NASCAR Fantasy Picks are locked in for the Cup Series ahead of the 2024 Pennzoil 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This comes as race number three of the 36-race season. The green flag will fly on Sunday, March 3rd with coverage kicking off on FOX at 3:00 pm ET (noon PT). PRN and SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio will broadcast the event.
NASCAR Fantasy Live gives fans the chance to partake in driver selection each Cup Series race weekend. One will pick five starters and one “garage” driver per event. The garage driver will not receive any points but acts as a replacement for a starter who may face trouble in the first part of the race. At the end of stage two, picks will lock and no changes can be made. Points are awarded based on stage points and finishing positions in addition to four “head-to-head” driver picks. A driver may only be picked ten (10) times across the 26-race Regular Season and then five (5) times in the 10-race Playoffs.
See NASCAR’s website here for rules of how to play.
My recommendations are NOT my guaranteed lineup for Sunday’s race. Below is a recap of my personal NASCAR Fantasy results from Race 2 of 36. See my suggestions for the 2024 Pennzoil 400.
2024 AMBETTER HEALTH 400 RECAP
- STARTERS
- Ryan Blaney (8 uses left)
- 35 Place Points + 17 Stage Points = 52 Place Points
- Austin Cindric (9 uses left)
- 33 Place Points + 10 Stage Points = 43 Total Points
- Ross Chastain (9 uses left)
- 30 Place Points + 8 Stage Points = 38 Total Points
- William Byron (9 uses left)
- 20 Place Points + 2 Stage Points = 22 Total Points
- Alex Bowman (9 uses left)
- 10 Place Points + 0 Stage Points = 10 Total Points
- Christopher Bell (GARAGE – 10 uses left)
- 3 Place Points + 0 Stage Points = 3 Total Points
- Ryan Blaney (8 uses left)
- FEATURED MATCHUPS
- William Byron vs. Denny Hamlin
- PICK: Byron
- RESULT: CORRECT (Byron = 17th, Hamlin = 23rd)
- Alex Bowman vs. Christopher Bell
- PICK: Bell
- RESULT: INCORRECT (Bowman = 27th, Bell = 34th)
- Joey Logano vs. Brad Keselowski
- PICK: Logano
- RESULT: CORRECT (Logano = 28th, Keselowski = 33rd)
- Bubba Wallace vs. Chase Elliott
- PICK: Elliott
- RESULT: INCORRECT (Wallace = 5th, Elliott = 15th)
- William Byron vs. Denny Hamlin
- RANKING – RACE 2/36
- Total Points = 185
- Collective Rank = 37,881st (+41,082 positions)
See my NASCAR Fantasy breakdown from last weekend’s Ambetter Health 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway here.
STARTERS
Pick 1 – William Byron
Your 2024 Daytona 500 winner, William Byron, makes the top spot. I recommended him last week at Atlanta; however, an incident entering pit road with Michael McDowell took him out of contention. Byron’s success at Las Vegas is undeniably impressive. He has finished no worse than 13th in his four Next Gen races. Most impressive, he is the only driver to finish all eight stages (excluding the finish) inside the Top 10. Additionally, he is the only individual to rank inside the Top 5 for Average Running position in each event. Byron, last year’s March winner, is again a sure threat.
Pick 2 – Ross Chastain
Mile-and-a-half’s have been a strong suit for Ross Chastain. 2023 saw six of his 14 finishes inside the Top 10 come on that style of track. Success at Las Vegas has arguably been his best, finishing Top 5 in three of the Next Gen era races. Despite a slight decline last season, 2022 saw Chastain lead the most laps in both trips to Sin City. Will you have “Melon Man” in Sunday’s lineup?
Pick 3 – Kyle Larson
In Kyle Larson’s 15 Las Vegas appearances, he has secured a total of eleven Top 10s with seven finishes of 3rd or better. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has strung together three March finishes of second or better including his first career Vegas win in 2021. Also, Larson dominated the fall race last year en route to career win number 23. Chevrolet has a knack in the Nevada desert, and it will show through another strong Larson showing.
Pick 4 – Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. is the underrated King of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 24 races since 2006, the 43-year-old has completed all but four laps at the track with only one performance outside the Top 20. Truex Jr. has seven consecutive finishes of 9th or better with twelve of his last 13 being tenth or better. He is also a two-time victor of the circuit in 2017 and 2019 (race two). Can he continue the impressive statistics on Sunday?
Pick 5 – Alex Bowman
Season beginnings are always strong for Alex Bowman. In the last two March races, the Arizona native has crossed the finish line in 1st and 3rd place. The 2022 victory, however, was his last win to date. Since then, Bowman has been sidelined twice: in the aforementioned season with a concussion and last year with an injury. I do like his chances for a bounce-back season, and this would be the track. Although it may not snap his 63-race winning streak, a strong run will play well for NASCAR Fantasy.
ALTERNATE OPTIONS
- Denny Hamlin: seven of eight Next Gen stage finishes inside Top 10; average running position inside Top 10 for each of those four races; 2021 Fall winner
- Kyle Busch: hometown track; five of last six Vegas races with finishes of either 3rd or 4th; raced in Friday’s Truck Series event
- Christopher Bell: finished runner-up to Larson in 4th closest finish of 2023 (race two); raced in Friday’s Truck Series event
- Bubba Wallace: only driver with Top 5s or Top 10s in both Cup races of 2024; finished 4th in March 2023 race
HIDDEN GEM
- Erik Jones: despite two of four DNFs, has three races with an Average Running Position inside the top 15; competing with new Toyota manufacturer
*AVOID*
- Chase Elliott: missed last year’s Spring race due to injury; eight of 13 races with finishes outside the Top 10
- Chris Buescher: best finish of only 9th in 14 stops in Las Vegas; has never finished Top 10 in a stage through twelve races
- Ty Gibbs: three finishes of 20th and worse at the racetrack
FEATURED NASCAR FANTASY MATCHUPS
Daniel Suarez vs. Chase Briscoe
Daniel Suarez took the NASCAR world by storm with his win at Atlanta. The victory was a needed shot in the arm having missed the 2023 Playoffs and having 13 straight finishes outside the Top 10. He and teammate Chastain always bring speed when it comes to Las Vegas. Although Chase Briscoe swept both Xfinity Series races at the venue in 2020, his Cup experience and Ford’s success have not been the same.
Momentum from Suarez makes me feel comfortable with his chances.
Martin Truex Jr. vs. Joey Logano
As mentioned, Martin Truex Jr. is on a consistency tear. He may not always have the winning pace, but he can collect finishes that others do not. Penske Racing’s Joey Logano did win the 2022 Fall race, but his overall Next Gen stats at Vegas are not as sturdy as one would expect.
The recent trends have me leaning towards Truex Jr. in NASCAR Fantasy.
Ty Gibbs vs. Bubba Wallace
Ty Gibbs is due for a breakout season. I predicted Gibbs to win at least two races this year. However, Vegas has not been on the track to show his capabilities. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace has evolved into a winning threat every week. The 23XI driver has started 2024 with a bang finishing 5th in the Daytona 500 and last week’s Atlanta thriller.
Gibbs is going to show improved performance, but it will not match my pick of Wallace.
Ross Chastain vs. Brad Keselowski
Without issue on Sunday, this matchup is a no-contest. Trackhouse has brought race-winning cars in each of the four prior Next Gen races. Oppositely, Brad Keselowski and his RFK Racing team have not been able to connect the dots. He did manage to earn a 4th in the Fall race last year.
Maybe there will be a surprise, but I think Chastain dominates.
What does your NASCAR Fantasy lineup look like for the 2024 Pennzoil 400? Tweet us @LWOSMotorsport. Stay tuned here at LWOS Motorsports for NASCAR news, results, updates, and more.
