RADIO
NASCAR heads north to Dover Delaware to race The Monster Mile at Dover International Speedway. The monster itself isn't very scary at all (basically a mix of The Thing and The Yeti from Rudolph) but it can be pretty freaky for drivers who struggle at Intermediate tracks. Earlier this week I wrote about a few of these drivers in my Sleepers & Drivers To Avoid article so that you'll be in the know when setting your lineups on Sunday.
Chase Elliott has been hot at this track in recent seasons and that skill has showed up again as he's grabbed the pole for Sunday. After his win in Talladega, there will be so much hype around him this week to pull a back to back victory but I think that most of the magic for fantasy will happen a few rows back and allow you to cash in big this weekend.
One huge thing that has changed this weekend is the way NASCAR does its qualifying. After five years the drivers have returned to single car qualifying which takes away the use of drafting and getting to have multiple shots at the pole. Some drivers are happy about this while others have mixed emotions. Personally, I am a huge fan of this because I feel that it more accurately places the drivers where they belong come race day. It's all about the work in the garage, how well the driver knows the track and raw speed out of the engine.
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Gander RV 400 - Starting Lineup
- (#9) Chase Elliott - Chevrolet
- (#24) William Byron - Chevrolet
- (#42) Kyle Larson - Chevrolet
- (#22) Joey Logano - Ford
- (#88) Alex Bowman - Chevrolet
- (#4) Kevin Harvick - Ford
- (#10) Aric Almirola - Ford
- (#11) Denny Hamlin - Toyota
- (#2) Brad Keselowski - Ford
- (#14) Clint Bowyer - Ford
- (#12) Ryan Blaney - Ford
- (#48) Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet
- (#19) Martin Truex Jr. - Toyota
- (#41) Daniel Suarez - Ford
- (#20) Erik Jones - Toyota
- (#3) Austin Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#95) Matt DiBenedetto - Toyota
- (#21) Paul Menard - Ford
- (#1) Kurt Busch - Chevrolet
- (#17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - Ford
- (#6) Ryan Newman - Ford
- (#18) Kyle Busch - Toyota
- (#8) Daniel Hemric - Chevrolet
- (#38) David Ragan - Ford
- (#13) Ty Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#34) Michael McDowell - Ford
- (#43) Bubba Wallace - Chevrolet
- (#32) Corey Lajoie - Ford
- (#47) Ryan Preece - Chevrolet
- (#37) Chris Buescher - Chevrolet
- (#00) Landon Cassill - Chevrolet
- (#36) Matt Tifft - Ford
- (#51) Cody Ware - Ford
- (#52) BJ McLeod - Chevrolet
- (#77) Quinn Houff - Chevrolet
- (#15) Ross Chastain - Chevrolet
- (#27) Reed Sorenson - Chevrolet
DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Kyle Busch #18 (DraftKings $12,400 | FanDuel $15,000)
I rarely write about Kyle Busch because well, he's Kyle Busch. We all know he's one of the best drivers that's loved and hated by many and this week I couldn't pass up writing about him. Busch qualified 22nd at Dover and posted a speed of 166.891 in the first practice. This man is always a factor but in the past two races we haven't seen him crack a Top 5 which has shown to be a bit of a norm for him this season.
What makes him a must start for me this week is not only his position on the pole but his history at the Monster Mile. Busch is great here in the fall but has had some rough times in the spring races. Kyle knows this and with the new package I see him flipping a switch and finishing inside the Top 5 this Sunday.
Denny Hamlin #11 (DraftKings $9,500 | FanDuel $12,500 )
Denny Hamlin had some rough luck last week at Talladega. I had the opportunity to visit him in the garage area after the Fedex Office Toyota was pulled off the track and got to see the anger in that mans eyes. I felt it too as he was a driver I was high on at the super speedway (and was in multiple lineups of mine).
Seeing that fire in him gives me the confidence to start him again at Dover. Hamlin finished the first practice seventh with a speed of 167.496 and since 2016 he's finished five out of six races inside the Top 10.
Jimmie Johnson #48 (DraftKings $8,200 | FanDuel $10,000)
Mr. Johnson was a guy I had in mind before qualifying even started and after he secured 12th from the pole position I starting piecing this paragraph together in my head. Jimmie Johnson won this race back in 2017 and since has placed a Top 5 and a Top 10 here.
Last October Johnson had some bad luck that messed up the streak but with Hendrick cars looking hot, I'm ready to plug him into my lineup this week. Johnson posted a speed of 167.069 and finished 10th in Fridays first practice.
William Byron #24 (DraftKings $6,700 | FanDuel $7,300)
William "Billy" Byron had the pole in qualifying before Chase Elliott swooped in and took it from him. Byron's car just looked insanely fast during qualifying. He posted a speed of 165.555 when qualifying and finished fourth in the first practice at Dover with a speed of 167.645. As long as he can avoid the wall and wrecks I really think he could make a push for his first career victory this Sunday.
He's also an incredible value on both DraftKings and FanDuel, which will allow you to throw in another mid level driver along with my picks. Sean Engel also likes this play and discusses Byron in the new RotoBaller Youtube Series Revvin' Up. I'm all in on Billy Boy this weekend.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase. Good luck RotoBallers!
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