The second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup kicked off with Joey Logano dominating Charlotte and locking himself in the next round. The top 10 was loaded with Chase drivers as expected. This keeps the standings tight at the top with only 13 points separating the top 8 drivers.
The biggest stories of the race both involved Kyle Busch this week. While entering pit road he decided at the last second to dive back onto to track. The only problem is that Kyle Larson also decided at the last second to dive onto pit road. It ended with both drivers serving pass through penalties and putting Chase hopeful Busch in a bad position. The second story involved Busch and Earnhardt Jr. who both hit some fluid on the track and made contact with the wall. It was Earnhardt seeing the worst of it, finishing 28th with Kyle Busch not far ahead in 20th place. Matt Kenseth came out the worst from Charlotte, as he crashed in to the wall after contact with Ryan Newman and ended up in 42nd and in a win or go home mentality for the next two races.
This week NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 and second race of the Contender Round. The track is a 1.5 mile D Shaped Oval with 15° banking in the corners. The usual drivers (Jimmie, Harvick, Logano to name a few) dominate these tracks, but that doesn't mean we can't find a few guys this week to use in daily fantasy. It will be a big week for the drivers, as the elimination race next week is in Talladega, where a big wreck can happen at any time. Drivers and teams will be pushing hard to get the win here at Kansas so they don't have to deal with the stress of Super Speedway racing. As always, practice and qualifying will play a big part of best selections, so be sure to check back for the update that will be posted after Final Practice on Saturday afternoon.
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Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS Lineup Picks
Kevin Harvick - $11,500
He followed up his must win at Dover with a runner up this past weekend at Charlotte. It gives him some breathing room up in 2nd in the standings, but that won't stop him from trying to dominate and win this week. He has been excellent here recently with a 5.8 average finish and a win in the last five races. Look for the #4 to qualify up front again this week and contend for the win at Kansas. With some of the low end values you can definitely find room for Harvick in your lineups no matter the format.
Matt Kenseth - $10,500
He made a mistake at Charlotte that led to a 42nd place finish and a uphill climb the next two races. He isn't mathematically eliminated through points, but his best shot will be to get a win. This bodes well for Kenseth here at Kansas. In the last five races here he has a win, three top 10's and a 8.2 average finish. He is a tremendous mile and half track racer and should be able to contend here again this week. He has nothing to lose, so look for the #20 team to give it everything they got Sunday.
Joey Logano - $10,600
He dominated the 1.5 mile track at Charlotte and is now safe and into round three. He is the only driver to start the 2015 Chase with top 10 finishes in each race. He has been really impressive and close to a favorite to win it all. Over his last five races at Kansas he has a win and four top 5 finishes with a 11.0 average finish. Look for the #22 team to be fast again this weekend seeking back-to-back wins on mile and half tracks. The only concern is pushing it too hard with nothing to lose. This makes him a better GPP play this week.
Aric Almirola - $6,400
To get two or even three of the above drivers in your lineup together you are going to need some low end values. First up is Aric Almirola who has put up three top 10's in four races during the Chase. He comes back to Kansas where he has enjoyed success with three top 10's and a 14.0 average finish over the last five races. Look for another strong run from a driver and team building for next season. He makes a safe pick in any format with his recent consistency.
Casey Mears - $5,800
He has been having a pretty good season for a smaller team averaging a 22.0 average finish in the year. He has three top 20 finishes to start the Chase races and should be able to return value again this weekend at under $6,000 in salary. Makes a great play in any format.
Ryan Blaney - $5,300
He comes in at minimum price which seems too good to be true. He is a very talented young up and coming driver who we are going to be seeing a lot of in the 2016 season. He has one race here at Charlotte in his young career, finished 27th, and should be able to build on that this week. He is coming off of a great run at Charlotte where he finished in 14th pace. He is the best value of the week and allows for a lot of creativity and options when building lineups for large field tournaments this week.
Post Practice & Qualifying Update
Qualifying Top 10
- #2 Brad Keselowski
- #19 Carl Edwards
- #18 Kyle Busch
- #4 Kevin Harvick
- #11 Denny Hamlin
- #24 Jeff Gordon
- #78 Martin Truex Jr.
- #21 Ryan Blaney
- #41 Kurt Busch
- #31 Ryan Newman
Brad Keselowski found some speed in Kansas and looks dangerous going into Sunday. He picked up the pole and was also 1st in practice #2 and 2nd in the final practice. He has a great opportunity to get some laps led and contend for the win. Kevin Harvick talked of engine issues during the first practice but obviously figured things out as he qualified 4th for the race and was 9th and 18th in final practice. He as a great track record here so look for another good fantasy performance on Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. should remain a but under the radar and presents nice value starting in the 7th position. He ws 6th in practice 2 and 10th in the final practice and had the 2nd fastest consecutive 10 lap average time in final practice. If you are looking for a GPP salary relief play get Ryan Blaney in your lineups. He comes in at $5300 on DraftKings and qualified 8th. He was 4th in practice #2 before a dissapointign 23rd in final practice. Look for them to get back to the speeds they showed early on and be a top 15 car this weekend.
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