The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Fort Werth, Texas this week for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. The repaved and reconfigured Texas Motor Speedway should lead to even faster racing than we are accustomed to seeing at this event. However, experience should still count for something with a couple of drivers in particular worth focusing on in DraftKings tournaments based on their dominance at this track. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Sunday’s DraftKings NASCAR daily fantasy leagues.
Kyle Busch, $9,900
Nobody has had worse luck than Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season. Busch has recorded three straight top-10 finishes and has two runner-up finishes this season. However, he is still chasing that elusive win. There is a good chance that Busch finally breaks through this week. He is the defending champion at this event and has placed in the top-five in each of his last five starts here. Considering that Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. are all listed at over $10K each, it feels like Busch is an absolute steal as our top pick for this week’s DraftKings competitions.
Chase Elliott, $9,500
Elliott is another driver that has performed well at this track in the past. The Hendrick Motorsports driver placed in the top-five in both the Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series races here last season and he won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 here back in 2014. Elliott has placed 12th or better in each of his last five Sprint Cup Series starts. Considering his track record and his overall form heading in to this race, Elliott is an absolute bargain at just $9.5K.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., $8,500
It’s hard to figure out what to make of Dale Jr. following his brutal start to the season. Earnhardt looked like he was about to get his season on track last week at Martinsville but he was caught up in a crash late in the race and ended up finishing outside of the top-30. While we might hesitate to back him based on his overall numbers this season both his track record and his price tag make him an intriguing pick. Dale Jr. has finished in the top-six in each of his last four races at Texas and he is available at just $8.5K. There is a bit of risk taking Earnhardt in DraftKings competitions. However, considering his track record, price tag and overall potential he is worth the risk in this week’s fantasy competitions.
Erik Jones, $7,600
Jones is one of the most undervalued picks on the board heading in to the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. He has consistently run in the top-10 this season and yet he is still available at just $7.6K in DraftKings competitions. Jones has experienced success at Texas as well with a 12th place finish in last year’s Sprint Cup Series race at this track. If he produces a similar result this weekend then he will be worth the risk as an excellent value pick once again in DraftKings tournaments.
Kasey Kahne, $7,300
Kahne is another Hendrick driver that might be worth taking a chance on this week. Considering his price tag, we are more than willing to take a shot on him. Kahne is available at $7.3K, which is pretty much half of our remaining salary cap space. Kahne hasn’t dominated this season by any means but he also hasn’t been terrible with six top-20 finishes in as many starts. There is definitely potential for Kahne to finish in the top-10 at Texas this week after he placed eighth in both races at this track a year ago. Considering the structure of our lineup this week, Kahne is a perfect fit as a value pick.
Daniel Suarez, $7,200
Suarez is coming off a horrible performance at Martinsville last week. However, there is reason to believe he could bounce back on Sunday. Suarez placed seventh at both Phoenix and California. At just $7.2K, a top-15 finish would be more than enough to make him worth his spot in our DraftKings lineup. Suarez has the highest potential of the drivers we can still afford so we have no reservations about locking him in to this spot.
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