Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400
Pocono Raceway
What do you get with a perfectly setup car, the pole, and a great pit crew? The most dominating performance in NASCAR history, that’s what. Martin Truex Jr. led 392 of 400 laps on Sunday at Charlotte to finally get his first win of the season after being beaten out by three inches at Daytona to start the year. His performance completely overshadowed anybody else’s day on the track save for Kevin Harvick who’s car really came to life once the lights came up.
For the first time this season the screaming machines of NASCAR come roaring into the sleepy hollows of the Poconos to try and tame “The Tricky Triangle.” There are only two tracks that are 2.5-miles in length, this one and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though Talladega is 2.66 miles long. The layout makes it a unique one as it is the only triangular track on the circuit. These two factors make it one of the more wide open fields that we have come across yet given that there are not just a couple of dominant drivers in terms of laps led. That being said however, it does have a high rate of winners coming from the top-five starting places at 88% in its history.
In the last three June races at Pocono Raceway, there has been a driver in each race that led 95-plus laps of the 160 in a full race. The other thing that sticks out is the domination among the Chevrolet cars in those races making them high on my list this week.
DFS Playbook
| Driver | Draft Kings | Description |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,400 | Harvick tends to go backwards slightly placewise at Pocono but still owns the fifth best driver rating. Even with that said, his lowest scoring week is 46 points so far |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $10,300 | Truex Jr. is one of only three drivers to win at Pocono recently and is coming off the most dominant performance in NASCAR history. He can be played in either lineup |
| Jimmie Johnson | $10,100 | Johnson is a top-10 driver at the Tricky Triangle over the past two years but lacks laps led with just five. His point totals however limit him to GPP lineups this week |
| Matt Kenseth | $9,800 | Kenseth has begun to string good races together of late and comes in as a top-three driver at Pocono. He is still a top-tier driver who should be in contention this week |
| Kurt Busch | $9,400 | Mr. Consistency. Kurt has put up nearly identical numbers to Kevin Harvick in the last two years but is $1,000 less this week, but doesn't off the upside Harvick does |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $9,300 | Jr. has been the most dominant driver at the track in the last two years despite leading only 25 laps. He hasn't put it together this season, but this could be the race |
| Denny Hamlin | $9,200 | Hamlin is a top-10 driver with one top-5 and three top-10 finishes in the last four races here. The last three races have been vintage Denny making him a solid GPP play |
| Brad Keselowski | $9,100 | Keselowski has led the third most laps and has the fourth highest driver rating in the last two years but has been up and down this season. He still offers high upside |
| Chase Elliott | $8,400 | It has been a remarkable rookie season for Elliott and now he comes to a track that he has an ARCA win on dating back to 2013. He can be played in cash or GPP lineups |
| Austin Dillon | $8,200 | Dillon has been consistent at Pocono with four top-20 finishes in the last four races. This season though has been up and down lending his talents to GPP formats |
| Jamie McMurray | $7,700 | McMurray offers one of the best positional differentials in the field and has three top-10's in the last four races at Pocono. He has a solid 30-point floor for cash games |
| Ryan Newman | $7,100 | Newman is a mid-tier consistent option to round out a lineup with who is a top-15 driver at the track. He has posted three 30-plus point races in the last four races |
| Greg Biffle | $7,000 | Biffle owns the best positional differential in the field and the third best average finishing position. His salary makes him easy to fit into different lineup constructions |
| Ty Dillon | $6,000 | Ty is a part time driver in Sprint Cup but has been big time value plays everytime he races. In only one race on the track he owns the second best positional differential |
| David Ragan | $5,700 | Ragan is a budget play who is the most intriguing driver at this price point with his great positional differential at Pocono. He does offer near 40-point upside |
Optimal Lineups
| Draft Kings Cash | |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,400 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $10,300 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $9,300 |
| Greg Biffle | $7,000 |
| Clint Bowyer | $6,900 |
| Ty Dillon | $6,000 |
| Total | $49,900 |
Construction of the cash lineup began with the two highest scoring drivers in Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. but they also give high floors and high upside to the starting six. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s price made him a very easy selection being that he has the most wins and top-five finishes at the track in the last two years. Greg Biffle is an upside play who owns the best positional differential in the field and doesn’t have a low enough floor to keep him out of the lineup for the price point he’s at. Clint Bowyer is a top-15 play at the track and with a price under $7,000 he allows for too many options to be added to the lineup to keep him out of it. Ty Dillon is a guy I love to play when he is on a Sprint Cup track as he posts far too good of scores, in his limited races, to not play him.
| Draft Kings GPP | |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,400 |
| Matt Kenseth | $9,800 |
| Brad Keselowski | $9,100 |
| Jamie McMurray | $7,700 |
| Greg Biffle | $7,000 |
| David Ragan | $5,700 |
| Total | $49,700 |
The GPP lineup starts out the same way as the cash with Kevin Harvick in the lead spot, as it’s too hard to make a lineup without the most consistently high scoring driver on the circuit. Matt Kenseth is a driver that I have been avoiding for much of the season as the FP/$ ratio just wasn’t there but he is starting to outperform that number and with Pocono being a great track for him, it’s time to get him in the lineup. Brad Keselowski is among the top-tier drivers that are having up and down seasons this year but with a spot in the front row locked up and the third most laps led, the upside is there to play him. Jamie McMurray at $7,700 is a great value for a top-15 driver at Pocono who has finished no lower than 15th in the last four races. Greg Biffle’s upside makes him ripe for play in both cash and GPP lineups this week especially for what he costs. David Ragan owns the third best positional differential at the course and can post 35-plus point races all for $5,700 making him hard to ignore to close out the roster.
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