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 Atlantic City Challenge:
Tier 1: Scott Speed, Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
With just 33 points separating Scott Speed, Tanner Foust and Steve Arpin in the championship, a case could be made for all three drivers. When you account for the results of last year’s Atlantic City, N.J., race, though, Speed seems to be the safer choice.
Tire degradation was a factor at Bader Field for every driver in 2017, but despite damaging one of his tires early in the final event, Speed still nursed his rubber to a first-place finish. By contrast, neither Foust nor Arpin could make their tires last until the checkered flag came out.
Tier 2: Mitchell deJong, Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
The Honda drivers have been fairly close throughout much of the season, but we’re slightly more confident choosing Mitchell deJong. The 19-year-old is ahead of Sebastien Eriksson in the standings, albeit by just two points, and his performance in Indianapolis makes us think a strong finish is in store for him in New Jersey.
Although deJong was slower than Eriksson in qualifying, he quickly improved his pace such that, by the second round of heat races, he was as much as five-tenths faster than his teammate.
Tier 3: Patrik Sandell, Subaru Rally Team USA
Patrik Sandell was another driver who showed in 2017 that he can pick up a strong result in Atlantic City. Sandell was running fourth throughout much of the final, not pushing too hard, so he was able to assume P2 once Foust and Arpin’s tires blew out. Although Subaru Rally Team USA has hit speed bumps at various points throughout the season, we still think he can build off his past success at Bader Field.
Tier 4: Cyril Raymond, Olsbergs MSE X Forces
Cyril Raymond really has come into his own since getting his first win of the season in Thompson, and we have little doubt he will carry that momentum into the Atlantic City double-header. We’re especially confident in Raymond given the pace he showed at Lucas Oil Raceway.
All photos via Red Bull Global Rallycross
