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Coke Zero 400
Daytona International Speedway
Wine country played host to the roaring engines of Monster Energy Cup last weekend and saw Kevin Harvick land his first victory ever at Sonoma Raceway and his first win of 2017. The race strategy was changed up by the insertion of stages to the 110-lap race that is usually dictated by tire strategy as opposed to tires and stage cautions. With the stages came the flipping of the field which led to watching the top drivers have to fight their way back up to the front on a challenging road-course.
Now that the Napa Valley is in the rear view mirror, it’s back once more to the birthplace of NASCAR in Daytona International Speedway. Daytona is a 2.5-mile Tri-Oval Superspeedway layout that has the second-steepest banked turns on the schedule, behind only Talladega. Because of the long straightaways and the high-banking,, the speeds would be way too high if not for the implementation of the restrictor plates to slow the speed of the cars.
In terms of trends for the track, four of the last six July races at Daytona have seen one driver lead at least 89 of the 160 laps with one race only running 114 laps before being called. Historically, 91% of winners at Daytona have started in the top-five starting spots and 34% of the races run here total have been won by Chevy’s. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led the most laps in the last three years with 151 total, though 96 came in the July 2015 race. Expect the setups to be nearly the same as they had for the Daytona 500 with most everyone in the field using the exact same car. One of the ones who isn’t would be Kurt Busch since his Daytona 500 winning car is on display in the museum.
Temperatures will be about the same for the start of the race on Saturday night as they were during practices on Thursday, which means the grip levels and speeds should be about the same. However there is a 60% chance of thunderstorms during the race time which could cause delays before or during the race and change how the cars handle, if the rubber is washed off the track.
DFS Playbook
| Driver | Draft Kings | NASCAR Live | Description |
| Brad Keselowski | $10,400 | $27.00 | Brad is the most expensive driver on Draft Kings this week and starts P3 after running P2 in practice 1. He has a win here in the last five, but not much else. He makes GPP sense |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $10,300 | $20.00 | Jr. is on the Pole for his final race at Daytona. He is also the second-most expensive driver on DK. The winningest driver at Daytona and coming off two top-10 finishes works for both |
| Joey Logano | $10,000 | $26.25 | Logano has the best average finish in the last five races at 7.8 with a win and four top-10s. He has run top-10 in practice and qualifying and works for either but best in cash |
| Denny Hamlin | $9,900 | $26.75 | Hamlin has been arguably the most consistent driver in the field over the last five races with a win and three top-five finishes. He is one of two drivers with five top-20s. Cash play |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $9,700 | $28.00 | Truex Jr. does have a top-five finish and two top-10s but still only averages an 18th place finish in the last five. He has shown so-so speed this week and remains a GPP only play here |
| Kyle Busch | $9,600 | $27.25 | Busch had the fastest car in the first practice and didn't run in the second practice. He qualified 16th. Busch has two top-five finishes in the last five races and can be played in both |
| Kevin Harvick | $9,500 | $27.50 | Harvick has three top-fives and three top-10s with 51 laps led in the last five races. Coming off a win and good speed in practice and starts P5 Saturday. Harvick works for cash or GPP |
| Kyle Larson | $9,200 | $27.75 | Larson maybe the most consistent driver each week this year but he has struggled here. He does have two top-10s in the last five races but averages just better than P20 finishes |
| Jimmie Johnson | $9,000 | $26.50 | Johnson has two top-fives and two top-10s in the last five races with 99 laps led, good for fourth. He starts P12 and ran 25th in practice 1 but 3rd in practice 2. JJ works best in GPP |
| Chase Elliott | $8,600 | $26.75 | Chase starts P2 on Saturday but has been up and down in practice. He doesn't have the best history here, having been taken out in accidents twice in three races. GPP is the best play |
| Austin Dillon | $7,900 | $21.00 | Dillon has three top-10s in the last five tries here and is the only other driver with five top-20 finishes. He has shown good speed once again and is a cash game play on Saturday |
| Trevor Bayne | $7,700 | $20.00 | Bayne has three top-10s in the last four races here and has shown consistent speed in practice. He starts P14 which builds in upside. At this price he works for either but nicer in cash |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,500 | $13.25 | Allmendinger is thought of as a road racer but has a good history at superspeedways. He has a very good +12.6 positional differential in the last five races with a top-five. GPP play |
| Ty Dillon | $6,400 | $15.50 | The younger Dillon has been good this season with 10 top-20 finishes in 16 races including a P13 at Dega. He ran 11th in practice and starts P34 on Saturday. He's a GPP play Saturday |
| Brendan Gaughan | $4,900 | $5.75 | Gaughan is still a part-time driver this year but has been good at Daytona for a budget-friendly play. He has finished 11th and 28th in the last two races and starts P32. Both work |
Optimal Lineups
| Draft Kings Cash | |
| Joey Logano | $10,000 |
| Denny Hamlin | $9,900 |
| Kevin Harvick | $9,500 |
| Austin Dillon | $7,900 |
| Trevor Bayne | $7,700 |
| Brendan Gaughan | $4,900 |
| Total | $49,900 |
For the cash lineup we are going for consistency with some upside, and that’s exactly what this lineup has. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick are among, if not, the three most consistent drivers in the field and have shown good speed this week. Austin Dillon and Trevor Bayne each have three top-10s in the last four races and good upside based on starting spots and practice speeds. Brendan Gaughan has a remarkable positive positional differential in the last two races and should be in a position to do that once more this week.
| Draft Kings GPP | |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $10,300 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $9,700 |
| Kyle Busch | $9,600 |
| Jimmie Johnson | $9,000 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,500 |
| Brendan Gaughan | $4,900 |
| Total | $50,000 |
The first GPP grouping starts with the pole sitter in Dale Earnhardt Jr. and follows up with three other $9,000+ drivers in Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson. Dale is the best driver on the track in the field and the other three all have shown elite skill at certain points that gives them the risk-reward aspect we are looking for. A.J. Allmendinger and Brendan Gaughan round out the roster of six with positional differential in big ways without spending a ton to get it.
| Draft Kings GPP #2 | |
| Brad Keselowski | $10,400 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $9,700 |
| Kyle Busch | $9,600 |
| Chase Elliott | $8,600 |
| Ty Dillon | $6,400 |
| Brendan Gaughan | $4,900 |
| Total | $49,600 |
The second GPP has two of the same drivers as the first GPP in Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch but builds around drivers starting P3 and P2 respectively. Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott start near the front of the field and have each shown flashes of top-10 speed in practice, with Brad showing more. Neither one has a great history but could change that this week. Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan finish off the roster for the same reason as the first GPP with a bit more risk in Ty then A.J.
| NASCAR Live | |
| Kyle Busch | $27.25 |
| Brad Keselowski | $27.00 |
| Dale Earnhardt jr. | $20.00 |
| Trevor Bayne | $20.00 |
| Brendan Gaughan | $5.75 |
| Bonus Winner | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| Bonus Manufacturer | Chevy |
| Total | $100.00 |
The NASCAR Fantasy Live roster is made of five familiar names from the DK lineups but gives the all-or-nothing feeling we are looking for in a strictly highest points wins contest. The five combined should provide laps led dominators and PD upside, especially with Dale Earnhardt Jr. being as inexpensive as he is in this format.
| Streak To The Finish | Denny Hamlin |
Denny Hamlin has been the most consistent driver in the field over the last three years and that should continue again this week with another top-10 finish.
Six of eight questions this week in Boom NASCAR contests are four choice questions. The other two are two-driver choice and predicting the finishing position of Dale Earnhart Jr. Like with the previous weeks, Stage 1, 2, and 3 points are the basis for post questions with Laps Led and Total Points being the basis for another two. Each week they provide the average total of each category being asked about for each driver involved, however it’s important to do a bit of research, including my track breakdown article, before coming up with the answers. Just because someone has averaged a particle point total in a stage doesn’t mean that holds this week due to where they start or history at the track. Boom may seem easier simply because you pick answers, but research can be done to make it much easier.