This week NASCAR heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana for the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 from the Brickyard. The track is a 2.5 mile oval superspeedway but is unique from Talladega and Daytona who have more than 30° of banking in the corners. Indianapolis is a much flatter setup with just 9° of banking creating a tough environment for passing putting heavy emphasis on track position and race strategy from the crew perspective.
The big story of the week is the return of Jeff Gordon who will be behind the wheel of the #88 as Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to sit out with a concussion. Gordon has been out of a car since the 2015 season finale at Homestead, Miami but he is one of the best drivers in the history of the sport and should have no problem adjusting this week. He also comes back to Indianapolis with more wins(5) than any other active driver. It is going to be a very entertaining race this weekend. Let's take a look at some drivers that you should be inserting into your lineups this week.
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 - Kyle Busch ($10,400)
It looked like Kyle had the car to win early in the race last week as he ended up leading 133 of the 301 laps. Going back to the well this week as he comes back to the Brickyard as the defending champion and has tremendous recent track history here. He is the only driver to finish each of the last five races inside the Top 10 to go along with the win and three Top 5 finishes. He was the fastest car in final practice and should contend for the win once again and eat up the dominator points.
Upper Tier Value - Jimmie Johnson ($9,700)
His salary has dropped to a season low $9,700 making him a great value in the upper tier. He has four career wins here at the Brickyard and is one of the best drivers in NASCAR. He was fastest in first practice and 7th in final practice. Look for the #48 team to qualify close to the front and be a factor throughout the race. Recency bias could also put him in a lower ownership tier this week.
Mid Tier Value - Jeff Gordon ($8,800)
He is back after a six month absence and will be driving the #88 for Dale Jr. this week and next. He comes back to Indy with five career wins and while I can't see a win for Gordon a Top 10 would not be a surprise at all. He is 12th in salary this week and showed Top 10 speed in the first practice. His value will get a boost if he were to qualify outside the Top 10. Stay tuned.
Also Consider - Greg Biffle
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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