***Lineups are updated based on qualifying positions***
Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Last week saw some great racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, thanks in large part to the VHT that was sprayed in the bottom and third groves on the track all weekend. In the end, Denny Hamlin found victory lane, and the lobster, agin at Loudon and nabbed his first win of the season along with JGR’s first win as a team. The GPP lineup helped us get back on track as it had the top four finishers in the race to boost the point total. With another spot locked up in the Chase and only seven races, including this weekend, left before the playoffs, things are really tightening up.
From the sleepy New Hampshire countryside to the bustling metropolis of Indianapolis, Indiana we go for this week’s race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Brickyard 400. The track, famously known as the Brickyard, is generally home to open-wheeled racing multiple times a year, but this week the stock cars get a chance to race on the rectangular oval and its shallow banking. The turns at Indy are only banked at six degrees, which is uncommon for a track of its length, 2.5-miles. Because of the shallow banking, it’s harder for the drivers to carry as much speed around the track as say at Daytona or ‘Dega, meaning there are no restrictor plates needed on this layout.
Indy typically sees very few cautions per race, averaging just six per contest, before the stage-racing format. Overall 83% of winners have started in the top-five of the starting grid with 70% of winners driving Chevrolets, for 16 wins. This is also the track that has seen the fewest number of different drivers lead laps in the over past two years, with just four seeing time out front. Focusing on those drivers will be key to cashing since laps led dominators will be few and far between on Sunday.
DFS Playbook
Driver | Draft Kings | NASCAR Live | Description |
Martin Truex Jr. | $10,600 | $28.25 | Truex Jr. has two top five finishes in the last two years here, including a fourth place finish. He is one of only four drivers in the field with a rating over 109 in that span. A GPP works |
Kyle Busch | $10,500 | $27.00 | Kyle is the dominant driver in the field this week. He has the most wins (2), most laps led (168), and highest rating (140.7) in the last two years. Hungry for a win, either play works |
Kyle Larson | $10,200 | $28.00 | Larson has finished between fifth and ninth in the three races he's run here. He appears to have a fast car again, though inspections could play a role in that. Both GPP and Cash work |
Jimmie Johnson | $10,000 | $26.00 | Johnson is the winningest driver here in the field with four career wins. He also hast the most laps led with 302 and seven top-10s. The last two races have been solid for JJ. GPP |
Kevin Harvick | $9,900 | $27.50 | Harvick has the second most laps led in the past two races with 75 and has an average finish of 4.5 with a 3rd and 6th place finish. Running second in final practice makes a cash play |
Denny Hamlin | $9,500 | $27.25 | Hamlin is fresh off a win last week, and led the first practice, 2 mph faster than anyone else. He has a 4th and 5th place finish in the last two races and six top-10s in 11 career races |
Brad Keselowski | $9,300 | $26.50 | Keselowski has a top-10 in the last two races and is fourth, and final, in laps led with 32. He has five top-10s in the last seven races at this distance. He has top-10 speed this week |
Matt Kenseth | $9,200 | $25.75 | Kenseth has the best postion differential in the field this week at +16 in the last two years and is one of only five to be over +6. He has a second place finish in that span. Cash works |
Joey Logano | $9,100 | $25.00 | Logano is the fourth driver to have a 4.5 average finish in the last two races with a runner-up included in that. He has five top-10s in eight career races with 55 laps led. GPP is better |
Clint Bowyer | $8,600 | $23.25 | Bowyer has a 6th place finish in the last two races and has three top-10s in 11 career tries. Bowyer is battling for a playoff spot and has shown good speed this week. He's a GPP play |
Kurt Busch | $8,300 | $19.75 | Kurt has been up and down this season but has a top-8 finish here in the last two races. He has five top-10s in 16 races here but is showing top-10 speed again this week. GPP only |
Kasey Kahne | $7,900 | $17.50 | Kahne has three top-fives, six top-10s, and 158 laps led at IMS in his career. Kahne desperately needs a win, or good finish, and with the speed he's shown it could happen Sunday |
Daniel Suarez | $7,800 | $20.75 | Suarez is a rookie, and coming off a sixth place a week ago. His Xfinity numbers here in two races show a 3rd and 7th place finish. He ran 12th in final practice on Saturday. Sleeper |
Chris Buescher | $6,600 | $12.50 | Buescher is my second sleeper of the week given his +8 position differential and his 14th place finish a year ago. He ran 16th in his only Xfintiy series race. Either works at this price |
Paul Menard | $6,300 | $13.00 | Menard has a top-10 and two top-15s in the last two years making him a great budget-friendly play. He has shown top-20 speed at final practice and makes a good cheap play at IMS |
Optimal Lineups
Draft Kings Cash | |
Kyle Busch | $10,500 |
Kyle Larson | $10,200 |
Matt Kenseth | $9,200 |
Daniel Suarez | $7,800 |
Chris Buescher | $6,600 |
Cole Whitt | $5,600 |
Total | $49,900 |
The cash lineup this week is centered around the dolmination that Kyle Busch has shown the last two years. He has two wins, most laps led, best driver rating, and is on the pole once again. Typically playing the pole winner in a cash lineup is frowned upon, however he qualified at speeds nearly an mph faster than the second place driver, Kevin Harvick. Kyle Larson, Matt Kenseth, and Daniel Suarex are the middle of the lineup as they each give a lot of upside for position differential and have shown top-end speed each. Suarez, though a rookie, has a good history here in the Xfinity series that makes him a potential sleeper this week. Chris Buescher, and Cole Whitt finish off the lineup with two budget-friendly plays that give upside as well including Buecher's 14th place finish a year ago.
Draft Kings GPP | |
Martin Truex Jr. | $10,600 |
Denny Hamlin | $9,500 |
Brad Keselowski | $9,300 |
Clint Bowyer | $8,600 |
Paul Menard | $6,300 |
Landon Cassill | $5,300 |
Total | $49,600 |
Pivots: Kyle Larson or Kyle Busch in for Martin Truex Jr.
This lineup centers around two guys who have been very hot of late in Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin including Hamlin's win last week. Both drivers have very good history at the track and have shown very good speed, including Hamlin leading the first practice. Addressing the pivots, Larson starts 25th but has three straight top-10 finishes here and ran fifth in practice, Busch is the most dominant driver on the track this week. Brad Keselowski is next up and is fourth in laps led with 32 in the last two races and five top-10s in the last seven races at the 2.5-mile distance. Clint Bowyer brings some very good history to the preceedings and a fast car the last couple of weeks. He is also on the hot seat for the playoffs and looking for a strong finish to boost his standing. Paul Menard and Landon Cassill round out the roster and Menard brings a 10th and 14th place finish in the last two races.
Draft Kings GPP #2 | |
Jimmie Johnson | $10,000 |
Kevin Harvick | $9,900 |
Joey Logano | $9,100 |
Kasey Kahne | $7,900 |
Daniel Suarez | $7,800 |
Landon Cassill | $5,300 |
Total | $50,000 |
Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead off the lineup with two guys starting in the top-five starting spots. JJ has four career wins at the track and leads the field in laps led over his 17 races. Harvick is second in laps led in the past two races, 75, and has a 3rd and 6th place finish in those efforts. Joey Logano has a fast car for the first time in weeks this week and needs a win still, given his Richmond win was encumbered. He has a 2nd and 7th place finish at IMS in the last two races. I wrote about Kasey Kahne in the track breakdown and his surpisingly good history at the track. He has a very good car and starts P19 on Sunday. Daniel Suarez makes for a good GPP and cash game play this week, so here he is in a GPP lineup for the same reasons that make him a good choice in the cash lineup. Landon Cassill is a budget-friendly play with a good enough history for some one this far down the salary list.
NASCAR Live | |
Kyle Busch | $27.00 |
Jimmie Johnson | $26.00 |
Kurt Busch | $19.75 |
Ryan Blaney | $18.75 |
Landon Cassill | $5.75 |
Bonus Winner | Kyle Busch |
Bonus Manufacturer | Toyota |
Total | $97.25 |
The NASCAR Fantasy Live lineup starts off with Kyle Busch as the pole sitter and the potential laps led dominator. Jimmie Johnson is next up for his elite history at the track and the speed he has shown this week at practice and qualifying. Kurt Busch follows JJ as a guy who needs to find his groove again. He has an 8th place finish here and an average of P12 in the last two races. Ryan Blaney showed top-five speed in practice and qualified P10 to start the race. Landon Cassill is again the budget-friendly choice in this lineup, especially at this price point.
Streak To The Finish | Kyle Busch |
Kyle Busch has 10 top-10 finishes in 12 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway so there is really no better reason to pick Busch to do that again.