RADIO
I was listening to Train earlier today and started belting the chorus of "Meet Virginia" at a red light in my car when I realized I was going to be writing about a race in Virginia later. The moral of that story was that you should probably go listen to that song because its a banger, but not as banging as a Saturday night under the lights at Richmond Raceway. This is the second time the cup series has ran this track in 2019, and this time around it's going to be a whole lot grittier.
The last time NASCAR was in Richmond, Martin Truex Jr. pulled off his first short-track victory in his entire career (thats nuts). I do like Truex Jr. this week, but I can't shake the feeling that there are going to be some better options available when it comes to your DFS lineups. Truex Jr. did shine bright on Friday with a first-place finish in the first practice, and an eighth-place start for Saturday night's race.
Truex Jr. currently is sitting in first place in the NASCAR playoffs, but some other big-name drivers are ready to get their name to the top. Behind Truex Jr. is Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch. Logano is starting further back this week after qualifying in P28 (a rough climb back to the top), and Kyle Busch has a great shot at getting up to P1 early and leading laps
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Kyle Larson #42 (DraftKings $9,600 | FanDuel $11,800)
Last time Larson ran at Richmond it ended in smoke and a lot of wall kissing (HIT THE WOAH KYLE!!!). Larson should see some better luck this time around, especially with him contending in the playoffs.
Larson has three Top 10s at this track since 2017 and averages 37.25 FPTS. Look for Larson to find himself inside the Top 10 early, and keep himself running steady there throughout the race.
Brad Keselowski #2 (DraftKings $9,800 | FanDuel $12,500)
Keselowski didn't look so hot in the first practice on Friday, but he bounced back to finish the second practice with a speed of 118.937. "Bad Boy Brad" used that momentum going into qualifying, and grabbed the pole for Saturday nights race.
If you're a listener of the Garage Guys Fantasy Sports Podcast, you know we like to "Slam Brad Ks", and I think most of his fantasy owners will be turning back their brews in celebration after the run in Richmond. Keselowski has had three consecutive Top 10s at this track, and the last time he qualified first, he won the race.
Clint Bowyer #14 (DraftKings $8,600 | FanDuel $10,200)
Bowyer has been grabbing Top 10 finishes up until last weekend in Las Vegas. The wild man of NASCAR knows he's gotta push himself harder now that the playoffs are here, and I have no doubt that this is a track he can do it at.
Bowyer didn't have the best runs at practice but qualified fifth with a speed of 126.068. In the past three races at this track, Bowyer has had consecutive Top 10s, and that's giving me a fever for more Bowyer (Christopher Walken voice).
Kyle Busch #18 (DraftKings $12,000 | FanDuel $14,500)
Rowdy Busch is coming back this week in a big way. Last week, Busch had an ugly showing in Las Vegas that left him channeling his inner Marshawn Lynch ( he didn't want to get fined).
There should be no worries this week as Busch had two Top 10s in both practices on Saturday, and qualified fourth with a speed of 126.103. Expect to see some M&Ms getting upfront quick to rack up points on Saturday.
More NASCAR DFS Analysis
Be sure to also check out this week's Revvin' Up, a weekly video series by Sean Engel focused on previewing every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from DFS perspectives. Sean Engel is a six-time DraftKings NASCAR DFS tournament winner and a 15-year NASCAR veteran.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase and subscribe to the Garage Guys Fantasy Sports Podcast for Fantasy Football and NASCAR talk. Good luck RotoBallers!
More Fantasy NASCAR Analysis
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