Ice Picks — Chicagoland Speedway
Sep 12, 2014; Joliet, IL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (20) and Kyle Busch (18) talk during practice for the MYAFIBSTORY.COM 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The first race of the Chase is upon us and Ice Picks — Chicagoland Speedway will get you ready for the MyAFibStory.com 400.
Rain cancelled out qualifying at Chicagoland, so the fastest times during first practice will dictate the starting grid.
Kyle Busch put his Toyota Camry at the top of the board with the fastest time during first practice. He ranks fourth among all active drivers at Chicagoland with a win, four top fives and four top 10s. We all know Kyle hasn’t been running strong this year, but the Chase brings out the best in some drivers and that little boost of starting in the front row can rejuvenate a driver. A great price for Kyle should be an incentive on most fantasy leagues.
First practice top 5 speeds:
#18 Kyle Busch 191.442
#31 Ryan Newman 191.042
#99 Carl Edwards 191.022
#Ricky Stenhouse 191.002
#20 Matt Kenseth 190.900
Matt Kesenth will start fifth and is a favorite to take a top five on Sunday. Matt has been deadly on 1.5 mile tracks throughout his career, as he ranks third among all active drivers with one win, three top fives and five top 10s.
Jimmie Johnson will be back on track on Sunday as Chicagoland suits him well, leading the most laps out of all active drivers with 577 laps led. Here’s the kicker — he’s never won at Chicagoland! Yup, that is right folks, but don’t let that stop you from punching his ticket. Jimmie tops all active drivers in driver ratings for Chicagoland with seven top fives and 10 top 10s for his career. He should get a top five.
Jeff Gordon will start right next to his teammate Johnson. You can’t leave Jeff out at Chicagoland with the fifth best driver rating with a win, six top fives and eight top 10s. You have to be bonkers not to have Gordon on Sunday.
Ryan Newman is flying under the radar as he starts second for Sunday’s race. Ryan has one win, three top fives and eight top 10s. In other words, he knows how to get it done, and don’t be surprise if he saved his best for last.
This is the time when you let your driving do the talking, no more testing this and that and letting teammates get the upper hand to get valuable Chase points.
Taking a line of NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcels, “This is why you lift those weights.” That quote was from NFL films when the Giants won the Super Bowl.
To me, this is round one of the Chase Bowl; this will be a no holds barred fight to the end, and when the dust has settled over Chicagoland Speedway Sunday, these drivers should give you good points to start the last and final segment in your fantasy league.
Here are the drivers that will get you good points on Sunday: my Ice Picks for Chicagland,
A List
Matt Kenseth
Jimmie Johnson
Kyle Busch
B List
Ryan Newman
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Denny Hamlin
C List
Danica Patrick
Check your local starting times and good luck! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Thanks for stopping in.
@JoeIcemanNieves