With fantasy sports as popular as ever, Red Bull Global Rallycross is giving fans multiple ways to play in 2017.
In addition to a Fantasy Championship, in which fans’ picks earn them points throughout the season, GRC also is running a separate Fantasy Challenge for each of the season’s 12 rounds. These two unique formats each require players to consider different things before locking in their selections, and that can make setting your lineup tricky.
For the Fantasy Challenge, Supercar drivers are divided into three tiers based on their performance heading into a given round, with a fourth tier comprised of the whole Lites field. Players have to pick the driver from each tier they think will help earn them the most points for that event, with their Lites picks being used as tiebreakers.
To help you know what to look for when making your selections, here are the four racers we’ve put in our lineups for the Red Bull GRC Indianapolis Challenge:
Tier 1: Tanner Foust, Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
Although Steve Arpin and Tanner Foust both won a final in Canada, we’re going with the Andretti Autosport driver for Indianapolis. Foust, the current championship leader, has been a solid pick all year for fantasy owners, and there’s plenty of reason to think that again will be true this round. The 0.767-mile course at Lucas Oil Raceway is very similar to the one we saw at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in that it utilizes much of the facility’s oval, as well as a long dirt section. Considering Foust was en route to a perfect weekend at Thompson before his wheel broke, the layout in Indianapolis should play into his hand.
Tier 2: Scott Speed, Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
The first half of the Ottawa, Ontario, double header didn’t go according to plan for Scott Speed, but he came back swinging on day two. Speed’s P2 finish in the final of Round 6 limited the damage to his championship hopes, bumping him back to third-place in the standings. The defending two-time GRC champion has been characteristically quick all year, and if his pace alone isn’t enough to make you choose him, remember that Andretti is based in Indianapolis. And as Arpin proved in Ottawa, racing in front of your home crown absolutely can make a difference.
Tier 3: Chris Atkinson, Subaru Rally Team USA
Although Atkinson currently is behind the Honda Red Bull OMSE drivers in the championship, he has seemingly been on an upswing since his podium in Connecticut. Plus, though Atkinson is a veteran rally driver, this is his first full season in GRC, so we expect him to continue to improve each time he gets in the car.
Tier 4: Travis PeCoy, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Travis PeCoy had a slow start to the year, but has steadily improved since. His second-place in Canada was his best finish of the year, and he’ll be looking to carry that momentum forward to Indiana.
All photos via Red Bull Content Pool
