kyle larson 2018 season fantasy preview

OK, let's get back into the 2018 season fantasy previews.  Today it's the #42 of Kyle Larson with Ganassi Racing.  No doubt that Larson is a likely playoff participant in 2018 and a legitimate championship contender.  He was dominant at times in 2017, winning four races and finishing second in eight other races.  Let that sink in for second.  He finished in the top two in 12 of 36 races.  On the flip side, he had seven DNF's, which is quite high for a driver and team of this caliber with championship aspirations.  So, it was a bit of an up and down season in 2017, but with far more ups than downs.

So what should we expect in 2018?  I predict more of the same.  I think we will once again see Larson win several races and finish near the top in others.  I'm hopeful that, with team continuity (crew chief Chad Johnston returns for a third season) and another year of experience for Larson, the #42 becomes a bit more consistent in 2018 and avoids the numerous DNF's that plagued the team in 2017.

As far as the tracks where Larson excels, he is a lock button start at Michigan.  He has won the last three races there and three of his five career wins are at Michigan.  In the race prior to the win streak, he finished third.  So, in the last two seasons at Michigan, Larson's average finishing position is 1.5.  California/Auto Club is a similar 2-mile layout and Larson also won the lone race there in 2017.  In fact, he dominated that race, starting from the pole, leading 110 of 202 laps and finishing first.  So he is a strong start at both 2-mile tracks. 

Several other tracks of note:  (1) Miami, where Larson finished 3rd and 2nd in the last two races and led over half the laps; (2) New Hampshire, where Larson finished 2nd in both races in 2017; and (3) Dover, where Larson finished 5th and 2nd in 2017, with 378 laps led and where he has finished in the Top 10 in 6 of 7 Cup races.

I would not recommend Larson at road courses or the plate tracks.  In his eight career road course races in the Cup Series, he has only one Top 10 finish and has finished 23rd or worse in four of the eight races.  Likewise, in sixteen plate races, he has only four Top 10 finishes and has seven finishes of 29th or worse.