Kevin Harvick is set to start from the pole position for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). There were two practice sessions on Friday, 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.)
Drivers and cars that failed post-qualifying inspection and will go to the rear: Daniel Suarez (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota), David Ragan (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford) and Regan Smith (No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet).
Kyle Busch will go the rear after his team worked on some damage from a qualifying scrape. He was slated to start 11th.
RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following the lineup being set:
Playoff driver 1: Kevin Harvick
Playoff driver 2: Brad Keselowski
Non-playoff driver 1: Cole Custer
Non-playoff driver 2: Ryan Newman
Garage: Martin Truex Jr.
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Richmond | Driver stats | 10-lap averages | Lineup
Analysis: The Fantasy Live Playoff Game is in Week 2! Some adjustments were made after Saturday’s post-qualifying inspection.
For the garage, I originally had Kyle Busch there after qualifying, but he will go to the rear for unapproved adjustments due to the repairs the No. 18 team made following his qualifying scrape. So with that in mind, I will be plugging in Martin Truex Jr as my garage driver. I know he’s 0-for-76 on short tracks, but I also know what I have seen in night races with him at Richmond in recent history. He’s been a contender in the last three under the lights there with some really bad luck and timing leaving him on the short end.
For the non-playoff drivers, I was all set to play Daniel Suarez before his car failed post-qualifying inspection. He’s looked the best of the non-playoff drivers and has a 9.7 average finish in three starts at Richmond. Yet, starting that far back is concerning in a relatively short race. So with that in mind, I am going to take a gamble and plug in Cole Custer. The young driver was fast in qualifying, and while I have concerns over his long run speed, I like the upside. I also like that he’s owned by just four percent of players.
The second non-playoff spot goes to Ryan Newman. While the veteran will soon have a new home for 2019, he is closing his Richard Childress Racing tenure with solid showings. He has two straight top 10s and at least 25 points in four of his past five races.
These changes come on the heels of previous changes I made after qualifying and practices on Friday. Kevin Harvick showed then that he has long-run speed by finishing top five in 10-lap averages in both practices, so he went in for Joey Logano. Harvick also has four top-five finishes in his last five Richmond starts. Keselowski is the hot hand with three straight wins. Throw in his solid Richmond history and I think that’s more than enough to have him at my disposal for this race.
For the bonus picks, I am taking Harvick to win Stages 1 and 2 and I just have a gut feeling that Truex gets the win under the lights to break his short-track hex.