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Everyone starts with a fresh slate in an inaugural race. Our best guess is that World Wide Technology Raceway will behave much like Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but until the checkers wave over the Enjoy Illinois 300, no one is really sure. Then again, with the NextGen car, there hasn’t been much certainty in the first 14 races of 2022.
When NASCAR implemented stage racing in 2017, they changed how drivers and teams approached each weekend. With race points on the line and a playoff bonus point for winning stages, drivers must decide if it is worth racing hard to win the stage, or if they want to employ some other strategy.
The free-to-play NASCAR Pick ‘Em game is simple to play, but with equally matched drivers in each stage, it’s not always easy to determine who will lead their group. Each week, players pick one of four drivers to finish best in Stage 1, Stage 2, and when the checkers wave.
Participants can compete for weekly cash prizes, with a $10,000 jackpot available for any participants who earn a perfect score. There will also be at least $1,000 awarded each week in guaranteed cash and prizes, even if there is no player with a perfect score.
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Best Finish, Stage 1
Matchup: Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick
Keys: Harvick has not yet won a stage in 2022 and he has scored points only nine times, compared to Chase Elliott and Joey Logano with 20. Reddick has two stage wins, but scored points in five fewer segments than the other two drivers listed at this level.
Edge: Byron. That means the battle for the best stage finish will probably come down to Byron and Blaney. Blaney has four stage wins to Byron’s three, but the driver of the No. 24 has more points and that is the tiebreaker.
Best Finish, Stage 2
Matchup: Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace
Keys: All four of the drivers listed in this group have earned stage wins in 2022, so there is an opportunity to make a bold pick. In this foursome, Wallace has scored points in nine stages with Busch doing so in 13 and Truex in 15.
Edge: Elliott. It’s hard to bet again Elliott, however. With 134 points and three stage wins, he easily tops the chart in 2022. He also is tied with the most segments in which he earned points, so it’s a fair bet he will be among the top 10 when the time is right.
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Best Finish, Final Stage
Matchup: Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano
Keys: Every track is unique and subject to its own rules. Gateway will be no different, but there is a common skill set that goes along with running well on minimally-banked courses. Three of these drivers have wins on short, flat tracks and Chastain came close this spring at Phoenix.
Edge: Hamlin. He’s our pick to win outright and while he will be challenged by Larson and Chastain, his record at Phoenix and Richmond is strong enough to give him an advantage.
Top-three, Race Results
Hamlin is riding a three-race, top-five streak and is superior on flat tracks. Blaney is hungry for his first win of the season and has been better on intermediate, flat tracks than recently, while Byron has become one of the best racers on this course type.
Segment Points and Wins, 2022
Driver | Segment | Segment | Segments |
134 | 3 | 20 | |
120 | 3 | 17 | |
114 | 3 | 17 | |
108 | 1 | 20 | |
106 | 4 | 17 | |
99 | 1 | 18 | |
97 | 3 | 15 | |
82 | 14 | ||
80 | 1 | 13 | |
67 | 2 | 12 | |
59 | 1 | 9 | |
57 | 1 | 11 | |
56 | 11 | ||
55 | 2 | 11 | |
48 | 2 | 7 | |
39 | 9 | ||
35 | 1 | 9 | |
32 | 9 | ||
32 | 7 | ||
27 | 9 | ||
27 | 7 | ||
26 | 6 | ||
25 | 1 | 6 | |
23 | 4 | ||
12 | 4 | ||
9 | 3 | ||
9 | 2 | ||
9 | 1 | ||
5 | 1 | ||
3 | 1 |
NASCAR Predictor:
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