We have finally reached the end of the NASCAR regular season. The Federated Auto Parts 400 will mark the final race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs begin. Eleven of the drivers entering this race already have a win and are locked in to the playoffs. Clint Bowyer holds on to the final spot in the Chase Grid at the moment by 29 points over Aric Almirola and 31 points over Kasey Kahne. Barring a wreck or engine failure to the #15 team, it looks like the only way for these trailing teams to get into the Chase will be to win the race on Saturday night.
Richmond International Speedway is a .75 mile D Shaped Oval Short Track. There is 14 degree banking in the turns and a drivers average speed is around 125 miles per hour. The race here usually see one or two drivers who dominate in the laps led category so pay close attention to practice times and consecutive 10 lap averages in practice. In the previous two races here only six drivers who started outside the top 10 finished there. This isn't always the case though as the spring race in 2014 seen only one driver who started inside the top 10 finish there. As always, though, we are looking for drivers starting near the front who have a chance to dominate laps led and be there at the end. Now on with the picks.
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Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks
Joey Logano - $10,400
He won the Pole for tomorrow nights race and isn't a stranger to success here at Richmond. In his previous five races here he has a win, three top 5's and four top 10 finishes. He is also coming into this race with two wins in his last four races. He has momentum and will have a good chance at leading a bunch of laps and winning the race Saturday night.
Brad Keselowski - $11,200
He has been red hot lately and maybe even a bit under the radar thanks to the Joe Gibbs Racing team. He comes into Richmond with eight straight top 10 finishes with two runner ups in that time. He has a win and two top 5 finishes in his previous five races at Richmond with a 14.4 average finish. He was 3rd in first practice, 9th in second practice, and qualified 3rd. Look for the #2 car to run up front inside the top 5 for most of the day.
Jimmie Johnson - $8,900
He and the entire Hendrick Motorsports team have been running a little cold lately but it could be coming to an end real soon. The Chase is right around the corner and that is what the #48 team lives for. With one race remaining until the playoffs look for Jimmie to get back in form here at Richmond. He was 13th in first practice and 3rd in final practice while qualifying in the 9th position.
Kyle Larson - $8,000
A driver who sits outside the Chase Grid and will need a win to qualify for the playoffs. He comes back to Richmond with a 13.0 average finish in his three race career here. He has been pretty consistent lately with four top 15 finishes in his last five races. He fastest in first practice, 17th in 2nd practice and qualified 11th for the race.
AJ Allmendinger - $6,000
If you are looking to go lower on the DK salary list this week and play some stars and scrubs lineups Allmendinger is a great choice. He has a top 10 here and a 14.2 average finish in his last five races here. He was 6th in first practice, 13th in 2nd practice, and qualified 21st for the race. With the speed they have shown throughout practice, the #47 team should be looking at a top 15 finish Saturday night.
Qualifying Update
Qualifying Top 10
- #22 Joey Logano
- #20 Matt Kenseth
- #2 Brad Keselowski
- #18 Kyle Busch
- #55 David Ragan
- #4 Kevin Harvick
- #19 Carl Edwards
- #41 Kurt Busch
- #48 Jimmie Johnson
- #14 Tony Stewart
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