Bojangles’ Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
Last Sunday at Michigan, for the Pure Michigan 400, was some great clean racing with very few caution laps run, and in the end Kyle Larson drove it home for his first career win. Chase Elliot, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski all had a chance to win with the former two still needing a win to cement their spot in the Chase. It was also the last time for that kind of speed for quite a while.
Golf has its tradition unlike any other, the Master, and so does NASCAR. The Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway, “The track too tough to tame” and “The Lady in Black.” Legend has it that when the track was first built there was a pond on the property that was promised to be kept in place and hence, the two different radius of turns. Whether that’s true or not, what’s clear is that Darlington always poses one of the toughest tests for drivers and teams alike as it eats tires and challenges the transmissions. 95% of eventual winners have started fifth or better in the starting grid, which puts a premium on passing. As would be expected with that type of stat, only four drivers have led more than 60 laps in the last two races with only two, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, leading triple digit numbers of laps.
Even veteran drivers have trouble navigating it with out earning their “Darlington Stripe,” or running the car into the wall, so rookie drivers are all but out of consideration this week. No early practice or qualifying due to Hurricane Hermine mean we are basing decisions off of how the starting grid stacks up with owner’s points. Practices are scheduled for Saturday to give us an idea of how teams are running however. Let us take a look at the optimal lineups for Sunday Night’s race.
PLAYBOOK
| Driver | Draft Kings | Description |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,600 | Harvick has simply been the most dominant driver on the track in the last three years. With him on the pole, there is no reason to not play him in all lineups this week |
| Kyle Busch | $10,400 | Busch has the second-best average finish in the last couple of years, behind Harvick and is starting second. Seven top-10 finishes in 13 races and third most laps led here too |
| Brad Keselowski | $10,200 | Keselowski is the only other driver with triple-digit laps led in the last two races and he has a runner-up finish. Keselowski continues to be a solid play in GPP lineups the week |
| Carl Edwards | $10,100 | Edwards has a win and the third-best positional differential (+10) in the last two years and has eight top-10 finishes in 12 career races at Darlington making him fit both rosters |
| Denny Hamlin | $9,600 | Hamlin runs well at Darlington, owning the best average finish at 6.5 in his 10 races at the track. He has been on a hot streak the last few weeks and starts P7. A very solid play |
| Jimmie Johnson | $9,300 | J.J. seems to have figure things out in the last few weeks and comes to a track where he has the second-best differential in the field. Starting P9 gets him a play in cash or GPP |
| Kyle Larson | $9,100 | He is coming off his first career win and now races on a track in which he has an average top-10 finish. At $9,100 he should be in consideration for GPP lineups this week |
| Jeff Gordon | $8,700 | Gordon is by far the best historical driver in the field with seven wins and more than 1,700 laps led. He had a week off but starts P15 which should get him a top-10 finish here |
| Tony Stewart | $7,800 | Stewart is at Darlington for the last time and would like to duplicate one of his 12 top-10 finishes. Stewart is still capable of 45+ point races, this being one of those chances |
| Clint Bowyer | $7,300 | Bowyer has moved up 7.5 spots on average in each of the last couple of races at Darlington finishing in the top-15 on average. GPP is the only play for him however |
| Greg Biffle | $7,200 | Biffle is the third-best driver career-wise in the field with the second-most laps led with 718. He has posted two straight 45+ point races and should be in line for another one |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,800 | Allmendinger owns a +7 postional differential in the last two races and is still racing for a spot in the Chase. A P21 starting spot in the grid makes him intriguing in GPP formats |
| Casey Mears | $6,000 | Mears has been hit and miss the season but Darlington is one of his better tracks with a +8 position differential. With 28 points or more in two of three races, a GPP play works |
| Landon Cassill | $5,800 | Cassill is back in the list as a budget-friendly play for his consistency and his upside at Darlington. He is capable of posting 30 point races which is great for this price point |
| Regan Smith | $5,300 | Smith hasn't raced at Darlington since 2013 but does have a win to his credit while showing he can move through the field. A 30+ point upside exists with Smith as a sleeper |
OPTIMAL LINEUPS
| Draft Kings Cash | |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,600 |
| Kyle Busch | $10,400 |
| Brad Keselowski | $10,200 |
| Greg Biffle | $7,200 |
| Landon Cassill | $5,800 |
| Regan Smith | $5,300 |
| Total | $49,500 |
Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski anchor the top of the cash lineup this week despite being the three most expensive drivers. Harvick’s bona fides at the track are well documented and the pole position should suit him well. Busch and Keselowski are two of the next three drivers at the track in the last few years. Greg Biffle is the mid-tier option for the Southern 500 with a long history of good performances at the track and having led the second-most laps of anyone in the field. Landon Casill and Regan Smith are the two budget plays this week but that doesn’t mean they don’t have upside. Both are capable of 30+-point showings and Smith has a win to his credit here while starting 24th. Overall there is a high-floor with upside all across the roster, just what we want for a cash game.
| Draft Kings GPP | |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,600 |
| Brad Keselowski | $10,200 |
| Jeff Gordon | $8,700 |
| Tony Stewart | $7,800 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,800 |
| Landon Cassill | $5,800 |
| Total | $49,900 |
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, same as the cash six-man group, also headline the GPP lineup. They provide the oomph at the top of the roster as well as starting one-two they have led a combined 482 of 734 laps run in the last two races. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are the senior drivers in the group so to speak, but each have excellent histories at the track; Gordon with seven wins and Stewart with 12 top-10s. A.J. Allmendinger has a very good positional differential in the last two years (+7) and provides upside with him pushing for a spot in the Chase with just two races left. Landon Cassill is also in the GPP, just like the cash, provides the budget play but comes with high upside possibility.
Player News
{{item.text}}
{{analysis.analysis}}