Advance Auto Parts Clash

Daytona International Speedway

For those that didn’t check out the track data article for The Clash, I will say Welcome Back!

If you happen to be new to DFS NASCAR or need a refresher, a lineup is made up of six drivers (for Draft Kings) and five drivers (for NASCAR Live) and drivers accrue points based on a few different categories during the race. Fastest laps, laps led, positional differential (difference between starting and finishing spots), and finishing position are what get points. Though in NASCAR Live, drivers get bonuses for top-10 finishes for the first two stages during the race as well. The idea being that you want your roster of drivers to put up the highest total possible while remaining under the salary cap for the site, $50,000 for DK and $100 for NL.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about Saturday’s race.

It’s a new season of NASCAR and it kicks off on Saturday night with a short, non-Cup points race known as The Clash. It features any pole winners from the previous season, previous Daytona 500 pole winners, and any remaining Chase drivers from the previous season who didn’t fit into either of the first two categories. This year that means there is a 17-driver field, down from the 20 possible with a couple of retirements and an injury concern. But don’t fret, there are still GPP and cash games this week and I have crunched the numbers to provide you with a lineup for both formats.

The race is held at the famous Daytona International Speedway with its 2.5-mile Tri-Oval track. It is one of the steepest banked tracks on the circuit with turns tilted to a 31-degree angle, second only to ‘Dega’s 33-degree turns. It, like ‘Dega, is a restrictor plate track meaning there is a different strategy employed by the drivers due to the constrained speeds of the cars which makes for a lot of pack racing. There will be more discussion on this next week for the 500 though.

Getting back to this week’s field…there is one more thing aside from the small number of cars that makes this different. The race is only 75 laps in length. That’s it. It’s a sprint from start to finish essentially. So laps led will not be as key a component this week as it normally is with less than 20 points available total in the category. The starting grid was also selected at random, not based on speed like it typically is, which means there can be value found in the middle to the back of the starting order. However, that being said, it just so happens that the two fastest cars in practice were Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, who start P1 and P2 respectively.

DFS PLAYBOOK

DriverDraft KingsDescription
Brad Keselowski$10,100Brad comes in to this having not won the event previously, however his record on restrictor-plate tracks is second to only Dale Jr. He starts on the pole and led the first practice
Joey Logano$9,400Logano has won the Daytona 500 before and drives for Team Penske, who always bring speed to plate races. He starts in the middle of the short field giving him big upside
Kevin Harvick$9,000Harvick was a dominating car in terms of speed and laps led a year ago, in the SHR #4 Chevy. Now they are Ford, but the speed and skill are still there to play him at this price
Kyle Busch$8,300Kyle will start P13, which gives great postiional differential opportunities and with his speed behind the wheel of the JGR Toyota, he should sprint to the front of the pack quickly
Chase Elliott$8,100Elliott was the pole sitter for the 500 last year but then crashed out early, he has the chops to stay in this race for the whole way and could be a candidate to win the whole thing
Martin Truex Jr.$8,000Truex had a breakout season in 2016 and nearly won the 500, save for six inches. He starts P5 but will need a bit more speed to carry to Saturday than at practice. Either works
Kurt Busch$7,500A 2011 winner of the Clash, he will start P10 and run his first race in a Stewart-Haas Ford. He can move through a field as well as anyone and should find his way to the front
Matt Kenseth$7,200Kenseth has won this event in the past (two years ago) and has two Daytona 500 wins under his belt. A P14 grid spot makes him a sneaky pick at this price level. Either one works
Daniel Suarez$6,000Suarez is a rookie making his debut in a Monster Energy Cup car on Saturday. The good news is he takes over a fast #19 Toyota and has shown speed at practice. GPP only here

OPTIMAL LINEUPS

Draft Kings Cash 
Joey Logano$9,400
Kevin Harvick$9,000
Kyle Busch$8,300
Martin Truex Jr.$8,000
Kurt Busch$7,500
Matt Kenseth$7,200
  
Total$49,400

The Draft Kings cash lineup this week has pretty much all the big names in it, as you can guess with a small field. All six drivers were consistent, and some big, contributors to rosters last season with Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. leading the way, with both averaging better than 52 fantasy points/race. There is a lot of positional differential value as no one starts better than P5 in the grid.

Draft Kings GPP 
Brad Keselowski$10,100
Kevin Harvick$9,000
Kyle Busch$8,300
Chase Elliott$8,100
Martin Truex Jr.$8,000
Daniel Suarez$6,000
  
Total$49,500

For the GPP formats, I took half of the same drivers from the cash lineup but then injected some new names to the mix. Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, and Daniel Suarez are the changes that bring a bit more risk to the proceedings. Keselowski is the pole sitter, but if he can hold his spot, he could rack up a big chunk of the laps led points. Elliott was the pole sitter for the 500 in his rookie campaign last season and has the ability to win, while Suarez is a rookie this year but has shown well at the Xfinity series level and had good times at practice on Friday. More risk but potential low ownership given their standing in the stacked field means they could provide the upside you need to cash.

*NASCAR Live lineups will be added this season and will start next week with the Daytona 500. Contests are not available for The Clash on their site this week.