who some top NASCAR experts see claiming the checkered flag.
Jeff Gutowski of the Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet is going with Kyle Busch to claim the checkered flag in Richmond. Gutowski acknowledges Busch’s poor luck this season, most notably with his tires, which has been a big factor in him finishing in the top 5 just twice in eight races to date.
But despite those issues, he’s still going with Busch to get the win. Gutowski notes Busch’s proven track record in the track, where he has four wins, 15 top-5 finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes in 23 career starts. That’s also a big reason why bookmakers agree with Gutowski that Busch is the man to beat this weekend. He is the +575 favorite to win the race.
Fox Sports
EXPERT
WINNER
Chad Robb
Kyle Busch
Fox Sports fantasy NASCAR writer Chad Robb is is the same boat as Gutowski in picking Busch to come away with his first win of the season in Richmond. Robb cites some of the same stats, most notably the series-high four wins on the track and the third-most laps led (1,018).
Robb also points out how Busch’s best finishes of the season have come on short, flat tracks in Phoenix and Martinsville, which are similar in features with Richmond International Speedway. If Busch came close to winning in those tracks, he should at the very least be a top contender this weekend.
Robb also included Kyle Larson as one of Busch’s top challengers this weekend. Larson has been the most consistent driver of this young season, and currently leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with an average finish of 4.5 over the past seven races. Larson should be a decent bet at +650 to add to the one win already to his name this season.
Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR experts
PLACE
Robert Walsh
Marlon Clark
Jed Henson
Chase Lupton
Kyle Wiseman
FRCS Group
1st
Keselowski
Bowyer
Ky Busch
Ky Busch
Ky Busch
Ky Busch
2nd
Ky Busch
Ky Busch
Truex Jr
Hamlin
Keselowski
Harvick
3rd
Logano
Truex Jr
Keselowski
Larson
Truex Jr
Logano
Perhaps unsurprisingly, majority of the Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR experts regularly polled by Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet – as well as the aggregated pick of the FRCS Group – have also gone with Busch to win.
However, a couple of experts did offer their dissenting picks to win in Richmond. Robert Walsh has gone with Brad Keselowski, who is priced at +750to pick up win No. 3 of the year.
Meanwhile, Marlon Clark has gone with Clint Bowyer, who is a +1,400 sleeper to claim the win. But Clark’s pick of Bowyer isn’t too far-fetched, especially considering the Stewart-Haas Racing driver has two career wins and a dozen top-10 finishes in his career on the track. If anyone in the field has the ability to crash Busch’s party, it’s probably him.
