The Monster Energy Cup playoffs start this weekend as NASCAR travels to the Windy City to race at Chicagoland Speedway.   Sixteen drivers compete to dethrone last year’s seven time champion Jimmie Johnson. The next ten races are playoff races, divided into four elimination rounds.  The first round consists of three races – Chicagoland, New Hampshire, and Dover – where the winner of any of those races automatically qualifies for the next round.  A point system based on race finish and stage points determine who qualifies for the next round for the non-race winners.
My Top 5 Drivers for the Tales of the Turtles 400
Martin Truex Jr. ($10,700):  Truex Jr. is the favorite to win it all as he has dominated all year long.  Starting this year, drivers could earn playoff points during the regular season by winning stages and winning races.  Truex Jr. dominated winning the stages and has a nice head start in the playoffs with his accumulated points.  He is a must start in both cash and GPP lineups(hard to fade him in tournaments).  Truex Jr. won this race last year.
Kyle Larson($10,400):  Larson is right behind Truex in terms of regular season performance. Last week, he benefited from a late caution(Truex was on his way to win the race).  His team pushed him out of his pit stop quickly(as all drivers came in for fresh tires for the final restart), beating Truex to restart first.  Larson did not relinquish the lead, and took the trip to victory lane gaining some momentum going into the playoffs.  In his three races at Chicagoland, Larson has two Top 10’s.
Brad Keselowski($9,400):  Keselowski has an impressive six Top 10’s in his last six races at this track. He has won here twice(in 2012 and 2014), and has four Top 5’s, and six Top 10’s.  With Logano missing the playoffs, the Team Penske garage can direct their top resources to try to deliver Keselowski another championship.  Keselowski finished fifth in last year’s race.
Kyle Busch($10,600):  Kyle Busch has won this race in 2008, and has five Top 5 finishes in his last five races at this track.  Busch has two wins in the last five races in the Monster Cup Energy Series, so look for him for a possible win as Joe Gibbs Racing has performed well in the past couple of months unlike their terrible start to the season.  Pair Kyle Busch(or Larson) with Martin Truex Jr. in your cash games.
Jimmie Johnson($9,100): It’s playoff time, so that means that Jimmie Johnson and his team sharpen their focus even when you think they are slumping. Like a Tom Izzo Michigan State basketball team that plays their best basketball during March Madness, Jimmie Johnson and crew perform at their best under the playoff pressure as demonstrated by his seven titles. No current driver has more than one title(Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski). At Chicagoland, his average finish in the past five races is 8.4, and has led the most laps at this track in the past five races.
Value Picks
Ryan Newman($7,500):  Newman qualified for the playoffs by winning the 2nd race of the year at Phoenix.  He has quietly finished in the Top 10 in the past four races carrying some momentum going into the playoffs.  Newman has a respectable average finish of 10.6 in the past five races at Chicagoland(better than Martin Truex Jr. at 11.0).  Newman is a great value at $7,500, and can continue to sneak into another Top 10 finish.
Erik Jones($8,400):  Jones has been on fire the past few races and its a shame that he is not in the playoffs.  In his last six races, he has finished in the Top 10.  He shares a garage and engineering with teammate Martin Truex Jr., so expect Jones to have an excellent car and a probable Top 5 performance.
Sleeper Pick
Matt Kenseth($9,300):  Toyotas have been running very well the past few months and a fluke crash last week trying to avoid a rescue vehicle doomed Kenseth’s day.   Kenseth does not have a ride next year, but look for this former champion and playoff contender to continue his consistent performance into this race.  In the past five races at Chicagoland, he has an average finish of 8.6, and won this race in 2013.
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