
Charlotte is an easy racetrack for NASCAR drivers. The track has plenty of grip and room to make passes. Most of the drivers in Group A have a history of performing well at Charlotte.
The best driver in the field this week is Jimmie Johnson. He is off to a hot start this season and his stats are the best at Charlotte. Johnson has six wins, 11 top-five finishes, 15 top-10 finishes and three poles in his 23 career races at Charlotte.
If you have five or more starts left with Johnson, I suggest you use him this week. If you are running low on starts with Johnson, there are plenty of other drivers to choose from in Group A.
My sleeper pick for Group A is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin proved with his second-place finish at Darlington that he is back. Hamlin finished second in both races at Charlotte last season. Hamlin needs wins to make the Chase and he could go to Victory Lane this year in the Coca Cola 600.
Here are the two drivers I selected for Group A and stats from the NASCAR Media Center based upon the driver’s career stats at Charlotte….
Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth has been the most dominating driver this season. Each week the No. 20 car shows up to the racetrack with plenty of speed. Kenseth has been very good at Charlotte in his career.
Kenseth has two wins, seven top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes in his 27 career races at Charlotte. In the last four races at the racetrack, Kenseth has the third-best driver rating, led the third-most laps and has the sixth-best average finishing position. Kenseth is my pick to win on Sunday.
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne is looking to make back-to-back Coca-Cola 600 wins. He is one of the best drivers in the field at Charlotte.
Kahne has four wins, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes in his 18 career races at Charlotte. In the last four races at the racetrack, Kahne has the fifth-best driver rating, led the fifth-most laps and has the fourth-best average finishing position. Kahne will be one of the drivers capable of winning on Sunday.
Other good choices: Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick