Kurt Busch is set to start from the pole position for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). There were three eventful practice sessions this weekend, giving players plenty to digest. We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions.
PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the playoff game works
Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2. Also, your garage play can only be swapped for a driver of similar classification. (A playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a playoff driver in your lineup; a non-playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a non-playoff driver in your lineup.)
Cars that will move to the rear: Denny Hamlin (backup car), Bubba Wallace (backup car), Erik Jones (backup car) and Brad Keselowski (backup car).
RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following the lineup being set:
Playoff driver 1: Chase Elliott
Playoff driver 2: Jimmie Johnson
Non-playoff driver 1: AJ Allmendinger
Non-playoff driver 2: Chris Buescher
Garage: Martin Truex Jr.
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Charlotte | Driver stats | 10-lap averages | Lineup
Analysis: The Fantasy Live Playoff Game is in Week 3 and it’s an elimination race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs! This is the first race that the Charlotte road course will be used in the sport’s top series, so the only data we have to go on are practice times and qualifying — no past history from other races. You can glean a little insight into a driver’s road course history, but I would focus on the here and now of how they looked on this 2.28-mile, 17-turn layout.
I am making a strategic move to go with playoff drivers in my active lineup that will likely be chasing stage points as they look to advance to the Round of 12. Chase Elliott — the most recent road course winner — has had speed all weekend, qualified fourth and at only +10 in the standings he will likely go after stage points just as he did at Sonoma in June. He has scored the most points on road courses this season among the playoff drivers. Jimmie Johnson is just on the outside looking in at -6 to the cutline. He doesn’t have to a win, but a good, strong run should do the trick — especially if someone in front of him in the playoff picture finds trouble. He led second practice, topped the 10-lap board in final practice and a solid qualifying position (sixth) has him in position for stage points. If you look elsewhere but want a similar type of play, Clint Bowyer would be a solid choice.
On the non-playoff side, I am taking the JTG Daugherty Racing teammates — AJ Allmendinger and Chris Buescher. Allmendinger qualified second and with the news that he is out of ride for 2019 he should be going for broke in this race. He’s had speed and I expect him to be in the mix all day. He is a strong road racer and already a popular Fantasy Live play as he is owned by more than half the players. Buescher is an underrated road racer, himself, and is tied for the second-most points earned on road courses among non-playoff drivers. Other drivers I considered were Michael McDowell and Daniel Hemric as both have shown some good speed this weekend.
In the garage, I am taking Martin Truex Jr. I think this layout sets up perfectly for the reigning champion who has finished in the top two in the past three road races — winning two of them — and has been strong on the oval layout at Charlotte. He was top five on the speed chart in both of Saturday’s practices so the speed is there. Not quite sure if Cole Pearn and the No. 78 team will strategize similarly to how they handled Sonoma, punting the stages and aiming for the best position to win the race, which is why I will put him in the garage. Truex is already locked into the Round of 12 so he can afford to just go after the race win and nothing else if necessary.
For my stage and race picks, I might be better off just throwing a dart at some names and getting it right that way. Strategy will likely be a factor on these, so this feels like more of a guess than usual. I am taking Elliott to win Stage 1, Bowyer to win Stage 2 and Truex to win the race.