It’s another quick turn-round for Verizon IndyCar Series drivers and teams. Not to mention #INDYCAR Fantasy Challenge driven by Firestone players this week, as the traveling circus heads east to a well-manicured natural terrain road course in the rolling hills east of Birmingham, Alabama.
For the first time this year, not a single fantasy player scored the maximum 162 points that a team of Alexander Rossi, Will Power, Ed Jones and Zach Veach would have netted in Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. However, there were 93 who collected the 160 points that came from selecting Graham Rahal instead of Veach.
My search for the foundation of this week’s team at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by America’s First begins with the five drivers representing a pair of legendary powerhouse teams. Drivers from Chip Ganassi Racing (nine) and Team Penske (eight) have represented just over 70 percent of the two dozen pilots who have stood on the podium in the eight races at Barber Motorsports Park.
With seven podiums in eight starts on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course, Chip Ganassi Racing veteran Scott Dixon ($28) will be the least stressing pick you make this week. Even though the Kiwi has yet to win, his average finishing position of 3.3 on the scenic park-like circuit is easily the best in the field.
If all three Team Penske drivers were affordable, all three would be on my team. Instead, the choice of which driver to leave off my squad is vexing.
Will Power ($25), Simon Pagenaud ($27) and Josef Newgarden ($32) have an average finishing position at Barber Motorsports Park of 4.8, 5.1 and 6.5, respectively. That slots right in behind Dixon as the second-, third- and fourth-best career-finish averages at Barber.
Newgarden, who grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee, just a little over 200 miles north of Birmingham, has won two of the last three Barber races and only finished outside of the top 10 during his rookie campaign in 2012.
It would be hard to go wrong choosing between the remaining two Team Penske drivers, Pagenaud and Power.
Pagenaud won the 2016 race and has failed to finish outside the top nine in seven Barber races.
But, this week, it is Power who will join Dixon and Newgarden on my team. The Australian was cruising to his third Barber victory last year when an untimely tire puncture led to a pit stop and disappointing 14th-place finish; the only time that Power has finished outside the top five in Birmingham.
If you aren’t comfortable taking two drivers from one team, championship leader Alexander Rossi ($32) could be swapped evenly for Newgarden. Choosing between the two young Americans wasn’t easy.
With three straight and six trips to the podium in the last nine races, Rossi is the hottest driver in the series. A favorite strategy is to “ride a hot hand.” At some point, the third-year Andretti Autosport driver will cool down, and my thinking is it will happen this week.
The first three members of my fantasy team have a combined salary of $84, leaving me $16 to spend on one of seven affordable drivers.
Carlin is making progress and Barber Motorsports Park has been a good track for Charlie Kimball ($15) and Max Chilton ($14) in the past. But since it’s the first permanent road course event of the year, I’m going to stay away from the new teams. The philosophy also eliminates Harding Racing’s Gabby Chaves ($15) and Juncos Racing’s Rene Binder ($12).
Matheus Leist ($12) has been quick, but until the rookie starts limiting his mistakes, like the one he made in testing at Barber, my thought process is to stay clear of the Brazilian.
That leaves us with rookies Jordan King ($12) and Zachary Claman De Melo ($12). King has been impressive in his two starts, but mechanical issues and mistakes have cost him good results.
Claman De Melo also made at Long Beach, but the Dale Coyne Racing rookie has contested four Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires races at Barber and the Canadian was the fifth-quickest driver during an open test there last month.
Those are my picked for this week. Make yours at fantasy.indycar.com.