Fantasy Update: Setting up for another JGR, Hendrick showdown at Charlotte
It‘s no secret that the first half of the regular season belonged to Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. The two teams have combined to win all but three races, with two of those coming at drafting-style venues. The two organizations claimed the top six spots in qualifying for Sunday‘s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it appears that the second crown-jewel event in 2024 will go through those two powerhouses.
RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups
Dustin Albino‘s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: William Byron
Starter 2: Chase Elliott
Starter 3: Martin Truex Jr.
Starter 4: Ty Gibbs
Starter 5: Kyle Busch
Garage pick: Christopher Bell
NEXT IN LINE: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick
RISING: For the first time in Gibbs‘ young career, he will lead the field to the green flag at the Cup level. Many advantages come with that, including the coveted first pit stall. The No. 54 team had tremendous speed on short and long runs, too, so he‘s a lock for my lineup.
Another week, another opportunity where Bell can end his two-month skid of mediocre finishes. The No. 20 team has unlimited potential, as it‘s the only team to qualify for the Championship 4 in the past two seasons. But Bell has only one top-10 finish since the end of March. Bell had a stout qualifying effort in third but was the slowest of the 30 cars to make a 10-lap run in practice. That would usually be a cause for concern, but it‘s highly doubtful the JGR team fades like that in the race.
FALLING: With Chris Buscher being my 36 for 36 pick this weekend, this one stings. The No. 17 car blew a left-rear wheel entering Turn 1 after running the seventh-fastest lap time in practice and ranking third on 10-lap averages. Though moving to a backup car, he has no doubt that RFK Racing will prepare another fast hot rod for NASCAR‘s longest race. The good news for Buescher is he has 600 miles to overcome the deficit and adjust the backup car, it just might cost him valuable stage points throughout the race.
So much can happen in a four-hour plus endurance race, but the defending Coca-Cola 600 champion Ryan Blaney was average at best during practice and qualifying. The No. 12 car qualified 16th, eight spots lower than last year. He was in the mid-teens in practice as well. The good news, however, is that he does look to be the sportiest entry from Team Penske.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Kyle Larson vs. William Byron: The unknowns of whether or not the Indianapolis 500 will be affected by Mother Nature can really affect this battle. Both cars were blistering fast in practice — despite a spin from Byron — and made the final round of qualifying. My mindset hasn‘t changed from earlier this week, though, and I‘ll stick with the No. 24 car. Side note: Larson isn‘t in my lineup strictly because of limited uses remaining in the regular season.
Jimmie Johnson vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Nothing changed here, either. Stenhouse has put the All-Star Race shenanigans behind him and is focused on Charlotte, a track he‘s excelled at the past two seasons with top 10 finishes. Johnson struggled once again trying to find the balance of the Next Gen car, so Stenhouse is an easy choice.
Kyle Busch vs. Ryan Blaney: Intermediate tracks are where Busch has shined thus far in 2024. His results don‘t tell the full story, as he had a late-race penalty at Las Vegas and a late-race spin at Kansas. Blaney has something to work with, but Busch looked to have one of the best cars in the field over the long haul.
Joey Logano vs. Tyler Reddick: This one is interesting, but when you think about it, it is not too difficult of a choice. Reddick‘s No. 45 team made an adjustment to his car after going through pre-race inspection, resulting in an ejected car chief, loss of pit-stall selection, will have to start from the rear and serve a pass-through penalty when the race begins. He can overcome that with a fast racecar. It will be more of a challenge for the No. 22 team to overhaul its car, which Logano called undriveable and the loosest he‘s ever been at a race track. Reddick is the way to go.
