This week’s NASCAR fantasy picks for the TicketGuardian 500 from the ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

Kyle Busch had a phenomenal weekend in his hometown of Las Vegas, but the one win that he wanted the most escaped him. After bringing home the title in both the Truck series and the Xfinity series, the Monster Energy series fell out of his grasp—and right into Joey Logano’s.

Was it due to an early speeding penalty on pit road? Maybe. Busch was quick to take the blame, saying, “I certainly screwed up our day” by attempting to “get a bigger jump” on the rest of the field heading in to pit stops. However, he did a fantastic job getting himself back into the third position despite the setback. Love him or hate him, you have to respect the talent of this future Hall-of-Famer.

The talent was rewarded last week, in fact, when Joe Gibbs Racing announced a partnership extension with Kyle Busch and Mars Inc., keeping him in the candy-themed 18 car for the next several years. The specific details of the new contract have not yet been made public, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Busch finish out his career with JGR.  

Last Week’s NASCAR Fantasy Results: Recap From Las Vegas

Brilliant Picks:

Brad Keselowski – finished 2nd
Kyle Larson – finished 12th
Kevin Harvick – finished 4th

Bold picks:

Martin Truex Jr. – finished 8th
Ryan Blaney – finished 22nd
Joey Logano – WINNER

Bonkers picks:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – finished 6th
Kurt Busch – finished 5th
Alex Bowman – finished 11th

And now, here are this week’s Brilliant, Bold, and Bonkers NASCAR Fantasy picks for the TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway in Phoenix:  

Brilliant NASCAR Fantasy Picks

Kevin Harvick 

Wins: 9
Top 5 finishes: 16
Top 10 finishes: 21
FanDuel: $14,500

Chances are, you’re as tired of seeing this guy here as I am of writing about him. But I simply cannot make brilliant picks without Harvick this week. First, look at those stats. Next, consider the fact that he’s led almost 1,600 laps here. Finally, think about how close he’s come to a win the last two weeks. Now tell me; is there anyone better who can get it done?

Chase Elliott

Wins: 0
Top 5 finishes: 2
Top 10 finishes: 4
FanDuel: $11,500

It’s been a long three weeks for 2018’s Most Popular Driver, with three lousy starting positions, two lousy finishes, and one finish just inside of the top 10. Fans are rallying around Elliott, and this week’s race could turn their frowns upside down if they can watch the number nine head into victory lane.  

Denny Hamlin

Wins: 1
Top 5 finishes: 11
Top 10 finishes: 15
FanDuel: $12,000

Denny has already won the Daytona 500 this year, securing his place in the race for the chase. Does this make him feel like kicking it back for a while? No. Atlanta and Vegas have always been poor tracks for Hamlin, but ISM is a different story. Look for a good finish this week, if not a second victory.

Bold NASCAR Fantasy Picks

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Ryan Newman

Wins: 2
Top 5 finishes: 10
Top 10 finishes: 12
FanDuel: $8,200

It’s been a long time since Newman had a win. This week’s race might change that. He has good numbers at this track, and his two wins here came after two major events: a long winless streak and a switch to a new team. Considering that he switched to Roush Fenway Racing this season, you might hear the snap of another streak being broken if Newman burns it down in the end.   

Aric Almirola

Wins: 0
Top 5 finishes: 1
Top 10 finishes: 4
FanDuel: $10,800

This might not be the best track for double-A when you look at stats, but the number 10 car did some great things with Stewart-Hass last season. He’s been in the top 10 two weeks in a row, and this might be the week he drives it in for the win.

Erik Jones

Wins: 0
Top 5 finishes: 1
Top 10 finishes: 3
FanDuel: $10,400

I toyed with making Jones a brilliant pick this week, but I’m not quite ready to go that far. I will…in time. We have to ease into these things when it comes to the young-guns. He’s a solid bold pick this week, though. In all five of his races at ISM, Jones has good stats. After solid results in the first two races this year, and a decent showing in Vegas, I feel like Jones could break out and be “that guy” this week.

Bonkers NASCAR Fantasy Picks

Clint Bowyer

Wins: 0
Top 5 finishes: 2
Top 10 finishes: 7
FanDuel: $10,600

Bowyer has raced ISM 27 times, the most of any other track on the circuit. Yet, here lie his most unimpressive stats. He had a great year in 2018, and I expect him to follow that up in 2019, but he won’t be starting down that path this week.  

Austin Dillon

Wins: 0
Top 5 finishes: 0
Top 10 finishes: 2
FanDuel: $8,000

Dillon has had a rough start to 2019, with finishes outside of the top 15 in all three races. His stats at this track are lousy, and I just don’t think he’s caught that fire quite yet. I know he’ll get back into the bold position this season, but when it comes to ISM, its best he stays out of the way.

Kyle Larson

Wins: 0
Top 5 finishes: 3
Top 10 finishes: 4
FanDuel: $11,000

It’s not his worst track, but it’s far from his best. Larson’s season has been somewhat like that as well, not too bad, but not great. He’s going to break out one of these weeks, and I suspect that will lead him to a hot streak, but it’s unlikely to happen this weekend.