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Chris Durell brings you DraftKings fantasy NASCAR advice, DFS lineups picks and sleepers analysis for Chris Durell brings you DraftKings fantasy NASCAR advice, DFS lineups picks and sleepers analysis for the Tales of the Turtles 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs(that is a mouthful) have arrived and it kicks off this weekend with the Tales of the Turtles 400 from Chicagoland Speedway. The playoff field is made up of 13 winners and three other drivers(McMurray, Kenseth, Elliott) who made it in on points. The Playoffs are split into four rounds with each of the first three rounds consisting of three races. After the third elimination race in each of those rounds, four drivers are eliminated and any driver who wins a race in any round automatically advances to the next round. The Playoff points a driver accumulated from stage and race wins during the regular season stick with that driver until the four driver finale at Homestead in November.
From a DFS standpoint, it will be important to stack a couple drivers who will be starting close to the front to get those laps led and fast lap bonuses. There has been just one driver in the last two races who has led 100 or more laps and only two drivers who finish Top 10 from outside a Top 20 starting position. Also, 11 of the 14 drivers to pick up double-digit fast laps over the last two races have started inside the Top 10 starting positions. With all that said, let's jump right into the picks. Keep in mind these picks are written up post-qualifying but prior to the final two practices. Be sure to check out the free DFS NASCAR Cheatsheet I provide to see the latest updates and weighted rankings.
Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks - Tales of the Turtles 400
Kyle Busch ($10,600)
He hasn't won here since 2008 but has been very consistent lately with five straight Top 10 finishes and will start from the pole for the third time in the last four Chicago races. That gives him elite value when looking for fast laps and laps led and is the top driver of the week in all formats.
Denny Hamlin ($9,700)
Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin is a top value this at a price under $10K. The #11 showed good speed in practice(3rd) and then went on to qualify on the front row beside Busch. Denny also comes back to Chicago with three straight sixth-place finishes or better including a win in 2015.
Daniel Suarez ($7,800)
Noticing a trend yet? The Toyotas's are definitely the favorites this weekend as they seem to have the most speed of all the manufacturers. Just ask Brad Keselowski.
We are all in for a rude awakening.
Haven't seen NASCAR let a manufacturer get this far ahead since the 70s https://t.co/LttpCz9vJZ— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) September 15, 2017
It turned into a nice Twitter battle between Busch and Keselowski but the point here is that Toyota's are fast and I will be all over them this weekend. Suarez posted the 2nd fastest time in the opening practice Friday and luckily our DFS lineups didn't make the final round of qualifying and will start 13th on Sunday. If he shows us Top 5 speed in the final practices and has nice 10-lap averages he will be a mush play this week with some Place Differential value.
NASCAR DFS Cheat Sheet
Don't have the time to search multiple sites looking for NASCAR stats and data?
Check out my DFS NASCAR cheatsheet which includes Track History(2-Year Trend & Career), Track Type History(2-Year Trend), Current Form, Practice/Qualifying Data, and a weighted system to get an overall rank for each driver each race. Check out it now while it's still in BETA mode and FREE to everyone. Also, be sure to check out the Race by Race Trends Sheet.
DFS & Fantasy NASCAR Chat Room
If you have any questions leading up to the race hit me up in the chat below!
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