Success predicts success and that was never more true than in the Lone Star state last year. Six drivers swept the top 10 in both Texas Motor Speedway races and they highlight the list of the 10 best the past three years on this track.
The recently announced NASCAR America fantasy league has fans scrambling to make picks worthy of beating Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty and the rest of the NBC crew, so here are the drivers who have the greatest accomplishments in recent seasons.
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1. Kevin Harvick, (three-year average: 4.33)
Harvick not only swept the top 10 last year at Texas, he enters the weekend with a current seven-race, top-10 streak that includes a victory in November.
2. Martin Truex Jr. (6.00)
He is easily the hottest driver on 1.5-mile tracks at the moment, but Truex has been strong at Texas over the past three years with a sweep of the top 10 each season.
3. Chase Elliott (6.50 in four starts)
With only two years under his belt, Elliott does not have the same long streak as Harvick or Truex. What he does have in his favor is perfection with four top-10s in four Texas starts.
4. Jimmie Johnson (7.50)
Last fall’s 27th-place finish in the AAA Texas 500 spoiled a three-year average that would have placed Johnson even higher on this list. He is the defending winner of the O’Reilly 500.
5. Brad Keselowski (8.33)
His last three seasons have been a seesaw affair with top 10 sweeps in 2017 and 2015 versus an 18th and 14th in 2016. On the whole Keselowski is one of this week’s top picks.
6. Kyle Busch (8.80 in five starts)
Busch is getting tired of finishing second and this is a good place to break out of what he considers a “slump.” He won the 2016 spring Texas race and then finished fifth that fall.
7. Joey Logano (9.83)
Logano’s three-year average is misleading because it is skewed by a crash-induced 40th-place finish in fall 2015. With that removed from his record, he would be at the top of this list with an average of 3.80.
8. Kurt Busch (11.50)
The elder Busch brother has been the tortoise to teammate Harvick’s hare, but his consistency makes him an equally strong pick. Five of his last six Texas races ended between seventh and 14th.
9. Jamie McMurray (12.17)
The beginning of the season has been a disappointment for McMurray and he is unlikely to contend for a top five this week. If the past three years are an indication, he has a 50/50 chance to get a top 10 however.
10. Erik Jones (14.67 in three starts)
Jones has only made three starts at Texas, but two of them were 12th or better including one of 14 top 10s he earned last year.
Bonus Picks
Pole winner: The last five Texas Cup poles have been won by five different drivers, so that is a wild card this week. Given how strong Harvick has been in time trials, he is one of the frontrunners, however.
Segment Winners: Segment winner bonuses are a big part of the NASCAR Fantasy Live game, but they also contribute points to the driver’s total. So far this year, Harvick has the most segment wins with three followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney with two apiece. Brad Keselowski has only one segment win, but he has amassed the most points with 73.
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