The Chase is finally here. After months of grinding week in and week out, it's time for the final 16 drivers to battle their way in elimination style en route to Homestead where NASCAR will crown a champion.

It all kicks off Sunday with the first race of the playoffs, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 from Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The track is a 1.5 mile D Shaped Oval intermediate with 24° of banking in the corners. Track position always has importance but a little less this week as at least five drivers have finished inside the Top 10 after starting outside the Top 10 in each of the last five years here at Chicagoland. The one thing I will pay more attention to this week is the differential between Practice times and Qualifying. This will be good way to determine the drivers with the best place differential value. The final two practices are slated for Saturday afternoon with the race coming on Sunday.

If you have any questions leading up to the race be sure to join the conversation in the chat below. I will also be sharing a link to a cheatsheet I developed and use weekly to help reduce research time. The cheatsheet includes driver salaries, track history(last 5 years), current form(last 5 races), Season Loop Data, and I also provide updated practice and qualifying rankings with a weighted system to rank all drivers. The cheatsheet and lineups will be updated throughout the weekend so be sure to follow me on Twitter and check your emails for lineup updates.  Check out the link in the chat room below and feel free to ask me any questions leading up to the race.

Daily Fantasy NASCAR: DraftKings DFS  Lineup Picks

Favorite to win - Kevin Harvick ($10,800)

He is the most expensive driver this week and comes into the playoffs with something to prove. On three different occasions this season he has called out his crew which forced them to recently replace the front tire changer and carrier. Harvick comes back to Chicago with some nice track history with two wins, eight Top 5's and nine Top 10's in 15 career races. He was the most consistent driver all season with 13 Top 5's and 21 Top 10 finishes and is safe in all formats this week.

Upper Tier Value - Denny Hamlin ($9,700)

He picked up a huge win at his home track last week and even with two wins and eight straight Top 10 finishes in the last two months he still comes in under $10K this week. It's not his best track by any means with just one career win and four Top 10's in 10 races but momentum and price have him as a top value play this week. He qualified 3rd and was 3rd in first practice and as long as he doesn't lose a ton of speed over the final two practices, will be a safe play in all formats.

Mid Tier Value - Jimmie Johnson ($8,800)

It just seems wrong seeing Jimmie at a season low salary below $9K. Like every season it seems Jimmie goes through a summer lull where he looks no better than a Top 20 car at times. Never fear though old six time knows how to get it done when the pressure is on. He does have six championships after all.  Despite not winning here in his hall of fame career Jimmie has an excellent track record with 10 Top 10 finishes in 14 races with a series best 9.29 average finish(not counting Larson who has only raced here twice).

Also Consider - Brad Keselowski ($10,100)

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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