Last week’s Bold Pick Ross Chastain won his first NASCAR Cup Series Race since last April, and no one was happier about it than he was. After a much-troubled first half of the season, watermelon man raced clean and came out on top. The driver of the 1 is just getting started, and you can bet he’ll be in the mix on Sunday.
The first-ever Chicago Street Race hits the road this week, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who will finish the best. But, it’s the drivers who are the most comfortable on road courses who have the best chance at Victory Lane.
Keep an eye on qualifying and the starting lineup on Saturday to make your best NASCAR fantasy picks. If you think that three-wide is gonna happen here, I have some oceanfront property in Arizona you might be interested in. How they start will be indicative of how they end, so take the most promising runs and combine them with one of the drivers below to get your Brilliant, Bold, and Bonkers expert NASCAR fantasy picks for the Grant Park 200 Street Race in Chicago.
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Brilliant – These expert fantasy picks for NASCAR have the best shot at a win this weekend
Chase Elliott
Number one: he’s a road course Ace. Number two: he’s gotta win to get in. Chase Elliott is one of the best drivers out there to run this street race, so as long as he lines up well, put your money on the number 9 in Chicago.
Kyle Larson
This guy races all over the country week in and week out, on all kinds of tracks. He’s no stranger to the crazy stuff, and it’s only a matter of first or second for Kyle Larson on the streets of Chicago.
Martin Truex Jr.
Combine a veteran driver with a guy who does well on road courses—and throw in a hot streak—and you have one of the best prospects for a winner on Sunday. Since Martin Truex Jr. checks all of those boxes, you can feel good about putting him in your NASCAR fantasy lineup this weekend.
Bold – Here’s my NASCAR fantasy advice on this week’s sleeper picks
Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick is going to turn the beat around in Chi-Town . As an up-and-coming road course champ, he’ll extend his chams to become a street race champ by the end of the weekend. Not a bad sleeper pick for the first NASCAR race of July.
Ross Chastain
When you’re hot, you’re hot, and this guy will likely do well in practice and qualifying to give him an edge. And if the old Ross Chastain creeps back in, he’ll knock everyone else out of the way to make it two in a row.
A.J. Allmendinger
The ‘dinger has been showing up to the party recently, and of all the drivers in the bold spot, he’s cornered the market on how to get upfront and win when it counts. It’s possible that A.J. Allmendinger could race his way into the playoffs with a win in Chicago.
Bonkers – Chances are slim that these drivers will benefit your NASCAR fantasy points this week
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
This is not the right kind of track for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Unless the sea parts and allows the 47 to sneak around everyone else in the last lap, I’d say take a pass this week.
Aric Almirola
These superspeedway drivers are lost on the road courses. Leave Aric Almirola in the pits when you set your NASCAR fantasy lineup this week.
Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe got a new crew chief last week in Nashville, and that might just be the shot he needs to turn his season around. But don’t count on that to happen in the streets. Wait until we get to a more familiar track before you put your money on the 14.