RADIO
Kentucky is known for some of the finer things in life. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious horse races in the land and five pounds of the finest Kentucky Bluegrass can be yours for thirty dollars (Google it). What some tend to forget is that Kentucky is also home of one of the more fun tracks in NASCAR, Kentucky Speedway. Although it may not be the derby, I can bet that it will leave you feeling satisfied once that checkered flag is waved.
Kentucky Speedway was built in the year 2000 and is a 1.5-mile tri-oval in Sparta, Kentucky (THIS IS SPARTA). NASCAR is joined by the ARCA series and the Indy Racing League as the premier events at this track. The first-ever QuakerState 400 was held in 2011 and (who would have guessed) Kyle Busch won the race. The fun fact is that over 20,000 people weren't able to see it due to a traffic jam on I-71.
For the past two years, Martin Truex Jr. has reigned supreme by winning this race back to back like Drake. Last year Truex Jr. led 174 laps and racked up a total of 122 FPTS which is huge for Fantasy NASCAR. Even though I think Truex Jr. is a good play in DFS this week I will be putting my money in some guys with a little less of a price tag on their heads.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Kurt Busch #1 (DraftKings $9,300 | FanDuel $10,000)
Salt N Peppa said to push it real good but to kick off my driver picks I wanted to change that to "Bu-Busch it real good"! After last week's frustrating finish for Busch, I have no doubt that he will bring his A-game at Kentucky Speedway.
Busch ran first in the first practice on Friday with a speed of 183.742 and qualified fourth for Saturday night's race. Busch finished this race in sixth last year and has a solid chance to run with the lead pack. He may not be Skrrt Busch from the NASCAR Heat Pro League, but you can bet he'll be "Skrrting" hard all night long on race day.
Jimmie Johnson #48 (DraftKings $8,100 | FanDuel $9,700 )
Johnson has been in his bag since the race at Chicagoland, and he's headed to a track that he has been somewhat bad at in the past few years. The upside to this is that he's going on his third week running great in practice and you should ride this wave while it lasts.
Johnson will start Saturday night's race in 13th and had a lap speed of 182.723 in Friday's first practice. At last year's race in Kentucky, Johnson scored a total of 43.75 FPTS on DraftKings and could increase that number this time around.
Erik Jones #20 (DraftKings $8,900 | FanDuel $8,800)
In Jones's first race at Kentucky Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing, he finished seventh after starting behind the pole winner. We haven't seen a lot of consistency from Jones so far this season, but after checking him out in practice, I'm ready to throw him into some lineups.
Jones finished both practices on Friday inside the Top 10 with a top speed of 181.366. Jones has only two races at this track on his record, but that means there is plenty of room for improvement. Jones will start 21st on Saturday night.
Brad Keselowski #2 (DraftKings $10,000 | FanDuel $12,500)
If you arent into lifting then "Brad K" is your guy. Keselowski has basically been the King of Kentucky over the past eight years, winning three races at this track and finishing six of them with a Top 10.
Keselowski walked off from the second practice in first with a speed of 182.303 and qualified third. There is no doubt that this is your safest play this week for some solid production in DFS.
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. Good luck RotoBallers!
More Fantasy NASCAR Analysis
The Keys to Weekly NASCAR Success
NASCAR is back, and it's time for you to win more with RotoBaller! Our NASCAR Premium Package for DFS and betting features several heavy hitters and proven winners.
Jordan McAbee anchors the team with his exclusive NASCAR DFS and betting picks, DFS projections and algorithm-predicted finishing order! Jordan had a 60+ unit betting profit in 2024 NASCAR, and a 25% average annual profit since 2018. He won the FSWA Racing Writer Of The Year award in 2023, and has been nominated for DFS Writer Of The Year in 2024.
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