Fantasy Update: Hendrick Motorsports shows power at Dover

Before Cup Series cars hitting the track on Saturday, Hendrick Motorsports was expected to be the class of the field. And while the four-car powerhouse didn’t take the top spot -- that belonged to Brad Keselowski -- they took positions two through four. The lone exception outside the top five was Josh Berry, who is filling in for Alex Bowman. But of the four cars to make a 10-lap run, Berry was the quickest. Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup: Starter 1: Chase Elliott Starter 2: Kyle Larson Starter 3: William Byron Starter 4: Martin Truex Jr. Starter 5: Kevin Harvick Garage pick: Christopher Bell NEXT IN LINE: Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | Monday's starting lineup RISING: It’s been nearly 11 years since Keselowski hoisted the Miles the Monster trophy in Victory Lane at Dover Motor Speedway. He also doesn’t have a top-five finish in his last 10 races at the track. But the No. 6 Ford was the quickest thing in Delaware on Saturday. His RFK Racing teammate won the pole in last year’s Dover race and finished inside the top 10. As noted in Fantasy Fastlane earlier this week, Dover is by far not one of Blaney’s best tracks on the circuit. In 12 starts, he has a pair of eighth-place finishes that are the best on his resume. Lately, Dover has been a hindrance for Team Penske, with all three of its cars finishing at least three laps down last season. On Saturday, all three of them had single-lap speeds inside the top 11, led by Austin Cindric in fifth. FALLING: Last spring, Ross Chastain led 86 laps en route to a third-place finish. However, the No. 1 car ranked 28th in practice and his Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez went for a spin in the opening group of practice. With the No. 1 car being more than half a second off the fast lap, he’s dropped from my lineup this weekend. Harvick has mastered Dover in recent years, picking up three wins since the fall 2015 race. As you saw, he’s still in my lineup, but it’s understandable if you would take him out of yours as he was 21st in practice. It’s worth noting that he was in the second group when more rubber was laid down and his crew chief Rodney Childers is known to make some swings in setups on his cars to have them better for race day. MORE: Updated weekend schedule — race moved to Monday at noon ET FEATURED MATCHUPS:   Chase Elliott vs. Ross Chastain: Of current drivers in the Cup field, Elliott is among the best at Dover with a pair of victories in the last seven Dover races. In 12 starts, he has top-five finishes 75% of the time (nine). As the defending winner of the event, the lone Next Gen car race at Dover, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the No. 9 car repeat and lock into the playoffs. Chris Buescher vs. Chase Briscoe: Both cars were mired in the field during practice, with Briscoe having the 18th-best time and Buescher the 20th. Both drivers are also reputable on concrete tracks. But Buescher, specifically, stands out, as he won the pole at Dover last year and the Bristol concrete race in September. Plus, Buescher’s teammate Keselowski paced the field in practice. Thinking the No. 17 car will finish better on Monday. Ryan Blaney vs. Brad Keselowski: Straight up, both drivers’ speed was a tad surprising on Saturday. Keselowski had a tenth of a second on the field in practice and has been one of the most consistent Fords in 2023. Blaney ranked 11th on single-lap speed but has struggled at Dover throughout his career. As he told me on Saturday, “It hasn’t been a great track for us.” That leads me to go with Keselowski. Christopher Bell vs. Kevin Harvick: This is a tough one, particularly because neither driver showed lights-out speed in Saturday’s practice session. What makes it even more of a challenge to decide is both teams often improve their cars throughout the race every week. Harvick, however, has eight consecutive top 10s at the Monster Mile, so he’s the choice. However, I have both available to use in my lineup.