Everything’s bigger in Texas—including the stakes of your IndyCar fantasy league!
If you haven’t already, grab some friends and sign up for the free IndyCar Fantasy Challenge (fantasy.indycar.com) to create your own league, or compete against other IndyCar fans for incredible prizes. In this new series, I dig deep into the data, history books and my gut feeling to give you key insights that will help you form the strongest driver lineup within the game’s $100 salary cap.
The next stop on the Verizon IndyCar season schedule takes us to The Lone Star State for the DXC Technology 600. The Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) is one of the fastest tracks the drivers compete in and here are four drivers you won’t (or in this case will) want to mess with in Texas:
WILL POWER ($31)
Fresh off his famous Indianapolis 500 win, Will Power will look to carry his momentum to another fast oval in Texas. The Aussie-born series champion is no stranger to success at TMS—he’s racked up 2 wins, 3 poles and has the best average starting position among active drivers (4.1). With a value of $31 on the IndyCar.com Fantasy Challenge, Power is one of the most expensive drivers to have in your lineup, but look for him to stretch his lead in the point standings with a win at Texas.
TONY KANAAN ($16)
While choosing Will Power will put a dent in your Fantasy Challenge salary cap, “TK” makes up for it with a bargain buy. Valued at $16, the Brazilian is a steal for Texas. He has finished in the top 10 in all but 3 of the 18 races he has run at Texas. With an average Texas finish of 5.2 ranking him 1st among active drivers, Kanaan has also showed tremendous consistency in the top 5. Add to the fact that he was one of the fastest guys at Indianapolis—leading 19 laps before crashing out of the race—fans should not be surprised to see Tony at the front of the field on Saturday.
ALEXANDER ROSSI ($31)
It was a heartbreaking finish for Rossi in the final laps of Race 2 in Detroit, but look for him to bounce back in Texas. In 2 starts at TMS, the former-F1 driver has a dismal record on paper. This season, however, Rossi is driving like a man inspired, which explains his $31 valuation. He has finished on the podium in 50% of the races run so far this season and has looked particularly strong on the ovals, finishing 3rd and 4th at Phoenix and Indianapolis, respectively. Look for Rossi to continue his oval passing clinic at Texas to redeem himself of this past weekend.
SIMON PAGENAUD ($21)
I know the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Champion is having an abysmal season thus far, but there’s no better place for him to turn it around than at Texas. Of the four top 10 finishes that the Frenchman has this season, two have come from the ovals. While he’s usually regarded as a road course master, he has an impressive record at Texas—ranking 2nd in average finishing position (6.8) and finishing in the top 5 in 50% of his Texas starts.
TOTAL SALARY: $99
Tiebreaker - Predict the Average Lap Speed for this race: 165.000 MPH
INDYCAR CHALLENGE ROUND PRIZES THIS WEEKEND*:
1st Place: $25 Merchandise Certificate, SiriusXM All Access One-Year Subscription, Firestone hat ($250)
2nd Place: INDYCAR diecast, Sunoco checkered flag, Firestone hat ($100)
3rd Place: INDYCAR Nation membership, Firestone hat ($55)
4th-10th Place: Firestone hat ($20)
* Prizes are distributed by IndyCar.com. See official game rules for details.
Statistics gathered from racing-reference.info and indycar.com.
