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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 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
There was a bit of a delay to start the race in Atlanta last weekend but they got the entire race in and finally, Kevin Harvick's dominance led to a trip a to Victory Lane. He ended up with 132.3 DraftKings points, 57.5 more than Martin Truex Jr. who finished fifth in the race but second in fantasy points thanks to 30 place differential points as he failed to qualify.
This week the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series head West to Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400 this Sunday. It's another mile and a half intermediate track but the similarities to Atlanta end there. The grip level at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is much higher and with the forecasted low temperatures, we could see speeds in excess of 200 mph on the straightaways. Vegas also has its own quirkiness with the bumps in turn one and two.
From a fantasy perspective, our strategy will remain the same as we will be focusing on dominator drivers, for the most part, when building our lineups. We will then be filling in around that core with a mix of place differential value and salary relief. It will be very important to pay attention to qualifying and practice, especially the final two sessions on Saturday. Let's dig in and take a look at some of the top plays this week.
Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks - Pennzoil 400
Kyle Larson($9,800)
He was a part of the test here at the beginning of February finishing first and second in those sessions and has carried that speed over to race weekend. He qualified fifth but was first and second in the final two practices and had the fastest 10-lap average in final practice. He is also dominating the Xfinity race right now and that track time will be very positive moving into the Cup car on Sunday. He is my top dominator this week and safe in all formats with a salary under $10K.
Kevin Harvick($10,300)
He dominated the race last week and is one of my top picks again this week. He crashed out at Las Vegas last year but finished seventh in 2016 and dominated in 2015 leading 142 laps(79 fast laps) on his way to the win and 138 DraftKings points. He was fourth in second practice with the fastest 10-lap average and while he was 14th in final practice, still posted the second-fastest 10-lap average behind Kyle Larson.
Martin Turex Jr. ($10,500)
We can't forget about Truex who dominated the mile and a half intermediate tracks in 2017 with seven wins and 1,208 laps led for an average of 95.5 DraftKings points per race. He had an air pressure issue in the first round of qualifying bt it didn't prove to be a big issue as he qualified fourth and then posted the 10th and 3rd fastest speeds in the final two practices on Saturday. He also posted the third-fastest 10-lap average in both of those practices so he will definitely be a factor on Sunday.
Ryan Newman($7,100)
To fit two of the above three drivers in a lineup we will have to find some value this week. Enter Ryan Newman who comes at a value price and will start 25th giving him some near elite place differential value. He was second and sixth in the final two practices and was 12th and 11th in 10-lap averages in those practices. He has also finished inside the Top 20 here at Las Vegas in four straight races with two top 10 finishes.
Chris Buescher($5,700)
Dipping down into the punt range, I like Chris Buescher this week starting 28th. He improved as the weekend went on as he finished 24th in second practice and 13th in final practice and comes to us at a price in the sub $6K range. He has also gotten better each trip to Vegas as he finished 26th in 2016 and then 23rd last year. Not expecting much here but the salary relief and place differential value help us get multiple top tier drivers in our lineup.
For even more picks you can grab a copy of my DFS NASCAR cheatsheet or check out my weekly YouTube video which also goes over my top picks for the race.
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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