NASCAR Fantasy Picks: Camping World 400, Chicagoland Speedway  

This week’s NASCAR fantasy picks for the Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway  

This week, NASCAR heads back over to NBC, where fans will be greeted by the familiar face and voice of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior made his broadcasting debut at Chicagoland last year, and he’s set to begin his sophomore season with his booth-buddies Steve Letarte, Rick Allen, and Jeff Burton. Last year’s debut was made smoother by this terrific trio, as they worked hard to get Dale acclimated before the season began. He gives them credit for teaching him how to communicate — and be comfortable doing it. But it wasn’t always easy.

As Junior explains, “I remember one race, in particular, at Pocono, in the first stage, we got done and I told them, I said, ‘I was awful, I couldn’t figure out when to speak.’ And they’re like, ‘Look, get aggressive. You’ve got to work your way into this conversation.’ ”  As the season went on, Junior took his opportunities to chime in wherever he could, and this season we might find him chattier than ever now that he’s been around the block (or, track) a time or two.

Dale adds a southern charm to every broadcast, and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge from his time behind the wheel. While there is currently no evidence that broadcasters make much of a difference in viewership, ratings did go up 14% over the prior year’s numbers for his debut broadcast. The rest of the season however, fell flat. Both viewership and ratings tanked at all tracks except Watkins Glen and Charlotte, which saw ratings increase.

On a positive note, FOX just announced that their 2019 ratings are up from 2018, though still below the total viewership in 2017. A sign of good things to come? Maybe America is finally ready to get back to the track. I know Dale is—are you?

Last Week’s NASCAR Fantasy Picks: Recap from the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway

Brilliant NASCAR fantasy picks:

• Kyle Busch – finished 2nd
• Clint Bowyer – finished 11th
• Kurt Busch – finished 13th

Brilliant NASCAR fantasy picks:

• Daniel Suarez – finished 17th
• Paul Menard – finished 22nd
• Martin Truex Jr. – WINNER

Brilliant NASCAR fantasy picks:

• Denny Hamlin – finished 5th
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – finished 22nd
• Kyle Larson – finished 10th

And now, here are this week’s Brilliant, Bold, and Bonkers NASCAR Fantasy picks for the Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway:

Brilliant NASCAR fantasy picks

Martin Truex Jr.

• Wins: 2
• Top 5 finishes: 3
• Top 10 finishes: 5

I warned you that he’d be making his presence here for the several races. This is his sweetheart section of the season where the weather is steamy, the tracks are hot, and his wheels are on fire. Don’t doubt the 19 for one second–this guy can pull off two in a row.

Chase Elliott

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 2
• Top 10 finishes: 2

With one win under his belt, the No. 9 car sure would like to make it two at Chicagoland. He’s historically good here, with an average finish of 8th place. And after last week’s early exit, you can bet that Elliot is chomping at the bit to get back in there and race to the finish line.

Brad Keselowski

• Wins: 2
• Top 5 finishes: 4
• Top 10 finishes: 8

The next two weeks will be hot for the 2 team, as Brad is no stranger to winning at either track. I expect that he’s getting ready for another spin in victory lane soon, and I’m betting it will be either here or there.

Bold NASCAR fantasy picks

Daniel Hemric

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 2
• Top 10 finishes: 2

This is his first time on my list, but it won’t be the last. Hemric is no stranger to this speedway, as he ran very well here in the Xfinity series. In his 2 seasons in Xfinity, he advanced to the playoffs and the round of four each year. I have a feeling he’s going to have a solid run this week, so don’t be shocked to see this Rookie of the Year contender up front when it counts.

Ryan Blaney

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 1
• Top 10 finishes: 1

I feel like Blaney really needs to get up front and stay there by standing his ground. His sometimes-passive approach has left him in the dust, so it’s time to take a lesson from Patrick Swayze in the movie Roadhouse: “Be nice…until it’s time to not be nice.”  He’s finished well in the last two weeks, so this is as good a time as any to not-be-nice.

Kyle Larson

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 3
• Top 10 finishes: 4

Ok, so with an average finish of 7th place, you would think that the 42 would be able to pull off a win here, right? Chip Ganassi is probably thinking “Good God, he better.”  He’s barely hanging on to a playoff position, and time isn’t slowing down any. I think that this is the place for Larson to finally make Chip happy.

Bonkers NASCAR fantasy picks

Jimmie Johnson

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 7
• Top 10 finishes: 11

One of the few tracks where he’s never won, Jimmie is in no shape to win there this week. I almost feel bad putting him here because it kind of feels like cheating for how bad this team has been this season…and last….and so on.

Kurt Busch

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 2
• Top 10 finishes: 9

It’s tough to put Kurt in a position where you think he’ll lose. Having said that, he’s been surprising this year, almost doing the opposite of what’s expected of him. He’s not great here, though, so I can’t see him pulling into victory lane just yet.

Austin Dillon

• Wins: 0
• Top 5 finishes: 0
• Top 10 finishes: 0

Sometimes when I pick Dillon in the bold category, I get excited during stages one and two for how well he runs. Or, if I pick him as a bonker, I get nervous that he’ll make a fool out of me and win it all. But by stage three, he’s travelling at the back of the pack. The last four weeks have been rough on this guy, and I think that this week will be no different.