Kyle Busch took a ride out to Victory Lane last Sunday as the ultimate victor at WWT. I gave him an honorable mention on my weekly podcast, but I wasn’t quite ready to stick him in the article. I’ve seen Busch go from the front-runner to the tailgater all too often in the past couple of years, but this week, he stayed near the top pretty much all day. Can he do it again this week? Maybe.
Road courses are so much fun, and Sonoma is the first one we’ve hit up in a while. Very few drivers have won at this track more than once in their Cup Series careers, so it’s always exciting to see who will come out unscathed when the checkered flag flies. Overall, the guys haven’t been here too many times; Kevin Harvick has been here 21 times, Kyle Busch 17, Denny Hamlin 16, and Martin Truex Jr. 16. Everyone else, low teens and single digits. But, some of them have made quite the impression, so we’ll lean into those stats as the NASCAR fantasy picks fly.
Hitting the road course this week are my Brilliant, Bold, and Bonkers NASCAR fantasy picks for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
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Brilliant – These expert fantasy picks for NASCAR have the best shot at a win this weekend
Kyle Busch
He may have finished 30th here last year, but don’t let that fool you. He has a great track record at Sonoma and a slew of single-digit finishes since 2015. I don’t know if Kyle Busch can really make it two in a row, but he’s darn well gonna try. And that will lead him to a good finish at the very least.
Sonoma Wins: 2
Sonoma Top fives: 6
Sonoma Top tens: 8
Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott has kind of painted himself into a corner, and in order to make the playoffs, he needs a win. I think he’d like to get it sooner rather than later, and since he’s the road course king, just watch him as he fights his way to the finish line–let’s hope cleanly—for a win on Sunday.
Sonoma Wins: 0
Sonoma Top fives: 2
Sonoma Top tens: 4
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is good at every kind of track because he drives them all regularly. Though he has not been incredibly great here in the past, he started to figure things out last year, and I fully believe that this driver will make a mad dash for the finish line.
Sonoma Wins: 1
Sonoma Top fives: 1
Sonoma Top tens: 2
Bold – Here’s my NASCAR fantasy advice on this week’s sleeper picks
Tyler Reddick
Going out on a limb here for a massive NASCAR fantasy sleeper pick in Tyler Reddick. Yeah, his past record does not show exactly how adept this kid is on this type of track, but those of us who watch him know. And I have a feeling that he’s going to have one of his best days yet at Sonoma. Keep your eye on the 45.
Sonoma Wins: 0
Sonoma Top fives: 0
Sonoma Top tens: 0
Martin Truex Jr.
As long as he doesn’t have an engine failure or an accident, Martin Truex Jr. finishes well at Sonoma. I mean, pretty spectacular. And the way he’s been running this season, it’s only a matter of time before win #2 pops up.
Sonoma Wins: 3
Sonoma Top fives: 5
Sonoma Top tens: 6
Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain has been holding back the past few weeks, but I think he’ll let loose here. He and Daniel Suarez have shown some spirit in Sonoma, and I think they’ll work together, for a little while at least, to make it a good show. If he gets up early and stays away from trouble, he’ll finish in the front. If not, forget I even mentioned him.
Sonoma Wins: 0
Sonoma Top fives: 0
Sonoma Top tens: 2
Bonkers – Chances are slim that these drivers will benefit your NASCAR fantasy points this week
Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell has been struggling in recent weeks, fighting the good fight, and even ending up with teen finishes. This is one of his lesser tracks, so keep him in the pits when you set your NASCAR fantasy lineup on Sunday.
Sonoma Wins: 0
Sonoma Top fives: 0
Sonoma Top tens: 0
Chase Briscoe
Poor Chase Briscoe. This season has not been kind to him, and as of right now, he’ll need to finish top-five at every race between now and the playoffs. Sadly, I do not think that will happen here.
Sonoma Wins: 0
Sonoma Top fives: 0
Sonoma Top tens: 0
Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski has been better this season than he was last season, but I don’t know if he’s going to have enough in him to conquer this track, and all of the drivers, on Sunday. Hold off on the number 6 at Sonoma.
Sonoma Wins: 0
Sonoma Top fives: 1
Sonoma Top tens: 3
