Welcome back race fans. With the Playoffs just a couple weeks away, the intensity is ramping up and for those on the outside looking in it will be tough to make up ground as the Monster Energy Cup Series head to one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. They call it the track "Too Tough to Tame" and it is very difficult from a setup standpoint as both ends of the track are different. Turns one and two are banked 25 degrees while turns three and four are just 23 degrees and much narrower. The track was also worn quite a bit since being repaved back in 2007 and once again very abrasive which will tear up tires very quickly which does create some exciting racing for the fans.

From a fantasy perspective, we will be looking to build our core around drivers who can pick up a ton of dominator points here at Darlington. Looking at the past results tab on my cheatsheet you will see that there has been at least one driver to lead 100 or more laps in each of the last six races and at least two drivers to led 50 or more laps in four of the last six races. This is a tough track to pass on so also keep in mind that starting position will be big this week. Let's jump into the top picks for the week.

Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks - Bojangles Southern 500

Denny Hamlin(DK-$9,900 FD-$11,600)

No active driver has been more consistent here at Darlington than Denny Hamlin. He won the race last year while leading 124 laps and has finished 6th or better in seven of his last eight trips with two wins. This time around, he will start on the pole giving him another great opportunity to lead a ton of laps and he showed good speed in practice ranking 1st in opening practice and while he fell to 15th in final practice, he posted the fifth-fastest 10-lap average. Considering the discount in price he provides, he is the top play in all formats.

Kevin Harvick(DK-$11,400 FD-$13,400)

Of the "Big 3", Kevin Harvick is the play this week for a couple reasons starting with the elite place differential he provides starting 22nd this week. This after improving on the speed throughout practice and posting the third-fastest 10-lap average in Happy Hour. The other thing that jumps off the page is his price on DraftKings as he is $700 cheaper than Kyle Larson and $1,000 cheaper than Kyle Busch. Harvick has also been very good here at Darlington as well posting five straight Top 10's including a win and four Top 5 finishes.

Erik Jones(DK-$8,700 FD-$10,000)

Jones is a much better play on FanDuel this week as he starts inside the Top 10 but doesn't have dominator upside ranking 6th and 10th in practices. With that said, I think he can still be used as a mid-range GPP value play on DraftKings as he impressed here last year in his first trip in the Cup series with a fifth-place finish. He has also been very consistent lately overall with Top 10 finishes in seven of his last nine races.

Matt DiBenedetto(DK-$5,500 FD-$5,200)

I am going back to DiBenedetto as my punt value play this week. He provides some place differential upside starting 30th while posting practice speeds that ranked 25t and 26th on Friday afternoon. On top of that, he has raced here at Darlington three times and finished 25th, 26th, and 27th. Pairing him with another play like Chris Buescher allows you to pay up for two studs in all formats this week.

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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The Keys to Weekly NASCAR DFS Success

NASCAR is back, and it's time for you to win big with RotoBaller! Our DFS NASCAR Premium Package features several heavy hitters and proven winners.

Sean Engel recently won his 7th career DFS tournament, and had the top lineup in seven contests and 10 top-two finishes. Be sure to use his weekly NASCAR DFS rankings and DFS lineup picks, updated regularly.

Three-time NASCAR Racing Writer of the Year finalist and fantasy industry legend Scott "The King" Engel is also in the crew, bringing you his weekly strategies and lineup picks. Set your winning DFS lineups with our award-winning team.