The first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup is in the books and Denny Hamlin kicked it off in style winning in Chicago. It was the decision to stay out and gain track position during a late caution that propelled Denny to the win. The entire Joe Gibbs Racing team stayed hot at Chicago as Carl Edwards finished 2nd, Matt Kenseth finished 5th and Kyle Busch, who led 121 laps, finished in the 9th position. We also seen emotions boil over during the race as Jimmie Johnson smacked into Kevin Harvick during a restart late in the race which caused a flat tire and ultimately a 42nd place finish for the #4 team. Jimmie tried approaching Harvick after the race and got shoved. This will definitely add to the excitement moving forward in the Chase. Retaliation could be in play here this week but Harvick  has everything to lose and needs to let it go and concentrate on getting a win at New Hampshire.

The second Chase race brings us to Loudon, New Hampshire for the Sylvania 300 hosted by New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The track is a 1.06 mile paved oval intermediate track. It is a very flat track with 12 degree banking in the corners. Some say the track is Martinsville on steroids. It is a very hard track to make passes on putting a tremendous amount of importance on track position going into and during the race.

Qualifying will be extremely important this week putting a lot of pressure on the teams in opening practice to get the cars ready to put down fast laps. Once the race starts teams will be working with different strategies throughout the race to get their cars out front for the final stretch and a shot at a win to advance to the Contender Round.

Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS  Lineup Picks

Brad Keselowski - $10,600

It has been raining top 10's for the #2 team for nearly three months now but we need more at this price. Keselowski should be able to deliver this weekend at New Hampshire. He has one win, three top 5's, four top 10's, and a 5.0 average finish in the last five races here. In that time he has also led NASCAR in laps led(332) here. Team Penske has been qualifying good this year so look for Keselowski to start near the front and add to his laps led total. This combo could very well make him the leader in daily fantasy points this weekend.

Kyle Busch - $10,800

It is hard to leave any JGR driver off of a daily fantasy lineup and especially Kyle Busch this weekend at New Hampshire. He won the summer race in elite driving fashion making one the best passes for the year to get back on the lead lap before a suspected caution would fly. It worked out and he went on to win the race and propel himself into the playoffs. In the last five races here he has that win, four top 5's, and has finished inside the top 10 each time. He has been dominant here the last few years and no reason for it to stop this week as he is looking to move on and have a shot at his first championship.

Jimmie Johnson - $9,600

He was involved in the Chase's first tense moment last weekend. He was forced down low on a restart and came back up the track and hit the #4 car causing a flat tire and eventual 42nd place finish. Jimmie ended up finishing 11th on the day and remains in the hunt for a 7th championship. He has two top 5's, three top 10's and a 15.8 average finish here over his last five races here but Jimmie is championship caliber and can win anywhere at any time. Hendrick has been lacking the speed some other teams are putting out but when they catch up.....look out!

Carl Edwards - $9,300

He comes in as the lowest priced JGR driver on DraftKings this week and makes a great play in both cash games and large field tournaments. He only has three top 10 finishes here in the last five races but owns a 10.8 average finish. All four Gibbs cars have been extremely fast and qualifying well lately and this could be another Sunday afternoon where we get to see a Carl Edwards back flip.

Kyle Larson - $8,200

He is not in the Chase playoffs but looks to be proving to everyone that we need to be on the lookout for the #42 in the future. He finished 7th last weekend and should be looking for at least another top 10 here at New Hampshire. He has raced here three times now and has two top 5 finishes and 12.0 average finish. He comes in at a great value on DraftKings and makes a great cash game selection.

Justin Allgaier - $5,500

His price has dipped down below $6,000 this week making him a great choice in a stars and scrubs lineup. The #51 team has been consistently a top 30 car lately making them a great value if they don't have a good qualifying run. For maximum value look for them to qualify 35th or worse.

Qualifying Update

Coming Saturday...

DFS & Fantasy NASCAR Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-59" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]