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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 Pure Michigan 400 at the Glen from Michigan International Speedway
With just two races remaining until the Playoffs, the Monster Energy Cup Series enters the Throwback Weekend with the Bojangles Southern 500. Darlington Raceway presents one of the toughest challenges drivers will face all season as the track is an unorthodox intermediate oval. It has an egg shape to it with two completely different ends of the track and has been dubbed the track "Too Tough to Tame".
For fantasy this week, we will want to pay close attention to qualifying as the driver who has started on the pole has led the most laps in four of the last six races here at Darlington. Place differential will also be a factor as in those same last six races there have been at least 17 drivers to earn positive place differential points and at least five drivers to earn double-digit place differential points. With difficulty of Darlington Raceway, it will bring some crashes as well which also adds a huge luck factor. For multiple entry tournaments, I would recommend going a bit contrarian in a few lineups and fading the chalk place differential plays. With all that said, let's dive right into the picks.
Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks - Bojangles Southern 500
Kevin Harvick ($9,700)
Harvick will start from the pole and has a great shot at leading the most laps and winning the race. He was 5th in opening practice and 2nd in final practice and to top it off he has seen his salary drop four weeks in a row. Harvick has finished each of the last four races here at Darlington inside the Top 5 with a win in 2014.
Denny Hamlin ($9,900)
Another driver under the $10K mark this week but with Hamlin you also get a bit of place differential upside as he will start 9th on Sunday. He was the opposite of Harvick in practice finishing 2nd in the first practice and 5th in the final practice and enters this race with the best average finish(7.5) over the past six races. Hamlin is safe in all formats.
Ryan Newman ($8,100)
From a place differential perspective, Ryan Newman stands out this week starting from the 17th position. He was 10th and 15th in the two practices and has finished better than 17th in seven of his last eight races here including six Top 10 finishes. Another driver I will be using in all formats this week.
Kasey Kahne ($7,500)
Like Newman, Kahne is going to be chalky this week thanks to some excellent place differential upside. He will start 23rd on Sunday and showed Top 10 speed(6th & 9th) in both practices on Friday. In his career here at Darlington, he has finished 23rd or better in 13 of 14 races with five Top 10 finishes. All things considered, he is one of my top picks of the week.
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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